Filed In: MAC
MAC Surf, Baby! Collection
The Summer MAC Collection is the one that I anticipate the most, and this year’s release does not disappoint. Filled with beautiful and vibrant yet very wearable colours, there is something here for the beach bunny in all of us. I originally intended to pick up just 2 or 3 items, but I have to admit to going a little overboard when I viewed the collection in person. Knowing that several items were sure to sell out in the blink of an eye(lash!
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), I quickly snatched up what I really wanted.
As you can see from the photo above, I definitely picked up more than I should have (my wallet just became a lot lighter!), and so I will be breaking down the items in a few smaller reviews, which are forthcoming….
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stay tuned!
PS: If anyone else went a little crazy as well with this collection, please don’t hold back….let me know!
MAC – ‘Biker Blue’ and ‘Frayed To Order’ (swatches, review & comparison)
This past Spring when MAC released their Jeanius Collection, the two items I thought were of most interest were the lacquers, ‘Frayed to Order’ – a soft white matte, and ‘Biker Blue’ – a deep shimmering blue. What I find interesting is the juxtaposition of the dark, vampy polish to the delicate & airy light one, and that contrast is what appealed to me the most. All swatches are with Sèche Natural base coat; in order to enhance the finished effect of the lacquers, no top coat was applied.
‘Biker Blue’ is deep mysterious pool of darkness; this is a blackened navy base with the finest peacock blue shimmer throughout. I love how sunlight brings out its inner fire (top photo), making for a truly mesmerizing blue, while flash (bottom photo) gives you the full effect of the shimmer particles. Application was a breeze and two coats gave perfect opacity and coverage.
The only polish in my stash that comes close to ‘Biker Blue’, is none other than Illamasqua’s iconic ‘ Phallic’. The swatch photos above are index & ring fingers – ‘Biker Blue’, middle & pinkie fingers – ‘Phallic’, and while it’s fairly obvious that the two are quite close, you can still see that ‘Phallic’ has a brighter blue base and even finer shimmer compared to ‘Biker Blue’s’ indigo/denim leanings and slightly chunkier shimmer.
What I really loved about ‘Frayed To Order’, is how cloudy and diffused it appears. This is a soft, matte white shade with an opalescent look to it which can flash either pink or green at times. What’s interesting to note is how by adding that duo chrome finish and then making it a soft matte, it becomes an extremely wearable white shade. Application was a little tricky, mainly because of how quickly it dries (as do all mattes) forcing you to work quickly to avoid streaks, dragging and bald spots but with three thin coats like I did here, it left a perfectly even smooth finish.
Digging through my stash, I came across a CHANEL polish dating back to Spring of 2000, Le Vernis Facettes in ‘Recto-Verso’ – another opalescent white shade that dried to a dull satin finish that I would have sworn was so similar to ‘Frayed To Order’…until I noticed that the CHANEL’s flash was violet & blue, and that the finish was completely different. The other candidate I found is yet another older CHANEL (not sure when it dates, but approx. 1998-2000), Le Vernis Glacé in ‘Diabolo’ which once again has that opal fire to it…but this one flashes green, is quite sheer, and the finish is a far cry from anything resembling matte. As you can see from the swatches above (index – ‘Recto-Verso’, midd;e & pinkie – ‘Frayed To Order’, ring – ‘Diabolo’), while all three have that same milky white base, the varying hues of the colour flashes do nothing to highlight any similarities but instead showcase how different they all are. I’m fairly certain that even by adding a matte top coat, they still won’t come close to each other. Please note that I applied three thin coats of lacquer for these swatches.
Final thoughts: For the vampy polish lovers out there, ‘Biker Blue’ is a beautiful and chic option, primarily due to the shimmer in its depths, and also because it never comes off as “just another dark shade” but maintains its blue integrity. ‘Frayed To Order’ as you can see from my comparisons, is truly unique in that this is a white shade like it’s never been done before: soft, fiery and matte all at the same time. I thought the formulas were easy to work with, and application relatively streak free, with the added bonus of a lovely shiny finish on ‘Biker Blue’. Ask to go through your nearest MAC counter’s makeup drawers, and you possibly could still score either one of these shades!
MAC – Style Clan nail polish from ‘A Tartan Tale Collection’
I must admit to be being a little overeager; before MAC’s ‘A Tartan Tale Collection’ officially launched to the public on October 28th, I had set aside basically the entire collection to be picked up. I ended up with just one item: Style Clan nail polish. Why, you must be asking? Well, basically because when time came to pick up my items, I realized that I was less than enthusiastic about what was being offered after all. Call it an over-saturation of collections from MAC, a total glut of products being released with alarming frequency…..all I know is that I find that sometimes too much is exactly that: too much. While I have been a fan of MAC products since their early start, and even though I still praise their quality and colours, I really wish they would take a short hiatus from constantly bombarding the public with these rapid-fire collections. I find that you don’t get a chance to enjoy and play with your latest haul before they’re spitting out yet something else.
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Personally, I feel like the constant flow of collections have tarnished MAC’s image somewhat and instead of creating a positive buzz of ‘must have’ among avid beauty fans like myself, it has done the opposite and turned me off….at least for now.
