MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection — Notoriety Eyeshadow Quad
Richard Phillips contributed three eyeshadow quads to the MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection. Let’s take a look at the earthy quad called Notoriety…
Notoriety Eyeshadow Quad ($36.00)
- Skintone 1 is a glittery confection of pale, whitish pink with a frosty finish. It has a lustre texture, which makes it a bit gritty and it does have a bit of fall out.
- Rich & Earthy is a muted orange-base with golden shimmer laced through it. MAC describes it as a “coral bronze,” but I don’t really see that much brown in it. It’s more of a light, copper orange with gold shimmer, at best. This one has a veluxe pearl finish, which means it’s smooth, pigmented, and easy to blend.
- Skintone 2 is a slightly muted gold with a bronzy finish. It has a frost finish, so it is incredibly easy to blend while still being pigmented and smooth to the touch. I felt like this was a really wearable gold, because it wasn’t so yellow or bright.
- Notoriety is a deep cool-toned taupe brown base with gold flecks throughout. Being a velvet finish, this shadow is a bit chalky if you don’t layer it. I was expecting the brown to be a bit warmer–more chocolate–than it turned out to be. It’s surprisingly cool.
In the Gallery may be the “butt” quad of the collection (aka the loser of the bunch), I’m happy to be able to say that Notoriety is much better. The colors are more pigmented, and they’re not chalky like In the Gallery . I felt the weakest was Notoriety, actually, because it was a bit chalky compared to the other three shades in this quad. However, it layers really well so you can create a smooth texture that way. In particular, I really liked both Rich & Earthy and Skintone 2 — very pretty, wearable shades.
- Product: 8/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 7/10
- Packaging: 9/10
Recommendation: Want a bit of a neutral look with a little shimmery kick? I think Notoriety is neutral without being too soft or subtle. It gives you great earthy tones that will be perfect for fall.
Availability: MACCosmetics.com
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MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection — In the Gallery Eyeshadow Quad
As envisioned by Richard Phillips, three eyeshadow quads were developed for the upcoming MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection. This post will focus on In the Gallery Eyeshadow Quad!
Private Viewing Eyeshadow Quad ($36.00)
- Lightfall is an extremely sheer, satiny pale pink with lavender. If you have anything beyond a pale skin tone, this color is going to take work to show up. I couldn’t use a brush or a finger to swatch–I had to use a sponge-tip applicator and really dig into the color and layer it over five times to get the color to show up as it does in the swatch below. I was not pleased to say the least! Over a base, I imagine a little less work would be necessary, but that’s true for every color.
- Look at the Eyes is a shimmery silvery-puprle with light silver-pink shimmer. It has a frost finish, but it doesn’t appear overly frosty. This reminded me a bit of Beautiful Iris eyeshadow.
- In the Gallery is a matte eggplant-purple–reminded me a bit of Fig. 1 eyeshadow, though it’s not ultra pigmented and can be a bit chalky when applying.
- Private Viewing is a plummy, red-brown. It is also matte, like In the Gallery, but it doesn’t feel as chalky. It could be smoother–more like Matte2s, IMO. This felt like a more purple Sketch eyeshadow to me.
This is a true purple quad–every color is tinted with it. I like the way the colors match each other, and I think you can get several different color combinations out of this quad. I’ve always been a fan of MAC’s quad packaging, because you get the ease and slimness of palettes, but you can see through the lid, too, which is always nice if you’re guilty of owning a few too many quads like myself! It’s not the most original set of shades, but they work well together. Because the two matte eyeshadows do have some drag, and Lightfall requires far too many layers to show up, I wouldn’t put this on my must-have list.
- Product: 6/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 7/10
- Packaging: 9/10
Recommendation: If you’re all about purple eyeshadows, you should certainly check this quad out, since it is ALL about purples! Just make sure you have a good eyeshadow base if you become an owner of one of these, because the shadows don’t work so well without one.
Availability: MACCosmetics.com (August 20th), MAC stores
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Sneak Peek: MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection — Lipstick & Lipglass
To wrap up our sneak peek of the Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection, let’s take a look at Hold the Pose lipstick and New Spirit and On Display lipglasses.
Lipstick ($14.00)
- Hold the Pose is a sheer plummy shade with soft golden shimmer and a bit of glossiness. It has a lustre finish, which is why I was expecting it to be sheer. It gives my lips a bit of a rosy plum look, but otherwise, it doesn’t add much to my lips.
- Product: 7/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Lipglass ($14.00)
- New Spirit is a light orange-y coral with soft golden shimmer. I was reminded of a more orange version of Orangedescence lipglass (limited edition from quite awhilea go). I liked it, and I liked the way it gave my lips a brighter look and the shimmer was noticeable.
- On Display is a stunning deep burgundy-wine with gold shimmer. This one is absolutely stunning both swatched and on the lips. I haven’t been this pulled by a lip color by MAC in what feels like way too long. I like this one so much I’m considering a back up…
- Product: 9/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
- Overall: 8/10
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of lustre finish lipsticks, Hold the Pose isn’t a bad choice. The gold shimmer keeps it from being too muted, but the color is very work appropriate, too. Since I’m not a big fan of lustre lipsticks, it’s not a must for me. I do love both of the lipglasses I tried, so now I’m eager to check out the other two from the launch. I definitely recommend everyone check out On Display!
Availability: MACCosmetics.com (August 20th), MAC stores
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Heritage Rouge pigment
Sneak Peek: MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection — Pigments & Reflects Glitters
The talented photographer Marilyn Minter was inspired by MAC’s glitters and pigments. From her portion of the Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection comes two Reflects Glitters (Copper and Rust), two Glitters (Gold and Fuchsia), four pigments (Cocomotion, Brash & Bold, Heritage Rouge, and Push the Edge), as well as Gloss Texture in Clear.
