Video Review: MAC Art of Powder Collection

It’s part review, part first impressions/swatches, but really?  It’s mostly excavating fun!

MAC Art of Powder: In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter ($38.00 for 0.31 oz.) is the last of three limited edition specially designed compacts from the Art of Powder Collection, which launches on September 29th, 2011 (North America) and October 2011 (International, at select locations). Like the other products, there is a good amount in the palette.

MAC describes the highlighter as a “soft pink base with yellow gold lines and lavender and mid-tone pink dots.” It’s mostly a very pale, barely-there pink-beige, especially once you’ve worn away the gold, which does not go all the way through. I have a video review we’ll have up later today, which will show that with more detail (along with the other two products). By just using a small eyeshadow brush, I was able to brush the gold away shortly–it’s thinner than the pink striping on the Optical Bronzer but has more of an effect on the product until it’s worn away.

You might find it works better as a finishing powder or an all-over highlighter because of its subtlety. It has a finely-milled texture that’s soft and silky against the skin. It wore for around eight hours on my cheek before it seemed to fade a bit. With the gold lines intact, it works nicely as a glowy highlighter on cheeks, and the warm gold shimmer translates more into a lovely sheen that’s not too much at all (and does not emphasize pores or imperfections on the skin). Once it is gone, it’s more like a finishing powder – the slightest sheen that’s barely visible. It has more of matte appearance at that point, which is why it can work as a finishing powder–at least on light to medium skin tones.

The Glossover

	In the Abstract B
	It's a soft, subtle highlighter--seems like a running theme in the collection--best suited for paler complexions. It worked well as a highlighter with the gold shimmer/lines but it seems to lose a lot of the sheen once that disappears.
	Product 7.5/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 9.5/10 Longevity 8.5/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC In the Abstract Highlighter

MAC Art of Powder: Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer ($38.00 for 0.31 oz.) is one of three limited edition specially designed compacts from the Art of Powder Collection, which launches on September 29th, 2011 (North America) and October 2011 (International, at select locations). It contains a good amount of product, and it will take quite some time to get through it.

If you’re not feeling the neon pink, you’re in luck: it doesn’t go all the way through. It’s thicker than your typical overspray, but it definitely does not go all the way through (video is forthcoming with much excavation!). The product is the golden tan you see protruding from the compact. I gouged a chunk out of the corner, and you can see how the pink is only on the surface I also used a small shadow brush to brush back-and-forth against a line of pink and eventually it disappeared and revealed pure golden tan underneath.

The color this bronzer is a warmed-up, medium tan with a very subtle golden sheen. The sheen is almost too faint, actually! It doesn’t impart much of a glowy sheen applied, because the sheen is so subtle–which may be a good or bad thing, depending on your preference. The pigmentation is decent, but the color is on the lighter side. On my medium skin tone, it’s subtle and soft. I expect this is better suited for lighter skin tones. It does have an orangeness to it that may not work well with pinker or naturally red complexions, because it may turn ruddy.

It has a really finely-milled, soft texture, which makes it extremely easy to blend on the skin but there is some powdery dust because of the overall softness. The subtle sheen means it doesn’t emphasize pores or imperfections on the skin. The texture is almost as soft as the Studio Careblend Pressed Powder Bronzers but I find those to be softer overall (but more pigmented, and if you want something foolproof, Optical Bronzer is that).

I wore it on one cheek (had the highlighter on the other–that’s called multi-tasking!), and it wore well for about six hours before starting to fade, which is shy of good (eight hours). It’s decent but not better than MAC’s regular bronzing line-up or various limited edition releases they’ve done every couple of months. The mix of pink and tan could have made for an interesting mix or take on bronzer in general (think Chanel’s Soleil Bronzers) but was not the case here.

