NARS Laguna The Multiple ($39.00 for 0.50 oz.) is described as a “brown with golden shimmer.” Multiples are a cream-to-powder product that is touted as “all-in-one” and multi-purpose. It can be used on eyes, lips, and cheeks. It’s a warm bronze-brown with golden shimmer-sheen. The color is buildable, so the level of opacity you want depends on how much product you apply or how much you blend it out. It’s less warm-toned compared to theBalm Betty Lou-Manizer. It’s less red-toned compared to MAC Gilty.
As with most Multiples, Laguna works best as cheeks/face, because it’s very drying on the lips. It just has this uncomfortably dry feeling when applied to lips that continues and leaves lips parched after an hour or two of wear (it doesn’t even wear well or long!). On the brow bone, it’s more practical, but on the lid itself, I wasn’t able to get it to stay longer than a few hours before there was noticeable creasing. Applied to cheeks, Laguna wore for four and a half hours. By five hours, it looked a bit faded and patchy.
The texture of Laguna is creamy but there’s a dryness to it, which I found difficult to blend over foundation. It’s easier to apply and blend over bare skin, but I’m not blessed with beautiful skin so it’s not a product I could use without foundation. You can layer foundation over it, but it makes the routine slightly more complicated and precision will count, so you don’t layer so much that you cover up the bronzer!
I wish I liked Multiples better, but I don’t find they’re nearly as multi-talented as they claim to be! I’m always a bit disappointed in the wear (four to five hours isn’t good!). I get better wear out of NARS’ powder blushes! Laguna may not work for all skin tones; I found it looked a little dirty on me–you might need to have some natural redness or pinkness in your undertones so it brings out the golden hues of the color.
Do you love Multiples? What are your tried and true tips for making them work?
The dry texture works against this product, because it makes it harder to blend out (which is an absolute must when this is used as a blush/bronzer!) and yields an unpleasant experience when worn on lips.
Product
6.5/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
7.5/10
Longevity
6/10
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!
MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches (Part 2)
MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.) will launch nine limited edition shades on December 26th (in-stores), and they include: Cyber (metallic silver with silver pearl), Fusion Gold (light pinky beige with gold pearl), Gold Carbon (metallic taupe), Palladium (metallic ash), Red Hot Copper (warm copper), Rusty (dirty peach gold), Venetian Tarnish (golden tarnished bronze), Vintage Coin (metallic olive green), and Virgin Silver (white with silver pearl).
Rusty is a softened copper with golden shimmer-sheen. It’s not as intense as a lot of coppers can be. The finish here wasn’t as metallic as some of the other shades. It’s similar to Urban Decay Chopper, which is a little more orange. MAC Soft Brown is kind of like a matte version of this. MAC Lie Low is a hue or two browner.
Venetian Tarnish is a molten gold-shimmered bronze. It has this deeper, darker bronzy base color but the sheen it gives off makes it appear more golden. Urban Decay Snakebite is similar in the base color but the sheen isn’t nearly as strong. MAC Tempting has a similar sheen but warmer base–I think if you layered it over a deeper brown (maybe even just Bronze), you could get close. Urban Decay Deeper is similar, not as bright of a sheen. Inglot #406 is also similar. Urban Decay Smog has less of sheen but pretty similar in color.
Vintage Coin is a rich, medium-dark olive green with darker, almost emerald green shimmer. Bare Escentuals Speaker Box is less metallic and warm. Lancome Designer is not as intense.
Virgin Silver is a really bright silvery white with a metallic sheen. This was the least pigmented of the range. It’s brighter than Bobbi Brown Tinsel and lighter than MAC Misty. MAC White Frost has less silver. Inglot #447 would make for a really great dupe. Chanel Fantasme is sheerer and more glittery with less white.
Virgin Silver had some pigmentation issues for me; it has a really bright, reflective finish but applies sheer even though I tried to build it up to be more opaque. The other three shades were nicely pigmented, though, and were some of the creamier, easier to blend out shades of the set. I liked Venetian Tarnish the most, but it actually seems the most dupeable!
If you're really into editorial looks and you don't mind extra effort, you might still enjoy snagging one of these. The only characteristic they really nail is pigmentation--the majority of shades are really well-pigmented and buildable--but it's just not a very functional product.
