MAC Brunette, Blonde, Redhead Review
OVERALL, I had relatively high expectations for Brunette, Blonde, Redhead that weren’t really met. I admit that I should have gone in with no expectations, but I couldn’t help myself; it seemed like neutrals, classy shades perfect for everyday wear would abound so it seemed I’d be in love with it all. I was disappointed in both the eyeshadows and the lipsticks, but I did like the mineralize skinfinishes and a few of the lipglasses.
The eyeshadows, on the whole, just weren’t impressive in pigmentation or texture–even some of the colors that looked promising didn’t quite swatch the way I’d have liked. The lipsticks were all sheer formulas/textures, so they didn’t work well on my lips (compared to creamier formulas). For those with less pigmented lips, they may find these a nice reprieve! Red Devil is one of the standout products from the launch, because it’s a richly pigmented coral-red shimmery gloss that can be worn alone it’s so color-rich.
Flip eyeshadow is the best bet out of the nine shadows, because the shade doesn’t quite exist in the permanent range and it has good texture and color pay off. Henna is gorgeous, but easily duped by Sumptuous Olive; and Femme-fi is a great eyeshadow but I have it from Neo Sci Fi (so it’s still good, but not new, y’know?).
Of the mineralize skinfinishes, I liked Blonde the best for its light pink coloring it gave me and the shimmer level. Brunette makes me wary, because I feel it will end up being too dark on my skin. Of course, you can use a light hand with it, but Redhead is quite similar in the tone (perhaps more copper than bronze) and lighter so I can just use that instead!
Temptalia Recommendations:
Must-haves: Red Devil, Flip, Henna (if you don’t own Sumptuous Olive), Femme-fi,165
Nice-to-haves: Strawberry Blonde, Quick Tease, Henna, Blonde
Skip: Most of the lipsticks, Live & Dye, Peroxide, Knight, Top Knot
See a review breakdown of each product…
Lipstick
- All’s Fair looks like a berry-crimson shade, but when swatched, it’s a pale medium pink shade with a little bit of berry in it. On lips, it’s even lighter. It’s a lustre formula, which generally means it is going to be sheer rather than rich.
- B-Babe is a frosty medium pink with raspberry tones. It’s pretty, and I bet lots of people are going to love the shade. It’s more raspberry than Bombshell (which is quite pink on me), and it is sheerer than Bombshell. The finish/frost level of the two are comparable, though.
- Blow Dry looks like a bright coral-orange shade in the tube, but when swatched, it’s a muted coral-brown. As a lustre, it goes on quite sheer both swatched on skin and on lips (it pretty much looks like nothing on my lips). I had high hopes for this one!
- Chignon is a plummy purple shade with red shimmer and tnoes. Again, it is a sheer vampy color, which makes it more wearable as far as vamp colors go. It did show up better on my lips than many of the other BBR lipsticks, but the shade isn’t my fave, since I don’t wear vampy lips often.
- Marquise d‘ is a beigey peach shade with no real shimmer, mostly sheen. It has a lustre finish, and again, it is a pretty sheer shade. This came out with holiday sets in 2007, I believe.
- What A Do! is a frosty, bronzy-brown shade. It actually ends up being more nude and wearable on the lips, because the brown isn’t too pigmented when applied.
Lipglass
- Live and Dye is a light-medium pink with pink shimmer gloss. There’s nothing that stands out about this shade, other than it looks very wearable. On my lips, it did nothing for me; it was just way too sheer and looked more like shimmer and clear gloss.
- Peroxide is a sheer, ultra light pastel pink shade. I almost want to call it a frosty milky white shade with pink shimmer instead. Like Live & Dye, it was ridiculously sheer and didn’t look like anything except shimmer on my lips.
- Red Devil is a stand out shade amongst the six lipglasses, because it’s rich in pigment and added a nice coral-red color to my lips. It’s wearable on its own or paired with lipsticks. It’s richer than similar shades like Lychee Luxe in terms of the gloss pigmentation.
- Strawberry Blonde is a raspberry-pink with reddish tones. I really thought I’d love this gloss, because it looks so delicious in the tube! It’s not quite so pigmented when applied to my lips, but it still gives me a subtle color that can be worn alone or used to deepen some pink lipsticks I have. I don’t feel like I’ve seen this particular shade a lot either, which is a huge plus!
- Soft Wave is a frosty, multi-colored shimmer gloss with a brownish/bronze base. It reminds me way too much of Naked Frost from Chill collection. I know you can’t always be original, but I wasn’t expecting to see a dupe so soon.
- Quick Tease is a vampy berry shade. It’s not like Jampacked (from Cult of Cherry), which was incredibly dark and more purple. This is a more wearable vamp color. It’s almost not dark enough to be considered a vampy color, actually. It’s darker in the swatch than on the lips, so you may want to try it before you dismiss it as being too dark!
Eye Shadow
- Knight is a dark, silvery-gray shade; and you better believe that it’s similar to Knight Divine. The finish is different, which makes this a little smoother, but I don’t feel like it’s up the normal great texture of veluxe pearls, to be honest. It didn’t go on as pigmented as many other VPs do for me!
- Femme-fi is a beige-peach highlighter with sophisticated shimmer (read: not glittery). This was originally released with Neo Sci Fi in Summer 2008, so it isn’t an original shade. It is, however, a great highlighter, so I’m happy to have a back-up now.
- Henna is a gorgeous shade of antique gold, but it looks very much like Sumptuous Olive. Just think instead of calling it Sumptuous Olive, it’s Sumptuous Gold. The sheen and undertones are a little more gold than green–the difference is not so great that you need to own both.
