Temptalia

MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadow Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 2)

Christine — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 23:05:33 +0000

MAC Bloom On Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

Three Pinks to Think Twice About

This review focuses on three new shades of MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadows ($21.00 for 0.11 oz.) from the latest launch, Office Hours: Bloom On (light burnt rose), Endless Passion (mid-tone rose), and More Amour (mid-tone red).

Bloom On is a pale rose-beige with neutral undertones and a matte finish. The color applies rather sheer; I had to layer it just so the swatch would show up. It requires a lot of product on the lid, and I had to use it over a primer to boost the impact (or else it wasn’t visible). It was very dusty. MAC Pink Frontier has a stronger yellow undertone and a shimmery finish. MAC Hush is lighter.

Endless Passion is a pinky-mauve with a soft, satiny finish. It had so-so color payoff when layered, but it was on the softer side, so it was prone to disappearing if you made any sweeping motions. It just didn’t sit well on the lid–imagine a “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging off your lid when you wear this. This shade also darkened when it was applied (compared to how it looked in the pan). NARS Douce France is lighter. Wet ‘n’ Wild Bright Idea is more shimmery. MAC Rose is a smidgen lighter and more shimmery.

More Amour is a muted pink-red with a matte finish. This was the most pigmented shade out of all the ones I’ve seen so far. It was also the least powdery, though it still had a fair amount of dustiness. MAC Passionate is a bit brighter. MAC Sushi Flower is quite similar.

Here’s how MAC describes these: “A unique longwearing Eye Shadow with a silky, creamy texture formulated for maximum colour impact. Easily blendable and buildable; lids are visibly smooth no matter how intense the application. Lasts 8 hours.” These should have a great texture, be nicely pigmented and blendable, while wearing for eight hours.

Out of these three shades, More Amour was the only one that was visible after six hours of wear (both over a primer and directly on bare lids); Bloom On and Endless Passion both looked faded after three hours and were missing in action after six hours. These three had the same dusty, powdery texture that makes them difficult to use. When you apply the color, it’s barely there, and when you attempt to layer or build the color up, it disappears very easily. The more you attempt to build the color, the more powdery it looks, which resulted in lids looking kind of dry. More Amour may have been the best out of a bad hand, but it’s still just a so-so eyeshadow. It was somewhat powdery, and it faded substantially after six hours.

To reiterate: when MAC released this formula originally (about a year ago), it was a lovely formula that was nicely pigmented, blendable, and long-wearing (seriously, they lasted 12-hours without a primer). The texture of these doesn’t feel like the ones from last year. They feel like different formulas entirely.

The Glossover

	MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadow Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 2) F
	If you like sheer eyeshadow, you might consider purchasing some feathery brushes--most eyeshadows can be used sheerly, with the right tool. Because these disappear after six hours (as in, nothing remains), even as sheer eyeshadow, I could not recommend them.
	Product 4/10 Pigmentation 6/10 Texture 6/10 Longevity 5/10 Application 3/5

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MAC Bloom On Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Endless Passion Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC More Amour Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

Bloom On, Endless Passion, More Amour (over a primer, initial application)

MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 1)

Christine — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 16:00:43 +0000

MAC Always Sunny Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

What a Difference a Year Makes

This review focuses on four new shades of MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadows ($21.00 for 0.11 oz.) from the latest launch, Office Hours: Always Sunny (light yellow brown), Ever Ivory (pale ivory), Fashion Fix (dark cool slate grey), and Linger Softly (light frosted grey blue).

Always Sunny is a muted orange with a matte finish. It had so-so pigmentation an felt soft to the touch, but it was on the powdery side. This was one of the “best” performing shades out of the four. Chanel Tigerlily is brighter, more tangerine. Inglot #368 is a bit lighter. MAC Samoa Silk is a smidgen lighter.

Ever Ivory is a pale white with a matte finish. It had decent color payoff, but it disappears if you attempt to blend it out. It was very powdery. MAC Laundry Daze is darker, less ivory. Bobbi Brown White is cooler-toned. Inglot #351 is similar, slightly less beige.

Fashion Fix is a gray-tinged brown–taupe–with a mostly matte finish. It had some powderiness, but the color payoff was the best out of the four. Chanel Premier Regard is browner. MAC Satin Taupe is darker and frostier. Inglot #363 is darker and more pigmented–if used lightly, I think you would get rather close.

