MAC Style Black Look: Dark Smoky Eyes

Just a quick Style Black I through together this morning before I took a shower. I’m not sold on mineralize eyeshadows whatsoever! I applied these mineralize eyeshadows wet using water-based mixing medium (for better adhesion and to minimize fall out). Admittedly, it’s all over a significantly dark base, so maybe that’s why they just don’t pop much. I did two different lips — the first is the lip I’d actually pair with it (based on my style and preferences); the second is with black lips as requested.

Two notes:  I’m wearing Korres’ Wild Rouse Foundation in this look.  (I think the shade may be a lil’ orange on me–not sure if going a shade lighter will help or not yet.)  One eye has a stronger distinction between crease and highlight (which, to be honest, looked fine in real life) that I would recommend blending out more in practice.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Soft Ochre paint pot (neutral beige base), Dark Soul pigment (dark black-gray), Gilt By Association mineralize eyeshadow (black-bronze), Young Punk mineralize eyeshadow (black-purple), Blue Flame eyeshadow (dark blue), Femme-fi eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Black Greasepaint Stick (black with purple shimmer), Stila Purple Pumps Smudge Pot (purple shimmer), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Plum Foolery blush (pinky-purple)
• Lips: Brave New Bronze lipstick (pinky nude), Bling Black glimmerglass (dirty antique gold)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Gilt By Association = Tempting; Young Punk = Contrast; Blue Flame = Deep Truth; Femme-fi = Shroom; Black Greasepaint = Smolder; Brave New Bronze = Velvet Teddy; Bling Black = Reflects Antique Gold + Black Lip Mix + Clear gloss

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base with the 249. With the 239, apply Dark Soul pigment with water-based mixing medium on the lower lid. On the inner lid, pack Gilt by Association eyeshadow on using the 239. Apply Young Punk eyeshadow to the middle and outer portions of the lid. Darken crease with Blue Flame eyeshadow using the 226. Sweep Femme-fi eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Black Greasepaint stick on lower lash line, and Stila Purple Pumps smudge pot on lower lash line with 209. Apply Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Plum Foolery blush using the 129. Apply Brave New Bronze lipstick to lips, and then top with Bling Black glimmerglass for color and shine.

Check out more photos!

With Black Knight lipstick + Blackware Glimmerglass

MAC Black Knight Lipstick + MAC Bling Black Glimmerglass

Pucker Up:  Black as Knight

As I expected, applying MAC’s Black Knight lipstick does yield better results when used with a lip brush than straight outta the tube. (But it’s important to know that distinction–you want to know just how much work you have to put in to get what you want out of a product.)  It took me a solid five minutes to layer the color on, and I felt like I had to use a fair amount of product.  I mean, honestly, not particularly dismaying as this isn’t a shade I’ll be reaching for constantly, so I don’t run a high risk of using it up in the next week.

Black Knight will eventually layer and look opaque enough to satisfy most.  I do want to note that in my bathroom’s light, unevenness and flaws are very, very minimized.  When I stood in the mirror, it looked pretty opaque–even when I shoved my face all up in my mirror’s business.  The camera’s flash does accentuate every little flaw!

Black lips are very, very high maintenance.  The color bleeds, and it is easy for you to smudge and pull at the color and make it uneven.  Just pressing your lips together will create some unevenness, which is a little frustrating!  A drier black lipstick would be easier to work with, to be honest.  I’d probably recommend MAC’s Black Lip Mix over Black Knight lipstick.

Bottom Line: Apply a thin layer of concealer or foundation (or MAC Lip Erase, which serves the same purpose) to lips.  This helps to neutralize your natural lip color and make whatever you’re applying much more pigmented, but it also evens out the surface a little more and adds a dry layer.  Black Knight has a lot of natural glossiness to it, which makes it easy for the color to slip and glide, creating that uneven look.  Use either a very dark or a clear lip liner all around the edges of the lips to help prevent the intense color from bleeding.  Then, apply Black Knight using a lip brush.  Layer until satisfied.  Be cautious when applying gloss, because the gloss tends to shift the color around in a slip-slide fashion.

See progression…

MAC Black Knight Lipstick

MAC Black Knight Lipstick + MAC Bling Black Glimmerglass

MAC Style Black: Glimmerglass Review, Swatches, Lip Swatches

MAC Style Black is a deep, dark collection with the rich tones of black as inspiration.  MAC introduces a new lipgloss formula, Glimmerglass, and launches three shades:  Blackware, Bling Black, and Blackfire.

Glimmerglass

• Blackware is a sheer gray-black tinged gloss.  It is a creamy finish with no real shimmer.
• Bling Black is a sheer black that casts a little green from the gold-green-olive shimmer.
• Blackfire is a sheer black that casts slightly burgundy, which probably comes from the burgundy-red shimmer.

All three shades are incredibly sheer and not even close to being opaque.  The only way to get something more than sheer is to layer with a base lip color or to really slather on the gloss (which doesn’t work well either).  It’s a thick, jelly-textured lipgloss with a non-sticky feel.  These feel thicker than cremesheen glass and nowhere near as gritty as dazzleglass.  I liked Bling Black the most, because I felt like the green-gold cast was different and fun to see.

• Product: 8/10
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 9/10
• Packaging: 8/10

Recommendation:  Gloss fiends will likely enjoy this non-sticky new gloss from MAC.  They’re not the best in value relative to other MAC glosses, but they’re not out of line with other competing brands.

Availability: MAC Cosmetics

See more photos, swatches, and lip swatches…

MAC Blackware Glimmerglass, Bling Black Glimmerglass, Blackfire Glimmerglass

Swatches: Blackware Glimmerglass, Bling Black Glimmerglass, Blackfire Glimmerglass

Blackware Glimmerglass

Bling Black Glimmerglass

Blackfire Glimmerglass

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