- Deep Shade looks like a deep navy blue, and of course, immediately conjures images of Deep Truth and the ten other Deep Truth lookalikes from 2008. It is not Deep Truth, because it goes on much darker and less blue. In a sense, this is a poor imitation of Deep Truth. It does, however, resemble the coloring of Contrast in a way, though perhaps a touch bluer.
- Pincurl is a duochrome pink-white-silver kind of color. It has a little bit of shimmer, and the texture is not as smooth as I’d like. It reminds me of the feel and pay off of Club eyeshadow. It’s just not as smooth and pigmented as I’d like it to be. The color reminds me of a pinker, lighter Vex or a lighter Seedy Pearl.
- French Cuff is a bronzy-pink shade. I’m not sure where they got the description “ice pink” from. It looks a lot like Mythology; perhaps it has a little more pink to it. The texture feels like a lustre–the glitter/shimmer is chunky/gritty.
- 100 Strokes is a deep burgundy-brown shade. It looks so pretty in the pot–like a more jewel-toned version of Sketch–but on my hand, it looked pretty blah. It lost a lot of the burgundy tones and ended up mostly brown. Perhaps over a good base you can retain more of the burgundy.
- Flip is a yellowed gold-bronze color. I want to say it’s similar to Elite eyeshadow (from awhile ago), but it’s not nearly as dark or ultra-pigmented. If I had to pick any shadow that was a must-get, this would be it.
- Top Knot looks like a really deep, dark purple. In reality, it’s mostly black with very subtle purple nuances, which means they’re not easily seen by the eye. Feels like a chalky black with some purplish shimmer–I’m kind of over chalky black with [insert color] shimmer shades.
Mineralize Skinfinish
- Brunette is a bronzy-coppery shade which lends more to the bronze side than copper side. As far as I can tell, it’s really too dark for my skintone (NC25/30)–it’d probably turn out a little muddy/overly bronzy on me.
- Blonde is a pinky-raspberry shimmer gradient, and I like this one the most, actually. It does add even a little bit of pink color to my cheeks, despite being medium-toned. I used the 165 brush to apply it this morning, and I liked it quite a bit.
- Redhead is suitable for those looking for something with warmth, but nothing too bronze. If Brunette is too dark for you, definitely check out Redhead! All of the strips in the mineralize skinfinishes are wide enough to allow you to use them singularly if you really wanted to. I recommend the 165, because the tapered tip actually can pick up quite a bit of product.
Brushes
- 165 brush is a small, tapered brush best used for placing color with precision or used for highlighting. It’s a very dense brush, and it picks up color so well. I definitely like using it to highlight cheekbones, which I’ve been doing with the 129 lately–now I will be applying highlighters using the 165!
- 214 brush looks like a stubby 239! It really does. I see myself using this brush for lower lash line application of eyeshadows or to smudge/smoke out colors on the lash line. Perhaps for a really defined crease you could use it to deposit color, too.
- 226 brush is a smaller 224. It has the same shape, but the brush head is smaller and it’s quite fluffy. I don’t find it overly dense, and it will be interesting trying to incorporate it into my routine, since I currently bypass crease brushes!
well i was able to cross 1 thing off my list lol it’s still too long!!!
is the texture of 100 strokes going to be easy to use in the crease? or do you think there’d be a lot of fall out of it would end up looking patchy??
I don’t think there’d be a lot of fall out, actually!
is it as crappy as the other lustres texture wise? i know some lustres end up being decent, but most are awful…. which way does this one lean??
sorry i’m a pain, trying to condense my list lol
Ohh, do you mean French Cuff? French Cuff is the lustre, and it’s the pinky bronze one.
French Cuff will have fall out, and it’s just about the same in texture as other lustres, though this one seems to have better pay off (some lustres are chunky/gritty with NO pay off!).
ohhhh no i thought the dark one 100 strokes was the lustre!! so its a frost then? thats MUCH better lol
It is a frost, according to the label, but it doesn’t feel like a frost (feels more like a satin/velvet).
I was also disappointed with the lipsticks! I liked Knight (I don’t have Knight Divine and needed a basic gray) and it pairs perfectly with the pale gray/pink sheen in Pincurl! I have a cool skin tone so I stuck with the Blonde line (got the MSF), but the Redhead lipglasses were beautiful too!
I’m glad I’m not the only one a little disappointed in the lipsticks!
Sounds like you managed to have a good haul though 🙂
Well I’ll definitely get the redhead and blonde MSFs and will need to see the l/s and l/g in person.
I’m an in-person kind of gal myself! 😉
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate honest reviews on beauty blogs! thanks so much! I check out your blog regularly because you have great swatches and up to the minute info and truly useful reviews. Thank you thank you, I can now focus when I go to MAC tomorrow 🙂
Aw! 🙂 Thank you so much! What are you gonna focus on? 😉
The MSFs mainly! 😀
I agree with your review, Christine, all of it. Your must-have are the musthave and the lippies were so disappointed I got the permanent line even I got mostly lusters, the lustres in the BBR didn’t even show like the stuff in the regular line. B-Babe you can pick up from the drugstore.
Oh, wow! Good to know I am such great company 🙂
For me, if a lipstick looks so pretty in the tube, but the color is totally different or really, really sheer… it’s not going to work for me 🙁
Thanks for the review, Christine!! As excited as I am for this collection, I’m also budgeting, so it felt good to cross some items off my list after reading your opinions.
