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Lipglass

MAC

MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Full Face Kit + Hot and Heavy Face Powder

June 17, 2018

MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Collection Review + Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

MAC has quite a few new launches this month and I’m working as quickly as I can to swatch them for you! Up first is the MAC Patrick Starrr summer collection with the Summer Starrr Full Face Kit ($49.50) and Hot and Heavy Face Powder ($34). The items are limited-edition and the whole vibe of this launch is warm.

The Summer Starrr Full Face Kit comes at an incredible value price. You get an Eyeshadow Quad called Heat Stroke, Bronzing Powder in Give Me Life and two Lipglasses in Cream Pie and Fashion Punch. Colors for the lips and cheeks are very wearable for any skintone, the quad is more trendy and VERY warm with reds and oranges. Heat Stroke has four very pigmented and smooth eyeshadows. I’m one who still cannot really pull off the full-on reddish eyeshadow trend although every single one of my friends embraces it. And also everyone else I see wear it looks AMAZING while I do not. The NARSissist Wanted Eyeshadow Palette is still one of the few pinkish-toned palettes I can actually wear. Below is a closer look at Heat Stroke Eyeshadow quad. I tried it a number of ways and colors are just not for me.

MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Heat Stroke Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Heat Stroke Eyeshadow Quad swatches

The Lipglasses are both light and neutral. They’re creams without shimmer. I feel like the Fashion Punch color has been launched before in the older original packaging. It’s a beige cream. Cream Pie is a neutral pink cream. I’ve swatched them below next to the Patrick Starrr Holiday 2017 lipglasses as well since he had two neutrals.

MAC Summer Starrr Lipglass Fashion Punch and Cream Pie swatches

MAC Summer Starrr Lipglass Fashion Punch and Cream Pie vs You Betta Werrrk and Mamastarrr

MAC Summer Starrr Lipglass Cream Pie and Fashion Punch swatches

The two cheek products are warm and summery. The Give Me Life Bronzing Powder is part of the Full Face Kit. It’s a warm matte brown that has a soft semi-sheer finish. On my skin it’s warm but not orangey. It’s a lot more wearable than it looks from what I see in the pan. The best item in the entire collection to me is the Hot and Heavy Face Powder which is available separately. It’s a soft golden champagne shimmer which is perfect! Shimmer is fine and smooth without any heavy frost.

MAC Give Me Life and Hot and Heavy

MAC Give Me Life and Hot and Heavy swatches

MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Collection Review + Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Collection Review + Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

The quality is excellent for everything in this launch. Colors are all smooth and apply beautifully. I think the face kit is an excellent value. I also fully support and applaud brand and influencer collaborations like this. It makes me really happy to see these kinds of partnerships! The colors have a good mix of neutral and on trend aspects. That being said, with kits I feel the same way about kits as I do palettes – they can be tricky if you don’t 100% love all the colors. For the Full Face Kit I cannot wear the Heat Stroke Eyeshadow quad by itself. It takes a lot of mixing with cools or neutrals for me to be able to pull off the colors easily – I did test everything for several days and embraced the red eye look at home and while out and about. It was well outside of my comfort zone. The rest of the items are more my vibe although I do think the color are dupeable. If you are looking to add more to your collection at a value price these items are great. If you own a lot of MAC already you may want to shop your stash.

My favorite item is the Hot and Heavy highlighter. It’s the perfect mix of warm gold + champagne for my skintone! I also really like the Cream Pie Lipglass as a wearable pale milky pink. Have you tried anything from this launch yet? What did you think?

You can find the MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Face Kit and Highlighter out now. The Summer Starrr Full Face Kit runs at $49.50 and Hot and Heavy Face Powder retails for $34. Available now at MAC Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Ulta, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Dillard’s.

MAC Patrick Starrr items provided courtesy of MAC for review.

