Where Retrospeck is Not Actually Retrospeck… in Retrospect!

MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo ($27.50 for 0.09 oz.) contains two shades: Brule (soft creamy beige) and Retrospeck (mid-tone neutral gold).  It’s a new and limited edition duo from Styleseeker.

Brule is a pale, white beige with very subtle warm undertones. It has a satin finish, though it reads more matte against the skin. It has good color payoff, and it blends really easily. Urban Decay Kinky is lighter, less warm. theBalm Matt Smith is pinker. Urban Decay Walk of Shame is grayer, pinker. MAC Vanilla is warmer, lighter, less beige. Urban Decay Skimp has more of a shimmer-sheen finish and is warmer in tone.

Retrospeck is a molten gold with bronze and gold shimmer. It’s supposed to have a lustre finish, but I’m not entirely sure, since the color is NOTHING like Retrospeck. The texture feels somewhat like a lustre, as it has a looseness of sparkle that is very true-to-lustre-finish. The payoff is much, much more than a lot of lustres, though. I did experience noticeable fall out both during and after application (and the latter is what I worry and look for). Clarins Enchanted Summer is lighter, less brown. Milani Gold Dust is lighter. Tarina Tarantino Amber is very similar but smoother.

I could go on a rant about the ridiculousness of including a shade called Retrospeck, a shade that’s part of your core permanent range, and making it entirely different, but I’ll restrain myself.  I wasn’t originally going to purchase this duo, just the other three, because both of these shades were permanent, but I figured, “Why not?” so I’m glad I did!

I like Brule. It’s a nice highlighter color for light to medium skin tones–it doesn’t look too chalky or pale.  It’s also a nice all-over-lid color; consider patting it all over the lid and carving out the crease with a brown or gray to define eyes.  I’m not loving Retrospeck (V2) due to the residual fall out I experienced during the day when I wore it.  Both shades wore for eight hours over bare lids with no creasing or fading, though Retrospeck had fall out.

The Glossover

	MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo Review, Photos, Swatches B
	Put together your own duo of Brule and Amber Lights if you like these two colors but want two of quality. Buy them both in pans and put them in a palette you already own, and you'll even save $3.50.
	Product 8/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 7.5/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo

MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo

MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo

MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo

MAC Culturalized Eyeshadow Duo

MAC Brule Eyeshadow

MAC Retrospeck (V2) Eyeshadow

MAC Brule, MAC Indie Spirit, MAC Shadowy Lady Eyeshadows, MAC Local Wares Fluidline

MAC Retrospeck (V2), MAC Chessa, MAC Raving Mad, Giorgio Armani #1 Eyes to Kill Waterproof Eyeliner

5 Subtle Highlight Eyeshadows

When it comes to choosing a highlighter, the best kind tend to have a satin-like finish–not too frosted or shimmery, but not entirely matte, because it will reflect light without looking metallic. Both matte and more shimmery highlighters have their place, though Choices for highlighters can vary based on skin tone, as one that works for really pale skin may look very stark against a deeper skin tone.

1. MAC Brule — MAC has a huge selection of pale beige shades; I also suggest Dazzlelight, Bisque, Blanc Type, Shroom, and Vanilla
2. Inglot #355 — pale peach with subtle warm undertones
3. Burberry Trench — light satiny beige
4. MAC Grain — beige-brown with a subtle sheen
5. MAC Ricepaper — surprisingly universal shade of beige with subtle yellow undertones

What’s your go-to highlighter for eyes?

MAC Eyeshadow Swatches – Neutrals (Part 1)

• Back with more MAC Eyeshadows–almost through the permanent shades I have–and this set features neutrals, including browns as well as beiges.
• Honesty is a soft coppered brown with chunky gold and copper glitter. It has a lustre finish. It’s not the chunkiest lustre I’ve come across, but it doesn’t make my list of must-haves. Urban Decay Blaze would be a good alternative.
• Patina is grayish-brown (almost taupe) with a pale, golden sheen. It has a frost finish.
• Wedge is a warm-toned, medium brown with a matte finish. It is warmer and brown compared to MAC Omega but softer than MAC Cork.
• Soba is a yellow-ed brown with a subtle golden sheen and satin finish. It’s yellower than Wedge, and the finishes are different, but they are similar.
• Era is a darkened beige with a champagne sheen. It has a satin finish. It is lighter (and shimmery) than Burberry Almond.
• Malt is a pinked brown-beige with a matte finish. It’s a bit powdery. Inglot #344 is similar.
• All That Glitters is a lightened copper-gold with a veluxe pearl finish.The texture is rather gritty for a veluxe pearl.  Urban Decay Blaze is similar.
• Bisque is a soft beige with a matte finish. Inglot #390 is similar.
• Brule is a soft, warm beige with a satin finish.
• Blanc Type is a pale white-beige with a Matte2 finish. Inglot #355 is similar but may turn more peach on some complexions.

Eyeshadows like Honesty and All That Glitters–tend to have chunkier textures with glitter fall out.  I will buy a new All That Glitters, even though mine was brand new as of a month ago, since many of you say I have a bad batch, but please give me some time to do so. Shades like Bisque, Brule, and Blanc Type are very light, and I know that on me Blanc Type photographs ashy (on me) when I’ve used it as a highlighter. Patina is a fun shade, because it’s almost like a neutral duochrome, and I couldn’t think of a real dupe for it.