No problem, Elle! Trust me, I really, really wanted to LOVE this. I just felt like it’d be up my alley, you know? It’s not a bad launch or anything, but definitely not as wow as I was hoping for! Silly expectations 😉
What’s on your list now? What did you cross off?
Right, I agree–not a bad launch, just not what I was expecting! 🙂 I was hoping Top Knot would be good, as well as Deep Shade, and I’m disappointed that Henna is too much like Sumptuous Olive. I wasn’t keen on a lot of the lip swatches, either–I was hoping for a tad bit more pigmentation. I’m still going to get Strawberry Blonde, Red Devil, Quick Tease, and maybe a Femme-Fi backup, and I’ll have to take a look at the Blonde MSF.
At least Henna’s texture and color pay off is AMAZING 🙂
Happy hauling, Elle!
I’m sort of glad your review of BBB was mediocre because I’m hoping it means I will buy less of it when I get to the store tonight. I do like lustre lipsticks so I will probably still get most of them. Too bad about the e/s, they are always the one product I look forward to getting!
Haha! You will have to let us know what you do end up getting. When will you be heading to check it out?
I wish lustre lipsticks showed up better on me, but most of the time, they look so sheer it’s ridiculous!
I have quite red lips, so I find that I can’t wear lighter, pinker shades unless they ARE sheer – if they are opaque they look weird on me. It seems counterintuitive but it works.
I’m going tonight & will definitely report my haul! Although I think I will haul half this week and half next week (when I actually get paid).
Interesting! My lips are kind of a yucky natural color. Like muted pinkish-purple. I don’t know, I’ve never liked the “natural” color, LOL.
I wouldn’t say your lips are a “yucky” natural colour, LOL!
The thing is, with really red lips, opaque pinks can look really chalky.
This was my haul (way more than I should have got):
all 3 MSF’s
Marquise D’, Blow Dry, Chignon & What A Do! l/s
Henna & Pin Curl e/s
Quick Tease & Soft Wave l/g
3 brushes
I played with Pin Curl when I got home & it’s sheerer than I would like, but still pretty. Henna is like Sumptuous Olive lightened a few shades, but since I love greeny golds I had to get it. Blow Dry is like a subdued version of an old colour called Kid Kat.
Next week I’m going back for Flip, Red Devil and maybe All’s Fair & Strawberry Blonde.
So basically, although your review was mediocre I still bought tons! LOL
LOL! Mine are a little to corpsey (not like pale white corpsey, but bruised!) for my liking, haha. I wouldn’t say the collection was mediocre! With most of the lipsticks being sheer, it’s not my thing, y’know? 😉
I am so happy you enjoyed it more! I had to have Henna, too, because I love those kinds of shades!
Well I can see why you aren’t loving sheer lipsticks given your description of your natural lipcolour, LOL! (But seriously they don’t look corpsey at all).
I like your reviews because they are critical and well thought out – I like that you don’t rave about stuff simply because its new. And despite the fact that I did buy as much as I did, there were a number of things I didn’t bother getting in part because of your review, so thanks!
Haha 😛
I really want to fall in love with a MAC launch–I feel like it’s been awhile, y’know? I wonder if I’m sabotaging it by overthinking 😉 I think the only launch from 2008 that I really liked a lot was Neo Sci Fi–I suppose a part of me wanted what I loved from that launch to be present in this launch (because in the end, Neo Sci Fi was quite natural/neutral). The creamy, buttery, extra pigmented shadows of Neo Sci Fi coupled with rich lipsticks! Ahh. Guess I really liked Neo Sci Fi, LOL.
One of the best things about makeup is that it’s so customizable. What works for one person doesn’t work for everyone. I may love a color or gloss that isn’t even that unique, but it’s got that special vavoom for me. Gotta love makeup for that 😀
I agree. My favourite launch from 2008 was COC, but I love dark colours…I would rate BBR as a 7/10 mainly because of the brushes & MSF’s(lip products pretty good), but the e/s were a definite let down. When I went in last night, the MA told me that 100 Strokes was a “must have”…really? It seems too chalky to me.
100 Strokes is a little on the chalky side, and I don’t think it’s a must have when there’s always Sketch to fall back on!
Thanks for the review! I totally agree with you though, I also was so anticipating this launch but then when I actually saw it I was really disappointed. I picked up the Blonde and Redhead MSF and two lipglasses (Strawberry Blonde and Softwave). I skipped the eyeshadows and lipsticks since I have colors that have better payoff or look just like them. Oh well just more money for me to have and save for another collection!
It’s really good to hear you weren’t as thrilled as me! Sometimes I feel like maybe I’m being too critical, you know? So knowing others feel the same as me helps me think I’m not so crazy 😉
Oh yeah I totally understand that!
i have been waiting endlessly for this post…temptalia review!!!
ok, so one doubt…i have MINK n SABLE from starflash, which they said looked like Sumptous olive…so i didn’t buy sump olive…do i need to buy henna??
doubt 2: is FLIP by any chance similar to EVENING AURA of Neo-sci-fi collection…reply expected soon as i need to hit the stores soon…:)
Mink & Sable might be a little greener than Henna, but you probably don’t NEED to buy it. I remember Mink & Sable being a little lighter and greener the Sumptuous Olive. Evening Aura, IMO, is orangey, albeit light. Flip really seems like it’s in the gold family in comparison. I believe they’re different enough to own (especially the sheen between the two is different).