 

Lips MAC

MAC x Nicki Minaj Collection Review + Swatches

September 26, 2017

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick and Lipglasses | The Beauty Look Book

The MAC x Nicki Minaj collection just launched which includes an entire collection of nude lipsticks and glosses. It’s literally a nude lip lover’s dream come true. There are two special edition nudes that were created by Nicki Minaj that come in gorgeous pink packaging along with eighteen other lipsticks and six lipglasses (some repromotes, some are new). I’m one of the biggest fans for nude lips but since I have olive skin and a naturally pigmented lip undertone finding one that works is super tricky. I’ve found over the years the trick with a lot of nude lip shades is that layering with pencils and gloss is key. Luckily brands have expanded their range of neutrals so I’ve actually found quite a few that don’t require extra work.

I bought the entire MAC x Nicki Minaj collection online since MAC select members had early access. The same day my order arrived a beautiful press package arrived so I ended up with two of everything. I’m passing along the duplicates I ordered to a few friends and my niece, but stay tuned I’ll be doing a giveaway on another post later this week. Many of these shades are on the lighter side and a lot look very similar on me (like super pale concealer). Also because I have a pigmented lip my natural lip shows through on many of the swatches which looks like it could be a dark lipliner but I assure you it’s not. It’s just my natural lip tone showing through.

MAC Nicki Minaj | The Beauty Look Book

What I have reviewed and swatched for this collection:

  • MAC x Nicki Minaj Lipstick The Pink Print
  • MAC x Nicki Minaj Lipstick Nicki’s Nude
  • Lipglass in: Under the Sheets, N-U-D-E, Please Me
  • Lipsticks in: Gossamer Wing, 2N, Bare Bling, Creme d’Nude, The Right Note, Derriere, Japanese Maple, Stripped, A Girl’s Got Needs, Easy Babe, Age Sex Location, Among the Fireflies, Playing Koi, Bosom Friend, Pretty Please, Baby’s All Right, Patisserie, Mmmmmmm

MAC x Nicki Minaj Review Swatches via The Beauty Look Book

Up first are the MACxNicki Minaj Lipstick colors in The Pink Print and Nicki’s Nude. Both have an amazing smooth opaque formula that covers the lip in one swipe. The Pink Print is a pale opaque pink peach however it’s on the soft side and the lipstick broke in the tube. To continue using it I’m most likely going to have to put it into a pot. A quick look at other reviews shows that I’m not the only one with the issue of breakage. Just something to keep in mind when applying – apply if very gently. Nicki’s Nude is a deeper baby peach. This one isn’t quite as soft for me but still smooth and soft.

MAC x Nicki Minaj The Pink Print and Nicki's Nude Lipstick

MAC x Nicki Minaj The Pink Print and Nicki's Nude Lipstick

Next are the MAC x Nicki Minaj nude lipsticks which I’ve split into two groups (based on order they were displayed in the box). Shown below include:

  • Gossamer Wing a pale soft shimmer pale beige
  • 2N light cream colored nude
  • Bare Bling light beige tan cream
  • Creme d’Nude peachy cream nude
  • The Right Note light-medium tan
  • Derriere muted medium brown
  • Japanese Maple pink peach sheer
  • Stripped medium tan nude
  • A Girl’s Got Needs medium tan brown
  • The Pink Print and Nicki’s Nude added in the swatch below

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick Review | The Beauty Look Book

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Foundation worn is Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation in Natural (my MAC Studio Fix Fluid equivalent is NC35/37, these shades are also swatched here). As mentioned above all the lip swatches are on bare lips. There may be a visible dark ring around the edges as that is my natural lip showing through. All lip swatches done on bare lips.

