Chanel Quartz Le Vernis ($25.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is described as a “silver beige.” This is shade that is difficult to describe. In natural light, it tends to look like a champagne beige with threads of silver shimmer. In brighter and more direct light, it looks like a beige-taupe with multi-colored shimmer and a metallic, silver, shimmer. This is a more office-friendly shade as comapred to the other two shades in the fall collection.
I used two coats, and it seemed a touch sheer but manageable. For me, the formula didn’t apply quite as evenly as I would have liked, but it wasn’t particularly troublesome. In the past, Chanel polishes have tended to last about a week on my nails with some minor tip wear (with a base/top coat).
For something that's work-safe but still has some oomph, Quartz is a nice shade. It is that mix of beige, taupe, champagne, and then all that multi-colored shimmer, which makes it more interesting than a beige cream.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
7.5/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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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.
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MAC Semi-Precious: Warmth of Coral Mineralize Blush
MAC Warmth of Coral Mineralize Blush ($23.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “melange of coral and peach.” It’s more coral, peach, and orange to me–to stretch it, maybe a darkened peach? When mixed (not that you can really separate out veins in this blush), it’s a warm, medium peach-orange. I did notice that it doesn’t show up very well on my NC25/NC30 complexion; it blends out very easily and ends up looking so subtle that I wasn’t even sure I was wearing it.
The powder is very finely-milled with a silky smooth feel that works beautifully with the skin, because it sits naturally and the soft, satiny sheen allows for a subtle reflection of light without it being shimmery. As previously mentioned, the wear time of mineralize blushes is below average from my testing–around six hours–while average is eight hours.
MAC Utterly Game is softer and has a powdery look to it in comparison. It seems a little more on the peach side than Illamasqua Lover. There is a subtle difference in depth as compared to My Highland Honey.
If you missed any of our previous Semi-Precious coverage, check out this round-up.
I wish MAC's mineralize blushes did better in the wear department, because the finishes of the Semi-Precious Mineralize Blushes is really fantastic. Warmth of Coral seems most suitable for light to medium skin tones.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
7.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
7/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC Cosmetics, July 7th, $23
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 Semi-Precious Mineralize Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 1)
MAC Semi-Precious Mineralize Eyeshadows ($20.00 for 0.07 oz.) includes twelve, limited edition shades: Blue Sheen (melange of navy, black, peach), Clarity (melange of light pink, off-white green, gold, and black), Dark Indulgence (melange of forest green and black), Faux Gold (melange of coral, gold, lime, bronze), Golden Gaze (melange of gold and black), Hint of Sapphire (melange of pink, violet, teal, copper, blue), Jade’s Fortune (melange of bright yellow, blue, lime, black), Mineral Mode (melange of white base with copper and gray), Quartz Fusion (melange of soft pink, silver, deep pink), Rare Find (melange of violet, brown, gold), Smoked Ruby (melange of burgundy and black), and Unsurpassable (melange of green, teal, purple, and copper). This post features Blue Sheen, Clarity, Golden Gaze, and Hint of Sapphire. I will post Jade’s Fortune, Mineral Mode, Rare Find, Smoked Ruby, and Unsurpassable in the next post. I do not currently have Dark Indulgence, Faux Gold, or Quartz Fusion, and I will post those when I am able to purchase them.
Blue Sheen is a blackened navy blue with a blue and violet sheen when applied dry, and it takes on a much bolder, brighter midnight blue with a slightly metallic sheen when applied wet. This is the kind of blue MAC has released several times in the past. It is very comparable to Inglot #428 and Make Up For Ever #308, while it is deeper than MAC Deep Truth. Make Up For Ever #81 is very similar to the dry swatch. It is deeper and has a richer blue than MAC Blue Flame or MAC She Who Dares.
Clarity is a barely-there green-tinged gray with flecks of green and gold shimmer-sparkle when applied dry. It’s not very useful when applied dry–there is just so little color payoff. When applied wet, it’s a deeper charcoal gray with green and gold shimmer and slightly metallic sheen. The most comparable shade I could think of was Inglot #444, but it’s browner and has no real green shimmer/sparkle.