My rule of thumb is if it’s similar to a color you own, pass on it if you don’t use the one you already own very often. If you find yourself using a lot of greens and golds, the slight difference may be worth it to you 🙂 Like for me, I’d get Henna regardless, because I LOVE that color family!
ok, then i will buy both…anything wth gold just pulls me….lol!! i love all gold color pigments aswell..:) thnks for replyin…
I got the mineralize skinfinish in brunette, l/g in quicktease and l/s in marquise d’ and chignon. LOVE all of it, especially the mineralize skinfinish. My first ms! It is a bit dark indeed (I have very light skin too) but I think you just have to apply not too much and blend it well.
I’m glad you’re loving what you bought!! 🙂 You’re definitely right that you can make any dark color work by using a lighter hand with it!
Oh and I like chignon being not TOO pigmented. I don’t wear really dark colors normally (like… NEVER) so I was afraid that chignon was really dark plum on the lips. But it isn’t, it’s nice and sheer! But still I have to find an ocassion I am going to wear it to, lol :p
I totally agree on that! Chignon is a good sheer–because it’s such a dark color, you can still see plenty of difference despite the sheer texture. I think both Chignon and Quick Tease are great options to go vamp without committing to something more opaque, you know?
Do you like more Knight or Knight Divine?
I was thinking about buying Knight Divine but if Knight looks better I’m going to buy that one!
I like Silver Ring better than those two. It’s got better texture and color. Silver Ring is pretty close to Knight as well.
llaria-
I actually was going to get Knight today but remembered that christine has mentioned Silver Ring a lot. So i swatched the 2 together, and the texture of silver ring is MUCH better. Knight is slightly chalkier, and more of a brown-based charcoal gray (it reminded me slightly of a darker shade of Mothbrown from the Barbie Collection). Silver Ring is a silver with some blue-gray to it. Silver Ring also has more of a sheen to it than Knight does.
omg, i had i high expectations too and was sort of let down. i do think this is an awesome collection though for beginners just because the colors are so basic and neutral. from the list i had yesterday, i only bought today blow dry and red devil. i’m a sucher for coral! i wanted b-babe but too frosty on my lips and nc40 skin tone. i do plan on buying maybe all 3 brushes tomorrow with my friend so i could sue her pro card. hehe! i thought the msfs were pretty but none of them wowed me just because i have many highlighters already. from the shadows i plan on getting femme fi, 100 strokes, and flip.
I agree with you, Nikki! I think if you don’t have any MAC eyeshadows, these aren’t necessarily bad choices. I must admit that their textures didn’t help matters, so I’d probably end up recommending permanent colors over these, even for a new collector, LOL!
Happy hauling!
yyeahh, totally agree!!
hey Christine do you think that blonde msf is similar to petticoat? if you swatch it lightly on ur hand
i think petticoat is way prettier than the blonde msf imo. =]
baybee – i have both. i am nw20 (pretty fair). petticoat shows up much more metallic and is heavier on the rosy red than blonde. blonde (applied with all stripes together) has a soft, pink-rose sheen. i like both and think they both have their uses!
Thank you for sharing, Meagan 🙂 So helpful to know!
ty all for answering my question! i will go shop 2morrow!
I’m going to check everything out tomorrow since my MA will be working.
I really like the box at the top that you did in which you put the Must-Haves, Nice-to-Haves, and Skips. Makes it easy to lock in my brain!
I’ll try to remember to do the box for future reviews 🙂
yes, i liked that box of suggestions as well. it served as a kind of short summary, and then you went into detail. great review of the collection, keep up the good work!
I’ll do my best to remember it come next launch review!
I have to admit, i disagree with you a bit on the collection review, though its probably due to difference in skin types/tones. I’m redhead, very fair, even skin.
The 100 strokes showed through very burgundy for me… as far as I’m concerned, it and French Cuff are to die for. Didn’t like the other colors, or the majority of the lipsticks and glasses-too many orangey tones to work on me. Though I’ll probably end up getting the Marquis’d, that worked well on me, though its more subtle than my usual look.
But then, i tend to disagree with people on many of the “holy grail” products. I’m so fair that even the all purpose NARS orgasm looks orangey and too harsh, and the MUFE foundations are unforgivably dark. So i’m quite psyched about the redhead MSF.
At any rate, i LOVED the texture of the 100 strokes, and French Cuff, and they seemed to blend very well for me.
I love when people disagree, just as much as I love when they agree! 🙂 Because it’s really great to hear from those who have an opposite viewpoint. It helps to balance things out!
I can’t get down with lustres, which is why French Cuff and I aren’t likely to get along any time soon 🙁 The fall out is yuck so it makes it hard for me to deal. How do you cope with the fall out from French Cuff? Or do you not experience any?
Depends on teh look i’m trying to do.
One thing i’ve found helps is using a creamier primer. My usual is one of the mac paintpots, but for this I’ll sometimes use something else. I think the urban decay is too dry to handle the fallout from the lustres, although I love it otherwise. At any rate, I like applying the moist primer over part of the area, and blending the shadow over and above it. It kind of fixes the primer in place, and the moisture keeps most of the product there, and BRIGHT.
For brighter colors, I’ve gotten addicted to the MUFE line of creams. For subtler ones like this, I have one from a brand called “girlactik”, that mostly makes glitters, that recommends them for fixing sparkly eye glitters to. Its a VERY creamy consistency, somewhat shimmery(i have pink, and pale nude tones, depending what shadows i want to use with it) and you just brush the color on while it dries, and blend it slightly above the primer(so its not too harsh or solid of a color). There’s hardly any fallout for me, and what there is is easily taken care of with the usual “dusting of loose powder before coloring eyes, brushing it off after” trick.
