Video Review: MAC Reel Sexy Collection

Video review for the upcoming MAC In Extra Dimension collection that will launch in-stores on April 5th. It is online now! (Along with In Extra Dimension and Tres Chic.) Don’t forget to subscribe to Temptalia’s YouTube channel!

Reviews

• Cremesheen Glasses
• Eye Kohls
• Eyeshadow Duos
• Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish
• Lipsticks
• Nail Lacquers
• Magenta Blush
• Pink Cult Blush

MAC Reel Sexy Cremesheen Glasses

MAC Reel Sexy Cremesheen Glasses ($19.50 for 0.09 fl. oz.) include these four shades: Cinestyle (mid-tone blue grey violet), Color Saturation (dark cool wine), Private Screening (mid-tone peach), and Star Quality (bright orange coral).

• Cinestyle is a milky lilac that really settles into lip lines. The color is semi-sheer, and it’s definitely noticeable, but it just seeps into lip lines in a way I don’t see that often. MAC Vacant is a bit pinker and all shimmer. MAC Viva Glam is pinker but similar in creaminess. MAC Going Casual is pinker.  MAC Japanese Spring is just a little lighter.
• Color Saturation is a rich berry red with purple tones. It’s surprisingly opaque–the color coverage is semi-opaque but covers well and fairly evenly without settling too much into lip lines. MAC Real Posh is more muted and has shimmer. NARS Bougainville is much redder. MAC Indigo Pink is redder and shimmery. MAC Orange Tempera is peachier. MAC Bait is lighter, shimmery. MAC Fresh Air is very similar but has shimmer. MAC It’s a Wow is similar but has shimmer.
• Private Screening is a pinky beige with a milky finish that does settle into lip lines a bit.
• Star Quality is a pink-red coral with semi-opaque color coverage but it settles into lip lines a lot. MAC Mango Sheen is much redder. Revlon Strawberry is redder.

The Cremesheen Glass formula is lightweight, comfortable on, creamy, and non-sticky.  The colors typically have no shimmer and deliver sheerer color, though Color Saturation and Star Quality yield quite a bit of color.  With the exception of Color Saturation, these really seemed to slither into the lines on the lips and stay there.  Cinestyle and Star Quality were the worst offenders for that.  These would be better layered over a more opaque lip color, so that you could minimize that problem.  Cremesheen Glasses only wear two hours or less on me, which is below average for a gloss.  I feel like you go through a tube rather quickly, especially since it only contains 0.09 fl. oz.  They are vanilla-scented but taste-free.

The Glossover

	MAC Reel Sexy Cremesheen Glasses Reviews, Photos, Swatches C
	There is just too much color settling into lip lines with this particular batch of colors--the milky, creamy look with sheer to semi-sheer color payoff rarely works, and this is often the result.
	Product 7/10 Pigmentation 8/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 7/10 Application 2.5/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Cinestyle Cremesheen Glass

MAC Cinestyle Cremesheen Glass

MAC Cinestyle Cremesheen Glass (Diffused Flash)

MAC Cinestyle Cremesheen Glass (Studio Lighting)

MAC Cinestyle Cremesheen Glass

MAC Colour Saturation Dazzleglass Creme

MAC Colour Saturation Dazzleglass Creme

MAC Colour Saturation Dazzleglass Creme

MAC Colour Saturation Dazzleglass Creme

MAC Colour Saturation Dazzleglass Creme

MAC Colour Saturation Dazzleglass Creme

MAC Private Screening Cremesheen Glass

MAC Private Screening Cremesheen Glass

MAC Private Screening Cremesheen Glass (Diffused Flash)

MAC Private Screening Cremesheen Glass (Studio Lighting)

MAC Private Screening Cremesheen Glass

MAC Star Quality Cremesheen Glass

MAC Star Quality Cremesheen Glass

MAC Star Quality Cremesheen Glass (Diffused Flash)

MAC Star Quality Cremesheen Glass (Studio Lighting)

MAC Star Quality Cremesheen Glass

MAC Reel Sexy Nail Lacquers

MAC Reel Sexy Nail Lacquers ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) include these three shades, all of which are creams: In the Dark… Purple (vivid violet), Screening Room (bright mid-tone teal), and Vivid Effect (vivid orange coral).

