Clarisonic Mia

So yes I might be late to the party but have no fear I'm here!

I picked up my new Clarisonic Mia along with a Deep Pore Cleansing Brush Head from Sephora yesterday! I'm so excited to use it and hopefully get rid of the un-welcomed guests  ( eek!) that have been clogging my pores.

Clarisonic Mia $119

Deep Pore Cleansing Brush Head $25

I've only used it once and I love it already! I will be doing a full review in about 2-3 weeks after daily use ( morning and night time) so standby!

If you're on Vine follow me at Saj Mack! I posted a video using it for the first

Do you have a clarisonic mia? mia 2? Share! I'd love to hear your thoughts! comment below about this handy gadget! 

Clarisonic

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Product Review: Sally Hansen Magnetic Polish

Sally Hansen is no doubt a leader in all things Mani Pedi and as a lover of their Salon Effects I was super excited to see their launch into the magnetic polish game.

Firstly they stand out from the crowd with a wider range of colours to choose from! I did do a previous review on Nails Inc Magnetic Polish from Sephora  (click for that review) which was only available in gun metal and a purpley colour.

So what colour shall I choose? I did pick this up while shopping for a Beauty Editorial ( to come soon :D) so I chose the shade 904-Kinetic Copper

How it Works: 
The polish comes with a magnetic cap which will activate the design within the polish. I first applied one coat and let that dry, then applied a second coat and used the magnet top to activate the design, be careful not to get too close or it will smudge.

Application: Goes on like a dream, the first coat is completely solid, it also looks great without using the magnet ( I did forget to take a picture of that part )

Wet nails! Loving the copper sparkle!

I absolutely love this colour and the polish itself, it definitely has more dimension to it than other magnetic polishes that I've tried. It has sparkly glitter in it also makes it amazing but not in an obnoxious glitter type way ( is there such a thing?). I love the way it shows only in between the magnetic swirls giving more life to the overall design.


Sajies love magnetic sparkly amazingness!

Only question left is whats the next shade I should try!

What shade are you picking up?

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Product Review: Pür Minerals

At a Pretty City Beauty Sample Sale, I picked up this starter kit from Pür Minerals for myself. It was at a discounted price so I thought why not! I'll treat myself and test out at the same time. Win win!

The kit came with the following Products:

Correcting Primer

4 in 1 Pressed Powder Foundation: Light Tan

Mineral Glow (bronzer)

Impact + Mascara

Chisel Brush

Additionally I was given a complimentary Lipgloss with the purchase AND a goody bag with more products...um...#winning!!!

The additional products were:

Marble Powder Universal Blush: Bronze

Lipgloss: Crystal Pink, I Heart Pür

Eye Pencil: Polished Stone

Eye Pencil: Polished Stone

Lip Plumping Lip Gloss Crystal Pink

Marble Powder  Blush

What makes Pür Minerals special is that each product contains skin-perfecting ingredients which should correct skin issues such as discolouration, fine lines etc while covering flawlessly.

The line comes in a range of shades in the Light, Tan and Dark categories so it should be easy to find a match. The ladies at the event matched my shade for me in order to purchase my kit.

The application steps are super easy and fool proof and the before and after difference is pretty dramatic, as a makeup artist I'm always asked about mineral products which usually get a thumbs down from me, but with this product...well...watch the vid below of my applying the makeup and see for yourself!

What They Say:

"We know lots of makeup can make you look pretty, but how many can improve clarity or diminish fine lines? 89% saw and improvement in skin tone and over 95% reported a firmer feel and finish. Get an instantly flawless look plus correct your skin's appearance!" *results from 8 weeks clinical study*

I purchased this kit on the 9th of November and used it the next day, every day since then..guys I'm actually seeing a difference on day 17. I will keep at it until day 60 and update you on my skin's status!

Also I did mention in my video that the primer didn't work well for me, but they do have a pretty vast skin care range so I will test out a few of the other primers to see which is better suited to my skin.

I'm fascinated by this brand and it's based out of Atlanta,GA so I plan to find out more about it!

*EDITED  4/4/2012

Just wanted to update you guys that My compact is now finished and I went out today and purchased a fill sized 4 in 1 Foundation. It's not often that a makeup artist completely finishes a product as we are constantly trying new things but this was a keeper!

Sajies say that it's Pür Love!

Shop the products below:

pur minerals makeup

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Product Review: Sally Hansen Salon Effects

Bling It On

On the quest to find an affordable mani that lasts more than one second on my nails ( i can't!!!) I decided to give into the hype of Sally Hansen's Salon Effects.

I picked up a box of Bling it On which is a pink glitter ......duh!! LOL

The box comes with two packs of nail strips, 8 stickers in each, instruction sheet, cuticle stick and mini file.

