MAC Powerchrome Eye Pencils ($21.00 for 0.055 oz.) are a new product being launched in the collection. The new formula will be available in four shades: Copper Strip (frosty mid-tone copper), Life’s Luxury (deep bronze brown), Polished Jet (charcoal with pearl), and Rich Glance (light gold).
Copper Strip is a warm, coppery bronze with a soft, frosted finish. It had good color payoff in a single pass, and it was creamy enough to apply without tugging or pulling on the lid. Make Up For Ever #22E is a bit lighter. Clinique Fuller Fudge looks nearly identical. MAC Eclair is also very similar. Maybelline Bad to the Bronze is less coppery.
Life’s Luxury is a deepened, warm-toned bronze brown with coppery-red pearl. It had nice color payoff in a single pass and was buildable on the lid. I don’t have it myself, but a guest swatched NYX’s pencil range here, and Black Bean seems rather similar. Benefit Bronze Have More Fun is warmer. Bobbi Brown Bark doesn’t have the frost/shimmer finish.
The first thing I noticed was these seemed small; smaller in overall size compared to other jumbo eyeshadow pencils, but the weight is only 0.055 oz. To put this in perspective, consider these competing brands’ jumbo pencils: Make Up For Ever at 0.14 oz., NARS at 0.14 oz., Urban Decay at 0.10 oz., and Clinique at 0.10 oz. It’s only slightly more than your average eyeliner pencil (which is usually 0.04 oz.)–and MAC is more expensive, by the ounce, than all of those brands but even just ignoring the size, only NARS’ is more expensive ($24).
I wore all four shades yesterday, and they lasted for eleven hours without creasing. There was some very slight fading, but it was minimal and all four shades looked mostly intact. These set nearly instantly, which makes them harder to blend together. I recommend working very quickly if you use multiple shades and one eye at a time. I ended up “blending” by lightly stippling color over the shade next to it and using the pencil’s tip to sort of blend the two together, because most of the brushes I tried weren’t getting the job done. As far as brushes went, NARS’ Small Dome Brush worked the best for blending. The formula is lightly creamy; each pencil glided across skin well and didn’t pull or tug, and there was a good amount of color payoff without having to go back and forth.
If you used this as a base or only one or two at a time, I think they’d be easier to use. I also tried using two shades as eyeliners, and they held up well–there was some slight thinning apparent after eight hours of wear but no migration or smudging. Lastly, these do require sharpening, so there will be some waste (which is certainly a bummer, given how little product there is!).
The formula is lightly creamy; each pencil glided across skin well and didn't pull or tug, and there was a good amount of color payoff without having to go back and forth. If you used this as a base or only one or two at a time, I think they'd be easier to use.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $21.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $21.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $21.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $21.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
MAC Bare My Soul Eyeshadow Quad ($44.00 for 0.19 oz.) includes these shades: Romantico (light taupe bronze, Veluxe Pearl), Bare My Soul (frosted gold, Lustre), Friendly (deep bronze chocolate, Veluxe Pearl), and When in Rio (deep green with copper pearl, Frost). The quad will be available online on May 16th and in-stores May 23rd (of course, it usually is online earlier than the stated date). It is packaged in a matte bronze with a rubbery texture–if you’re familiar with NARS’ packaging, it’s very much like that, only bronze in color.
Friendly is a rich, chocolatly brown with subtly warm undertones and a frosted sheen. It had fantastic color payoff, and it applied incredibly smoothly, too. Inglot #421 is slightly more coppery. Laura Mercier Cedar is more matte. MAC Make Your Mark is not quite as intense. MAC Mulch is redder.
When in Rio is a deep, red-brown base with a greenish-teal sheen. It had good color payoff when layered, but it was a little on the drier side and slightly stiff when I tried blending it out on the lid. It’s workable, but it’s not as nice as Romantico or Friendly. Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone #8 has a much redder base. bareMinerals Mirage is browner. MAC Double Feature #5 #2 is similar in design but much redder in practice. Tarte Exquisite Emerlad is similar though not as intense. MAC Woodsmoke is bluer. Inglot #414 is greener. MAC Club would also be similar, though I think the duochrome is not quite as obvious (and also Blue Brown pigment).
