MAC Nudes & Metallics Lipstick ($15.00 for 0.10 oz.) features four shades of Nudes Angel’s Kiss (sheer soft pinky nude with pearl), Nearly Nude (sheer warm pink nude), Wholesome (sheer warm mid-tone nude); there is also Restrained (sheer neutral mid-tone nude), which I don’t have.
Angel’s Kiss is pale, lightly warmed-up peach-beige with a satiny sheen (though it’s an amplified officially). Much like the eyeshadows, which were all described as sheer, this is not sheer; this is mostly opaque. Where this shade differs slightly from a lot of MAC’s paler nudes is that it is warm-toned, rather than cool and pink-toned. It lasted four hours on me, and it was neither drying nor hydrating. MAC Fleshpot is pinker. MAC Naturally Eccentric is a smidgen darker. NARS Madere is not as warmed-toned, lighter, and matte. MAC Creme d’Nude is a smidgen darker and pinker.
Nearly Nude is a light-medium, peach-beige with warm undertones and a satiny sheen (and officially it is an amplified). It has mostly opaque color coverage with a lightly creamy consistency that made it easy to apply. This shade wore for four hours on me, and while it wasn’t hydrating, it wasn’t drying either. OCC Trick is more beige. MAC Cherish is slightly darker and less peach. MAC Pure Decoration is slightly yellower. MAC Peachstock is very comparable.
Wholesome is is a light-medium, peach-orange with a satiny sheen (though it is an amplified). It has full color coverage, and it applied evenly and easily. It lasted four and a half hours when I tried it, and it was slightly hydrating. MAC Cozy Up is a bit darker/more orange. NARS Biscayne Park is a smidgen darker, a touch pink. MAC Posh Tone is darker. MAC Fashion City is darker and glossier.
All three applied rather well, and they lasted a good length of time (about average). None of these were drying, and Wholesome felt a bit hydrating while I wore it. These seemed more dupable, though, so if you have several go-to nudes already in your beauty arsenal, then it’s quite likely these will feel redundant. They are, of course, not as sheer as described, as they’re all mostly opaque to fully opaque–so that may or may not be a happy accident for you.
P.S. — The Nudes & Metallics Collection may be frustrating to find. When it launched in PRO stores on the 18th, every store I called was sold out of over half the collection already. The online launch date has been pushed to mid-June (no specific date was given). It is supposed to be for PRO only, which may mean that it is restricted to PROs only even online, but you should be able to call MAC PRO at 1-800-387-6707 and order (for anyone, PRO and non-PRO alike) per a LiveChat I did this morning.
These would have been rated higher had they not been described as sheer (A- instead), so if you prefer more opaque color, then you're in luck. If you like your nudes sheer, I'd look elsewhere!
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
7.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
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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 Nudes & Metallics Lipstick ($15.00 for 0.10 oz.) features four shades of Metallics: Dominate (deep metallic purple), Pre-Raphaelite (deep metallic dirty berry), Show-All (heavily metallic deep red), and Subverted (metallic brown).
Dominate is a reddish purple with a frosted, metallic finish. It has mostly opaque color, though it doesn’t look as even as would be desired for such a deep color. It lasted five and a half hours, but it was slightly drying. MAC Yung Rapunxel is purpler, not metallic. Urban Decay Apocalypse is sheerer and not metallic. NARS Train Bleu is darker, matte. MAC Smoked Purple is purpler, less red-toned, and mostly matte.
Pre-Raphaelite is a berry-ish red with warm undertones and a frosted, metallic finish. It turned surprisingly warm on me, even though it didn’t see particularly warm-toned in the tube or swatched initially. It had mostly opaque coverage, but it did not apply perfectly even. It wore for six hours and was somewhat drying towards the end. MAC Good to Be Bad has no metallic finish. Rimmel Metallic Seduction is lighter. MAC Dark Side is less brown and has no metallic shimmer. MAC Endless Drama is darker, less warm-toned, and doesn’t have the metallic shimmer.