Style Clan (natural lighting)
Style Clan (natural lighting)
Style Clan (with flash)
Style Clan (with flash)
Style Clan is MAC’s take on the trendy taupe polishes we’ve been seeing of late, but the twist that they’ve added to this shade to make it new and different from the other similar polishes available, is the addition of copper shimmer. It’s quite subtle yet when light hits it at just the right angle, it flashes a unique fiery glow. The base colour itself is rather dark, more of a ‘mud-brown’ versus a beige-y taupe and it definitely dries down more towards the darker side of taupe. The brush is thin and not too wide making it easier to get right to the edges of your nail, but the downside to that is that it picks up less colour therefore possibly requiring more strokes for full application. The polish flows easily and while two slightly thicker coats gave complete coverage, I applied three coats for the pictures. I liked the fact that even without a top coat the polish remained quite shiny and it dried fairly quickly. There was a creamy look to the finished product that I really loved, almost like thick milk chocolate and while I have many similar shades, none have that copper glimmer which makes this polish, at least for me, one of the standouts of this entire collection.
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Style Clan - check out the copper shimmer!
Liquid Powders – MAC & Prescriptives
MAC Cajun
Today I have a few of my favourite things to show you, first and foremost one of the most innovative cosmetic products out there, a ‘liquid powder’. Last week with the MAC Venomous Villains launch, their limited edition liquid powders were much touted as the ‘stars’ of this collection, available in 2 shades for CAD $35.50 each at 0.84 oz/24 g :
- Truth & Light – a translucent sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink
- Cajun – a translucent sheer bronze shimmer that reflects gold
MAC Cajun - powder view
MAC describes this product as follows: “A silky, feather-light powder, formulated with 70% water, dusts on to the skin as a cooling mist to set and enhance the look of any foundation. Beyond sheer: light-reflecting and translucent. A virtually invisible way to add luminosity and a soft radiant glow to the skin”. When I happened to mention to my favourite MAC consultant, Linda, how this new powder is identical to one I bought from the now defunct line Prescriptives several years ago, she verified that the formula was indeed one & the same. When Prescriptives, which is owned by Estee Lauder, closed down fairly recently, MAC (also owned by Estee Lauder) bought the patent rights to this powder and voila……a star product is born!
*magic Prescriptives Liquid Powder
*magic Prescriptives powder view
The original *magic Prescriptives liquid powder (1.2 oz/35g) was created around 2000 and it came in two shades: Rose Gold and Translucent (which I own). Looking closely at Translucent, you can definitely see the silver and pink shimmer which Truth & Light also has. The description by Prescriptives is as follows: “Instantly cools and diffuses light to minimize the look of lines, pores, and wrinkles. This ultra-lucent powder dusts on like a mist to set and enhance the effect of foundation”. It also claimed to be oil-free and non-acnegenic, which I assume the MAC version is as well, seeing as how it is the same formula. MAC took this amazing product one step further and included a darker version, Cajun, which I picked up and absolutely love, love, love! I have been using it as an all-over bronzer and while you can layer it to increase the intensity, I find that applying it with a much lighter touch gives the skin a luminosity and a just gorgeous sun-kissed look. The incredibly fine-milled shimmer in this product has the ability to reflect light away from the face, thereby not only giving you a flawless-looking complexion, but detracting from any blemishes as well. Of course, it is much better used in conjunction with some kind of base, be it a primer or foundation/concealer, in order to maximize its effectiveness and increase that ‘flawless’ look.
Prescriptives powder brush (large)
In my opinion, the best brush to use in applying a powder as unique as this one, is an extra large dome-shaped fluffy brush. I have Prescriptives’ long-handled large, plush powder brush, which not only picks up the powder fairly evenly but also happens to be non-shedding, however using a more conventional bronzer brush or even a kabuki brush is something you may want to experiment with. With the lid of the powder jar tightly closed, gently roll the powder until it combines somewhat, then either turn it upside down quickly to deposit some powder onto the inner lid, or very gently shake some upwards. I then take my fluffy brush and just barely touch the bristles to the powder then blot it on the inside of the lid until it seems spread evenly throughout. When you first swipe the brush across your cheekbones, you will be surprised at the feeling; it feels cold and wet, almost slimy! I then complete the application by dusting it lightly down the bridge of my nose, a quick dab on the chin, followed by a swipe across the forehead and ending with a few quick strokes along the jawline and neck. Another point I’ve noticed is that you don’t really get the full effect when first applying this powder; however, if you wait a few minutes, you will notice the most amazing almost etheral glow. Although I haven’t tried MAC’s Truth & Light, I imagine it’s very similar to the Prescriptives powder I do own, which is suited to more lighter toned skin types. Whereas Cajun gives a finely-spun sun bronzed glow, the lighter version is excellent for a flawlessly set paler look.
MAC Venomous Villains – Bad Fairy, Formidable and Mean & Green nail polishes
OK….so the new MAC Venomous Villains Collection finally went on sale today at MAC counters nationwide (it launched online at the MAC website 2 days ago) and oh boy is is ever a doozie! The colours are rich, saturated and super pigmented, with no repromotes that I can tell so far. There are several unique items in this collection which sets it apart from previous MAC launches:
- Bad Fairy, Formidable and Mean & Green nail polishes (Maleficent Series)
- French Quarter Greasepaint Stick (Dr. Facilier Series)
- Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Cajun and Truth & Light (Dr. Facilier Series)
I will be reviewing a few of the items that caught my eye from this collection very soon, but for now I thought I would post these 2 quick shots I took of the nail polishes. Again, I haven’t quite figured out the correct lighting with which to best showcase the items I wish to post, but I’m working on it! Bear with me….I promise it will get better!
Enjoy!
Formidable nail polish (Maleficent series) – an outrageous duochrome nail polish of a dirty burgundy/browned base loaded with teal micro-shimmer. Click to enlarge image if you wish to fully capture the duality of this shade.