Box contents

The instructions are pretty simple, clean nails with remover, match size of strip to nail, peel protective layer, stick, and file to remove excess.

Placing strip

First nail done!

My first hand went on pretty easy and I was dazzling in my pink sparklezzzzzz yay!!! The left hand was an b#$tch to get on ( I'm left handed) but I found even the strips were difficult in that they were tearing really easy when peeling off the paper layer in comparison to the right hand.

Reading the instructions more it suggested that warmer hands help, and I was working in a cold corner of my apt...so I think by the time I got to my left hand it was maybe too cold? I don't know...I'm guessing here.

So I finally got both hands done and only had to redo two on my left hand...and voila!!!

 SPARKLEZZZZZ

I loveeeeeeeeeee how it looks, and these come in MANY patterns and solid colours so it's fun choosing which one next!

I have five strips left over which I will use to repair/replace as I go along.

Left over pink sparklez makes Saj sad :( and no It can't be saved lol it dries up

The box says it lasts up to 10 days, and I'm pretty sure it CAN last that long if not more....of course as soon as I finished and went to the bedroom my index finger chipped and when I woke up a few more nails were chipped.

I'm typing this on day three of wearing them, I should also add that last night I had a sugar hand scrub and shea butter massage and the strips didn't budge. See below what it looks like now:

The strips are pretty sturdy once applied, even when I messed one up, it took a lot of scraping to get it off. I will say that I really don't judge nail products based on how it chips on MY nails...because my nails are on another level...who chips a STICKER within minutes?? I can't....

Application Tips:
-If you have cold hands, I'd suggest using a blowdryer on a low heat setting to warm the strips up AFTER you've applied it but BEFORE you file off the excess.
- When filing off excess pull the file downwards in one direction, not back and forth, to help wrap the edges over your nail tip.


Have you tried these before? Comment and let me know which pattern you love!

Oh and in Sajville the Sajies LOVE LOVE pink sparklez

Shop the different patterns below:

salon effects

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Product Review: Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish

I finally got my hands on a bottle of the Nails Inc Magnetic Polish

 to give it a try myself and see whats up!

Only two colours were available so I decided on the chrome shade Trafalgar Square

It was pretty simple to use, no difference to any polish.

The polish itself looks great without using the magnet to get the design, 

so it does have a double wear option.

To get the design, the instructions said to apply polish and let dry slightly, then apply the magnet cap to activate the design, BUT when I followed this I didn't get any results. whomp whomp!

So I completed my two coats and let them dry completely, then applied a third coat and immediately placed the magnet over the wet polish and voila! The design came through.

Two with magnet design, two withought

Overall its pretty cool and it looks nice, almost 3D like!

I also experimented with turning the magnet sideways on my ring finger and basically got the same pattern going sideways LOL, but at least theres a bit of variety in it! 

Will you be picking up some Magnetic Polish? Comment and let me know! 

nails inc magnetic polish

The Sajies loves it! and wish it came in pink! ^_^

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Product Review: Lime Crime Pop Romance Lipstick

I've been wanting to try these lippies for a while and decided to take the opportunity and pick up a few as a birthday gift to myself during the Lime Crime FB Fan sale.

I got three colours: D'lilac, Great Pink Planet and Mint to Be, I would have preferred Airbourne Unicorn which is a deeper lilac and Centrifuchsia which is a bright fuchsia but they were out of stock :(...which came into stock during the weeks I was waiting on my order...smh.

I'm usually a colourful person and tend to rock the unusual so I figured these could be added to my personal stash.

So the lippies finally arrived yesterday. First gripe! :/ I placed my order the 1st July and only received them the 22nd July completely missing my bday (11th July) oh well! :(

I did a few quick lip swatches of them on my lips to play with the colours and I have to say hubby who is normally quite supportive of my random fits of colour is NOT a fan..he says and I quote " They are to pale and creamy like and would probably be more editorial" LOL loves it!

Mint To Be

D'Lilac

Great Pink Planet

Okay my views now:
First the packaging:

I personally think the tubes are cute ( but I am a hello kitty glitter junkie soooooo you might not want to take my word on that lol :P ) also they came in a really cute printed box, I only wish they shipped it in a different box or bag so that I could keep the designed box but it's destroyed with all the postage labels. I also think that opens up orders for theft from the post office?

The Lipsticks!

The lipsticks themselves have a nice smell to them and are SUPER creamy and very thick because of the high pigmentation and the colours are true to what you see online.

Hubby is right tho, because of the thick creamy-ness it can be overbearing if not applied with a few tricks that I will post below.