Show-All is a warm, deepened red with red, metallic shimmer and frost. It is distinctly warmer compared to Pre-Raphaelite, but there are some casual similarities. It had opaque color payoff, and this shade applied more smoothly than the previous two. It lasted five and a half hours, and it was also lightly drying. MAC Legendary has no shimmer and is browner. MAC Extended Play doesn’t have a metallic finish. MAC Extended Play isn’t metallic and is more plum.
Subverted is a medium-dark brown with strong, red undertones and a copper metallic shimmer. It has mostly opaque color coverage, and it applied somewhat evenly. It lasted five and a half hours when I wore it, but it was a bit drying. It is browner and a bit warmer than Show-All. MAC Legendary is close in color, but it doesn’t have a metallic finish, so it appears more subdued. CoverGirl Smoky is much browner. NYX Brown Sugar is less red-toned but has a slightly metallic finish, at least.
I think the metallic finish is interesting, but with it, I found myself paying for it as all four were slightly drying. Not so drying that my lips were peeling or bleeding, but the last hour or so of wear was somewhat uncomfortable as I was itching to apply some gloss or balm. The consistency is a somewhat creamy, so during application, they didn’t tug or pull, but they didn’t leave a thick layer of product behind, which helped them adhere better to the lips–and all of these lasted five hours or longer.
Note, all of the metallic shades were sweating heavily upon arrival, but in my experience, this occurs during the hotter months when things are shipped (and these went ground and sat an extra day in New Mexico, before hitting California and being delivered in 80 degree weather) but doesn’t seem to impair the texture or color. The droplets can leave “stains” as they dry on the edges (think water spots on glassware).
P.S. — The Nudes & Metallics Collection may be frustrating to find. When it launched in PRO stores on the 18th, every store I called was sold out of over half the collection already. The online launch date has been pushed to mid-June (no specific date was given). It is supposed to be for PRO only, which may mean that it is restricted to PROs only even online, but you should be able to call MAC PRO at 1-800-387-6707 and order (for anyone, PRO and non-PRO alike) per a LiveChat I did this morning.
I think the metallic finish is interesting, but with it, I found myself paying for it as all four were slightly drying. They were also a bit uneven when applied, and since they're all rather dark colors, it is more noticeable.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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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 Rimal Dahabia Eyeshadow Quad ($40.00 for 0.21 oz.) contains these shades: Shroom (soft beige with shimmer), Soft Brown (soft golden peachy brown), Beautyburst (rich reddish brown), and Najm el Lail (blackened deep brown). Shroom and Soft Brown are permanent, while Beautyburst came out with Barbie Loves MAC in 2007.
Shroom is soft, light beige with a hint of warmth and a lightly frosted finish (though it’s officially a satin). It’s soft, smooth, and easy to blend out. It also has lovely color payoff. This used to be a go-to brow bone highlighter for me, because it wasn’t too stark or too cool/warm. Make Up For Ever #126 is darker, slightly shimmery. Urban Decay Anonymous is more matte and less beige. Cinderella A Wish is more matte. Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla #1 is similar, but a touch more frosted. Urban Decay Skimp is a touch warmer and more shimmery. bareMinerals Serendipitous is very similar. MAC Brule is matte.
Soft Brown is a light-medium brown with warm, subtly red undertones and a matte finish. It is soft, silky-smooth, and nicely pigmented. It’s a great go-to neutral for outer lid and crease work on many skin tones, and then it can work as an all-over lid shade on darker complexions, too. MAC Exposed is darker and redder. MAC Body Conscious is more orange. MAC Glimpse of Flesh is shimmery and lighter. MAC Indie Spirit is a bit darker.