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipstick Review swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Next set of nude lipstick colors include the following:

  • Easy Babe is a cafe latte brown
  • Age Sex Location is a slightly deeper brown neutral
  • Among the Fireflies is a mauve pink brown
  • Playing Koi is a pale warm pink (on me it’s like light concealer)
  • Bosom Friend is a pale cool pink
  • Pretty Please is a sheer lustre pink with a tiny bit of shimmer
  • Baby’s All Right is a muted cool mauve pink
  • Patisserie is a sheer glossy pink
  • Mmmmmmm is a deeper mauve pink rose

MAC x Nicki Minaj Lipstick Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

MAC x Nicki Minaj Lipstick Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

MAC x Nicki Minaj Lipstick Review Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

MAC x Nicki Minaj Lipglasses shown below in:

  • Under the Sheets is a sheer sparkly pale pink
  • N-U-D-E is a soft peachy pink shimmer (reminds me of Love Nectar)
  • Please Me is a pale pink cream, alone it’s a bit on the streaky side
  • Beaux (swatched/reviewed here) is a soft brown tan shimmer
  • Spite (swatched/reviewed here) is a cool toned neutral pink-brown-taupe
  • Spice (swatched/reviewed here) is a warm tan pink

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipglasses | The Beauty Look Book

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipglasses | The Beauty Look Book

MAC Nicki Minaj Lipglasses | The Beauty Look Book

I didn’t swatch any of the lip liners repromoted with this collection but in case you’re looking for a nude. I swatched quite a few side by side from various brands in my Neutral Lip Pencil post here.

MAC x Nicki Minaj Lipstick | The Beauty Look Book

Bottom line, even though many of these colors are hard for me to wear alone, I still think this launch is a nude lip lover’s dream. If you search for swatches of these online you’ll see many of the colors that look like concealer on me look quite different on those with lighter skin or lip tones. Playing Koi for example actually looks more true to tube on some while on me it’s just a washed out mess.

My favorites include: The Right Note, Japanese Maple, Stripped, A Girl’s Got Needs, Age/Sex/Location, Among the Fireflies, Patisserie and MMMMMM. I think Patisserie is the most natural looking neutral on my complexion and I think it would most likely be one of the more universal shades in the bunch. For the lipglasses nothing would have stopped me from buying Under the Sheets and NUDE however I do think they are similar to existing shades.

What’s your favorite nude lip right now? I know everyone has a different definition of nude so I’d be interested to hear what yours is!

You can find the MAC x Nicki Minaj collection out now, I usually buy mine at MAC and Nordstrom.

MAC x Nicki Minaj collection provided by MAC for review. Items also purchased by me.

Lips MAC

MAC Lipglass Picks and Swatches

June 15, 2017

MAC Lipglass New Packaging Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Earlier this spring MAC repackaged their Lipglass ($17 for 3.1 ml/0.10 fl oz). They merged a few of the formulas such as the regular tinted lipglass and lustreglass into one. There are some new shades but a few of the original colors have also made their way into the new packaging, but they aren’t all the same – for example the original Love Nectar isn’t the same as the new one. The packaging itself is larger however it appears product weight has dropped quite a bit. Weight may vary per tube depending on when you got them, but I have a few that say 0.16 fl oz/4.8 ml. This isn’t the first time MAC has repackaged a product and reduced product size/weight – I’m still a little irked about when they redesigned their Pigment packaging with less product, but it hasn’t stopped me from buying new shades. Also they do last a long time so it’s not a deal breaker, more just the principle of price per weight.

I hauled 13 shades but luckily I had quite a few B2M empties to exchange for new glosses. Quite a few had sold out by the time I made my way to the counters and I checked back a few times and many were sold out for weeks. By now I think all the colors have restocked (at least online). A closer look at the packaging. The new tubes have a sleeker more modern look to them.

MAC Lipglass New Packaging Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

The shade I picked out are listed and swatched in alphabetical order:

MAC Lipglass New Packaging Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book MAC Lipglass New Packaging Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Color descriptions from left to right. They have the same signature MAC lip scent with has a tinge of vanilla but isn’t overly sweet. Sticky level is medium to high but it’s not so tacky that it bothers me as long as I wear an even semi-thin layer.

