MAC Art Supplies Collection: Greasepaint Sticks Review, Photos, Swatches
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Greasepaint Sticks: Zinc Zone, Uniformly Blue, Slick Black, Greengrease,
Dirty, Charred Mauve, Brown Now, Below Ground
MAC Art Supplies Collection: Greasepaint Sticks Review, Photos, Swatches
MAC Art Supplies Collection launches in-stores on April 1st (late April for international locations) and online March 30th. The collection includes eight new and limited edition shades of Greasepaint Sticks ($17.50), six new and limited edition shades of Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners ($14.50), and nine new and limited edition shades of Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker ($16.00).
Today, I’m going to review the new Greasepaint Sticks and (in a separate post) three of the six Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners. I’m going to mull over the Lipstain Markers until tomorrow, but I’ll give you my review of the three (of nine) shades I tried so far–so stay tuned! 
Greasepaint Sticks ($17.50)
- Below Ground is a soft bronzed chocolate brown with lighter bronze flecks. It reminded me of a lighter, less frosty version of Bronze eyeshadow. I liked this one a lot, because I felt like it was light enough to be used in lighter looks as well as darker looks.
- Brown, Now is a burgundy-brown. I don’t know why it’s called Brown, Now, to be honest, because it’s pretty burgundy to me.
- Charred Mauve is a cool-toned blue-based purple with soft blue-violet flecks/sheen. It is similar to V, but it’s not the same–it’s a darker, grayer version–but the two are close enough that you don’t need both.
- Dirty is a taupe brown with multi-colored shimmer. Kind of cool how it has all different colors of shimmer in it.
- Greengrease is a forest green over a blackened base. It has flecks of gold, blue, and green shimmer. I found this one to be the least pigmented of the eight, though you can layer to get a more opaque look.
- Slick Black is a matte, all-black shade. It’s rich and dark. It’s not like the original Greasepaint Stick from Style Black, because the original Greasepaint Stick is a black base with flecks of blue and violet shimmer. It reminded me a lot of Blacktrack fluidline, though.
- Uniformly Blue is a medium-dark navy blue over a blackened blue-gray base with flecks of blue shimmer/sheen. Compared to B, it is a darker version; Uniformly Blue has a blackened base that the blue shade sits over. It’s close enough, though, that unless you’re a huge fan of Greasepaint Sticks, you only need one of the two.
- Zinc Zone is a gunmetal silver over a lightly blackened base with silver and black shimmer/sheen. This is a fun shade, and I think it would make a nice base for a very dramatic, near-black smoky eye.
The good: I loved the variety of the shades offered in the collection. There are eight to choose from, so you aren’t stuck with just one or two like in the past. On me, I find they wear quite well–no real budging, smudging, or transferring throughout the day. They’re very smooth, soft, and easy to apply without tugging on the eyelid too much.
They’ve also improved the scent/smell of the Greasepaint Sticks this time–which is huge. My previous Greasepaint Sticks have a funky scent that’s unpleasant, but I didn’t notice any scent on these (whereas the scent on the original shades is still overwhelming!). These might have the faintest scent if you’re particularly gifted in the smelling department, but I didn’t detect anything with my sniffer.
The bad: Even though a nice dark base can be useful, I don’t necessarily need eight different variations on the theme. I’ve always found that most darker bases eat color rather than enhance it, so you’re always left with some sort of darkened smoky eye. Personally, I find that they’re a bit too thick to use as eyeliner without having to do some clean-up after application with a cotton swab.
My picks: Below Ground, Brown Now, Greengrease, Zinc Zone
Skip if you have…: Charred Mauve if you have V, Uniformly Blue if you have B, Slick Black if you have Blacktrack (Fluidline)
How to Use Greasepaint Sticks
- As an all-over eyeshadow base — think of them as darker versions of shadesticks
- As a smudged out eyeliner — make sure to sharpen them (sharpener is found on the opposite end) so you don’t get too thick of a line
- As a defined crease — draw it into the crease and then smudge with a brush and/or eyeshadow
See more photos & swatches!