Beautyburst is a warm-toned, reddened, medium-dark brown with a matte finish (though it is listed as a satin). It had good color payoff, and the texture was soft and smooth. It blended nicely on the lid when I applied it. MAC Deep Fixation is more orange and more shimmery. Guerlain Les Fauves #2 is a touch lighter. MAC Brown Script is a bit darker and browner. theBalm Racy Kacy is warmer and shimmery.
Three of the four are good or better (and two of the three are great), while the one shade that dropped the ball was Najm el Lail. I’m not sure why MAC seems to have issues with making a soft, buttery black-brown eyeshadow–above, you’ll see I noted several limited edition black-brown shades (mostly found in quads) from MAC over the years and they all have the same issues (dry, stiff). Like the other quad, I’m testing the wear of these today and will update this post with that information later this afternoon. Based on the textures/payoffs/finishes, I’ve given it a longevity grade based off of years of testing MAC eyeshadows.
Just to do a little math, since the palette contains two permanent shades, here’s how the value works out to be: 1) pan eyeshadows cost $12 each (so $48 in eyeshadows), and the 2) the price of the quad is $9. So, if you purchase everything individually, you would be spending $57–compared to $40 to purchase a pre-made quad (in standard packaging), which means you pay $17 for choice. If you already have a palette to put them in, then you might consider the cost of choice $8. I find this is helpful to put it into perspective, though as a long-time MAC collector, I completely understand when you remember paying $34 for quads! On the other hand, at $40, I really think it should be fantastic–there are too many $30-50 palettes on the market that are standouts these days.
Three of the four shades are good or better, but Najm el Lail is a let-down! It was so stiff and dry, which made it hard to get good color payoff as well as made blending rather difficult.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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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!
I like Bobbi Brown’s Sparkle formula, because it doesn’t have as much fall out as other sparkly eyeshadows, though it is not immune to it. Taupe has minor fall out where there are some detectable stray sparkles underneath the lid, but not enough that the person standing next to you would ask, “What’s that on your face?” The texture is smooth and almost feels wet to the touch, but it glides on well and the sparkles bind and adhere with the underlying color. It has good color payoff, and it wore for eight hours with minor fall out but no fading or creasing.
If you love the idea of sparkly eyeshadows but find they're too often sheer or have tons of fall out, you might try Bobbi Brown's formula. I've had better luck with it (generally), though it is not completely free from fall out!
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8.5/10
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!
MAC Silly Eyeshadow ($15.00 for 0.05 oz.) is described as a “clean blue pink [with a frost finish].” It’s a light-medium pink with blue undertones and a mostly matte finish (there is no frost in sight). MAC Dynamic Duo #4 is a bit lighter (and so much sheerer/drier that they’re not easy to compare). Guerlain Boulevard du Montparnasse #3 is similar in color but frosted. MAC for Miss Piggy looks rather similar in the pan (but it had poorer quality, so they don’t look as much alike swatched). MAC Feather Pink is slightly lighter and has a satiny finish.
It had good color payoff that was mostly opaque applied. The texture had a very slight powderiness to it when I swatched it, but it seemed to be minimized when applied–but there was some excess powder kicked up in the pan, so be gentle with your brush to avoid waste. Silly was blendable, but it did have a tendency to sheer out somewhat when blended, so the best application method would be to pat it on, and then very lightly blend along the edges only as needed to maintain the intensity. When I tested it for wear, the eyeshadow lasted seven hours before starting to fade without a primer; nine hours with a primer.
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!
Ablaze had good color payoff, and the texture was soft and blendable–but a little powdery. I recommend patting the product onto the lid to achieve the best pigmentation, and then lightly blending along the edges. This will help both the color and minimize any fall out from the powdery texture. On the lid, it doesn’t look chalky or powdery, though. Applied over bare lids, this shade lasted seven and a half hours well, and just after eight, it started to fade. Over a primer, I didn’t see any fading when I checked at eight hours.
I really liked how blendable this was, and it didn't sheer away to nothing when you went to blend it. It can be a little powdery, but it didn't look powdery once applied and blended on the lid.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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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!