Pigment ($19.50)
- Heritage Rouge is a dark, cranberry-burgundy frost. It’s incredibly pigmented and goes on smooth. It’s one of the best pigment textures to date. This was a previously released shade, so be sure to check your stash to make sure you don’t already have one.
- Push the Edge is a deep blue-based violet purple with soft shimmer/sheen. It reminded me a lot of Entremauve pigment but bluer, not quite as plum. The textures are even similar, as this one is a bit chalky (though not terribly so).
- Cocomotion is a rich shade of antique gold with a bit more brightness than your typical antique gold. It’s one of my favorite shades of pigments (again, check your stash before buying), because it’s extremely smooth, rich in pigmentation, and is a dream to work with.
- Product: 9/10
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Reflects Glitter ($19.50)
- Reflects Copper is a shimmery, glittering confection of orange copper. It is not eye-safe, so while it’s gorgeous to look at, I know there’s not much for me to do with it. Some things you can do with glitter that’s not eye-safe: mix with nail polish, mix with body lotion, mix with hair spray, and mix with lipgloss.
- Reflects Rust is a rusty shade of orange-red. It’s just as glimmering as Reflects Copper, and the glitter is incredibly fine, but again, not eye-safe, which is just a bummer.
- Product: 9/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 6/10
- Packaging: 8/10
- Overall: 8/10
Recommendation: I adore both Heritage Rouge and Cocomotion pigments. Push the Edge is nice, but not amazing like the other two. It is a rich shade of violet, so it may be worth some of the work to make it really pop in a look nonetheless. As much as I adore the way Reflects glitters look and feel, I find myself rarely using them. Both are beautiful shades, though they are also both permanent at PRO stores, so you don’t have to hurry if you’re on a budget.
Availability: MACCosmetics.com (August 20th), MAC stores
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The Perfect Cheek
Sneak Peek: MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection — The Perfect Cheek, Violet Trance, Colour Matters, Obviously Orange
Also designed by Richard Phillips, two blushes (The Perfect Cheek and Notable) appear from MAC Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection. While on the other hand, illustrator Maira Kalman’s Makeup Art Cosmetics Collection includes six colorful shades of eyeshadow complemented by five shades of technakohl liners.
Powder Blush ($18.00)
- The Perfect Cheek is a powder blush with a matte finish that goes on a dusty, pale pink. While it was visible on my skin tone, I found it hard to detect, and the inside of my forearm is probably around NC20 range, which leads me to worry about visibility on deeper skin tones. On some deeper skin tones, this may appear ashy as well.
- Product: 7/10
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 8/10
- Packaging: 8/10
Eyeshadow ($14.50)
- Violet Trance eyeshadow is a matte dark blue-based violet purple. This originally released two or three years ago, so avid collectors may already have this in their stash. As lovely as it appears in the pot, it’s not the easiest matte to work with. I’d have to vote Make Up For Ever #92 if you’re looking for a deep, intense purple, just because this one doesn’t have a dream texture. It’s so-so, a bit chalky and thus drags a bit, and pigmentation is decent but not intense.
- Product: 6/10
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 6/10
- Packaging: 8/10
- Overall: 6/10
Technakohl ($14.50)
- Colour Matters techankohl is a satiny chartreuse shade. It looks nearly the same as True Chartreuse pigment does, just in technakohl liner. Since I’m lazy at heart, I am pleased to see it in technakohl form (even though, if you’re on a budget, you could use the pigment form to create your own liner).
- Obviously Orange technakohl is a pop of medium-bright orange. It’s not neon orange, and it’s not rusty or coppery either. Compared to Colour Mattes, this one has a much more noticeable shimmer/frost to it–kind of a golden shimmer.
- Product: 9/10
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 9/10
- Packaging: 9/10
- Overall: 9/10
Recommendation: I’d skip the blush if you have medium or darker skin unless you can try it in-person and decide for yourself. Violet Trance eyeshadow doesn’t impress me much, and I’d rather opt for a better quality shadow from another brand. I love technakohls, though, so I was quite pleased with the creaminess, opacity, and look of the two new technakohls I’ve tried so far.
Availability: MACCosmetics.com (August 20th), MAC stores
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OVERALL, MAC Baby Blooms Collection is a nice collection for summer. While some wished it would have come out earlier, there’s still plenty of warm days ahead of us to enjoy MAC’s new tinted moisturizer and tinted lip balms. As I haven’t worn the tinted moisturizer long enough to give you a review of its wear, appearance, etc., I’m only giving a short review based off of my initial test. I’ll do a more detailed review in a week or two.
The Suntints are vanilla scented lip balms that feel like a lip gel. They’re thick, but they’re not particularly sticky (not sure I’d say they’re completely non-sticky, though). They do feel moisturizing and hydrating on the lips, but they do not really give any color to mine. They pretty much all look the same on my lips (as such, I won’t be doing any lip swatches, since it’s like clear gloss or clear gloss with shimmer). The one that seemed to make my lips look the most different was Just A Smidge, which is also the one with the most shimmer–it’s extremely noticeable and has lots of it in comparison to the other four.
I do not feel that these are Tendertones in tube form, to be honest. These have a very thick, gel-y texture (though they’re not actually runny!) compared to Tendertones, which were very goopy and thick. I also found Tendertones felt a little sticky at times. These feel similar to lipgelees, though they don’t move as much–they’re a little thicker in their texture. I found the taste of these to be unflavored overall, maybe a hint of sunscreen. I feel like these sort of mold to your lips and feel totally different than Tendertones do when they’re actually on your lips. The texture really is hard to describe–it’s not quite a jelly (because Tendertones were kind of like jelly), so I guess gel seems like a better descriptor, but I’m not satisfied with that either!
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