• In the Dark… Purple is a medium-dark red-toned purple–kind of like an eggplant, but much, much lighter. Reminded me of Fig. 1 eyeshadow actually! It’s not quite opaque in two coats but close. Zoya Kieko is similar but a little dustier.
• Screening Room is a blue-based teal with a cream finish. It’s mostly opaque in two coats. Illamasqua Muse is bluer. Estee Lauder Teal Topaz is a bit lighter, dustier. Orly Viridian is bluer. Cult Nails Let Me Fly is closer, though a bit bluer, and has shimmer.
• Vivid Effect is an orange-coral that’s opaque in two coats. Dior Merveille is similar but has shimmer. China Glaze Poinsettia is redder. Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin’ is darker.

I’m still recovering from the shock of MAC polishes now being–permanently–available at a whopping $16 a pop.   They were $14 just a year ago.  A lot of brands increase prices every 12-18 months, and the increase can be as little as $0.50 to as much as $4-5, depending on the base price of the product.  MAC has historically raised prices on just about every product once a year, and on products at this price point, it has been $0.50–e.g. lipsticks, eyeshadows, and the like have gone up $0.50 a year, not $2 a year.  There’s only 0.34 fl. oz. of polish in the bottle!  C’mon!  Price aside…

In the Dark… Purple was streaky; it was still a little streaky with a thicker second coat yet not fully opaque after that either.   Screening Room was also on the streaky side, though it recovered mostly by the second coat.  Vivid Effect was not streaky, and it was opaque in two coats, so that was the best performer of the three shades.  It is the most dupeable, though.  I don’t have wear issues with MAC’s polish formula; I usually get a week of wear with minor tip wear but no chipping.

The Glossover

	MAC Reel Sexy Nail Lacquers Review, Photos, Swatches B
	MAC needs to make sure their formula is on point if they're going to increase their polish prices by $2 every year. These are not the worst offenders in the past year, but they do not apply flawlessly and do take some patience and effort to ensure a streak-free finish.
	Product 8/10 Pigmentation 8.5/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 3/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC In the Dark… Purple Nail Lacquer

MAC In the Dark… Purple Nail Lacquer

MAC In the Dark… Purple Nail Lacquer

MAC In the Dark… Purple Nail Lacquer

MAC In the Dark… Purple Nail Lacquer

MAC Screening Room Nail Lacquer

MAC Screening Room Nail Lacquer

MAC Screening Room Nail Lacquer

MAC Screening Room Nail Lacquer

MAC Screening Room Nail Lacquer

MAC Vivid Effect Nail Lacquer

MAC Vivid Effect Nail Lacquer

MAC Vivid Effect Nail Lacquer

MAC Vivid Effect Nail Lacquer

MAC Vivid Effect Nail Lacquer

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish ($29.00 for 0.35 oz.) is described as a “soft candlelit beige with multi-dimensional shimmer.” It’s a pale, white-beige highlighter. Something worth noting is that the color of a mineralize skinfinish can dramatically change based on the veining–look at Lightscapade from September 2011–there is so much more veining! They did end up swatching similarly, though this one seemed a little less pigmented. theBalm Promiscuous Pearl is more frosted, a slightly darker beige. MAC Snowglobe is rather similar, more of a sheen than a shimmer. Chanel Beiges Ombres Tissees is more frosted. MAC Truth & Light is more golden. MAC Too Chic is similar but paler.

The texture is soft, and the powder is finely milled with very subtle shimmer, so it’s not glittery or metallic when applied like some mineralize skinfinishes can be. It is fairly sheer, though, so you could use a denser blush brush if you so desired.  You could also use a stippling brush like the 188 or a more tapered/angled brush like the 168 to highlight the planes of the face more easily.

As much as I want to be, I’ve never been in love with the mineralize skinfinish formula. They really just don’t wear very well–many of them seem to accentuate any skin imperfections as well as pores, and they wear off quickly. Lightscapade is one of the better finishes, because it does not emphasize skin texture or pores much at all, but it does have wear problems. I applied Lightscapade as a highlighter this morning, and it was patchy and faded after four hours. After eight hours, it’s barely there.