  • Beaux is a warm tan beige with a fine pearl, this one has sheer to medium coverage
  • Candy Box is a cream medium pink, coverage is medium
  • Cultured is a light pink with a slight pearly lilac tinge, coverage is medium
  • Love Nectar is a semi-sheer light peachy pearl, it’s lost it’s iridescent quality that it had with the Lustreglass formula, but the new version has slightly more pigment/coverage, this one has sheer to medium coverage
  • Lust is a peachy pink brown cream, coverage is medium
  • Nymphette is a frosted pink gold with a lot of gold, coverage is medium
  • Oh Baby is a sparkling bronze with visible shimmer sparkles, coverage is medium
  • Oyster Girl is a light opal pink pearl, coverage is sheer-medium
  • Pinkarat is a shimmering pink with gold, more pink in this one, coverage is sheer-medium
  • Prrr is a frosted pink with white pearl, coverage is medium to full
  • Spice is a warm brown caramel cream, coverage is medium to full
  • Spite is a cool mauve with slight taupe, coverage is medium
  • Steel Kiss is a silvery mauve with silver sparkles, coverage is medium

Lip swatches below on bare lips. Note that some of these are on the sheer side so quite a few of them look similar on me. Of course they will look different on you depending on how dark/light your skin is and also what your lip tone is. On the face I’m wearing the Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion in No. 25 Deep Beige with NARS All Day Luminous Powder Foundation in Laponie (I also wear Punjab).

All of them side by side:

MAC Lipglass New Packaging Review and Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Some thoughts about the new packaging and the color options:

  • Formula of the Lipglass seems to be the same in texture and pigment. They’re semi-sticky for high shine and on me they do adhere well to the lips which makes them last a decent amount of time.
  • The Lustreglass shades seem to be more like Lipglass formulas now. Previously the Lustreglass was a thinner lighter texture with a tiny brush tip applicator and sheer coverage. Beaux and Love Nectar are both slightly different in color compared to their original versions. I haven’t had time to swatch the old vs new. I know I have owned 8 of the shades in the old formula – if you want a comparison I’ll try to see if I can find them (if I didn’t B2M them) and do side by sides. Let me know in the comments.
  • Shade wise there are a couple that are really similar. Nympette has more gold than Pinkarat, I prefer Pinkarat just because sometimes I can’t wear a yellow gold easily with my olive complexion. Lust vs Spice depends on your undertone preference, I prefer Lust because Spice pulls orange on me.
  • Shades I didn’t like include Steel Kiss and Spite. Both look ok in photographs, especially with a flash. But they have too much mauve/grey undertone to be ok in natural light on me. I can adjust them with a liner or lipstick to warm them up though.
  • Prrr is still as frosty as it was in the original formula, but for some reason I find the new one more wearable.
  • Oh Baby is a lot more sparkly than I could show in photographs.
  • If you want a neutral pinky brown color Lust is your best option. However Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss in Caramel and Caresse have way better formulas and smoother coverage. Swatched side by side here next to both Lust and Spice.
  • I try to do all the lip swatching in a post in one session for lighting consistency. Sometimes my lips can get super raw from all the wiping and reapplying. This round I decided to use the Bioderma Hydrabio Cleansing Water and the following days my lips were 100% fine. Disclaimer is that the bottle says it’s for Face and Eyes. No mention of whether or not you can use on the lips so I’m not sure if it’s safe. It worked for me though. Just a tip in case you want to try it.
  • Top two picks are Beaux and Cultured for the best color.

MAC Lipglass New Packaging Review Picks | The Beauty Look Book

Overall I really like the new packaging style (with the exception of the weight drop). Out of all the other color options the only other one I had on my list is Love Child which I love in the original formula. I may pick that one up in the fall as right now I’m not that into plums for summer. Quality and pigment wise I found these consistent with the formula in the original packaging. Colors have changed a bit though. Overall a thumbs up.

You can find the MAC Lipglass at all MAC counters now. Online at MAC, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Ulta Beauty.

Have you tried the new ones yet? If so which colors?