Initially, it reminded me of the Burmese Beauty quad from a few years ago, but they’re definitely not one-for-one. Burmese Beauty had a more golden, rather than copper-toned, shade, but it did have a similarly duochrome blue-brown shade (Burmese Beauty). The other two eyeshadows are not similar to the other two found in this quad.
I liked the quad overall, but at this price point, I really wish When in Rio was softer, more pigmented, and more blendable. In the world of MAC eyeshadow quads, this is certainly one of the better ones in the past few years. I wore all four eyeshadows together yesterday, and I didn’t have any issues with creasing or fading after nine hours of wear (no primer).
I liked the quad overall, but at this price point, I really wish When in Rio was softer, more pigmented, and more blendable. In the world of MAC eyeshadow quads, this is certainly one of the better ones in the past few years.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
I’m definitely a fan of Urban Decay’s Shadow Pencils, as they are rather pigmented and wear well. Noise had fairly good color payoff in a single stroke, and it was buildable to mostly opaque color though I wasn’t able to get completely even color when all was said and done. The consistency was creamy enough to glide on without pulling or tugging but not so creamy that it creased before it had a chance to set. I did encounter some fall out from the silver sparkle while I wore the product, though I didn’t notice any until the fifth hour of wear. The color itself lasted ten hours without creasing or fading. After I removed it, my lid was stained a bit. If you tend to have reactions to red dyes, you may want to consider another shade.
I wasn't able to get totally opaque color with the pencil alone, and there was some fall out from the silver glitter. It was still mostly opaque, though, and it is an unusual color to find in a cream eyeshadow product!
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Now, this is a Benefit eyeshadow I can get behind! I haven’t had the greatest luck with their relaunch of the eyeshadow range, but Thanks a Latte definitely reminds me of the Benefit eyeshadows I fell in love with. It looks a lot darker in the pan than it does applied or swatched, which I expect is due to how reflective the finish is. The texture was soft, smooth, and buttery, and it applied the same way. It adhered and sat well on the lid, and it lasted better than a lot of the other shades did, too. I was able to get a full nine hours of wear with no fading or creasing.
This shade can also be found in Benefit’s Easiest Nudes Ever Palette, which contains four eyeshadows and two Creaseless Cream Shadows for $30.00 (the eyeshadows are 0.04 oz. each, and the cream eyeshadows are 0.11 oz. each, but it’s still a way better deal than buying this eyeshadow on its own unless you LOVE this one and loathe all the others).
Now, this is a Benefit eyeshadow I can get behind! I haven't had the greatest luck with their relaunch of the eyeshadow range, but Thanks a Latte definitely reminds me of the Benefit eyeshadows I fell in love with.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Dior Blue Lagoon (374) Eyeshadow Palette ($60.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a mix of summery shades that certainly bring to mind the colors of a lagoon as it is filled with blue, green, and teal. It contains five eyeshadows housed within a plastic compact with two dual-end sponge-tip applicators and a full-size mirror inside.
Blue Lagoon (374) Eyeshadow #1 is a light-medium, pastel sky blue with a satin finish. It had so-so color payoff, and because of its pastel nature, it looked almost chalky against my skin tone–when paired with the deeper tones in the palette, it worked better. Giorgio Armani Swimming Pool Turquoise is darker. Dior Swimming Pool #3 is a touch darker but similar. NYX Cool Blue is darker. MAC Styledriven is extremely similar in color but slightly more satiny. bareMinerals Illusion is lighter.
Blue Lagoon (374) Eyeshadow #2 is a pale, iridescent pastel sea foam green. It’s really rather translucent and sheer; it seemed more like something you’d apply over another shade to add iridescence. Giorgio Armani #10 seemed similar but much more intense/opaque.
Blue Lagoon (374) Eyeshadow #4 is a gold-shimmered, dusty blue with a hint of aqua/green and a frost finish. It had good color payoff, and the texture was incredibly soft and silky. L’Oreal Endless Sea is a bit darker but similar. MAC Sky is very comparable. Urban Decay Aquarius is more frosted.
Blue Lagoon (374) Eyeshadow #5 is a pale, pastel yellow-green with a frosted finish. It looks like a mint green in the pan, but swatched and applied, it is much lighter and more like a yellow-green tinted white. It had good pigmentation, and it applied very smoothly. Fyrinnae Jade Ghost and MAC Zestful are both similar but more intense. Lancome Fashion Forward is a bit greener.
