MAC My Highland Honey Blush
MAC Tartan Tale: Highland Honey Blush
MAC Highland Honey Blush ($18.50 for 0.21 oz.) is a rich shade of peach-orange with a very subtle satin sheen. It can be built up for a more intense, more orange-y look or used lightly for a lit-from-within kind of glow. I love that it’s pigmented without being straight-up orange, but it’s also buildable; you can easily apply it lightly or pat more on for a more intense look.
It’s warmer and more orange than Melba Blush, which is a darker peach with less of an orange pull. It’s not as orange as NARS Gina nor as coral as NARS Gilda. It’s a shade lighter than Illamasqua’s Lover, but the two are similar. It’s also similar to Utterly Game, which leans a little coral but not by much.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: It’s a nice choice to warm up cheeks, especially on warmer skin tones.
AVAILABILITY: Online now, October 28th in-store
MAC The Family Crest Pigment
MAC Tartan Tale: Pigments
For the color collection, there are three new and limited edition shades of MAC Pigments ($19.50 for 0.15 oz.). These shades are: The Family Crest (blackened bronze with pearl), Later (black with transforming purple pearl), and Moonlight Night (blackened teal with teal pearl). All three pigments have frost finishes. Later is a repromote from this spring’s Alice + Olivia Collection.
- The Family Crest is a darkened, plummy brown base with flashes of gold and violet shimmer. It’s a very fun and complex shade! It’s actually a little similar to Style Clan nail lacquer (which you can’t wear on your eyes, LOL!). I couldn’t think of a MAC dupe for this shade.
- Later needs moisture to look amazing. Do not just swatch it dry and forget about it, because you’re really not giving it a chance then. When applied wet, it’s a blackened-gray base with flashes of violet and deep blue-purple shimmer and sheen. About a million times prettier wet than dry. It is similar to My Dark Magic Mineralize Eyeshadow from Venomous Villains. It could also be replicated by layering Violet pigment over a black base.
- Moonlight Night is a darkened charcoal gray base with flashes of deep forest green shimmer and soft frosted sheen. I couldn’t think of a MAC dupe for this shade.
Even when swatched dry, both The Family Crest and Moonlight Night swatched smoothly, but Later definitely needs to be used wet or patted over a sticky base to get the true color. I personally find MAC’s Mixing Medium (Water-Based) to work really well when using pigments wet, because it is slightly tacky, which makes the pigment hold together and wear all day. I’ve often used pigments as bases for other eyeshadows with this method.
Though I like the look of the new pigment jars, I do find them a lot messier. I don’t know if it’s perhaps that I open these over a white table, but I feel like I get some smeared on the photo station every time I open them, which is quite annoying. I haven’t spilled or toppled any of the jars over, at least!
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 3/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you’re a fan of pigments or enjoy using loose color, then yes on all three. I think they’re great shades and nothing feels like, “Wow, I’ve seen this twenty times!”
AVAILABILITY: October 28th at MAC Stores/Counters, Now online
MAC Tartan Tale: Reelers & Rockers Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Tartan Tale: Reelers & Rockers Eyeshadow Palette
Reelers & Rockers Eyeshadow Palette ($36.00) is a colorful palette with a slight cool tone running through it.
This palette includes six eyeshadows: White Rabbit (shimmer white), Melt My Heart (metallic silver), Carbon (matte black), Family Treasure (metallic bronze), Gaelic Gold (metallic gold), and Crown & Sceptre (metallic copper).
- White Rabbit is a bright, shimmery white, It has a frost finish, and it was originally launched in last year’s holiday palettes. It has a very smooth texture and packs a lot of pigment without having to use a lot of product. It’s similar to White Frost or Gesso (but with shimmer).
- Melt My Heart is a a light silver with a metallic sheen. It has a veluxe pearl finish. It’s not quite as pigmented as other veluxe pearls, but it has a smooth feel when applied. It’s similar to Forgery, except the texture is soft and smooth–lighter than Electra.
- Carbon is a dark black. It has a matte finish, and it is a permanent shade. It works better than it swatches, but it will definitely darken anything you layer it over. It’s not the deepest, darkest black, though.
- Family Treasure is a soft metallic peachy gold with a strong shine. It has a veluxe pearl finish, and it’s as smooth and pigmented as one would expect. It’s a less yellow, more orange Goldmine.
- Gaelic Gold is a brightened medium gold kissed by molten ore. It has a veluxe pearl finish, and it’s rich in pigmentation and creamy in consistency. It’s slightly darker and deeper than Goldmine. (Goldmine would fit almost exactly between Family Treasure and Gaelic Gold.)
- Crown & Sceptre is a medium-dark coppery brown with metallic shine. It has a veluxe pearl finish with a smooth, creamy texture and nice color payoff. It’s a little lighter than Antiqued, but they are similar.
The palette contains 0.19 oz. worth of eyeshadow along with a tiny 213 brush, which means you’re paying $190/oz. In comparison, if you were to buy potted eyeshadows, MAC eyeshadows run at $290/oz. and pans run at $230/oz. These palettes do offer a little more bang for your buck than if you were to buy shades individually.
Like Beauties Playing It Cool, Reelers & Rockers is a little reminiscent of last year’s Devil May Dare palette, but it’s only at a glance, rather than in reality. This year’s Reelers & Rockers is actually more pigmented and brighter.
