A Cool-Toned Set of Chunky, Metallic Pigments

MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments Set ($32.50 for 0.40 oz.) consists of four shades: She’s Got Class (silver frost), Moss Garden (light green blue frost), Spruced (teal frost), and I’ve Got a Crush on You (browned teal frost).  This set will launch early next week online and in-stores on November 8th.

She’s Got Class is a silver-tinged white with a frosted, metallic finish. It’s sheer when applied dry, and it comes together and yields better payoff when applied damp. There are a number of shades that are comparable, including Wet ‘n’ Wild Shimmer the Night Away, Cinderella Ball Gown , MAC How to Marry, theBalm Metal-ica, and Maybelline Too Cool.

Moss Garden is a pale, dirty green with a gray-rown base. It’s a very interesting color, though it is a repromote from the Butterfly Party (Vera, ’12). Lancome Enduring Vert is greener. Chanel Rivere is lighter, greener. MAC Water is much, much darker. Urban Decay Money is similar, but it is darker.

Spruced is a rich emerald green with a hint of teal. It had good color payoff both wet and dry, and it was less metallic/frosted compared to the other shades in the set. Just a heads up, this shade stains incredibly easily. I would absolutely recommend using a base underneath it to minimize it. I had major staining on my arm (and it wasn’t on for longer than five minutes there) and my eye when I wore it in the crease. Tom Ford Emerald Lust is greener, lighter. MAC Jealousy Wakes is greener, less teal. MAC Double Feature 4 is darker. Urban Decay Minx is lighter.

I’ve Got a Crush on You is a strong red-toned, medium-dark brown with a green-teal duochrome. It’s like a jacked up version of MAC Club, MAC Blue Brown, and Too Faced Label Whore. When it’s applied dry, it’s much redder and has less of a duochrome–the duochrome mostly comes out when it is applied damp.  The texture on this shade was a bit finer than She’s Got Class or Moss Garden.

I always feel rather torn over these sets. The colors are often gorgeous, but the finish, which looks fun and sparkly and glitzy on my arm, looks spectacularly awful on my lids. I find they have to be used very sparingly and take some patience to work with, because they give my lids a very wrinkled, crepe-y appearance. All the frost and metallic just tends stick against itself and accentuate any texture on the lids. I used these wet for the look, as it tends to be the easiest way to minimize fall out, amplify color, and get each shade to smooth out.

I want to love these so bad, but they’re a product I never return to, for as beautiful as the colors are, they are difficult to use and are unflattering on my eyes.  They are similar to MAC Pigments, but the texture is much chunkier–think of the chunkiest MAC pigment (Kitschmas always comes to my mind), and these are going to be chunkier.  They wear well, though, and used damp, there is very minor fall out during wear, and they do not crease or fade even if used alone (without a primer or base).

Something really cool: these sets have always been a really good value, and the holiday sets are actually $1.50 less than the sets released in February ($34.00).

The Glossover

	MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments Set Review, Photos, Swatches B
	Using these can be tricky and getting them to smooth out and look flattering on the lids is another challenge. The chunky, almost gritty textures, really don't help this product shine.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 3.5/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments Set

MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments Set

MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments Set

MAC She’s Got Class Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC She’s Got Class Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC She’s Got Class Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC She’s Got Class Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC She’s Got Class Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Spruced Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Spruced Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Spruced Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Spruced Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Spruced Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC I’ve Got a Crush on You Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC I’ve Got a Crush on You Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC I’ve Got a Crush on You Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC I’ve Got a Crush on You Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC I’ve Got a Crush on You Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments Set

MAC Vera: Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack ($34.00 for 0.42 oz.) has four shades: Butterfly Party (bright lilac), Desert Cloud (deep blue purple), Moss Garden (metallic silver green), and Rain Drop (metallic teal). FYI, none of the stacks from this collection are safe for lip use.

• Butterfly Party is a red-toned violet with a lilac shimmer-sheen. Tarina Tarantino Violet Storm is blue-based. MAC Violet is similar but not quite as red-toned.
• Desert Cloud is a dark blue-based purple with a silver sheen. This one has a slightly grittier texture compared to Butterfly Party. It’s kind of like MAC Parfait Amour with a cool-toned sheen. MAC Imaginary is darker.
• Moss Garden is a dirty green with a bright metallic sheen. It has a yellowy brown base with a cool-toned green-teal color that dominates. MAC Cake Shop is a warmer green. MAC Lady Grey is also a little warmer.
• Rain Drop is a darkened blue-teal with a minted teal shimmer-sheen. It reminded me of Urban Decay Aquarius, which is a bit lighter. theBalm Bossy Bobbi is a bit darker but similar.

These really need to adopt some kind of stopper a la Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense, because it needs to come with some sort of device so you can press and “crush” the pigments here. I tried doing so as I was applying, but it wasn’t working out as well as I’d like.  I usually try to use from the plastic insert when I swatch (because I then throw it away), since the product on it is already fairly loosened and not in a large chunk.  These all have a highly metallic sheen, so if you like your frosts and metallics, you’ll like the finish on these as well.

Because these are a loose formula, they can be used both wet and dry.  When applied dry, it actually tends to apply smoother–at least more easily–as it tends to clump together when it is applied wet.  There’s a fine line where it becomes too wet (which isn’t sopping, by the way, it’s still more damp than it is wet) and leads to clumping.  The metallic sheen will become more pronounced when it is applied damp/wet, though.

Crushed Metallic Pigments are described as having “intense colour payoff” with “medium coverage” and “highly reflective metallic sparkle.” They are “creamy, crease-resistant, [and] long-wearing.”  The wear of the formula is surprisingly good–with as much shimmer, chunkiness, and the like, you would think these wouldn’t hold together on the lid, but they do.

So long as you apply a solid, smooth layer of product (so no clumping!), it wears about the same whether used alone (no primer) as it does with a primer (I typically use MAC’s Mixing Medium, which is an adhesive base).  It’s just vital that you really press and crush those pigments before applying to ensure the best results.  There’s very little fall out after it’s applied; I do tend to get more fall out than normal when initially applying these, because they are a loose formula.  If you have a metal mixing palette, you may want to mix and crush it there before applying, which will minimize application fall out.

The Glossover

	MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack Review, Photos, Swatches B
	It's an interesting product, and if you've never tried it, it's worth checking out in-store. It takes a little more technique and patience than your average product. This particular set felt a little chunkier overall than past iterations of the formula.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 3.5/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Desert Cloud Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Desert Cloud Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Desert Cloud Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Moss Garden Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Rain Drop Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Rain Drop Crushed Metallic Pigment

MAC Rain Drop Crushed Metallic Pigment