OVERALL, Metal Urge meets expectations–which were low. If you were one of the few who loved and enjoyed Metal-x last year, then you should enjoy this year’s rendition. But in the end, it is really just that: a regurgitation of last year’s collection. Of the Brushed Metal-x shades, Gilded Ash is tempting, just because it looks like a great color for a smoky eye. I know myself, and I know how my Metal-x shadows from last year are buried in my “I don’t use these” MAC box. The liquidlasts are always fun, but they’re readily available throughout the year, so it’s not a big deal to see them highlighted in this launch. The three pigments available are a nice trio of shades that all earn recommendations from me.

You can see last year’s Metal-x Review/Swatches for comparison.  Individual reviews await you!

Brushed Metal-X

• Material is a soft gilded beige-gold with some sheen, some frostiness.
• Gold Spice is a coppery gold with a little brown in it, very warm ni the undertones.
• Forged Rose is a reddish copper color (not at all pink, though).
• Gilded Ash is a smoky, ashy brown color; more neutral than cool.
• Verdigris is a dark greenish-brown color; it has flecks of green, but then there are flecks of brown.
• Pink Platinum is a opalescent pinkish color, more whitish pink with a lot of frost to it.
• Metalblu is a deep blue that isn’t overly dark, but it isn’t medium either.

Pigment

• Gold Mode is a neutral gold with a little beige/peach in it. It has a lot of high sheen, and the texture is very smooth. It is a fine milled pigment, which makes it look almost like shimmering water.
• Cocomotion is a warmer antique gold color. It has the same feel and texture as Gold Mode.
• Spiritualize is a cool, pale medium to deep green. It reminds me of one of the Colour Forms pigments (I’m blanking on the name), but otherwise, it’s not a color I’ve seen too often.  This is the only item I picked up.

Reflects Glitter

• Reflects Bronze is a golden copper color with lots of glitter. It’s one of the very finely milled glitters, which allows it to apply smoother than other glitters.
• Reflects Blackened Red is the same formula as Bronze (so it’s smooth and finely milled), and the color of it is a dark, reddish burgundy brown.
• Reflects Very Pink is a chunkier glitter that doesn’t swatch easily. The glittery bits tend to get everywhere.
• Reflects Purple Duo is a lavender-purple-blue kind of shade. It has the texture of Reflects Very Pink, so you’ll end up with glitter everywhere if you’re not careful!

Liquidlast Liner

• Classic Cream is a pale white-gold shade with just a touch of pearl in it. I’m not exactly sure how one would use this as a liner–it just doesn’t seem practical to me. Maybe as a base…
• Visionaire is a pastel pink with whitish opalescence. Pretty, but again, it shares some of the issues with just how are you going to use it as a liner.
• Molten Sol is a coppery gold shade; it works well with neutral looks especially. It’s one of my favorite liquidlast liners. Look using Molten Sol (also so you can see the swatch).
• Dress Khaki is a gorgeous shade of deep antique gold flecked with green and gold pearl.
• Inkspill is a lovely shade of deep forest green with soft pearl sheen.
• Inky is a cross between a dark blue and a dark purple; depending on the eyeshadows you use with it, you may bring out different tones.
• Powerplum is a dark mauvey plum color; it’s not as bold as some of the other liquidlasts.