MAC Mickey Contractor: Overall Review & Recommendations

Christine — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:36:22 +0000

MAC Mickey Contractor: Overall Review & Recommendations

OVERALL, Mickey Contractor offers a good selection of neutrals along with a few pops of color, but it doesn’t do so with as much excellence as I expected. I found the quality to be lacking on the single eyeshadows, and there were a few too many repromotes of permanent shades or otherwise easily duped (by permanent products). The collection is more neutral in tone, rather than too warm or cool, so these are colors that can be worn with a fair amount of ease.

Both lipglasses were more opaque, which is always refreshing, but because of the creamier finishes and the thickness of lipglasses (which are also sticky), the colors both had a tendency to settle into lip lines and apply a bit unevenly. The lipsticks were easily my favorites, because they were lovely in texture and the colors themselves are infinitely flattering on a variety of skin tones. However, they were also very easy to dupe, so from a quality standpoint, they may be excellent, but you should definitely check your stash for possible dupes before buying.

I also liked the fluidlines, but I was disappointed when Ivy applied semi-opaque and needed a second layer to become opaque. Siahi was a lot better and went on beautifully, though. I found three of the four single eyeshadows to be on the sheer side, while Saffron was beautiful, nicely pigmented, and easy to work with. The Athma Eyeshadow Quad has a nice color scheme, but there is some fall out (but not terrible) with the two lustre shades, and it also includes two permanent shades (Carbon and Folie).

Both of the blushes were nice and had a smooth, soft texture without being powdery. Sur should flatter a good amount of skin tones (might not work on the darkest ones, though), while Gana will work if used more as a highlighter than a blusher. I like them together–Sur as a blusher, Gana as a highlighter.

Photos, Reviews, Swatches

Check out my recommendations, what to check your stash for, what to skip, and recommendations by skin tone!

Temptalia’s Recommendations

Must-Haves: Saffron Eyeshadow, Siahi Fluidline

Nice-to-Haves: Ivy Fluidline

Skip: Flesh (streaky), Lust (streaky), Oomph (sheer)

Check your stash for…

LUST LIPGLASS (permanent), MOCHA LIPSTICK (permanent), CARBON EYESHADOW (permanent), and FOLIE EYESHADOW (permanent).

Skip if you have…

Skip SIAHI if you have MAKE UP FOR EVER #12L; #12L is slightly darker and a pencil liner, but they are quite close. STILA PEACOCK is also quite close (again, pencil eyeliner) but bluer.
Skip MARVEL if you have GRAPE PIGMENT or PUSH THE EDGE PIGMENT (limited edition); Grape is less iridescent; Push the Edge is a little more vibrant.
Skip OOMPH if you have GREENSMOKE; Oomph is slightly blacker, but Greensmoke has better pigmentation.
Skip RANI if you have PASSIONATE; surprisingly, Rani is only a touch pinker but otherwise quite close.
Skip SAFFRON if you have MAKE UP FOR EVER #50; #50 is a little more orange, not quite as rusty, but they are similar.
Skip JAAN if you have BAMBOO; Bamboo is a little lighter and lacks the shimmer of Jaan but doesn’t have the fall out of Jaan either.
Skip GANA if you have CHEZ CHEZ LAME (limited edition); Gana is more neutral beige, but on the skin, the difference will be minute.
Skip SUR if you have DARKLY MY DEAR (limited edition); Darkly my Dear is redder but the two are similar enough to only warrant one, unless it’s a shade you wear all the time.
Skip FLESH if you have SISS LIPSTICK; Siss is almost exactly the same color-wise, it is just a lipstick rather than a gloss.
Skip GULABI if you have GIRL ABOUT TOWN or FULL FUCHSIA; Girl About Town is slightly bluer in its base, while Full Fuchsia is a touch lighter. I didn’t notice any differences on lips between Gulabi and Girl About Town, though.
Skip YASH if you have BRAVE NEW BRONZE (limited edition); Brave New Bronze is only a touch lighter.

Recommendations by Skin Tone

Please note that this section is merely suggesting shades that would complement a particular skin tone better than other shades, but these lists are meant to be rather exhaustive of the entire collection; it’s not reflective of must-haves for your skin tone. When it comes to cooler/warmer skin tones, these are products that lean noticeably cool/warm and therefore complement the corresponding skin tone better (but it does not mean you can’t wear a warmer product if you’re cooler!).

Light skin tones: Eyeshadows in Marvel, Saffron; Lipsticks in Gulabi, Mehr, Yash
Medium skin tones: Eyeshadows in Marvel, Rani, Saffron; Lipsticks in Gulabi, Mehr, Mocha
Dark skin tones: Eyeshadows in Marvel, Rani; Lipstick in Gulabi
Cool undertones: Eyeshadows in Marvel, Rani; Lipstick in Gulabi, Mehr, Yash
Warm undertones: Eyeshadows in Oomph, Saffron; Lipstick in Mehr, Mocha
Universally Flattering Shades: Lust lipglass; Athma Eyeshadow Quad; Ivy and Siahi Fluidlines; Mehr Lipstick