The Glossover

	MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish Review, Photos, Swatches B-
	Lightscapade is one of the better finishes, because it does not emphasize skin texture or pores much at all, but it does have wear problems. I applied Lightscapade as a highlighter this morning, and it was patchy and faded after four hours.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 6/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Pink Cult Blush

MAC Pink Cult Blush ($20.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “mid-tone neutral pink” with a matte finish. Now this is a neutral pink, unlike yesterday’s Pink Tea. It is a neutral-cool, light-medium pink with a slightly gray cast. Bobbi Brown Nude Pink looks similar on, but it’s definitely pinker. Illamasqua Chased is also similar but a touch less neutral. This is like a paler, more neutral version of Coygirl.

I’ve been wearing Pink Cult since early this morning (so it’s been around seven hours now), and it looks surprisingly fresh and intact. The texture of this blush is soft, slightly powdery due to its matte finish, but very blendable and easy to use. It’s one of those everyday shades that you can’t overdo–you can as heavy-handed as you’d like with this shade! Because it has more of a neutral undertone, even though it does read a bit cool-toned in the pot, it will be a shade that adjusts against your natural skin tone in a very flattering way.

The Glossover

	Pink Cult A
	It's one of those everyday shades that you can't overdo--you can as heavy-handed as you'd like with this shade! Because it has more of a neutral undertone, even though it does read a bit cool-toned in the pot, it will be a shade that adjusts against your natural skin tone in a very flattering way.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 5/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Pink Cult Blush

MAC Pink Cult Blush

MAC Pink Cult Blush

MAC Pink Cult Blush

MAC Pink Cult Blush

MAC Pink Cult Blush

MAC Reel Sexy Lipsticks

There are four MAC Lipsticks ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) debuting with the Reel Sexy collection that will hit stores on April 5th. They are: Heroine (bright violet plum), Pink Popcorn (lavender), Reel Sexy (light bright coral), and Watch Me Simmer (bright pink-orange).

• Heroine is a magenta purple with a near matte finish–there is just a hint of sheen in the finish. It applies opaque and smoothly, despite being a matte finish. It looks a lot like MAC Violetta, which is a smidgen darker and has shimmer. Milani Magenta Madness is quite pinker.
• Pink Popcorn is a soft petal pink with a very subtle blue undertone. It has a lustre finish, though the color payoff is semi-opaque, actually. MAC Naughty Saute is paler, more opaque, and bluer-based. Revlon Carnation is a bit darker, less blue-based.
• Reel Sexy is a peach-orange with a little hint of coral, but it looks more peach/orange than anything else. It has an amplified finish, but it’s a bit streaky when applied and tends to settle into lips to some degree. The color coverage is opaque. MAC Gotta Dash is similar but sheerer. Bobbi Brown Soft Coral is more orange and darker. Illamasqua Brink is very similar. YSL Peach Passion is similar.
• Watch Me Simmer can be seen here, as it was just released in February of this year!

MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented but have no discernible taste.  They typically last between three and four hours on the lips, but it largely depends on the finish. Lustre finishes wear off a little faster, between two and three hours, depending on the richness of the shade. Amplified and matte finishes tend to wear better, sometimes lasting as long as six hours. I tested out Heroine, and it lasted for over six hours and stained my lips for hours after that. Pink Popcorn only wore for three hours, and it did leave my lips feeling chapped, as lustres often do.

Because Watch Me Simmer was in such high-demand when it first launched this past February, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the first lipsticks to sell out.  Heroine may also catch peoples eye, because it is purplish.

The Glossover

	MAC Reel Sexy Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches B+
	Because Watch Me Simmer was in such high-demand when it first launched this past February, I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the first lipsticks to sell out. Heroine may also catch peoples eye, because it is purplish.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 9.5/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Heroine Lipstick

MAC Heroine Lipstick

MAC Heroine Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Heroine Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Heroine Lipstick

MAC Pink Popcorn Lipstick

MAC Pink Popcorn Lipstick

MAC Pink Popcorn Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Pink Popcorn Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Pink Popcorn Lipstick

MAC Reel Sexy Lipstick

MAC Reel Sexy Lipstick

MAC Reel Sexy Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Reel Sexy Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Reel Sexy Lipstick