Golden Gaze is a dark, molten gold with a black base peeking through. It’s very similar in color whether used dry or wet, and when used dry, it still has fantastic color payoff. It tends to bind better and therefore have a smoother, more metallic sheen when applied wet. Urban Decay Rush is a little bronzer, less gold. I saw some readers mention Giorgio Armani Khaki Pulse, but this is nothing like it. It has some of the same qualities as Make Up For Ever #148, but it is deeper, darker, richer. This is one of the standout shades of the nine I’ve seen. It’s most comparable to MAC Gilt by Association, but it has a stronger gold sheen and a much smoother texture.
Hint of Sapphire is a sheer purple-casted gray with multi-colored flecks of shimmer when used dry. Like Clarity, there really isn’t much to it when used dry. When applied wet, it is a deeper silvered gray with a purple cast and teal and copper shimmer. I found it applied a bit unevenly, though. It’s a darker version of the purple side of MAC Midnight Madness, while MAC Polar Opposites is less silvery but rather similar in color. Inglot #434 is very similar, without the multi-colored shimmer, while Giorgio Armani #1 does it better with more dimension that actually translates on the eye (and far better color payoff).
Every year, I fall prey to mineralize eyeshadows. Truly, I do. They always look spectacular in their pots, but I’m nearly always disappointed with the actual end results. I wish I could say I was really impressed by these, but overall, they’re decent to good, but they’re not the best eyeshadow I’ve ever used. Whenever I use mineralize eyeshadows wet, they do dry down to a color that’s in-between the dry and wet swatches. The majority do not retain the dimension, color payoff, or finish of the wet swatch after an hour or two. It’s not like the go from hero to zero, but it’s not quite the same.
I did two separate eye looks so I could test more eyeshadows within the same time span. I wore Jade’s Fortune, Golden Gaze, and Smoked Ruby on one eye with Hint of Sapphire and Blue Sheen on the other eye. After three hours, everything looked a little faded, with Hint of Sapphire being the biggest culprit. I also had a fair amount of fall out, and for me, the fall out was more annoying than the fading. The fading was noticeable to me, but it wasn’t over-the-top and it didn’t get much worse by the eighth hour. One possible method to combat some of the fall out of these is to use a stickier base (I used Urban Decay’s Eden) or when using them wet, wet with MAC’s Mixing Medium.
With mineralize eyeshadows, I think it’s appropriate to expect that color payoff will tend to be sheerer/softer and overall less intense compared to when they are used wet or damp. (On the other hand, the majority of MAC’s Mineralize Eyeshadows have decent color payoff when used dry.) However, Clarity and Hint of Sapphire are barely showing up when used dry. Over an eyeshadow base, Hint of Sapphire came together a little better but still needed to be packed on. On pigmentation, Clarity would earn 4 and 10 (dry/wet), so an average of 7, while Hint of Sapphire would earn 4 and 7.5 (dry/wet), so an average of 5.75. Both Blue Sheen and Golden Gaze would earn 10s across the board, which ends up with an average for the four at 8.2, which I rounded up to 8.5, because two of these are exceptionally well-pigmented. I chose to round-up because these are on the edge of C+/B- as an overall rating, and I don’t think these are bad enough to earn a C+.
MAC continues to improve the overall formula of their mineralize eyeshadows each year, and I think picking up some of the more exceptional/complex shades may be worth it, these don’t out-perform your regular pressed powder eyeshadows to make the price tag for “baked” worth it. I found the majority of these to be too marbled to use shades individually, so I only used them mixed.