 

Lips MAC

MAC Viva Glam x Taraji P Henson Lipstick and Lipglass

February 3, 2017

MAC Viva Glam Taraji P Henson Lipglass and Lipstick Review | The Beauty Look Book

The latest MAC Viva Glam launch is a collaboration with Taraji P. Henson with coordinating shades of Lipstick and Lipglass ($17 each). I always get excited when I see a new MAC Viva Glam launch. Sometimes the colors aren’t really my cup of tea but I look forward to their new creations and it’s fun to see who they collaborate with to promote their Viva Glam campaigns. For those who love a good classy fuchsia, bright colors or something fun this launch is definitely for you. I gravitate towards more subtle neutrals but the Viva Glam Taraji P. Henson shades include stunning fuchsia raspberry in a lipstick that has a matte shimmer pearl and a matching lipglass that has the prettiest shimmer. Both have really good coverage and pigment. Layering one of the other just intensifies the color. Can we also take a moment to oooh and ahh at the pretty packaging? I think the special-edition colors MAC has launched with colorful shades is so fun. The Shadescents lipsticks included.

MAC Viva Glam Taraji P Henson Lipglass and Lipstick | The Beauty Look Book MAC Viva Glam Taraji P Henson Lipglass and Lipstick | The Beauty Look Book

MAC Viva Glam Taraji P Henson Lipglass and Lipstick Swatches | The Beauty Look Book

MAC Viva Glam Taraji P Henson | The Beauty Look Book

Bottom line gorgeous. These aren’t my everyday kind of colors but I still find them really beautiful. If you watch the film online at MAC’s site you’ll see how it looks on darker skin tones – it appears more plum and cool-toned on Taraji (love the mini film!) but it looks absolutely gorgeous on her. You can find the MAC Viva Glam Taraji P Henson shades at all MAC stores and counters now. Online at MAC Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Have you checked these out yet? If not what are your go-to raspberry fuchsia lip shades?

Lipstick and lipglass provided courtesy of MAC for review.

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MAC

MAC x Star Trek Collection Picks

August 31, 2016

Last month I stopped by the MAC x Star Trek Preview at Comic-Con. The collection officially launches this month and is currently available online at MAC and Nordstrom but was available for early access to anyone in the San Diego area during the week of Comic-Con. I am not one who has followed Star Trek very closely and have never attended Comic-Con even though it is in my hometown, but I could not pass up the opportunity to see something MAC-related and was curious to see what the Star Trek collection looked like so I took an Uber for the first time in San Diego (second time I’ve used it ever!) to downtown since I knew finding parking on my own would be virtually impossible (or extremely expensive).

The MAC x Star Trek Preview was held a few blocks away from the San Diego Convention Center where Comic-Con is actually held. They had a space ship station setup with areas for makeup testing, makeup application and checkout. Everything was decked out in a Star Trek theme. You can see more from the event on Star Trek’s website.

The day I stopped by some items were already sold out from the early preview. I ordered a couple more items once they popped up online and now have my picks ready to show you. The collection celebrates 50 years of Star Trek and at the event a tiny collectors pin and some Legos were given with each purchase. Everything as you can imagine has a metallic and space-like theme with lots of shimmer, glitter and glitz. All items have the silver Star Trek logo. The most conservative colors I could find and picked out:
  • Trip the Light Fantastic Powders ($34 each for 6.5 g/0.22 oz) in Luna Luster, Strange New Worlds, Highly Illogical
  • Pressed Pigment ($23 each for 3 g/0.1 oz) in To Boldly Go and The Naked Time
  • Lipstick ($18 each for 3 g/0.1 oz) in Llap and Where No Man Has Gone Before
  • Lipglass ($17 each for 4.8 ml/0.16 oz) in Pleasure Planet

Up first are the Trip the Light Fantastic Powders which are swirled highlighters. MAC describes these as sheer powders but I find that the color can be built for more pigment. I don’t really find them sheer but you can blend the colors for a more sheer look. Luna Luster is a pale opal rose with tiny flecks of silver sparkle (they look like super tiny micro glitters), Strange New Worlds is a warm peachy rose shimmer, Highly Illogical is a mauve plum shimmer. I’ve been a long time fan of MAC Mineralize Finish Powders even though they can be very shimmery, I find these Fantastic Powders to have less frost and more of a softer sheen. They are still on the shimmery side though. My favorite is Strange New Worlds for the most natural sheen. The other two are more shimmery and have more contrast with my skin and work best as a soft highlighter for the cheeks or eyes.