The Glossover

	MAC Eyeshadow Swatches - Neutrals (Part 1) B-
	Two shades brought down the overall grade of an otherwise average to good set of eyeshadows. They're good--not the best on the market--but reliable and easy to work with (excepting Honesty and All That Glitters).
	Product 8/10 Pigmentation 8/10 Texture 7/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Honesty Eyeshadow

MAC Patina Eyeshadow

MAC Wedge Eyeshadow

MAC Soba Eyeshadow

MAC Era Eyeshadow

MAC Malt Eyeshadow

MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow

MAC Bisque Eyeshadow

MAC Brule Eyeshadow

MAC Blanc Type Eyeshadow

MAC Cham-Pale: Caviar Dreams Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Caviar Dreams Eyeashadow Quad ($36.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a new and limited edition quad that contains these shades: Brule (soft creamy beige), Caviar Dreams (dirty frosted pewter), Et tu, Bouquet? (frosted pale pink), and Retrospeck (beached blonde).

• Brule is a neutral light beige with a barely-there sheen.  It has a satin finish, and it is permanent.  It makes for a nice all-over color on the lid or as a highlighter.
• Caviar Dreams is a cool-toned medium-dark brown with flecks of bronze shimmer and sheen.  It has a lustre finish, and it is new and limited edition.  It originally reminded me of Club eyeshadow but without the duochrome.  The pigmentation was decent, but it could have been a little more intense, given how dark it looks in the pan.  It’s less pewter than described–more taupe than pewter, I’d say.  I did have some fall out when I used it in the crease.  It seemed similar to Charcoal Brown or Corduroy.
• Et tu, Bouquet? is a pale pink with a frosted, white sheen.  It has a frost finish, and it is limited edition but a repromote from A Rose Romance in 2009.  Pink Freeze, while a little pinker, would dupe it in a pinch.
• Retrospeck is a softened gold with gold shimmer-glitter.  It has a lustre finish, and it is permanent.  It seemed less gritty than I remember it being, but I still had fall out concerns when I wore it.

It’s a nice neutral quad with a good mix of colors, but one of my concerns about the quad, but also the collection in general, is how shimmery, glittery, or otherwise reflective the products are.  When I wore this on my eyes, paired with one of the Special Reserve Highlighters, and a lipgelee, it felt like overkill.   Both lustre finish shades had noticeable fall out, and the gritty look of lustres underneath the eye makes one look a little haggard.

MAC Cham-Pale Collection is a limited edition launch (official information and photos here) that is set to launch in-stores on December 26th in North American, January 2011 for international MAC locations. The approximate launch date for online is December 24th. It features color products as well as a few skincare items.

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• Product: 24/30
• Value: 10/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: It’s a nice quad color-wise, but it’s not the greatest neutral palette I’ve come across.   The fall out of two of the four shades makes this something I wouldn’t recommend, just because good eyeshadows shouldn’t have that problem.

AVAILABILITY: MAC Cosmetics on December 26th (U.S. stores), January 2011 (International)

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MAC Caviar Dreams Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Caviar Dreams Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Caviar Dreams Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Caviar Dreams Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Caviar Dreams Eyeshadow Quad

Brule, Retrospeck, Et tu Bouquet, Caviar Dreams

MAC Brule Eyeshadow

MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow

MAC Et Tu, Bouquet? Eyeshadow

MAC Caviar Dreams Eyeshadow

Makeup Tutorial: MAC Alice + Olivia Look

Here’s the tutorial on how to achieve this smoky look!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Later Pigment (dark blue-violet), MAC Blue My Mind Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (sky blue), MAC Blue My Mind Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (blue-teal), MAC Togetherness Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (violet), MAC Togetherness Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (lilac), MAC Brule Eyeshadow (highlighter), Make Up For Ever #11L Aqua Eyes (violet), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: MAC Hang Loose Mineralize Blush Duo (soft pink)
• Lips: MAC All Styled Up Lipstick (pinky lilac), MAC Going Casual Cremesheen Glass (sheer lilac pink)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Later = Violet + Dark Soul; Blue My Mind = Sky Blue (sky blue), Tilt (blue-teal); Togetherness = Digit (lilac), Violet pigment (violet); Hang Loose = Well-Dressed; All Styled Up = Snob; Going Casual = Luminary
  

Makeup Tutorial: MAC In the Groove Purple Look

Here’s the tutorial on how to achieve this bold look!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Togetherness Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (lilac), MAC Fresh & Easy Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (pink), MAC Togetherness Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (gray), MAC Togetherness Mineralize Eyeshadow Trio (violet), MAC Brule Eyeshadow (highlighter), Make Up For Ever #11L Aqua Eyes (violet), MAC Haute & Naughty Lash (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: MAC Band of Roses Mineralize Blush Duo (raspberry), MAC By Candlelight Mineralize Skinfinish (pinky highlighter)
• Lips: MAC I Like It Like That Lipstick (pinky lilac), MAC On the Scene Cremesheen Glass (sheer peach)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Togetherness = Digit (lilac), Print (gray), Violet pigment (violet); Fresh & Easy = Pink Freeze (pink); Band of Roses = Dollymix; By Candlelight = Dior Rose Diamond; I Like It Like That = Snob; On the Scene = Big Baby