MAC Altered State Eyeshadow ($21.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “deep frosted blue purple” with a Veluxe Pearl finish. It’s a darkened purple with subtle burgundy-brown undertones and a dusting of micro-shimmer. OCC Overlook is lighter, redder. Buxom Schnauzer is slightly lighter and a cream product. Tarina Tarantino Fantastical #5 is richer, darker.
If it sounds familiar, it has made a couple of appearances in MAC’s holiday palettes. The shade is good, but for a Veluxe Pearl, it’s drier and more powdery than you’d expect–it doesn’t have that dense, almost buttery, feel of a Veluxe Pearl. The color payoff was true-to-pan, and it was blendable and fairly easy to apply. I wore it (along with the other eyeshadows in the collection), and there was a smidgen of fading after wearing it for nine hours (no primer) but no fall out or creasing. There was some minor fall out during application because of the drier texture.
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Frozen Violet applied more smoothly and evenly than a few of the other shades, though it was only semi-opaque. I did have to build up the color in really thin, sheer layers, because it would easily clump together if I tried to apply a thicker layer. I noticed a few stray bits of silver sparkle, but it was minor. It wore for twelve hours without fading or creasing. So long as you don’t mind some sheerness to the color, I think this one is worth a look.
FYI: the ingredient list for the Pro Longwear Paint Pots is the same as for the regular Paint Pots when I compared against the list for Bare Study/Constructivist! It’s off by one ingredient when compared to the Paint Pots from Posh Paradise.
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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I thought this color was going to be easily duped, but I couldn’t find many that had the same level of coolness to it; potential similar shades were either much cooler-toned with a stronger blue base, or else they were more fuchsia/brighter. Rendez-vous has mostly opaque color coverage, but there is a very light translucency and a shimmer-sheen finish that reflects light and gives off shine but doesn’t look too frosted. It lasted for four hours on my lips, wore away evenly, and was lightly hydrating while I wore it. The formula is supposed to be long-lasting, so four hours is a bit short (I average four hours with regular lipstick formulas; six hours with long-wearing ones). It had a lightly creamy, glide-on texture that helped during application. There’s no discernible taste, but it is violet-scented as many Guerlain products are.
I thought this color was going to be easily duped, but I couldn't find many that had the same level of coolness to it; potential similar shades were either much cooler-toned with a stronger blue base, or else they were more fuchsia/brighter.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
7/10
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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NARS Mad Mad World Eyeshadow Duo ($34.00 for 0.11 oz.) is described as “cyan” and “parakeet green.” It’s new for spring but will be added to the permanent shade range. Worth noting, most NARS eyeshadow duos are 0.14 oz., but this one was labeled as 0.11 oz.
The cyan shade is a brightened, light-medium blue with a matte finish. It is incredibly pigmented and a little stretches quite a ways. The texture was soft, smooth, and finely-milled–not at all powdery. Wet ‘n’ Wild Drinking a Glass of Shine #3 is softer, less bright, bluer. Milani Olympian Blue is a bit darker. MAC Blue Candy is slightly bluer. MAC Electric Eel is a touch darker. Inglot #371 is very similar.
The green shade is a cool-toned, medium green–there’s something about it that says, “jade green!” to me. This shade has the pigmentation, but the texture is on the powdery side, so it easily blends (and, as a consequence, sheers out) when swatched. When I applied it to the lid, I patted it on and only lightly blended it to maintain more opaque color. It had a tendency to look a little faded no matter whether I patted and/or applied over primer, though. The brightness seen in the pan didn’t seem to translate on the skin. Wet ‘n’ Wild Drinking a Glass of Shine #2 is lighter, more aqua. Milani Green Safari is warmer. Wet ‘n’ Wild Earth Looks Small From Down Here #3 is shimmery. Inglot #385 is slightly greener.
When I tested out this duo, the blue shade lasted a full eight hours without fading or creasing, while the green shade showed some noticeable fading by that eighth hour. Both shades were easy to blend, which is absolutely necessary given their intensities, but the blue shade was definitely the better performer overall. I will say that blending orange into green and blue was an interesting experiment. With the pop of gold from Corcovado in this collection, I think this duo could work well with a shimmery gold between the two.
Both shades were easy to blend, which is absolutely necessary given their intensities, but the blue shade was definitely the better performer overall. The blue, however, is more dupable.
Product
8.5/10
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.
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NARS Disco Inferno Nail Lacquer ($18.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as an “iridescent silver green.” It’s a gray-tinged base with threads of silver shimmer. There is a very slight pink tinge when nails are angled, but it’s very subtle. MAC Ascension has finer shimmer and a stronger pink-purple duochrome. It looks a lot like Wet ‘n’ Wild Gray’s Anatomy, which seems to have more of a green tinge and finer shimmer.
Now, NARS has a whole section of shimmer shades, and some are specifically described as sheer, semi-sheer, or having a sheer base; but this one does not have that description at all. I’ve swatched a few of them myself, and they’re definitely not all sheer. This would be a really lovely semi-sheer shade so long as anyone buying it knew to expect it. Even after three coats, it’s not fully opaque. It applied evenly, and there were barely-visible brush strokes (they really looked like threads of shimmer more than the typical brush strokes). The consistency was on the thinner side, but it wasn’t watery. The drying time seemed shorter than usual, and it dried down to a high shine finish.
As it stands, there is something about the way the shimmer/sparkle lies that looks almost like fairy dust caught in gray gossamer. I personally like it, but it is definitely a semi-sheer polish after two coats and only semi-opaque after three coats, so hopefully knowing that will help you determine whether this is for you or not! And if you’re in the camp that thinks it looks better in the bottle than on, I can understand that, too.
As it stands, there is something about the way the shimmer/sparkle lies that looks almost like fairy dust caught in gray gossamer. I personally like it, but it is definitely a semi-sheer polish after two coats and only semi-opaque after three coats, so hopefully knowing that will help you determine whether this is for you or not!
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
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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This will tend to be more flattering on warmer complexions and deeper skin tones. I think many will find it too orange, though it is more flattering than an orange-toned bronzer/brown blush, because this is more orange than brown, so it adds color, warmth, and glow without potentially turning ruddy. The frosted, metallic finish did emphasize pores and imperfections in skin texture. It is a baked product, so you could use it wet or dry, though the pigmentation was true-to-pan when used dry. When applied wet, you’ll get an even more metallic finish. The texture is soft, more finely-milled than a lot of baked products, but not as finely-milled as most powder blushes. Rose Golden Goddess lasted just over six hours on me, and after seven, it looked patchy. It’s on par with the majority of baked products and how long they wear on me, so if you normally get longer wear out of your baked products, this might wear similarly.
This will tend to be more flattering on warmer complexions and deeper skin tones. I wish I saw better wear out of the formula, though, because then it would be a killer deal.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
7/10
Application
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!