Linger Softly is a pale medium-dark blue with silver micro-shimmer. It had so-so color payoff, and it was rather dusty. This shade had a tendency to disappear when you applied and blended it. MAC Bright Moon is similar. MAC Frozen Blue has a more frosted finish.

These shades are not very pigmented, and they’re barely buildable. Trying to layer the color on doesn’t intensify the color, but it does add a layer of powdery dust to your lid that serves to make the lid look drier and drier. I couldn’t yield visible color with the majority of shades without some sort of eyeshadow base/primer underneath, which is really a shame. To show you the products in action, I had to use them over a primer. When I tested the wear, I wore them without and with a primer. Funny enough, you wouldn’t even believe I had applied eyeshadow–after six hours, it looked like I had bare lids–so the reality is they wear for about three to four hours in sum. It was the same wear for alone or over primer.

I actually quite enjoyed MAC’s Pro Longwear Eyeshadow formula! Most of the shades from Styledriven were excellent–rich color payoffs, soft, blendable textures, and long-wearing. The previous shades lasted a full 12-hours (without primer!). I don’t know what MAC did here. The texture feels different; these have a very thin, dusty texture that kicks up so much powder. They’re prone to fall out during application (because it’s so powdery), and often with powdery eyeshadows, they fade once applied–and these do that. Entirely, completely. I’m so puzzled, because I thought I could count on these being pretty good, as they were a surprise to see last year.

At least, because of how soft and powdery the shades are, they are blendable. It could be worse; they could yield patchy payoff with a stiff, dry texture that didn’t want to budge (a la Carbon from Carine Roitfeld). But these are a poor showing after MAC seemed to do so well when they introduced the formula last year. The finishes of all of these is nearly matte, whereas last year’s were more satin to frost. I don’t know if they had to muck around with the formula to accomplish the finish, but something was lost in the translation. At this price point, you can grab top notch matte eyeshadows by brands like Make Up For Ever and Illamasqua (not to mention, at a lower price point, Inglot and Sugarpill).

Sheer eyeshadow has its place, and the most important thing that a brand has to do is make sure to let buyers know that it’s sheer. Then, they still need to deliver color that applies evenly, easily, blends well, and stays in place. Sheer eyeshadow doesn’t have to be bad eyeshadow–these just leave so much to be desired (but of course, these aren’t described as sheer). I’m devestated that what was once a great formula was manipulated into something very different. I don’t think these feel, look, or perform at all like the ones released last year (which are permanent, so you can still grab ‘em).

The Glossover

	MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 1) F
	If you like sheer eyeshadow, you might consider purchasing some feathery brushes--most eyeshadows can be used sheerly, with the right tool. Because these disappear after six hours (as in, nothing remains), even as sheer eyeshadow, I could not recommend them.
	Product 4/10 Pigmentation 6/10 Texture 6/10 Longevity 4/10 Application 3/5

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MAC Always Sunny Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Ever Ivory Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Fashion Fix Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Linger Softly Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

Ever ivory, Always Sunny, Linger Softly, Fashion Fix

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 3)

Christine — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:42:24 +0000

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Eyeshadows (Part 3)

MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.11 oz.) is supposed to wear for eight hours with a “silky, creamy texture” that yields “maximum color impact.” It’s also designed to be blendable and buildable. As a reviewer, I am endlessly pleased that MAC gave definite wear times on these–it’s so much easier to assess whether the product was successful!

There a whopping sixteen shades released in MAC Styledriven, and because of the amount of photos, I’ve split them over three parts. This third (and final!) part includes: Styledriven (pale white blue), Sunny Outlook (bright golden yellow), Sweet Satisfaction (soft neutral beige), Tease with Ease (bright fuchsia), Thru the Night (deep navy), and Weathered (dirty blue grey).