Greasepaint Sticks: Zinc Zone, Uniformly Blue, Slick Black, Greengrease,
Dirty, Charred Mauve, Brown Now, Below Ground
Greasepaint Sticks: Zinc Zone, Uniformly Blue, Slick Black, Greengrease,
Dirty, Charred Mauve, Brown Now, Below Ground
Greasepaint Sticks: Zinc Zone, Uniformly Blue, Slick Black, Greengrease,
Dirty, Charred Mauve, Brown Now, Below Ground
Greasepaint Sticks: Zinc Zone, Uniformly Blue, Slick Black, Greengrease,
Dirty, Charred Mauve, Brown Now, Below Ground
Greasepaint Sticks: Zinc Zone, Uniformly Blue, Slick Black, Greengrease
Greasepaint Sticks: Dirty, Charred Mauve, Brown Now, Below Ground
Greasepaint Sticks: Below Ground, Brown Now, Charred Mauve
Greasepaint Sticks: Dirty, Greengrease, Slick Black
Greasepaint Sticks: Slick Black, Uniformly Blue, Zinc Zone
Style Black Greasepaint Stick vs. Slick Black
B vs. Uniformly Blue
V vs. Charred Mauve
Disclosure
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hi, i just bought one of the greasepaint sticks thinking it was eyeliner -.- can i use it as a eyeliner?
Yes!
does streetcool resemble the dirty greasepaint stick from the art supplies collection?
The word "grease" has always been a turn-off for me. I mean, slicking colored grease onto my lids? I'll pass. Below Ground and Zinc Zone sure are pretty, though. And V! Can you say new lemming?!
Is the greasepaint stick in the color slick black the same as the feline eyeliner? in just a much bigger size?
Nah, not as black.
Which colour of eyeshadow could i use on top of dirty for an everyday look. I love dirty greasepaint, given that I'm a blusher/lipstick gal!
Try Retrospeck!
hi Christine, great job on the swatches and details on these products! i have a question on applying them. i asked the MUA how to use it and he said it can used as a base OR alone. i've tried applying it on its own (without any other eyeshadow primer). it was a bit hard to apply color for the first time then when i kept applying color on top of it, it sort of "cracks" that the first layer chafes off! when i tried again with UDPP this time around, the first application kinda got better but still results to chafing off. what could i be doing wrong? should i just stick to applying one layer then finish off with eyeshadow? i actually bought two (Charred Muave and Uniformly Blue) because i love dark shades and because the MUA told me they can be used alone. look forward to your expert advice! (^,~)
I don't really like them alone, because they do crease a bit on me if I don't set it with powder! I also find them kind of hard to move/smudge/blend on their own, so it's wayyy too much work to use them that way, IMO!
i've decided to put shadow on them after all. managed to make it work by applying UDPP first and stretched my lids a bit to apply smoothly instead of tugging it on the lids with the applicator. you're right, it's very hard to blend so i've to make sure to not extend application above the crease area - will just fill in with powder eyeshadow. thanks sweetie, you're the best! ;D
To me these Greasepaint Sticks are the best after swatching them on my hand. I don't see why you HAVE to use them as a base for something as for those people who love smoky eye looks can just use these sticks by themselves for a quick smoky eye look that's hopefully less involved, and that's why I'm so interested in them. I'm in love with Dirty, Brown Now, Charred Mauve, and Greengrease. I love that Slick Black is matte but I already have the Style Black one but this one is matte but I don't think I can justify it. The Uniformly Blue on is attractive but to me this one is the least pigmented, Zinc Zone is attractive but too close to Dirty and I'd rather get Dirty, and Below Ground is too close to my coloring to be deep and smoky enough so those ones I don't need. Charred Mauve to me is alot darker than V from the DSquared collection and I prefer the Charred Mauve to it so...
I love the color of Greasepaint Sticks. Sooooooo Gorgeouse ! BUT it difficult to blend and smudge.
I checked out the collection today and was looking forward to sooo many items. However, I ended up only getting Dirty and a blush from the Too Fab collection. I was sooo looking forward to Zinc Zone but when I swatched it, it was way darker than the color in your picture. I would have gotten it in an instant had the color payoff shown the same color as what you had in yours. :(
Aww :(
i was pretty happy to see that these were released here today! collections are always so late for us...we just got liberty of london today as well... i found the brown now swatched slightly more copper on me, but as you say, not really particularly brown! i didn't end u getting anything, just swatched a million items (all the art supplies + liberty of london) on my hand... i'll probably mull it over and go back on the weekend....otherwise i would have just bought everything on the spot!
lol! I used to be really bad... I'd swatch and then be like, "one of this, one of that... oh, one of each of those!" So bad.