But yeah, just priming your eyes with something moister will work wonders for keeping the powder where you direct it. If you try that, let me know how it works for you! it can take a bit of getting used to, but I’ve had great results.
one look i’m looking forward to doing, is applying the MUFE Fard Gras(hot pink) cream to the crease, blending 100 strokes into the bottom of the crease/lining eye with it, and blending French Cuff into the center, with a touch of something soft pink(maybe UD’s Scandal?) into the inner section and highlight. I’ve been doing something similar with Stars n Rockets, and Swish, but I’d like it to be more of a browny pinkish than a barbie pink/purple. But i’ve been developing an obsession with bright looks. I wish that orangey colors, like Firespot worked on me, but sadly, that is not the case.
Wow, thanks for being so thorough! 🙂 This is helpful to know! I’m sure plenty of readers will appreciate your tips, especially about trying the MUFE line of creams!
No problem-I usually keep pretty detailed notes on things, I think its my inner science major coming through.
This is the Fard Gras look i mentioned(don’t mind the somewhat unfinished face-need to finish my brows, blend my cheeks, etc.)
But its definitely worth a try! Rather moister than most other eye products, but sets decently with a good powder shadow over. So great for bright looks and blending, the powder shadow is great for adding depth and nuance.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/needtodanceart/Picture248.jpg
I’d have to take a pic tomorrow of something with the girlactic more “natural” primer and lustre shadows. My camera doesnt handle makeup close ups very well.
Do you think a paint pot would be similar enough to try at first?
The paint pots help it hold, but are still fairly dry, so there’s still more fallout. You can try, but i’ve never had as good of results. Do the drugstore brands still make the occasional “cream in a tube” eye shadows, or palettes? I have a set of revlon creme’s that are about the right consistency, from when i was a little girl. And a maybelline tube. Something like that would be a much better texture for it. Or even a liquid eyeliner, although it would take tweaking to figure out how to use that in an appropriate manner for layering/shading. You might also try it with a fairly dry lipstick or lip gloss, just to see the difference in how it holds the powder, while looking for a decent brand and color of primer.
I always used chapstick, or vaseline, for outright glitter, but that’s too thick and sticky for the actual powder. Traditional “wet” eyeshadow things, mixing medium, etc. tend to dry too fast to be effective for this.
but now i want to go searching for that holy grail of moist primers! The girlactiks work great, but i’d like more of a variety of colors for it, a more precise applicator(it comes on the doe foot wand type tube), and a slightly longer drying time, to help with blending.
But experimentation helps, particularly with your skins natural oil. mine is pretty balanced, maybe a little on the dry side, but when i put makeup on my friend, with somewhat oilier lids, I don’t need to bother with the creme primer because her skin already does something similar-i just have to make sure that its relatively even, so paintpots work well for her, being less oily/moist.
Sorry for the novel-I’ve been rather inspired by the French Cuff, its such a versatile color for my skin tone! Smokey eye, natural shading, pinkier bright combos… I love it! So my brain is on makeup analysis overload.
Look at you, the expert on all things French Cuff 😀 I think it’s a pretty color, and I’m certainly going to work with it in the next few days to see what I can do with it. I usually just use pigments and I don’t get much fall out once it’s on — it’s just the initial fall out when I first apply that drives me batty!
Let me know if you find the HG of moist primers! I think my skin is pretty normal, if not, it’s normal-to-dry, like yours. Will have to think more on this!
Thanks 🙂
I can’t wait to see what you come up with! But yeah, I’d try the Revlon creme palette-should be fairly cheap, and you can play with different layerings/shades to bring out different tints in the shadow. Pigments are fun to play with too, but i’ve found that nothing gets as superb a depth on me as the creme/powder/blending thing.
No way am i the expert! Gimme a few days with it, and THEN lets talk. Right now i’m just brainstorming the combination’s and layers. The boyfriend is already tired of hearing about it, though he was nice enough to come into the store with me. But I think I little obsession left in me to figure out a few more uses for it…I wonder how it would blend with some deeper browns, maybe Satin Taupe(for a darker smokey eye) or Honeylust(yeah, another lustre… for a more natural smokey eye). Or maybe a few of the Urban Decay deeper red tones in the crease(Last call, Punch)for a variation.
There’s just so many different hints of other colors i noticed, it would be interesting trying to bring them out more. I like that its not only compatible with a few other colors, or looks.
I don’t know where to start. I’m glad i don’t get this inspired very often, or else I’d never be able to decide on a look to leave the house in.
I’ll try to remember to do a look tomorrow with it 🙂
Be sure to let us know your combos!
Christine, and Dolce Aria…
what about MAC paints? Would that not work as a moist color base? They are definitely creamier than paint pots?
I think paints dry pretty fast. I think that’s probably what helps lustres stay on so well–the fact that the lustre bits almost dry WITH the base.
But I’m sure Dolce Aria, our resident moist base expert, will help you better 🙂
You beat me to it. If you work fast, i bet you can make it work, but it’ll probably be rougher on the blendings since you’d have to do each eye separately, in order to get the lustre shadow on while its wet. Harder to get it even with the other eye, other colors, symmetrical blending, etc. The longer drying time is important so you can tweak it, and get all teh shadings, layerings, and blendings you choose in. If you put it on dry, it will sort of stay, but you’ll have more fall off, which defeats the point of the trick.
At this point, I’m off for facial scrubbing, puppy cuddles, and bed. I can’t wait to see tomorrows look, Christine!