Reelers & Rockers was my favorite palette of the four, not because of colors but how true-to-pan the colors were overall. Four of the shades have really stellar pigmentation and feel incredibly smooth when used–Carbon swatches poorly but works well in practice, while Melt My Heart could be a little more pigmented, it’s decent. It’s an interesting mix of shades; the top row being on the cooler side, while the bottom row is definitely warmer!
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you’re jonesin’ for one of MAC’s palettes this year, this one is the best in terms of quality. The colors are also fun and festive but wearable.
AVAILABILITY: October 28th at MAC Stores/Counters
Chanel Charming Glossimer
Chanel Holiday 2010: Charming
Chanel Charming Glossimer ($27.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is a sheer barely-there pink gloss with pink shimmer. It is new and limited edition from Chanel’s holiday collection. The gloss itself is nearly colorless, but the shimmer is colored enough that it’s noticeable when worn. It’s a very minimal, easy-to-wear kind of shade that will be a must for some and a, “So what?” kind of gloss for others. Charming can be worn alone for a little dazzle or layered on top of lipsticks to add shine and shimmer.
Glossimers are nearly non-sticky but still have a little tackiness to them, though they are lightweight, non-drying, and last three to four hours on me. They’re scent- and taste-free as well. Some of them are more pigmented but the majority have been on the sheerer side based on my experience.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: It’s not the most unique or original shade, but it’s the kind of shade that one could wear all the time, too.
AVAILABILITY: Chanel
Nail Lacquer: Sateen, Charmeuse, Moire, Chiffon
Nubar Holiday 2010: Finest Silks (Part 2)
For the holidays, Nubar took inspiration from the Silk Road with their collection of eight shades. Each shade is designed to provide complete coverage in two coats and be universally wearable. Nubar is free of formaldehyde, phthalate and toluene. Shades include: Organza (intense pearl white), Taffeta (pale peachy brown), Marabout (deep muted brown), Pekin (rich dark red), Sateen (deep vivid red), Charmeuse (neutral blush), Moire (light reddish brown), and Chiffon (muted brown). All shades are creams except Organza, which is a frost.
- Sateen is a deep dark red cream–it’s a couple of shades darker than Pekin. This has a little brown to it in comparison. It almost looks like a jelly but it’s more cream than jelly. It’s not quite as dark as Chanel Rouge Fatal but it comes close. Two coats.
- Charmeuse is a medium pink cream muted by brown. It’s similar to Chanel Rose Confidentielle but with more noticeable brown. Two coats.
- Moire is a light-medium beige brown cream. Two coats.
- Chiffon is a mushroom-taupe cream. Two coats.
I thought that Barielle’s Style in Argyle Collection would offer at least a couple of dupes but nothing was very similar. In general, I don’t have a vast stash of browns, so I didn’t find dupes for the majority of the shades here. All of the shades lean have mostly neutral tones to them, so they will work well on both cooler and warmer skin tones.
I think Charmeuse will be a favorite, just because it’s a wearable, modern pink–not bright, not utterly girly, and not pastel.
Application was stellar on all of the creams: two coats for creamy, smooth, even color. The formula isn’t too thick or thin, and the rubber cap makes it easy to hold when applying.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: Sateen is a gorgeous dark red, if you have need for one, while Charmeuse is a lovely wearable pink for all skin tones.
AVAILABILITY: Nubar
Nail Lacquer: Organza, Taffeta, Marabout, Pekin
Nubar Holiday 2010: Finest Silks (Part 1)
For the holidays, Nubar took inspiration from the Silk Road with their collection of eight shades. Each shade is designed to provide complete coverage in two coats and be universally wearable. Nubar is free of formaldehyde, phthalate and toluene. Shades include: Organza (intense pearl white), Taffeta (pale peachy brown), Marabout (deep muted brown), Pekin (rich dark red), Sateen (deep vivid red), Charmeuse (neutral blush), Moire (light reddish brown), and Chiffon (muted brown). All shades are creams except Organza, which is a frost. Each shade retails for $7.49.
- Organza is a white gold with ultra fine white shimmer. This looks more metallic than frosty to me, and brush strokes are quite noticeable. I did three coats, and I couldn’t get it to be opaque. It was the only shade that had opacity issues, but there was something appealing about this shade. It reminded me of weddings, actually. I like it even though I hate seeing brush strokes, which is so twilight zone. (I would give this one a product rating of 25/30, while the others are 29/30.)
- Taffeta is a medium brown with orange-peach cream. Slightly warm but mostly neutral. Two coats.
- Marabout is a cool-toned plummy brown-gray cream. Two coats.
- Pekin is a dark red cream that pulls just a tiny bit blue. It’s similar to Essie’s Limited Addiction, which is a little darker and seems more neutral. Two coats.
I thought that Barielle’s Style in Argyle Collection would offer at least a couple of dupes but nothing was very similar. In general, I don’t have a vast stash of browns, so I didn’t find dupes for the majority of the shades here. All of the shades lean have mostly neutral tones to them, so they will work well on both cooler and warmer skin tones.
Application was stellar on all of the creams: two coats for creamy, smooth, even color. The formula isn’t too thick or thin, and the rubber cap makes it easy to hold when applying. Organza was the odd man out with a sheerer application and visible brush strokes.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: I have no idea why I’m drawn to Organza in spite of its brush strokes, but I am. Pekin is a nice dark red cream, though I like Sateen (coming up!) a bit better.
AVAILABILITY: Nubar