Styledriven is a pale sky blue with a soft, frosted finish. This has a frost finish. What I really like about this shade is it’s that perfect sky blue without being chalky or powdery–which is difficult to achieve–and definitely outshines MAC Sky Blue. It’s a touch bluer than Bare Escentuals Illusion.
Sunny Outlook is a medium-dark yellow with a shimmer-sheen. This has a satin finish. It doesn’t lean too orange and it’s more like a yellow than it is a gold (and the lack of metallic finish reinforces this). It is similar to Wet ‘n’ Wild Bright Idea. MAC Bright Sunshine is yellower–less golden.
Sweet Satisfaction is a soft beige-y brown with a champagne sheen. This has a frost finish. It’s very similar to MAC Grain, while MAC Arena is a bit darker.
Tease with Ease is a medium-dark raspberry pink with a soft shimmer-sheen. This has a frost finish. It’s a touch lighter than NARS Carvaggio. Urban Decay Woodstock is less red and more intense. MAC Bright Fuchsia is deeper and brighter.
Thru the Night is a purple-tinted navy blue. This has a frost finish. It has decent color payoff, but it’s a bit dry to work with. I feel like every brand has been coming out with some variation on this color. It’s a bit purpler than Make Up For Ever #81. It’s somewhere between MAC Deep Truth and Contrast. theBalm Risque Renee is deeper. Wet ‘n’ Wild Earth Looks Small From Down Here is a touch bluer. It is similar to MAC Blue Storm and Bare Escentuals Climax.
Weathered is a stormy blue-tinted gray with multi-colored shimmer. This has a frost finish. Of all the shades, I felt this one was the most complex and unique. It’s blue, it’s gray, it’s multi-faceted in the way the shimmer plays together. I couldn’t think of dupes for it! Inglot #387 has a similar blue-gray thing going on but it’s much, much lighter and grayer. Make Up For Ever #147 is bluer.

Please see part one for a full review of the formula!

The Glossover

	MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 3) A-
	It's a good eyeshadow overall, with some shades being really great and others being good, but there aren't any major duds here. The color payoffs are good across the board with a workable texture that's blendable.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5

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MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Sunny Outlook Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Sweet Satisfaction Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Tease with Ease Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Thru the Night Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Weathered Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 2)

Christine — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:45:38 +0000

MAC Styledriven Collection

MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Eyeshadows (Part 2)

There a whopping sixteen shades released in MAC Styledriven, and because of the amount of photos, I’ve split them over three parts. This second part includes: Lie Low (dark frosted golden brown), Make Your Mark (dark chocolate), One to Watch (light warm brown), Pink Frontier (soft golden pink), and Plush (vivid purple).

Lie Low is a warm-toned, medium-dark brown with orange undertones. This has a frost finish, but it reads more satiny than frosty. It has good color payoff and the texture is soft without being powdery. Bare Escentuals Truth is a touch darker. MAC Texture is very similar, perhaps a little warmer.
Make Your Mark is a subtly warm-toned, dark brown. This has a satin finish and has decent color payoff but is on the drier side. Bare Escentuals Truth is redder in comparison. Laura Mercier Cedar is more intense. MAC Swiss Chocolate and Inglot #327 are matte but similar. Milani Rich Java is slightly darker.
One to Watch is a softened, medium-dark peach-orange. This has a satin finish with decent pigmentation but a powdery texture. MAC Tete-a-Tint is slightly darker, less peach. It is very similar in color to Bobbi Brown Terracotta. Bare Escentuals Fire is deeper and darker. Inglot #368 is more orange.
Pink Frontier is a soft, warmed-over pink. This has a frost finish, but it’s a bit on the sheer side. The finish is one of the more metallic ones of the bunch. It is similar to Urban Decay Scratch. It is pinker than theBalm Luscious Lani. It’s a slightly pinker version of MAC Nubile is powder form. It is similar to MAC Hush.
Plush is a grape purple with subtle red undertones. This has a satin finish with decent color payoff but it could stand to be a little more intense (so it would be more in line with how it appears in the pan). It’s not as red as MAC Half-Wild but redder than Make Up For Ever #142. It’s not as intense or as deep as MAC Grape.

Please see part one for a full review of the formula!

The Glossover

	MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 2) A-
	It's a good eyeshadow overall, with some shades being really great and others being good, but there aren't any major duds here. The color payoffs are good across the board with a workable texture that's blendable.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5

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See more photos & swatches!

MAC Lie Low Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Make Your Mark Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC One to Watch Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Pink Frontier Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Plush Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 1)

Christine — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:57:37 +0000

MAC Styledriven Collection (well, part of it!)

MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Eyeshadows (Part 1)

There a whopping sixteen shades released in MAC Styledriven, and because of the amount of photos, I’ve split them over three parts. This first part includes: Carefree (pale white gold), Fresh Flare (bright kelly green), Hot Paprika (mid-tone burnt red), Keep Your Cool (dark grey brown), and Legendary Black (warm almost black).