The Glossover

	Optical B-
	It's a little powdery, but it may suit lighter skin tones who are looking for a very subtle, barely shimmered bronzer--the only potential issue is it does have an orange tone to it, which may not work with those with pink undertones. The wear is below average (and I have normal to dry skin).
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 7/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Optical Bronzer

MAC Art of Powder: Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette ($38.00 for 0.31 oz.) is one of three limited edition specially designed compacts from the Art of Powder Collection, which launches on September 29th, 2011 (North America) and October 2011 (International, at select locations). The palette contains a hefty amount of product; an eyeshadow quad retails for the same amount but contains 0.20 oz. on average.

After testing this palette, I just can’t say the quality is there. It’s the design that will sell this product; it’s more for collectors than it is for someone who is after quality eyeshadow. There are six different shades (tan, beige, periwinkle, orange, turquoise, and pink) but I was only really able to grab distinct swatches of five (the beige was difficult to get individually and then to get to show up was another story!).

The tan shade is a gold shimmered orange-tan that applies very sheerly and not as smoothly as I would like (or expect). One of the better performing shades was the periwinkle shade which is more purple than periwinkle, but it depends on the lighting; it reminded me a fair amount of Digit. Despite the appearance of intensity in the palette, the turquoise shade is incredibly sheer with a slightly roughened texture (it’s not rough or gritty, but it’s not smooth); it’s like the palest teal with silvery shimmer. The orange shade was better, as it was much more pigmented but was dusty; it’s a slightly muted orange with a subtle satiny sheen. The pink shade worked the best, as it applied smoothly and with good color payoff; it’s a yellow-toned light-medium pink with a near metallic finish. There is also a beige shade that disappears against my skin and suffers from sheerness and some powderiness.

Undeterred, I wore this on my eyes (it’s what I wore in several of the photos for the Posh Paradise Mattene lip swatches), and the fall out was incredible. I went with something short and sweet, so I used the purply-periwinkle shade on the lid with the turquoise shade in the crease. The texture is rather dry and doesn’t work well on its own (I figured I’d test it with a base on one eye, without on the other). Even with a base, I had a ton of glittery fall out and really had to pack on the color to get decent color payoff and evenness in color. I tried twice with a base – once with NARS Eyeshadow Primer Potion and the second time with MAC Nubile Paint Pot (using the pink, tan, and orange shades). The second combination had less fall out (but the shades had less shimmer) but took a fair amount of color-packing to get the vibrancy in the palette.

It’s a shame to see such a design-intensive palette perform so poorly. It really is art, because the best thing to do with it is to admire it from afar. Undoubtedly, it will still sell out because of the design alone. The good news is all of the colors go through to the bottom based on digging around each shade to see how deep it went. The only part that is an overlay is the silvered shimmer-sheen that goes across the middle.  You just can’t have problems with wear (fall out, minor fading, unevenness), pigmentation, and texture and come out on top.

The Glossover

	MAC Art of Powder: Street Art Eyeshadow Palette Swatches, Photos, Reviews F
	It's a shame to see such a design-intensive palette perform so poorly. It really is art, because the best thing to do with it is to admire it from afar. Undoubtedly, it will still sell out because of the design alone.
	Product 4/10 Pigmentation 6/10 Texture 5.5/10 Longevity 7/10 Application 3/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Street Art Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Art of Powder Collection

Launch Date: September 29th, 2011 at all North American MAC locations, October 2011 at select MAC locations internationally

A collection of three M·A·C Artist Powders inspired by the Masters & modern art movements. There’s an op art Optical Bronzer that explores the depth, dimension and sheer illusion of bronze. A Street Art Eye Shadow personalizes the eye with a madcap act of pure graffiti – and for those who love random acts of light and shade, an In The Abstract Highlighter. These palettes empower creation…make some art!

Highlighter ($38.00 U.S. / $46.00 CDN) (Limited Edition)

• In the Abstract Soft pink base with yellow gold lines and lavender and mid-tone pink dots

Eyeshadow ($38.00 U.S. / $46.00 CDN) (Limited Edition)

• Street Art Graffiti design with light brown, white, light cool blue, warm orange, pastel pink, and pastel blue

Bronzer ($38.00 U.S. / $46.00 CDN) (Limited Edition)

• Optical Bronze with gold pearl and neon pink with gold pearl

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