Product
6/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
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:
MAC Cosmetics on December 26th, $20 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 Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches (Part 1)
MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.) will launch nine limited edition shades on December 26th (in-stores), and they include: Cyber (metallic silver with silver pearl), Fusion Gold (light pinky beige with gold pearl), Gold Carbon (metallic taupe), Palladium (metallic ash), Red Hot Copper (warm copper), Rusty (dirty peach gold), Venetian Tarnish (golden tarnished bronze), Vintage Coin (metallic olive green), and Virgin Silver (white with silver pearl). This post features the first five (we split posts primarily to manage the image load, so instead of almost 50 photos being downloaded at one time, we have only 25 ).
Cyber is a dark silver-shimmered gray. This one felt like it had larger sparkle particles, so it may be prone to fall out. MAC Silver Sleet is similar but a little darker–however, it has a much more of a metallic finish, whereas Cyber has more of a frosted one. MAC Tundra is a little lighter.
Fusion Gold is a peachy rose with good color payoff. This is one of the more versatile shades–I liked it best as a highlighter. MAC Nubile is pinker. Chanel Emerveille is very similar.
Red Hot Copper is a reddened copper with a metallic sheen. It’s a bit redder compared to theBalm Racy Kacy. It’s very similar to MAC Coppering.
These five had good color payoff overall, which is where this particular product excels in, but these shades definitely have good pigmentation and can be sheered out and blended if desired. The wear, of course, did not pan out for me despite trying several different methods, and as I have drier lids, I caution those with oilier lids on these. As with a lot of cream products, wear can vary from person to person, but generally, the oilier your skin type is, the less likely a cream product is to wear well (as oil breaks down makeup). The finishes on these is not nearly as metallic as you might expect from a product named “Metal-x” but some are better than others.
If you're really into editorial looks and you don't mind extra effort, you might still enjoy snagging one of these. The only characteristic they really nail is pigmentation--the majority of shades are really well-pigmented and buildable--but it's just not a very functional product.
Product
6/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
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:
MAC Cosmetics on December 26th, $20 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 Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.) may sound new to some, but it originally debuted way back in 2007 (see my original “review” here–and I called that a review? For shame!) and were repromoted in 2008 as “Brushed Metal-x.” I kind of think the shades from the first launch were more fun–I still have Plum Electric (vibrant grape purple), though I don’t think I used it but a couple of times, because it looks nearly new. Cyber, Fusion Gold, and Virgin Silver have been relaunched as part of this year’s offerings.
In two separate posts, I will go through the individual shades regarding their pros/cons, possible dupes, and so forth, but I did as much testing as I could in time that I’ve had these, which is about 24 hours by the time this post is published. Lucky for me, because these crease nearly instantaneously, it was easy to test multiple shades.
Worn alone, none of the shades I tested (two are photographed below–Palladium and Venetian Tarnish–but I also tested Fusion Gold, Rusty, and Vintage Coin) could make it from application to camera (and I hurried!) without some creasing, and then, after fifteen minutes or so, significant creasing. Worn over an eyeshadow base (I used MAC Paint Pots and NARS Smudgeproof), it didn’t seem to make much of a difference–still creased within minutes and worsened by fifteen.
I did, however, have luck when I wore a single shade layered over an eyeshadow base with several powder eyeshadows on top. I used all MAC products, for the sake of giving MAC the best chance it could, and for me, everything managed to wear well enough for five hours. There was some fading of the colors overall, but I didn’t experience creasing up until that point. By eight, though, it had faded a bit more and had some noticeable creasing. However, a word of caution, I have drier lids, and I really packed on the powder products.
I also tested the wear on both cheeks and lips. They had a funny taste, so I don’t think I’d wear them again as a lip product, and they are very drying. They’re like a matte frost finish–the drying, clingy feel of a matte coupled with a really high frost finish. On the lips, I tried Red Hot Copper, which only lasted for an hour (no eating/drinking) before fading unevenly. It’s uncomfortable and doesn’t wear well.
On cheeks, I used Rusty to highlight and Red Hot Copper to add color. Because of the higher frost content, it does emphasize pores somewhat, and depending on the temperature of your workspace, these may be difficult to apply evenly. I found fingers to be the best applicator with these in general, because the cream surface is very hard and almost powdery–it balls up and takes the warmth from your fingertip to be able to work it out into a smooth, even finish. The wear was so-so; it was noticeably faded and, unfortunately, patchy, after three hours of wear without a setting powder and five hours of wear with a setting powder. Of all the ways I tried it, I liked it best on the cheeks, just because I didn’t have to worry about creasing. It wears similarly on the brow bone and decolletage.