Carefree is a pale, creamy white gold with a soft, frosted finish. The texture is very slightly powdery. This has a frost finish, but it’s considerably less frosty compared to your traditional MAC frost finished eyeshadow. It has a less metallic finish compared to MAC Nylon with a yellower color overall. MAC Manila Paper is closer in color. Make Up For Ever #101 is similar but more metallic in finish. It’s a little yellower compared to MAC Peek-at-You.
Fresh Flare is a brightened medium grassy green. This has a frost finish. It has good color payoff and soft without being powdery. It’s darker than Wet ‘n’ Wild Bright Idea. Inglot #384 is similar in color with a slightly yellower undertone and a matte finish. For those who wanted more green from MAC Jealousy Wakes, you might this more to your liking–on me, it is a very similar green base without the teal flash. I expect this is similar to Kelly Green pigment.
Hot Paprika is a burnt orange with pinky-red shimmer. This has a frost finish. It looks redder in the pan than when used–it’s more orange than it is red. The color payoff was excellent. It is similar to MAC Double Feature 8. MAC Red Brick is more intense and matte.
Keep Your Cool is a smoky, dark, brownish taupe. This has a satin finish. It is just slightly darker than Urban Decay Mushroom. It’s cooler in tone and much grayer compared to MAC Satin Taupe. It’s quite similar to the taupe from Chanel Prelude. Burberry Taupe Brown is similar but more matte. It is also similar to MAC Unflappable.
Legendary Black is a dark brown with bronze shimmer. It’s not really blackened or black–just a really dark brown. This has a satin finish. Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone has a similar shade but it’s not quite as dark (and almost leans green). MAC Smut is similar but has a burgundy tone.

I don’t find that these are Mega Metal eyeshadows by another name; their textures feel distinctly different. Where Mega Metal Eyeshadows were buttery and dense, Pro Longwear Eyeshadows have a thinner, drier texture. I had better color payoff with the Mega Metal Eyeshadows overall, but these are still good–just easier and more blendable with the Mega Metals because of the buttery texture. I do prefer the textures of the Mega Metal Eyeshadows, which is a personal preference, as the Pro Longwear Eyeshadows yield good color payoff overall, last over twelve hours (without primer) without creasing, and are still soft to the touch.

I tested the six eyeshadows I received as samples (the rest of the shades I purchased from the LA PRO store, which is why it took me awhile to get the review up; the rest just arrived late yesterday afternoon) extensively. I knew I couldn’t review these immediately, especially since everything was long-wearing! Each time I tested the new eyeshadows, I applied everything over primer on one eye and then the same placement but without primer on the other eye. It was consistent no matter what shadow I used that a primer boosts the intensity of the shades; they all had this slightly faded/muted look to them when applied without a primer. If you use them wet, you can mitigate some of the faded characteristic (I’ve used a few wet and haven’t seen any ill-effects to the pan itself yet).

The good news is that what you see is what you’ll still see twelve hours later. When I was originally testing these, I didn’t know what MAC considered “long-wear,” so I went for a full twelve hours. These are only touted to last eight hours, which means these fully satisfy that and then some (at least on me). I’m ecstatic about the wear of these, though I personally will use a primer underneath them because I prefer the more saturated look (closer to the pan color).

They have a soft texture, but it’s thinner–kind of like a cross between satin and frost finish–so it has a dryness to it. Some of the shades (always noted by the shade as appropriate) can be on the powdery side and may require layering to achieve true-to-pan color. I did find them blendable and buildable, though. I didn’t feel like I had to put in much work to get these to come out right, which is a hallmark of a good product.

The Glossover

	MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 1) A-
	It's a good eyeshadow overall, with some shades being really great and others being good, but there aren't any major duds here. The color payoffs are good across the board with a workable texture that's blendable.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4.5/5

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Ingredients

One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease over primer

One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease over primer (12 hours later)

One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease (NO primer)

One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease (NO primer, 12 hours later)

MAC Carefree Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Keep Your Cool Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

MAC Legendary Black Pro Longwear Eyeshadow

Temptalia

MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadow Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 2)

Three Pinks to Think Twice About

The Glossover

MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadow Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 2)

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 1)

What a Difference a Year Makes

The Glossover

MAC Office Hours Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 1)

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 3)

MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Eyeshadows (Part 3)

The Glossover

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 3)

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 2)

MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Eyeshadows (Part 2)

The Glossover

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 2)

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 1)

MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Eyeshadows (Part 1)

The Glossover

MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 1)

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

See more photos & swatches!