FRESCO!
I’ve been looking for the word ALL NIGHT.
At any rate, this is what i based the technique off of-used to study art history a lot, and Fresco painting was my favorite. paint plaster on, paint over it when its wet, and the paint hardens in with the plaster. So it all has to be done in sections, and very fast.
So yes, I don’t know if there’s a better term for this style of application, but for ease, from here on out, i think fresco is more descriptive than “moist primer”.
It figures I’d only think of it after I picked up the book and got the dog settled in my lap. Why doesn’t that stuff come to mind easily?!
Oh, it’s always like that!! For me, as soon as my head hits the pillow, my mind starts zooming 🙂
dolce – i agree. i am a fair gal with black hair, and i adored the redhead eyeshadows. i got all of them (flip, french cuff, and 100 strokes) and they look gorgeous and make my green eyes pop. i also agree that a bunch of the lippies were orangey on me – even strawberry blonde!
Flip didn’t suite me, but when i first saw it i said it would be lovely with a brunette. It had a very lovely edge to it! Glad you were happy with it, i’m glad i’m not the only one who actually was happy with the collection. I was beginning to kind of psyche myself like “am i just not discriminating enough?!”
I think I just went into it expecting a lot more and not getting it, which is why I was so disappointed 🙁 My own fault!
I am a fair red head like you. I can’t wear MUFE foundations. Nars Orgasm looks horrible on me. I liked the redhead msf and blow dry lipstick and that’s it.
thanks for your review christine! i actually liked this collection very much and felt a lot of the colors suited my coloring. i picked up all of the redhead eyeshadows (flip, 100 strokes, french cuff) which showed up really pretty on me. flip is beautiful! i also picked up live and dye because i love peachy-pink glosses and also all’s fair (reminds me of party mate, which i also love) and chignon. my absolute fave was blonde msf which reminds me of a richer version of my barbie beauty powder that i dropped and broke a year ago 🙁 really love the color and how it looks on!
I’m really glad you enjoyed the Redhead shadows, Meagan! 🙂 I really wish Live & Dye showed on me more, but on its own, it doesn’t 🙁
I know the Barbie beauty powder you’re talking about! It was pretty 🙂
I only picked up Red Devil. I was tempted by flip, but thought I should use up some of my old eyeshadows before I start attacking new ones. I also wanted Redhead but should watch my money as I’m hoping to pick up some HK 🙂
I’m glad you were able to pick up one thing, though! And Red Devil was a good choice 🙂
Yeah it’s beautiful I adore it! Only 8 more months for me, then I do a work term and then I graduate so I’ll be able to buy more MAC…. love! I can’t wait to hear about more collections coming out this summer, and ultimately this fall because of the money thing 😀
Nice!! Hang in there, you’ll be there in no time 🙂
I always love summer/fall by MAC the most, I think! So you should find plenty o’ things to love.
I agree! Though I always find something I like in the holiday collection(s) probably because they are so large!
Are you going to return some things Christine, since you got it all but aren’t really happy with it?
I don’t know yet. I’ll try out some looks and see how it goes 🙂 I’m mostly unhappy with the lipsticks and maybe half the shadows. I liked three of the lipglasses, one or two lipsticks, and two or three shadows — so it wasn’t what I’d say is a loss for me overall!
I really didn’t think the collection was that easily “dupable”. I’m surprised you don’t like What a do!? Soft Wave and Naked Frost are noticeably different to me, because I want to use it on top of What a Do!. Strawberry Blonde wasn’t that disappointing to me either. The Brunette MSF I thought I was going to skip on, but it’s not ALL dark…it depends on how much you put on too. But I do agree that the Blonde MSF is the best for a blush color. It’s too bad you didn’t like it that much, I didn’t think it was all that bad, but then again I was preparing $$$$ for this launch too. I don’t think I’ll be getting much from Hello Kitty, because it’s kinda cheap looking to me and I don’t like half of the colors. They’re kinda too bright for my taste.
I take it back, Silver Ring and Knight are virtually identical. I think was got me on this one was the $28 MSF.
Lil-
I swatched the 2 together today at the counter on my NW20 skin and thought they were VERY different. Knight is more of a brown-based charcoal gray, whereas Silver Ring showed as a subtly blue-gray based silver. The texture and sheen of Silver Ring is superior…I found Knight to be sorta chalky and less pigmented considering its also a VP. I decided to pick up Silver Ring because I was looking for a gray 🙂 Knight (in color) reminded me of a darker version of Mothbrown from Barbie (which is a color I have and love).
Really?! What A Do! doesn’t do much for my lips, to be honest! It ends up kind of washing me out–it seems like a lot of bronzy lipsticks do that to me, because it ends up melding with my skintone too much and being all kinds of, “what?!”
I liked Strawberry Blonde! 😛
I agree you can go lightly on Brunette, but my feelings were it was similar enough to Redhead that you could skip Brunette and just go for Redhead if Brunette would be too dark, y’know? They’re not the *same* but they’re close enough for me 😉
I liked maybe half of the launch? which isn’t bad at all!
I think all of the lipsticks being SO SHEER on my lips was just really off-putting overall. Most of them looked gorg in the tubes, but then on my lips, they were disappointing 🙁 Of course, I can always use a base on my lips to ramp up the color, but I feel like I shouldn’t need to.
