The MAC Makeup Thread | Page 131 | the Fashion Spot

The MAC Makeup Thread

Okay, here's my full M-A-C collection review.

Single Shadows: It's an insanely good group of shadows! At least three of these will possibly sell out because there has not been this many brights in over two years-it's just been a pop of colour, but not bright-brights like this. Crest The Wave requires a good base but it applies easier than the other MAC yellows, and it's lighter like a butter yellow as opposed to say, Chrome Yellow. Purple Shower and Violet Trance are worth a look (my mum got those), and Haunting is good if you missed it with McQueen. I was surprised at just how well it actually did swatch on me! Maira's Magic is a very good dupe for Playful (from the Barbie collection), albeit a smidge lighter, so that may help some of you. Finally Off The Page is gorgeous, similar to Fab & Flashy, and an orange frost. Finally, I get one!

The Quads: Notoriety is okay, and it's actually a really good quad for people who are just getting into makeup and want something that will have shades that can be worn together, or broken apart and worn with other stuff. I hate Skintone 1 (the lustre) but the rest of it, decent. Photorealism disappointed me a bit, I was hoping for a nicer set of greens but this is a good fall green quad. Grey Range-the dark shade-is a true winner. In The Gallery is gorgeous, and for me to say that about a quad with two mattes and a satin? That says something right there. My mum and I are sharing that quad, because I love my purples and she loves her mattes.

The Technakohls: Of the four new guys, I bought one-Colour Matters (the green). On the eyes, it goes green with a couple coats, but it also can be done more subtly for people who don't want the huge pop of colour. I imagine that the rest of the liners are like that, too. Artistic License is very similar to Urban Decay's Electric, except a smidge lighter, so you know you can skip it. Obviously Orange is not as bright as I hoped, but if you are a neutral lover this will be something worth a look, as one coat could get a nice, neutral look. Full of Fuschia is just...dull. I will buy eventually, though:)

Pigments: Heritage Rouge is easily skippable, as it's a PRO pigment. Pretty, but unnecessary. Cocomotion is nice, especially if you love the neutrals, but it's been out so many times lately. The two other ones are new. Push The Edge is kinda ugly, but it is not heavily frosty, as is Brash & Bold, which is amazing. It's a redder version of Fuschia, without as much frost.

Glitters: I already have Gold, and for most people, Reflects Gold would be better. It is white but it flashes gold, which is way more subtle and interesting. Fuschia looks way more purple and it's a messy glitter, so you can pass. Reflects Copper is awfully similar to Reflects Bronze-I should have swatched them together. Reflects Rust is similar to RBronze, too-texture-wise. Colour wise, it is absolutely gorgeous. All the glitters are PRO products, so no rush, but I love me some Reflects.

Lip products: All are passable, with On Display being the lone exception. I said the thing about the lipstick selling out and so forth-it's insane. These are good if you like dark neutrals, but otherwise, please avoid these.

Blush: I actually liked these! The Perfect Cheek is a pale midtone pink and a matte, so a good everyday blush, while Notable is a brick red and a satin (although a subdued brick red) for more elaborate blush days.

My wallet has gone into hibernation...this is amazing.
 
Ooooh boy. I've been dreaming of those shadows since the beauty blogs first caught a whiff!

Thanks for the review, Trista...I think I'll skip Maira's Magic and Push the Edge. That'll cut my list down.
 
how does crest the wave compare to bright future? it sounds exactly the same from your review, and i was hoping CTW would be brighter.

i think my only for sure is violet trance.
 
The pleasure is all mine:) For me, Bright Future is a bit darker, it's almost in between Bright Sunshine and Crest The Wave. I will do comparison swatches next week-by virtue of absolute stupidity, I was NOT able to finish Love Alert, even with applying it every half hour (meaning no Crest The Wave last night). Crest The Wave is way better, in my opinion, but Bright Future still kicks butt. Don't assume just because you have Bright Future that you can skip Crest The Wave-you can't. Crest The Wave is a paler yellow, yes (not Going Bananas-pale) but it's still bright. They're different enough that they are worth having both, and honestly, how often does MAC come out with a good frosty yellow? This will sell out because look at how fast Bright Future went...even though I hope MAC made more.
 
I'd say it's two notches above Parfait Amour, without the shimmer, and with more purple to it. I had heard that it was a rather chalky matte, but it swatched beautifully on my hand. I could see myself owning EVERY eyeshadow from this collection. It's right up my alley-brights and purples! What's not to love? As soon as I see that my mum has used hers (I don't want to take first swatch of her shadow) I'll do some comparison swatching for both it and Purple Shower (she got those both).
 
Brilliant! Thanks so much, I've been itching to try that shadow and we've got to wait ages in the uk!
 
