Pat McGrath Labs

For the Lunar New Year holiday coming up this weekend Pat McGrath Labs launched a special Golden Opulence Collection with a new eyeshadow palette and two mini lip gloss trio sets. I ordered both earlier this year and could not be more happy with my haul picks. A few weeks later the team sent the palette as well for review so my backup is being gifted to a friend. I have a look at the new MTHRSHP Sublime Eyeshadow Palette in Golden Opulence and one of the two Mini Lust Gloss Trios in Bronze Opulence.

MTHRSHP Sublime Eyeshadow Palette in Golden Opulence

The MTHRSHP Sublime Eyeshadow Palette in Golden Opulence is her 6-pan format which is my favorite one to date. It comes in a mirrored cardboard compact and has a magnetic closure with an elastic band for extra security to keep it closed. The palette has a mix of mattes and shimmers and they apply beautifully on the eye for a golden pink sunset look. I found pigment to be excellent and smooth with long-lasting power. Colors are easy to blend and while it does pull warm it has a few neutrals to balance it out which prevents it from being too warm.

Shimmers almost have a creamy feel to them as they’re soft and almost bouncy – but they are definitely powders!

Colors include the following:

• Eternal Opulence is a shimmery neutral-warm champagne
• Tranquility a warm matte brown (looks more neutral-cool in the pan, applies more warm on my arm but more neutral on the eye)
• Lotus Luxe shimmering soft raspberry
• Prosperity is a deep matte brown
• Moon Phase is a shimmery taupe mauve with silver flecks
• Gold Fortune is a yellow sparkling gold

Mini Lust Gloss Trio

She has two new Mini Lust Gloss Trios for the Lunar New Year, I bought Bronze Opulence which actually has two colors I already own. I do love the mini sizes and think they are nice to try if you don’t want to commit to the full size without trying. I think her Lust Gloss is among the best in the market for the smooth cushiony texture and shine.

• Pale Fire Nectar is a shimmering pink glitter suspended in clearish base (there is no gritty texture or feel though)
• Flesh 6 is a warm brown red cream
• Lunar Bronze is new to this kit only (at the moment) and is a smooth metallic red with rich pigment

A few other colors swatched next to the kit. You can see other LUST Gloss reviews and lip swatches here and here.

Overall lasting power is average for a gloss. I don’t mind reapplying frequently. They’re comfortable and so SO pretty on the lips. I probably should have passed on this as I already own two of the shades, but I have no regrets buying as I use her glosses a lot. They are quite tiny compared to the full size making them more of a sampler size in my opinion. Enough product to give it a proper test with several wears, but still very tiny.

Look wearing the Golden Opulence Palette plus the three Lunar New Year Glosses in the Bronze Opulence Kit. For skintone reference I’m not a Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Foundation match to Light-Medium 14 (over the summer I was Medium 15, review in this post here).

Overall solid performers on both the palette and gloss. I think this is a beautiful collection that can be create some fun looks! If you already own a lot of her palettes you will probably find similar shades across different palettes although I didn’t see any exact dupes.

You can find the Pat McGrath Golden Opulence Collection out now. Available at Pat McGrath and Sephora.

Have you tried/swatched any of these yet? What did you think?

The Pat McGrath Labs Obsessive Opulence Collection for Holiday 2019 has launched and I have a look at select pieces today. The launch is similar to last year’s release where there are three different color themes and packaging. The Pat McGrath Labs team kindly sent over a beautiful press package with pieces from all three themes (red, pink and blue) but I decided to review only the pieces I thought I would actually wear (the red and pink themed ones). Everything is true to Pat McGrath’s style for holiday: opulent, glamorous, luxe and bold.

What I’ve included in my review for the Holiday 2019 launch:

• Blitz Astral Eyeshadow Quads ($65 each)
  • Ritualistic Rose
  • Iconic Illumination
• Chromaluxe Hi-Lite Cream ($30 each)
  • Pale Gold 002
• MatteTrance Lipsticks ($40 each, limited-edition packaging, colors are repromotes)
  • Pale Pink Packaging:
    • 1995
    • Deep Orchid
  • Red Packaging
    • Omi
    • Guinevere

You can find the full collection pieces listed on the Pat McGrath Obsessive Opulence Holiday 2019 page. There are other lipstick duos in special-edition packaging however all colors are repromotes from the regular line. There are a number of holiday bundles that are offered at a value price. I skipped reviewing the blue eyeshadow quad, blue packaging lipsticks and blue hi-lite cream.

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Blitz Astral Eyeshadow Quad Ritualistic Rose

For the eyes there are new eyeshadow palettes in the form of quads this holiday! I love the more compact size and option (versus the large Mothership Palettes). To date my favorite combinations are still the ones in the 6-pan palettes (reviewed here and here). The new ones for this holiday are glitzy and super fun for party looks. Up first is Ritualistic Rose.