I felt like Henna = Sumptuous Olive, French Cuff = less pink Mythology; Femme-fi already came out (good color, but still similar to Shroom); 100 Strokes = Sketch; Knight = Silver Ring/Knight Divine; and Deep Shade = Contrast+Deep Truth. It’s like as soon as I swatched a shadow, I’d immediately be like, “This looks a lot like ____!”
Not to say that Henna isn’t a gorgeous color! 100 Strokes is also a little more flattering than Sketch (I’d say it has a little more dimension). Knight was probably the most boo color. (Not to mention, we just had a color like it/Knight Divine in Dame Edna!)
Oh okay, I understand a lot better…yeah, I’m kinda getting sick of all the lustres and glazes…enough already! Frosts aren’t too bad, I guess they use those because of the time of year? I’m not sure what’s going on…I’m really excited about the Cremesheen glosses because it’s like Dazzleglass minus the glitter part 2…I wish I could find dupes as fast and easy as you…this MAC addict thing is a lot more complicated than it seems. I just totally missed out on Marquis D’ the first time it came out and I hate lip pallets, because they are sooooo sheer for me. I felt like the glosses coordinated very well with the lipsticks too which was nice this time. I really wanted to get Red Devil but I’m like scared of it. So I opted for Strawberry Blonde cause it’s a nice raspberry which you don’t see much of. Glazes are my least fave right now and are soooo deceiving. You have to paint yourself just to see what it’s really like. See, I don’t have a ton of the original colors, it seems like I keep getting the limited colors, so I don’t have a good reference for eyeshadows as you do. I’ve got to be more critical. But I caved for 100 Strokes, Henna, Flip and French Cuff…At least I didn’t literally buy it all right?
I like a good mix of lip stuff in a launch–I guess I’m greedy 😉 There should be a mix of richer, more pigmented colors, but also sheer/buildable shades. Perhaps with BBR, it felt like overkill of the sheer. I wasn’t a huge fan of Dazzleglass because of the glitter, so I’m hoping Cremesheen works out, too!! Well, for me, it was the feeling of the glitter as the gloss wore off and the gritty glitter was left.
LOL, it’s been four and a half years being an addict, I think. It also helps when people ask me for dupes, so I have to think and be ready!
Strawberry Blonde is a great shade for the exact reason you said! If no dupe instantly pops in my head, it’s all good 😀 And yep, lip palettes are terribly sheer unfortunately — same reason why I skip or end up neglecting them!
The thing is, if you don’t have a ton of shadows, it doesn’t matter if there are dupes. As long as you’re enjoying what you buy and are building up your collection with colors you want and like, who cares! I love greens and golds–I’ll buy most of them that come out, regardless of they’re only 1/4th a shade away! Dupe or no dupe!
I like 100 Strokes more than Sketch; Henna is more useful than Sumptuous Olive, because I can easily see Henna layering really well over a green to get Sumptuous Olive’s green tone. It’d be harder to layer Sumptuous Olive over a gold and remove the green tone!
Flip was pretty — I liked that one. It’s a part of the color family that isn’t repeated too often. The last one that was even close was Evening Aura from Neo Sci Fi, back in summer ’08. Six months later, I’m OK with that! I don’t expect MAC not to repeat, but if they do, I gotta do my job and let y’all know!
I’m thinking of doing a Flip, French Cuff, 100 Strokes look tomorrow. But I do want to use Henna. Hm!
I can’t wait! That sounds really pretty already. Thanks Christine for all your help. I look forward to your site everyday! 🙂 Well, it’s after midnight here in Texas, I’ve had enough BBR for today, TTYL, Lil 😉
No problem! I’m just about BBR’d out myself, LOL.
Take care 🙂
Christine, which green would you layer Henna over to get something similar to Sumptuous Olive? Something like Moss Scape paint pot? Or which dry e/s?
And also, I’m guessing you cannot get LE e/s in pro palette pots, can you? Just the standard e/s packaging? So do you end up depotting all of your LE e/s?
Moss Scape would do just fine! I was originally thinking Golden Olive pigment, to be honest. Any olive green kind of shade would do, though. 🙂
Nope, you can’t get LE colors in pro palette pans (unfortunately!). You gotta buy ’em in pots and depot if you really want them in pan form 🙂 I do this… though I tend to wait months and months, then do a bunch at once. I’m really lazy, and I hate depotting, LOL. I’ve actually been toying with the idea of doing it this weekend, because I think I’ve accumulated enough pots to make it worthwhile.
What is MSF exactly? Not the acronym, but the product itself – what do you use it for? Blonde looks like a blush, and Redhead as a highlighter, and Brunette as a… bronzer? I don’t know. Aren’t they supposed to be just different shades of the same product? I am interested to hear whether you would use it INSTEAD of a blush or on top? Or before blush? And where?
Clueless in Toronto here… LOL
You can use it as a blusher, highlighter, or bronzer. It just depends on your skin tone + the MSF color. Like Brunette on say, NC50, would do more highlighting than anything, but on NC15 could be used as a bronzer (though not likely, since it IS quite shimmery!). I think they are, in general, used as highlighters layered over blushes. I tend to use mine in that fashion, though sometimes for a subtle everyday look, I’ll use one alone.
I’ve worn Blonde on its own, but it doesn’t give me a ton of color with my skin tone so overall I prefer it to add some shimmer on a pink/plum/raspberry blush. MSFs like Redhead or Brunette I might use more to warm up my cheeks if I’m not going to wear much makeup–so I’d wear them alone. Again, I might layer them over a bronzy/peachy blush, too 🙂
The MSF’s can be used however you like but are suggested to be used as highlighters on top of blush, high and low planes of the face, and along the bridge of the nose. They are not to be used all over the face. That could be a small disaster!!!