This is really not a consumer-friendly formula; it will take some effort, work, practice, and the right skin type to get these to work well. In 2007, maybe it was acceptable, maybe other brands hadn’t created technology to yield this kind of finish and color payoff, but in 2011, I don’t think it is. If you have drier lids or tend not to have problems with your cream products creasing on you, these may work out for you. If you have oilier lids, I really do recommend–if these are just tempting you beyond belief–to try one and see how it works for you or else buy from a store with a good return policy. These weren’t well-received in 2007, so I’m kind of baffled as to why MAC would bring thes back without some reformulation. Sure, they bring back a product that seemed to receive mostly negative reviews, but last year’s Mega Metals (just as metallic as these) were a complete homerun and those remain a one-time wonder.
At $20 a pop, if the only way I can use it is as an eyeshadow base, it’s not the most useful product in my stash. When you use a translucent powder on top, while you retain some of the original shade, you do mute it a bit and definitely tone down the frosted/metallic finish, so it seems to defeat the purpose of these–which is that really high-shine, metallic-like finish (though some of these read frosty, less metallic). I could see picking up one or two for editorial work, though I think MAC’s Metal Pigments have a much better metallic finish and work better, plus some of their pigments that have more of a frosted/metallic shine. Like Big Bounce, I don’t know why these are marketed towards consumers, because realistically, I’m not sure how one would wear it except if you 1) wanted your eye makeup to crease or 2) you were only going somewhere for an hour or so.
We’ve seen MAC put out metallic fluidlines and paint pots, which work fantastically alone or as an eyeshadow base. I’d much rather put my money towards products with similar textures, finishes, and even shades, that perform better like Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows, Chanel Illusion d’Ombres, Bare Escentuals Stay-There Eyeshadow, or L’Oreal’s Infallible Eyeshadows (which finally hit the states!)–the latter two don’t wear as well as the first two, but they’ll manage to six hours to eight hours or so without an eyeshadow base. Even Estee Lauder’s new eyeshadows have a really cool, metallic-like finish, but they’re powder (and I suspect we’ll see something similar by MAC in the next six months).
So while MAC doesn’t tout these as long-wearing, they still fall short of just wearing. I thought long and hard about that one, but if it takes both an eyeshadow base, plus packing of powder eyeshadows on top, to make it more than fifteen minutes–we’re just not functioning. I’d let it slide if it just didn’t wear to six or eight hours, because long-wear tends to be more like eight to twelve hours, but I can’t even achieve eight with all the bells and whistles without both fading and creasing on the eyes; fading and patchiness on the cheeks (after four hours) and lips (after an hour). A C- feels generous to me, personally, but that is how the numbers worked out–I’m sure you can sense my disappointment and frustration on this product. Did we really need two collections of crease city products this year?
If you're really into editorial looks and you don't mind extra effort, you might still enjoy snagging one of these. The only characteristic they really nail is pigmentation--the majority of shades are really well-pigmented and buildable--but it's just not a very functional product.
Product
6/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
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!
Bobbi Brown Holiday 2011: Chocolate & Gold Eye Paint Palette
Bobbi Brown Chocolate & Gold Eye Paint Palette ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a limited edition, warm-toned palette that features four shades of the brand’s Eye Paints, which seems like a baked eyeshadow formula. If you’re familiar with MAC’s Mineralize Eyeshadows, these perform and feel very alike. The shades the palette contains are: Gold (pale gold), Bronze (beige gold), Chocolate (rich brown with gold pearl), and Black Gold (black with gold pearl).
Gold is a light-medium yellowed gold with a frosted, metallic finish. It isn’t an overly warm gold–it’s as close to a neutral gold as you’d get. The color payoff is sheer when it is applied dry, and it intensifies to decent pigmentation when applied wet, but it’s never quite opaque. It’s much smoother when used damp as well and has less fall out when used that way. Bare Escentuals Standing O, MAC Treasure Hunt, and Givenchy Lune Mordoree are all similar.
Bronze is a medium-dark gilded bronze with a metallic shimmer-sheen finish. Like Gold, the color payoff is fairly sheer and the shimmer feels and looks chunky when it is applied dry. When it’s applied damp, the product binds together better so it is smoother and more pigmented. It is similar to MAC Retrospeck,
Chocolate is a warmed-up chocolate brown with bronze shimmer. The pigmentation is pitiful when it’s applied dry, and it has a very dry, powdery texture. It’s infinitely better when used wet, where it comes together for a really opaque, smooth result. NARS Galapagos is deeper, but they are similar.