You know me, I’m a total glutton for all things teal and tropically-inspired, so when I first saw this quad, I was like, “Oh yeah!” It yielded a much softer look when used than it looked in the pan. It didn’t look like it was going to be neon brights, but everything was more muted applied. Two of the eyeshadows (#2 and #5) applied significantly more white-based than they looked in the pan, so they lost some of their differentiation and actual color.
The worst performer was the first eyeshadow (light blue), because it was a little powdery, didn’t apply evenly, and didn’t have great color payoff. The best performer was #3 (dark blue) in the center, as it had good color payoff and blended out evenly. I also liked #4 (dusty aqua/teal), but it was a little powdery. Though all of the eyeshadows had soft, silky textures, the palette on the whole was somewhat powdery and missed on the pigmentation. I had some slight fading after eight hours of wear. For someone who doesn’t like the idea of bright blues, this might be a nice option, but for someone who really wanted the colors as seen in the pan, I think you’ll be disappointed.
For someone who doesn't like the idea of bright blues, this might be a nice option, but for someone who really wanted the colors as seen in the pan, I think you'll be disappointed.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
8/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
7.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Sugarpill CrhomaLust Loose Eyeshadows ($12.00 for 0.18 oz.) currently has a range of eighteen permanent shades, which I have covered as they’ve been released. Like the eyeshadows, I wanted to re-do swatches so they can be added to the Swatch Gallery. This post includes swatches of all eighteen, as well as photos of them (originally taken when I first covered the product, so the product photos are not new).
Absinthe is a brightened, light-medium green with yellow undertones and a chartreuse shimmer-sheen.
Asylum is a brightened orange-red with copper shimmer and a metallic sheen.
Birthday Girl is a muted, medium-dark pink with a pink shimmer. It almost has a matte base.
Darling is a green-teal with a frosted sheen.
Decora is a warm-toned pink-red with lighter pink shimmer and a frost finish.
Goldilux is a rich, molten gold with antique gold and brown undertones and a metallic finish.
Hysteric is a medium-dark purple with subtle warm undertones and a frosted, metallic finish.
Junebug is a forest green with subtle warm, brown undertones and a frosted finish.
Lumi is an iridescent blue-teal-white with a frosted, metallic finish. This shade works best layered over other products.
Magentric is a darkened raspberry pink with a frosted, metallic finish.
Magpie is a dark, smoky blue with a frosted, metallic finish.
Paperdoll is a lavender with a matte base and silver sparkle.
Royal Sugar is a rich, cobalt blue matte base with lighter blue sparkle.
Starling is a medium-dark blue with a metallic finish.
Stella is a deep, dark black with subtle warm undertones and multi-colored shimmer.
Tiara is a warm silver-gray (almost pewter) with a frosted finish.
Tipsy is a warm-toned, grassy green with a frosted, metallic sheen.
Weekender is a cool-toned, medium purple with a silver-ish shimmer/sheen.
Generally, they have so-so to good color payoff when applied dry, and then all of them intensify when applied damp (I just used water). The only ones I don’t like are a couple that have mostly matte bases, because they can be a little powdery and hard to apply evenly and with good intensity (Paperdoll is my least favorite, and Birthday Girl performs somewhat better but is fussy); Royal Sugar has a mostly matte base but works quite well when applied damp (it doesn’t get uneven, as mattes often do when applied damp).
The texture of ChromaLusts is very, very finely-milled, so it feels very soft. The only shade that doesn’t feel quite as smooth as the rest is Tiara, which is a bit more sparkly in comparison to other shades. Some of these are prone to staining (greens, blues, and teals in particular), so you may want to wear a base underneath to minimize staining potential. When I wear ChromaLusts without a base, I get between eight and nine hours of wear, and when applied over a primer, I haven’t seen any signs of wear even after twelve hours. Because they’re so finely-milled, they bind together well, but because they are loose, you’ll want to pat the product onto the lid rather than sweep to minimize fall out during application.
The best-performing shades are Absinthe, Asylum, Darling, Goldilux, Magentric, Starling, Stella, and Tipsy. My least favorites would be Birthday Girl and Paperdoll.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