I don’t know if this is really a great idea but I have Petticoat and Soft & Gentle MSF and I’ve used them as a e/s lol…I put some Nars Copacabana Multiple (or you can use Urban Decay Primer Potion too) on my lid first and then lightly brushed on some MSF and it actually looks quite pretty. I have very sensitive skin and I didn’t have any weird reaction to using it on the eyes…I say experiment and have fun!
Wow I am totally shocked at your blog on this collection. But it is your opinion. I must say that I spent more on this collection than previous ones and I had much more to show for it. It just depends on personal preference and what looks good on you. My best advice go to then store/counter and try it on. we can lok at the colors online and swatches on the back of the hand all day but really face color is different from hand color an d so is lip color. Just try it on people it doesn’t cost ba thing!!! I am a black woman so I must btry because a lot of times I feel these pinky shimmery shades are bjust not for me. Pale pink and black skin (i’m a NW50) just don’t mix!
My haul today:
chignon l/s
quick tease l/g
all’s fair l/s
strawbery blonde l/g
top knot e/s
100 strokes e/s
deep shade e/s
True enough my counter asst. mgr did say that the e/s are very dark and are mostly for creases. They are toodark to be used explicitly for lids.
I also got the 214 and 226 brush.I did not get the 265 because I hated the MSF for brunettes. I am not moved by peachy, bronzy, pasty, shimmer at the last minute makeup for darker skin tones. It just doesn’t work.
Do what’s best for you. I did. Remember all these blogs and videos are just THAT person’s opinion. Use your best judgement. Would hate for you guys to get something you hate because somebody else liked it. Enjoy!!!!
The 165 brush is a great tool to have, even if you don’t like the MSF!
Oh Lord I found it LMAO! Christine Do you have any Nars brushes I have a few and they are so soft I have one that looks like the 214 but I dont care Im still gonna get the MAC ONE as well. I am such a brush whore LOL I will admit – thats the first step to recovery!
Nope, no NARS brushes, actually! I’ve always wanted to try them, though!
Thanks for the review, Christine! Really helpful to get the descriptions on the products. Do you think that Henna is more useful as a colour and better to get than Sumptuous Olive? I don’t have Sumptuous Olive and can’t quite decide which colour to get. I saw you said that Henna has more of a gold undertone, so not sure if this would be better, as I could still layer it with greens. Also, do you think Flip is similar at all to Woodwinked? I have that colour but like the sound of Flip :o) . The BBR range hasn’t come out over here yet, so not had a chance to check out the new colours in the shop.
No problem, Saira! I think Henna is a great buy if you don’t have Sumptuous Olive. You can definitely layer it over a green to get the green tones from Sumptuous Olive 🙂 Flip is not like Woodwinked at alllll, no way! LOL.
Thanks for the info, Christine. Lol, I thought Flip was maybe like Woodwinked because it said ‘gold-bronze’ in the description – think I’ll go and have another look at the swatches you posted :o) .
No problem 😀
Is Blond MSF similar to Diorskin poudre shimmer in Rose Diamond?
Good question, I have that too.
Yes, they are similar. Rose Diamond is more pink like a rose, whereas Blonde does have a little berry to it.
Im blonde, blue eyed and am slightly lighter than NW 15, so I was looking at the blonde products. I quite like the look of B-babe and All’s Fair too, but I’ll have to swatch them first. I can probably B2M one too! The lipglasses did nothing for me, plus I just bought the two pink ones from Chill anyway. The eyeshadows were disappointing-already have Knight, don’t like Top Knot-might check out Pincurl and Femme-Fi, though. All in all I liked Chill better! Thanks for the great info, Christine!
Which ones did you pick up from Chill?
I’m glad you at least found Chill to your liking!
All Im getting are the brushes & the 3msf!
Nice haul! 🙂
I love MSF’s and wear Petticoat almost every day. If a already have Petticoat, do I need Blonde or would it be a dupe?
It’s not a dupe — in fact, it might be a good go-to color if you ever run out of Petticoat! It’s lighter, less berry more pink!
No one liked “What A Do!’ l/s??, damn…lol…
I ended up getting that lipstick because it looked great on me! I’m browned skinned (Indian) and that lipstick showed up nicely on my skintone, top it off with lipgloss and you got an everyday lip. lol. I also got Flip e/s simply because Christine was right, it’s so beautiful and I love golds. I really really liked Henna, but I didn’t get it as of yet..I also like the brushes too, so to keep me from going broke I might just get the 226. =) Nice review Christine!
LOL, hey, whatever you like it good for me 😉
Henna is really lovely, I did like that one a lot. And yes, brushes are a must have!
Hey, do you find redhead similar to soft and gentle? I had a quick look in store, but wasn’t able to swatch today. :s but from what I saw, i’d swear it was the same thing.
Redhead is a little more coppery, for me! They’re similar, though 🙂
just to say i can’t get enough of the msfs from this collection. i got all three and i’m glad. though i’m contemplating getting backups of the brunette. although i’m fair skinned it’s actually my most beautiful dreamy blush, ever! i brought nars taos for that kind of effect but it’s just too dark for that purpose. brunette on the other hand and its gradient properties just melts onto my cheeks. i only wear it on the upper parts of my cheeks (hairline) like a contour and then softly bring it down but avoid the apple of cheek and it gives you a beautiful, natural glow and overall polished look. LOVES it!!
So glad you’re loving them, Sarah! Glad you got all three, too 😀