Blitz Astral Eyeshadow Quad in Ritualistic Rose is a very sparkly glitzy option. Colors include Antique Gold 002 (glittery yellow gold), Astral Rose Orchid (sparkling duo chrome pink with gold glitter), Rose Quartz 005 (beautiful sparkling plum with tiny micro flecks) and Beyond Bronze 003 (shimmery bronze with gold sparkles).  The top two shades seem to be more sparkly top coats while the bottom two have more pigment in the base. All the colors have some degree of sparkle/glitter in them making this super shimmery.

Below wearing Ritualistic Rose, 1995 Matte Trance (top and middle), Deep Orchid Matte Trance (bottom). For skintone reference I’m either the PatMcGrath Skin Fetish Foundation Light Medium 14 or Medium 15 (equivalent of MAC NC35). On the cheeks is Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit in Ghost.

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Blitz Astral Eyeshadow Quad Ritualistic Rose Iconic Illumination

Blitz Astral Eyeshadow Quad in Iconic Illumination is a warm toned quad with one glitter and four smoother shimmers. In this quad you have Astral Gold Allure (champagne gold glitz), Blitz Bordeaux (metallic deep red), Blitz Brown (deep brown shimmer) and Bronze Gold 003 (warm metallic copper). The pigment in the metallic shades is excellent – smooth, pigmented, easy to blend and layer. The glitter adheres if pressed into the lids and it applies evenly as a topper. This one turned out to be easier to wear – especially if you layer the deeper shades on top of each other.

Below wearing Blitz Astral Quad in Iconic Illumination and MatteTrance in Omi. On the cheeks is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette Unlocked (last year’s reviewed here).

There will be some fallout during the application process if you use a fluffy brush – the glitters will stick better with a dense brush or if patted on with fingers. However once they’re on the eyes they stay put for me!

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MatteTrance Lipsticks

The Pat McGrath MatteTrance Lipstick is my favorite matte lipstick formula of all time. I’ve purchased several on my own and think they’re 100% worth the splurge. They’re smooth mattes that glide on flawlessly with full coverage. The color range is perfect with neutrals, rose colors, plums, reds, orange shades, browns etc. I think the holiday color packaging is always fun. The pink is the prettiest shade of soft pink and I love the bright bold red. Colors are repromotes though so if you already own them then shop your stash!

MatteTrance Lipsticks in 1995 and Deep Orchid come in the pale pink packaging. 1995 is a neutral rose nude, Deep Orchid is a perfect plum. MatteTrance Lipsticks in Omi and Guinevere come in the bright red packaging this year. Omi is the perfect medium rose and Guinevere is a bold red. They’re one-swipe wonders, have excellent lasting power, don’t dry the lips and don’t make them look shriveled.

I swatched them on the arm, also included the colors in the blue packaging as well:

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Chromaluxe Hi-Lite Cream

For the cheeks there is a new product called the Chromaluxe Hi-Lite Cream which is an ultra concentrated sparkle cream that comes in a tiny tube. It’s not a product I see myself wearing, even for parties or holiday. The product comes out a white gold cream but once blended the white gold disappears and you end up seeing a yellow gold sparkle. The color of the yellow sparkle on my already yellow/golden skin isn’t the best combination. It will blend out nicely and adhere well to the skin for an added highlight. Once blended all I see is tiny flecks of gold glitter. I applied it on my brow bone and on the highlight points of cheeks – using it sparingly because the tube is quite tiny!

Heavy swatch above on the hand but once you blend it out, all you see is tiny glitters. A closer look on the face below. I’m not sure if it’s easy to see in photos – it’s something that is more visible in real life versus a photo.

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Overall I’m loving both of the quads, even though they’re outside of my comfort zone. I still don’t really love the warm red eye trend that shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, but I find Iconic Illumination is really easier to wear with layering. It’s a lot easier for me to wear compared to the pink tones from Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk, and I fully expected the Pat McGrath to be hard for me to pull off.

Ritualistic Rose is a glitzy one for a more sparkly eye, I think the plum and bronze colors are so beautiful – they have the right undertone to be flattering on a wide range of skin tones.

Since I already own most of the MatteTrance Lipsticks in the holiday collection I don’t think any of them are must- haves just for the packaging. Although I’m a sucker for anything pink! Even though the colors are repromotes I always think it’s fun to see which colors Pat McGrath focuses on for collections – helps give me ideas of what combinations to try with the palettes or what to revisit for the season. Most of her mattes are timeless classics you can wear anytime of year though!

I’m not sure what to think about the Hi-Lite cream. It’s not really my vibe and I usually can’t wear yellow gold glitters on the face or eyes. The packaging is super tiny. I feel like for a good golden sparkle the Hourglass Scattered Light in Foil or Burnish are better options that are easier to wear.

You can find the full Pat McGrath Obessive Opulence Collection at PatMcGrath.com. Select pieces also available at Sephora.

Have you tried anything from the holiday launch yet? What did you think?

Pat McGrath Obessive Opulence Collection kindly provided courtesy of the Pat McGrath Labs team for review.