Next are two of the Pressed Pigments, both of which are what I’d call glitter bombs. I’ve tried and used MAC Pressed Pigments before so I was aware of how sparkly they might be. I talked myself into being brave with these thinking I could pull them off (at least my version of brave). I cannot. They are simply too sparkly for me, even when pressed lightly over other matte shadows or when layered with other colors. The base colors are gorgeous. Not to worry for me though because I have a friend who is dying to take these off my hands, lol. Once on the lids there is minimal fallout and I will say they last an impressive amount of time.

For the lips everything was shimmery or metallic. Most options are for the person who likes super edgy looks. Where No Man Has Gone Before is a gorgeous metallic rose with golden sheen, Llap is a shimmering frosted beige, Pleasure Planet is a very sparkly multi-colored gold with a sheer yellow base. In my experience some MAC frost and shimmers look best with a clear or sheer gloss on top to help tone down the shimmer a bit and bring out the color. I think both of these lipsticks are in that category.

All swatched on bare lips, just as labeled:

Swatch comparisons:

I found the MAC x Star Trek launch to be a fun and innovative collection filled with lots of unique colors and interesting textures for shimmer and glitter. In case you haven’t seen it, Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog has a really fun series of looks on her blog of the collection. I had a lot of fun visiting the Star Trek setups at Comic-Con, it’s always fun to people watch and the costumes are quite amazing. If I had to pick anything as a must-have, it would be Strange New Worlds Trip the Light Fantastic Powder.

The collection is available online and in stores starting today at MAC and Nordstrom as well as all other MAC counters. Everything is limited-edition.

Have you checked anything out yet? Or do you have anything on your wishlist?
Uncategorized

MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande II

August 22, 2016

I’m thrilled to be able to share a sneak preview of the next MAC Viva Glam collection with the Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick ($17) and Lipglass ($16). Both will launch next month online and in stores on September 8th. While most Viva Glam collections have a matching lipstick and lipgloss, this launch, similar to the first MAC x Ariana Grande collaboration has contrasting shades.

The Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick is a matte formula and is a medium-bright cool-toned orchid pink. Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass has a tiny bit of shimmer and is a neutral-cool mauve pink nude. I of course am 100% obsessed with the mauvey-nude color of the lipglass. If you’re looking for a lipstick version to layer the gloss with, the closest I’ve found is Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Very Victoria (reviewed here). I thought I could find a MAC lipstick version – it’s possible there is one, but the neutrals in that color range that I own are either deeper or warmer in color (ie Velvet Teddy, Brave, So Select etc).

More photos, swatches and comparisons below:

As always, lip products swatched on bare lips, foundation shade is Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in Y315:

Swatches and comparisons:

Swatch comparison Set 1:

Swatch comparison Set 2:

The lipstick of course is brighter and bolder than what I would wear for everyday but still fun. Considering it’s very cool-toned I find it’s not too cool on my olive complexion (although still very bright). I’m in love with the lipglass though – it’s the perfect everyday mauvey neutral that I think will look good on every skintone.

Both will be available online and in stores on September 8th. At maccosmetics.com and other MAC counters. They are limited-edition.

Have you seen these yet? If not what do you think?

Press samples of the MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 provided courtesy of MAC for review consideration.