Black Gold is a blackened brown color base with cool-toned bronze and champagne shimmer. It’s just like Chocolate–dry, sheer payoff when used dry, but it’s intense and smooth when applied wet. Tarina Tarantino Dream is browner, warmer. The base color is a bit similar to MAC Legendary.
My experience with this palette was as poor as it was with Bobbi Brown’s Onyx & Silver variation. First, if you’re a big fan of MAC’s Mineralize Eyeshadows, you may like these more than the overall rating indicates–because I pretty much have the same issues with these as I do with MAC’s, which are fading and fall out.
These shades have to be used damp, because the results when used dry are too chunky and sheer. However, when you use them damp, the color result fades over time, even over a primer, and I had a good amount of fall out underneath my eyes after eight hours of wear. I was flabbergasted at how much fading at occurred over eight hours–I thought my eyeshadow was missing on the lid (which is where I used the lighter color, Gold). Those are two big no-nos when it comes to powder eyeshadows as far as I’m concerned.
Fading and fall out -- two big no-nos when it comes to eyeshadow, and they're too prevalent in this palette to make it worth recommending. As far as baked eyeshadows go, these are some of the more basic shades, so I think using pressed alternatives is your best bet.
Product
6.5/10
Pigmentation
7.5/10
Texture
7.5/10
Longevity
6/10
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!
MAC Ice Parade: Sultry Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Sultry Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette ($38.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a limited edition holiday compact that features six eyeshadows: Lightfully (white with pink reflect), Trax (burgundy-plum with shimmer), Fun! (pink patina), Festive Delight (bordeaux wine), Black Tied (black with silver sparkle), and Shadowy Lady (blackened plum). The MAC Ice Parade Collection launches October 27th, 2011 in-stores.
Lightfully is a sheer, icy white with little color payoff and a stiff, dry consistency. It’s supposed to be pink-toned, but it’s difficult to tell with the sheerness of the shade. This has a lustre finish and is a repromote. It’s even sheerer than MAC Snowball. I recommend perusing these white eyeshadows for something better.
Trax is a gold and copper shimmered burgundy-red. This has a velvet finish and is part of the permanent range. It has good color payoff, but the shimmer is prone to some fall out. It’s not quite as brown as MAC Star Violet. It did seem a little redder than what I remember Trax being.
Fun! is a barely-there copper. This has a lustre finish. I don’t even know what to say about this one, because the amount of disappointment I felt when I swatched this cannot even be quantified. I pretty much gawked at my arm (and later, my eye).
Festive Delight is a rich, berry wine with a shimmer-sheen. This has a lustre finish. It has some sparkle, but it doesn’t have much, so it isn’t as likely to fall out as many lustre-finished eyeshadows are. MAC Cranberry is a bit lighter. Inglot #452 is darker. Make Up For Ever #131 has a similar feel but ends up being darker.
Black Tied is a dry, chalky black with silver sparkle. This has a velvet finish and is part of the permanent range. It was even dryer and sheerer than my pan version of Black Tied. It seemed less like a silver-speckled matte black as it did a shimmered black with a silver sheen. This version doesn’t compare to the permanent pan I have.
Shadowy Lady is a blackened burgundy with purple edges and a matte finish. This has a matte finish and is part of the permanent range. It has redder undertones than MAC Graphology.
This palette had three poor performing shades and three better performing shades, but when it was disappointing, it was spectacularly disappointing. Lightfully and Fun! barely show up, and boy, I really tried–I later tried to test them on the eye (over primer), but it was a big mess. No color payoff plus noticeable fall out! Trax, Festive Delight, and Shadowy Lady were lovely here; good pigmentation and textures, but two of those are permanent.
This palette had three poor performing shades and three better performing shades, but when it was disappointing, it was spectacularly disappointing. Lightfully and Fun! barely show up, and boy, I really tried--I later tried to test them on the eye (over primer), but it was a big mess. No color payoff plus noticeable fall out! Trax, Festive Delight, and Shadowy Lady were lovely here; good pigmentation and textures, but two of those are permanent.
Product
6.5/10
Pigmentation
6/10
Texture
7/10
Longevity
8.5/10
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!
