MAC Cosmetics - Alexander McQueen Review, Product Photos, and Swatches

Overall, I found Alexander McQueen to offer some lovely colors that don’t quite exist in the permanent consumer line, but with the eyeshadows and paint pots nearly identical to each other, this might be one collection that you’ll be able to pass a little more easily. All the colors were rich, and the paint pots were deliciously creamy in texture and well pigmented. The eyeshadow were smooth as silk, but with less pay off than I would have liked. I love the kohl powers, and here’s a chance to pick up one of the blackest black liners I’ve ever come across (Feline) once more!

Eyeshadows
Haunting is a light aqua, pastel almost in hue, but still bright. There was subtle shimmer, which made this shade stand out more to me; I’m reminded of Aquadisiac, but with better color payoff and less shimmer.
Nile is a rich, deep lavender-blue, and I found this one had the best color pay off out of the three. It was smooth to the touch, didn’t look chalky, and it gave me color without a base of any sort.
Pagan is a bright lime green, with yellow undertones, and it could be compared to both Bitter and Overgrown (LE). It is better than Bitter, but I love the payoff of Overgrown more. This one took a bit more effort than the other two to get decent intensity. It’s a lovely color, very chartreuse with so little shimmer.

Paint Pots
Electro Sky is the paint pot twin of Nile, so it is the same rich blue with a touch of lavender, only far more pigmented. All of the paint pots have better color pay off than the eyeshadows, because they are cream-based, rather than powder based. It really does look a bit “electric” when swatched, because of its boldness.
Other Worldly is the dupe in paint pot form of Haunting, and just like Haunting, it’s a lovely aqua-blue, but several times brighter and more intense. It looks gorgeous and would make an excellent base for blue and green looks. As I mentioned, it is also incredibly rich in pigmentation so the color you get is quite like what you see in the pot.
Pharaoh is identical in hue to Pagan, but in a creamy paint pot form. A lush chartreuse, and I am most definitely reminded of True Chartreuse pigment (one of my favorites), because of how intense the green is, as well as the near matte texture (the pigment is matte). A very bold color, and I could see it being used flawlessly as a base underneath a variety of green, aqua, and blue shadows.

Kohl Powers
Black Karat is different from Orpheus kohl power because it is less black, more gold. It is a rich antique gold, which means it’s right up my alley. Just very rich and luxurious, as the kohl power naturally is, plus incredibly smooth and easy to apply. There’s no need to warm it up, because it goes on effortlessly from room temperature.
Feline is my favorite black eyeliner, because it is the most insane black. It’s intense and sultry, and being a kohl, makes it perfect for smudging as well.
Jealousy is similar to Mystery kohl power, but again, less black, more teal.

Mineralize Skinfininsh
New Vegas is a gorgeous bronzy gold with some shimmer, but it did not appear to be chunky or glittery as some anticipated. I found it to go on remarkably smooth with no wayward chunks of glittery bits. I was tempted to purchase it, but I know in my heart that I am just not an MSF girl.

Lipsticks
Archetype is a bit misleading in the tube, as it looks like a deeper bronzey brown, but in practice, it is a lustre, so the color is incredibly sheer and more like a golden sheen.
Masque is a gorgeous medium pink, albeit quite sheer. I did like Masque better, because it is buildable with its satin formula.

Lipglasses
Nothingness is a pale yellow gloss in the tube, but more like a gloss with shimmer when swatched. It has the slightest glimmer of a yellow-gold, but it is too subtle for my liking.
White Magic is similar to Nothingness in its opacity, but it has more pigmentation and clearly has a pink shimmer when applied.