There are four MAC Eye Kohls ($15.00 for 0.048 oz.) in the upcoming Reel Sexy collection debuting on April 5th in-stores. They are: Heirloom (highly metallicized greyed lavender), Hyacinth (mid-tone blue), and Resort (deep amethyst plum), and Smolder (intense black). Smolder is not included, because it’s a permanent shade that’s been long-standing.
Heirloom is a lilac-tinted light gray with a silvery sheen. It doesn’t deliver the greatest color payoff, and it doesn’t seem to layer as well as I’d like. I can’t think of a similar shade to this.
Hyacinth is a medium-dark muted blue. It’s not a full-on medium blue, but it’s not a navy blue–it’s right in-between–and there’s a softened quality to the color. The color payoff is so-so in a single pass. It doesn’t skip so much as it just doesn’t deposit an even, opaque layer of color. MAC Marine Ultra is more intense. Make Up For Ever #15L is a bit lighter. YSL #03 is a bit darker.
Resort is an eggplant purple with red undertones. It has decent pigmentation in a single go, but again, it’s not fully opaque, and it doesn’t seem to get there even with layering. Make Up For Ever #4L is a bit darker, more burgundy. CoverGirl Violet Voltage is a bit darker.
With the amount of eyeliner formulas out there, MAC’s Eye Kohls are not on my list of favorites. They’re soft but not creamy, so they don’t glide on effortlessly. Luckily, they’re not dry, so they don’t tug and drag painfully across the lash line, but I can never get a really great, opaque line of color. Even after going back and forth one or two times, it just doesn’t look right. It seems to fold over itself and bunch up in places, so it does look nice and even. What is applied, though, does wear well. I was able to wear Heirloom for eight hours without any problems–it looked a little faded after ten hours. Some of the shades in the range are creamier than others, but these just didn’t have enough give.
There are too many better eyeliner formulas on the market (even with MAC's own line) that make these seem like under-performers--especially when it comes to delivering rich color payoff.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
3.5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
MAC Magenta Blush ($20.00 for 0.21 oz.) is described as a “bright magenta” with a matte finish. This is a dark berry red with maybe a hint of magenta–it looks a bit more magenta in the pot but goes on rather reddish on my skin tone. MAC Restores Dazzle is darker and not as bright but appears similar on the cheek. MAC Amazon Princess is darker, less pink.
I’m not a fan of the texture; it is very, very dry. It tends to tug and pull and drag, so the color is a pain to get even and blend out. It just wants to sit there, looking bold and unblended! In order for it to even look halfway acceptable, I had to use flesh-toned powder to help blend out the edges, which is really cheating. It wears for about seven and a half hours, and after eight, there is some fading that’s noticeable but not too bad. I think what makes this blush at all interesting is that clearly it can be a very, very intense shade, so if you love your bold cheek colors, you may find the poor texture is worth dealing with. It’s unfortunate that something as bold as this is so difficult to blend, because when it’s not, it can look so terribly wrong.
I think what makes this blush at all interesting is that clearly it can be a very, very intense shade, so if you love your bold cheek colors, you may find the poor texture is worth dealing with.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
6/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
3/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
availability: North America — April 5th, 2012; International — May 2012; all products are limited edition unless otherwise specified
RSVP NOW FOR A PRIVATE SCREENING STARRING AN ICONIC MODEL AS BIG AS ANYONE WHO’S EVER GRACED THE SCREEN: KRISTEN MCMENAMY, PHOTOGRAPHED AND FILMED BY MILES ALDRIDGE. WHAT IS SHE WATCHING AS SHE LAUGHS, CRIES AND SITS MESMERIZED IN SURREAL CINEMA WHERE POPCORN IS PINK, FINGERNAILS FIERCE AND THE WARDROBE MINIMAL? OBVIOUSLY, IT’S REEL SEXY. MS. MCMENAMY’S BRIGHT, BOLD AND BRILLIANT LOOK FEATURES A COLOUR COLLECTION OF ENIGMATIC EYE SHADOW DUOS, VIVID LIPSTICK, CREMESHEEN GLASS, EYE KOHL, POWDER BLUSH, LIGHTSCAPADE MINERALIZE SKINFINISH, NAIL LACQUER AND ZOOM LASH.
Lipstick ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)
Pink Popcorn Lavender (Lustre)
Reel Sexy Light bright coral (Amplified)
Watch Me Simmer Bright pink-orange (Amplified) (Repromote)
Heroine Bright violet plum (Matte)
Cremesheen Glass ($19.00 U.S. / $22.50 CDN)
Private Screening Mid-tone peach
Cinestyle Mid-tone blue grey violet
Color Saturation Dark cool wine
Star Quality Bright orange coral
Eyeshadow Duo ($27.50 U.S. / $33.00 CDN)
Dynamic Duo 1 Coral with yellow pearlized pigments (Veluxe Pearl) / Purple (Matte)
Dynamic Duo 2 Violet duochrome with pearlized pigments (Frost) / Violet (Matte)
Dynamic Duo 3 Mid-tone purple (Veluxe Pearl) / Teal blue (Matte)
Dynamic Duo 4 Mid-tone pink (Satin) / Blackened violet (Matte)