Are the MAC eyeshadow brushes (in different variations) worth buying? And what's the approximate cost? :blush:

I use regular eyeshadow brushes that I have from other kits, but they're not pro or anything. They're actually pretty cheap and still apply nicely. But I was just wondering if there is a significant difference (for blending, it seems to be, but idk, i really like the creamy blended look with different colours and it seems like everybody uses mac brushes for those) or is it just a moneymaker for the company. Thanks in advance. ^_^
 
Are the MAC eyeshadow brushes (in different variations) worth buying? And what's the approximate cost? :blush:

I use regular eyeshadow brushes that I have from other kits, but they're not pro or anything. They're actually pretty cheap and still apply nicely. But I was just wondering if there is a significant difference (for blending, it seems to be, but idk, i really like the creamy blended look with different colours and it seems like everybody uses mac brushes for those) or is it just a moneymaker for the company. Thanks in advance. ^_^
Brushes are a moneymaker for any company, and there are a lot of brands whose brushes cost way more than MAC's. MAC, in my eyes, brings the high quality products and brushes to the masses at a fairly democratic price. Sephora and Smashbox have many similar brushes to MAC's at a slightly lower price point, but MAC does have some good things. The main reason I go for MAC brushes is because they aren't scratchy on my eyelids. Scratchy=no dice.

As for brushes that are worth buying, the 226 ($24.50) is worth it IF you can get your hands on it. The 231 ($17.50) is an amazingly versatile brush, as it can be used for shadow application as well as bottom liner. The 217 ($22.50) is not my favourite brush however it is lovely for an all-over blended look. The 209 ($17.50) is great for eyeliner however you can get an effective brush for a few dollars less. The 275 ($24.50), an angled fluffy shadow brush, is really nice for all-over shadow application as well as blending. I also love the 204 ($11) for grooming my brows and separating my lashes.

Mindbear, I'll see if I can get you some accurate comparison swatches tomorrow.
 
I do love the 208 brush, both for eyebrows and for eyeliner. Smashbox has something similar, but it didn't seem to be of very good quality.

I need a blending brush...and I'm not sure whether to get the 217 or the 222. I need a new blush brush too, one that isn't too dense...maybe the 187?
 
I do love the 208 brush, both for eyebrows and for eyeliner. Smashbox has something similar, but it didn't seem to be of very good quality.

I need a blending brush...and I'm not sure whether to get the 217 or the 222. I need a new blush brush too, one that isn't too dense...maybe the 187?
I personally prefer the 217 for a blender-smaller is better when it comes to brushes because I like to do precision work. I would not use it to apply colour in the crease-I would just use it to blend the colour, after applying stuff in the crease with the 219. As far as a blush brush, I'd go the 109, or the 165 when it comes back out in September-they aren't too dense. The 187, to me, is more all-over facial while the 188 is blush.
 
Sometimes I think blush brushes are too small. Must be my gigantic cheeks :ninja: I better check them out soon. The 165 looks yummy though, wonder when it comes to Denmark...

I'm not planning on applying colour with the 217 (which seems to be everyones 1st choice), just blend blend blend :D
 
Good, I personally hate people using the 217 to apply colour. If it was a fraction of its size, then yes, maybe. But even the 275 is too large sometimes for me! I at least know I can buy a 272 at the CCO, which will be a very often-used brush for me.
 
I have the 187 which I use for blush and I dont think its too big at all but I also have big cheeks. I like it since its very sheer, you can really control how much blush you put on. It's my only mac brush that I still use, for blending I really like the shu uemura 4r brush. It's very soft and fluffy. I use it to apply color if I want a sheer, natural look.
 
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^Thanks! I like the control much better than on dense brushes, and it makes blending much easier..
 
I'm having problems with the 191 and foundation. It just seems to smear everywhere and doesn't settle on my face. When the MA used it it was great coverage, but for me it just seems incredibly bad!
 
Alrighty, I have my Violet Trance comparison swatches! From left to right, they are Contrast, VT, Parfait Amour, and Stars 'n Rockets. The pictures are courtesy of my blog. Contrast swatches really weirdly on me for some reason...

sdc11144.jpg
sdc11149.jpg
 
Thanks so much for doing that Trista, you rock. I'm slightly disappointed, I thought it'd be more blue and more intense. Perhaps it looks better over a primer?
 
I didn't try it over the primer, but it could bring out intensity. I tried Off The Page over UDPP and it really brought the frost out, so I'll have to see if it brings the blue of VT out.
 
Went to MAC and I got Crest The Wave today. I went right at opening and they had only three of CTW after I left, as well as only ONE of Artistic License. Of course, this is because the store I went to did an event, but the Technakohls are a huge standout. Also, after reswatching the lipglasses, Personal Taste and New Spirit are both nice. Personal Taste is a sheer neutral pink with pearl, while New Spirit is a great amped-up neutral-it's a light neutral coral. On the other hand, On Display is not something you need if you have Fierce & Fabulous. It has some sparkle and it is darker than F&F, but you don't need both. On Display does have less shimmer/frost though.
 

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