D'Lilac 

I wore the Great Pink Planet today ( after he made me remove the D'lilac lol ) from 2pm-10pm with NO touchups and it lasted pretty good even with copious amounts of water, sweat tea, conversation, smooching and singing along to Gagaloo...and only fell apart at an all you can eat buffet ^_^

The colour also did NOT bleed, I applied it straight from the tube, no concealer, foundation or liner on my lips. So they really do stand on their own.

Great Pink Planet

Quick pic before going to eat after a LONG day...evident by my greazyness EW! lol
Colour still looks AMAZING with NO touchups throughout the day 

Overall they are nice fun and really long lasting lipsticks but keep in mind that the light colours are very light and pastel and may not flatter every complexion and lip shape. But they DO have lots more colour variety so check them out still if Mint to be isn't your thing lol.

I am going to try mixing my colours and playing with coloured liners to create different looks.

Application Tips:

- Ensure to exfoliate your lips as the heavy pigmentation will show up dry and cracked lips

- Dab lip colour on as opposed to swiping motion to press in pigment and avoid the overly creamy
appearance. If you can't do that well then apply as usual and blot lips on a tissue to remove excess.

- Use a flesh toned lipliner with lipcolour to keep the shape and dimension of your lips, the paleness of these can "erase" your natural lip shape

On the Sajie Scale?........

lime crime

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Stila Travel Palette: Tokyo

I picked this up at Ulta as a impulse purchase for $5 *sweeeetttt!* and I love love love it!!!

They do have more palettes that I would have gotten but they were sold out.

Here are the eyeshadow and Cheek and Lip creme swatches below

As you can see the top two colours which are both shimmers are a  very soft gold and pink. Super fresh and pretty for a natural no makeup look. The bottom blue and black shades are amazing and nicely pigmented. Love the blue!

The pink lip and cheek creme is really nice has a great texture to it, for the past few months I've been rocking creme blushes and absolutely LOVE them!

This is definitely a great palette to have and makes traveling with makeup a breeze taking you from day to night makeup looks. 

For application tips on applying creme blush check out my quick vid tutorial below!

Sajies Love!!! <3

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Product Review: Black Opal Stick Foundation

One of the most common things I hear being a makeup artist is women with darker skin tones having limited options of finding products to match. *that and most are in denial of their true complexions*

Black Opal True Color Stick Foundations is a really amazing and budget friendly product with excellent shades for darker skin.

The formula of the Stick Foundation is very pigmented and creamy with a medium to full coverage. The colour matching for darker skin is amazing and blends beautifully. 

I have to say I would not recommend this for lighter-medium skin tones as the lighter colors seem to oxidize and turn orange *hopefully this will be corrected soon*

Unretouched Photo of Hana-Safiya Black Opal True Beauty Finalist wearing Shade Hazlenut

Bonus on this product? at $10.00 USD this is a steal!!

What They Say:

"Sometimes you do have something to hide and this creme foundation housed in a portable stick, can make camouflaging problem areas on the face that much easier. This PABA-free, hypoallergenic formula protects skin from UV damage, won't clog pores and blends smoothly to give you the flawless face you've always wanted. Full coverage. For all skin types. Velvet finish."

Application Tip: 

-Apply a stroke of foundation on the forehead, chin, down the nose and cheeks then blend with a damp sponge or a foundation brush with a bit of moisturizer to get a natural finish to your makeup.

- I recommend a loose no color translucent powder to set this foundation as the foundation tends to be such a true match any slight color in the powder could alter the shade.

Team Sajville Loves!!!

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com

Product Review: ELF Essentials Shadow Collection

So my hawt cat lady fashionista cousin suggested that I review a few ELF products and find out the hype behind these $1 cosmetics. Prior to this I have tried a few of the glosses which weren't too bad so I agreed and she sent me over a little package.

Lets check out the swatches....first indication that this is an E.pic L.ooking F.ail (<<<---- :D :D :D )
the colours come out very faint and powdery/chalky. Powdery is NOT a good thing in a pressed  shadow. The texture feels like cornstarch... smooth but weird :/ (I'm sorry that's the best I can describe it right now).

Ok so naturally like most cheaper shadows it needs a primer to hang on to. 

I used the first two of the duo sets  pictured above and did a quick look on each eye using the 

confused brush/pencil that came with the set. 

I'll just add here that personally I am not a fan of "double" brushes/things they just look confused to me..personal opinion!

The result!

Very muddy looking eyeshadow :/

While the pigment did come out better over a primed lid the product does not blend easily and goes on quite dull....and chalky. You can see that they appear splotchy in some places.

Even if you are trying to get beauty on a budget I wouldn't recommend  this set of shadows, there are WAY more better drug store brands that you can check out. 

What They Say:

Easy to blend formula that is crease resistant and long lasting. Each gorgeous shade can be worn alone or together for a dramatic effect

Sajville's population says no not really...no.

*All What They Say quotes are taken from the products website*

elf eyeshadow

Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com