Of these four, Blue Sheen and Golden Gaze are the best bets; Blue Sheen is more easily duped, while Golden Gaze may be harder--it also seems a little more complex. As much as I like the concept of Hint of Sapphire, I find it one of the worst in terms of quality. Clarity at least works when used wet.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
7/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC Cosmetics, July 7th, $20.00 each
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 Semi-Precious Rose Quartz Mineralize Skinfinish
MAC Semi-Precious Rose Quartz Mineralize Skinfinish Swatches, Photos, Reviews
MAC Semi-Precious Rose Quartz Mineralize Skinfinish ($28.00 for 0.22 oz.) is described as a “rosy pink base with inner circle of silver, lime, white-pink, and copper.” As complex as that inner circle sounds, it’s more of a pink beige base with chunkier gold micro-glitter/large sparkle. The outer edge is a medium-dark strawberry pink with subtle yellow undertones. As a warmer skin tone, it’s always nice to see yellow-based pinks, because blue-based pinks tend to dominate cosmetics, particularly blushes.
When the two are mixed together, the color created is a softened pink with a champagne sheen with flecks of sparkle. Applied to cheeks, this ended up being the subtlest shade of the three I tried–it gave just a little pink flush with a shimmer-sheen of pale champagne. The texture is a little rougher than I’d like, mostly due to the center splotch having more of a glittery finish than a softer, finer shimmer. Of the three I tried, this seems to have a frostier finish overall, too. I would like to know why these are 0.22 oz. as compared to 0.35 oz. for previous mineralize skinfinishes.
The overall color was reminiscent of Rhapsody in Two–but much, much darker, which led me to Chic Couple, which has a similar color but doesn’t have the same shimmer-sheen, so it ends up looking darker. It’s a lighter, less red-based Petticoat.
I wish this had a smoother finish, because then it would sit better on the skin without emphasizing your skin's natural texture (which may mean dry skin, pores, etc.).
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
7.5/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC Cosmetics, July 7th, $28
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!
Milani Purr-fect Purple Baked Metallic Eyeshadow($7.49 for 0.05 oz.) is medium-dark red-toned purple with a silvered shimmer and sheen. Of the several new shades Milani released, I was disappointed in this one–the pigmentation is just not nearly as intense as it looks in the pan. The pan looks like a much more vibrant, violet purple with greater depth than is achieved when used (regardless of whether it is used wet or dry).
Milani could ditch that curved sponge/brush applicator, because the bristles are splayed and scratchy, while the sponge is thin and surprisingly scratchy. I did like the switch to a black interior, over the champagne gold from the Runway Eyeshadows. The lid is also quite secure, and I had to pry it open with my nails.
The color suffers from sheerness, even when applied dampened, which makes it one of the weaker shades from the recent launch of Milani's baked eyeshadows. The color is also more muted than it appears in the pan.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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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!
Green is Green, Blue Charge, Plum Reserve, High Esteem
MAC Colored Zoom Lash Mascara
I reviewed Green is Green initially, and here are swatches of the other three shades, as well as the mascaras worn on lashes. I actually found that Green is Green did the best at coating lashes, with Blue Charge close behind. Plum Reserve and High Esteem didn’t coat my lashes as effectively and didn’t give them much color.
Blue Charge is darker than Themyscira, while Plum Reserve is darker and purpler than Victorious. I think you’ll notice less color difference when they are worn, though, but swatched, their differences are easily seen.
my thoughts on the mascara formula: Zoom Lash is supposed to “build density,” while the “ultra-sculpted brush has three-sided fibres to embrace and separate each lash.” My favorite MAC mascara is Plushlash, but I used to use Zoom Lash for quite a bit (because Plushlash didn’t exist). I like how it’s a really thick formula–thick as in it really coats each lash really well in the formula but without clumping. Zoom Lash, being a thicker consistency, will clump if you start going beyond two coats, though. (In my experience, you shouldn’t need more than two.) Zoom Lash separates and defines lashes while thickening them for me. I didn’t have any issues with the mascara flaking or smudging on me.
If you don't mind some prep work, layer a white primer on lashes first, then coat with a colored mascara to see more zing if you have naturally darker lashes.
Product
7.5/10
Pigmentation
6.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC Cosmetics on May 5th, $14
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!