Highlighters MAC

Future M·A·C Review – Mineralize Skinfinish, Mineralize Eye Shadow x4, Lustre Drops, Mineralize Rich Lipstick and Lipglass

April 21, 2016

MAC launched a new Mineralize Collection called Future M·A·C a few weeks ago. I have a few items I’ve been playing with for a few days now, some are press samples and a couple items I picked up from my local MAC counter. The theme of this collection is light and airy with a glowy futuristic feel. In past years I feel like you could simply blink once and find that almost everything from a MAC collection sold out within seconds or minutes of launching. I’m happy to see that items are still available for a while even if they are limited-edition. Today I’m reviewing some items including:
Up first is the Mineralize Eye Shadow x4 in Nano-Nude. This is my first time trying the Mineralize Eyeshadows so I did not know what to expect. I found all four shades in this palette to be very smooth and natural-looking. They do appear to have a baked formula which in general I’m not a fan of, but I was pleasantly surprised by how soft and smooth these were. The colors overall are on the light side and are sheer-to-medium in pigment. If you are looking for a no-makeup makeup look for the eye this is a good one. If you need color payoff or pigment you will be disappointed. Since I haven’t tried this formula before I don’t know if the color payoff in this one is typical or on the sheer side.

Left side is all four shades layered, right side swatch is the mattes only:

Next up are three lip items. I’ve never tried a Mineralize Rich Lipstick before on the lips although I’ve swatched them on my hand in store before. Cybernaut is a pale pink that does not work my natural lip tone. It’s such a gorgeous soft pink in the tube but I can’t wear these kinds of colors without looking washed out. Texture is smooth and it felt slightly hydrating on the lips.
For the Mineralize Lipglass I’ve tried a couple non-shimmer shades before. I like the formula for a very lush-looking high shine with a cushiony feel. The ones I have are medium-to-sheer but I found the two I tried from Future MAC extra sheer. The Zone is the prettiest nude-rose-taupe shimmer, on the lips it’s sheer to medium in coverage that gives the lips a pretty your-lips-but-better kind of look. If you know of a lipstick this color please let me know because I think it would be amazing. Telegenius is sheer on my lips. It’s a pretty iridescent pinky peach in the tube but only looks like transparent shine on my lips. I personally wish it had better color payoff – but that being said it can make a great layering gloss and I really like how smooth and lush it makes the lips look without feeling tacky.

The last bits of this review focus on three face/cheek products. I’m a huge fan of Mineralize Skinfinishes in general. Warm Rose is quite different from any other MSF I’ve tried. It’s got a very powdery texture with a lot of kick-off powder. Finish is not as shimmery as most that I’ve tried, on me it worked as an all over setting powder for a soft translucent finish. It works right now but I suspect if I get any darker it won’t work all over the face. There is a tiny bit of shimmer in the powder but it’s not visible on the face (at least on me).

Otherearthly is all kinds of gorgeous. If you splurge on one thing from the collection try this one. It has mix of three colors including a peachy copper champagne, a shimmering pink and cool silver. I found the colors have enough separation to be able to dip a large eyeshadow brush into each section to apply separately. When swirled together with a duo fibre brush or blush brush the result is a really pretty glowy champagne peach with silver pearl mixed in. It gives a wonderful glow that isn’t overly shimmery or frosty.

The Barbados Girl Lustre Drops is something that has been on my radar for quite some time. It’s been launched with previous collections as a limited-edition item and this is the first time I’ve been able to play with it (it sold out in previous launches). It’s a shimmering golden peach tan with gold/silvery flecks. This one gives the skin a slight tint of color but I mostly see shimmer on the skin. If you’re a fan of the color but don’t want sparkle flecks, I recommend opting for Tom Ford Fire Lust instead.

Out of everything I tested I think the best items include the Mineralize Skinfinish in Otherearthly and Mineralize Lipglass in The Zone. The other items performed well in terms of quality and texture – the colors just aren’t really suited to my personal taste. I was really interested in the two Mineralize Blushes with this collection in Cosmic Force and Raybeam – I played with them at the counter and although they are really pretty, I felt they would be too light for my skintone right now.

Most of the items in the Future M·A·C are limited-edition (at least the items shown in this review) so if you have anything on your list I recommend checking the items out sooner than later. You can find them at all MAC counters right now. Online at MAC, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.

Did you check out anything from the collection? What did you think?

Press samples include items with c/o listed next to the name in the top listing. Other items purchased by me.