These remind me of NYX jumbo eye pencils. ^_^
Charred Mauve, Dirty and Zinc Zone are pretty definite for me. I don't know if it's worth grabbing Slick Black, since I think I can achieve the same effect with Blackground PP.
I'm buying Zinc Zone for sure.. I wasn't planning on really getting any of these in the beginning but I've been seeing so many swatches from all different blogs and now I'm starting to want them. I saw Muse do a really pretty look where she smudge it along her lower lashline and I thought, "Cool! I can do THAT with Greasepaint Sticks." Anyways, I don't want to go and invest in a much of them yet because I've never owned any and I wanted to know what you think is best for a more "neutral" look.. I've been thinking about Dirty, Below Ground, and Brown Now.. Any suggestions?
Below Ground!
Definitely picking up Dirty and Greengrease. I can't wait to try out Greengrease with Bottle Green e/s. I'm trying to figure out an EOTD with those two key items. Dirty might just become my "go to" when I'm too lazy to do a full on eye. It looks like I can just smudge the crap out of that one on my lid - apply lots of mascara and call it a day.
I was thinking the same thing.
I love Greengrease, Charred Mauve, Slick Black and Uniformly blue, they are so pretty.
Zinc Zone and Dirty look amazing! Can't wait!
Since I have Style Black, B and V, I don't think I need their corresponding colors. Thank you SO MUCH for the comparisons! Greengrease does look really nice, regardless.
OMG, I need Uniformly Blue! I only wish that they'd released a greasepaint stick similar to the one from Style Black, which is almost empty!
I definitely want Slick Black as the black was sold out last time :( Other than that I'm thinking Below Ground and Brown Now, maybe Greengrease and Zinc Zone if I have the money, not liking Dirty very much so can pass on that. I have B and V so no need for the dupes. Thanks for the sharpener tip, had no idea that was there!
Dirty is gorgeous, oh lawd.
How close is Relaxed shadestick and Below Ground? Pls tell me if you can, as I have to order online this time...won;t be able to see the collection in person as soon as it releases....
I'd say Relaxed is a bit darker! If you don't use Relaxed a lot, though, I'd skip Below Ground.
Christine, How similar is Dirty greasepaint stick to Benefit's CCS Skinny Jeans? Thanks!!
Not so much pewter as Skiny Jeans is!
Do you think Uniformly Blue is close in color to the Sense of Style kohl from Love Lave?
Less teal!
Thanks for the swatches!is zinc zone or dirty GPS, anywhere close to sharkskin shadeskin by MAC?
and how close is relaxed shadestick from warm n cozy to below ground?thank you
It's similar, but Relaxed is darker.
Hmm, Zinc Zone is kind of similar, but it's more metallic/brighter.
Oh these look lovely :D. Thanks for the review!!
You give the best reviews! I could not live without your site!
Aw, thank you Ana!
If I only walk away with just one Greasestick it would be DIRTY and if I purchase a second one - it would be GREENGREASE!
I'm trying to figure out how to work with Greasepaint Sticks. Everyone's raving about them but I just don't get it. Do you just use it as a base -like paint pots? Are they better? What makes them so "great?"
Yes, you can use them as a base. I see most people using them as an eyeshadow base or eyeliner. I think they're just dark and rich and smoky, which makes them fun to look at. I find they work just as well as paint pots (but I have heard woes of some creasing for a few when it comes to Greasepaint sticks... but I suppose there are a few who say paint pots don't work either!), the colors are just different.
Dirty and Slick Black - you shall be mine!!
If you ever get around to more swatching, or know off the top of your head, I'd be interested in these comparisons: -Brown Now VS Foxy Lady Eye Kohl -Charred Mauve VS Royal Hue Shadestick Thanks as always for being the first to have these swatches, I've been dying for em!
I don't own either of those! I haven't owned Royal Hue in sometime (I don't like Shadesticks that much--find them a bit rough on the eyes!), but based on memory, Royal Hue may be a little redder. Close? Yeah, close enough that unless you're using Royal Hue a lot, you could easily use that instead of Charred Mauve :)
Just swatched Royal Hue vs V and you're spot on, very close but Royal Hue is has a kind of burgundy behind it :)
Christine, I don't own any dark base and wonder if I should get slick black or the black paintpot or the black cream color base. I wanted to get a black base mostly because of Young Punk MES. Which one would you recommend ? Thanks :)
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