Beauty Squared Round-Up for April 19, 2015

Happy Sunday and hello from Beauty Squared. It's that time again. Here are our picks for must-see links related to all things beauty. Let's go!

• Spring 2015 Beauty Trend: Doll-like makeup. We're talking perfect skin, lashes and pink lips.
  
• Summer is coming and that means many of us will be cropping our hair shorter for the warmer weather. Thinking of going short-short? Or maybe you're already way ahead of the trend and rocking short hair? Here are some short hair inspirations.
  
• Do you dye your own hair? If so, you know how messy it can be. Here are some helpful tips on cleaning up during and after dying your hair.
  
• You know how to keep your skin clean and clear from breakouts, right? No? Here you go.
  
• Do you exfoliate your skin? You should and here's how.
  
• A product that can banish your puffy eyes with minimal effort?
  
• Products that can minimize those pesky large pores that can prevent you from having a smooth complexion are all the rage right now. This is what you should know about them.
  
• Tempted by bold eye makeup looks but a little intimidated? This post might help.
  
• Speaking of bold eye makeup looks: how about using metallic flakes (think gold leaf) in your eye looks?
  
• Travelling and makeup - what to pack.
  
• If you'll be travelling somewhere warm soon, or you've maybe overdone it enjoying the warm spring sunshine, this is for you - Five Tips for Sunburn.
  
• Ease off on the contouring, kids. Read what MUA Patti Dubroff has to say about the heavy contouring running rampant on Instagram and YouTube and what you should be doing instead.
  
• And on that note, here's how to get a flattering, natural-looking brow that suits you and doesn't look like you've put it on with a Sharpie.
  
• MAC Senior Artist Melissa Gibson tells us how to handle the overabundance of limited edition collections without feeling the need to buy them all. She should know, working for MAC, who has limited edition collections out every few weeks!
  
• Sam and Nic from Pixiwoo and Real Techniques sits down with their idol, the fantastic MUA Val Garland for a chat.
  
• Read about (and see) what happened when a woman went to eight different makeup counters and asked for a natural make-up look. 

MAC is Beauty Limited Edition Eye Shadow Review, Swatches and Photos

A while back I mentioned that I wasn't hopping on the MAC LE collection bandwagon as frequently as I usually do, but this week with the new MAC is Beauty Collection I found  myself indulging. I'm not usually one for pastel colours, particularly eye shadows, but I had a few Back to MAC recyclables and thought why not?

The three new LE eye shadows in the collection are minty green Preening,  peachy-pink Bouffant and Easter egg lilac Wow Factor. Photos in natural light, swatches on NC 35/40 skin.

Clockwise from top: Preening, Bouffant and Wow Factor

MAC Wow Factor Eye Shadow (Matte)

MAC Preening Eye Shadow (Satin)

MAC Bouffant Eye Shadow (Veluxe Pearl)

MAC Wow Factor, Preening and Bouffant

Wow Factor - A soft, pale matte pink toned lilac with medium pigmentation and a soft, creamy, blendable matte texture.

Preening - A soft, pale, satin mint green which leans yellow. Pigmentation is on the sheerer side but it is easily buildable through layering. The fine shimmer keeps this shade luminous and not chalky.

Bouffant - A sheeny peachy pink with a pink iridescence. This shadow is a little harder than other Veluxe Pearl formulas but I think it's due to a very firm press of the product in the pan as texture wise it is smooth. 

I'm surprise how much I like these shades - both Wow Factor and Preening have very nice, buildable textures and don't appear chalky on my medium/medium-deep skin tone. Bouffant is also nice as well for bringing light and brightness to the eyes as well as layering nicely on top of the other shades. Because these shades are pale and soft, to get "true to pan" colour you will best wear a pale or white base beneath (such as NYX Milk or MAC Paint Pot in Painterly), otherwise the shades will mix with your skin tone.

For spring I think these are wearable pastels that would play very well with neutrals. I think Wow Factor would look smashing paired with a soft brown, while Preening would work beautifully with a silvery taupe.

Grade: B