MAC Reel Sexy Eye Kohls

There are four MAC Eye Kohls ($15.00 for 0.048 oz.) in the upcoming Reel Sexy collection debuting on April 5th in-stores. They are: Heirloom (highly metallicized greyed lavender), Hyacinth (mid-tone blue), and Resort (deep amethyst plum), and Smolder (intense black). Smolder is not included, because it’s a permanent shade that’s been long-standing.

• Heirloom is a lilac-tinted light gray with a silvery sheen. It doesn’t deliver the greatest color payoff, and it doesn’t seem to layer as well as I’d like. I can’t think of a similar shade to this.
• Hyacinth is a medium-dark muted blue. It’s not a full-on medium blue, but it’s not a navy blue–it’s right in-between–and there’s a softened quality to the color. The color payoff is so-so in a single pass. It doesn’t skip so much as it just doesn’t deposit an even, opaque layer of color. MAC Marine Ultra is more intense. Make Up For Ever #15L is a bit lighter. YSL #03 is a bit darker.
• Resort is an eggplant purple with red undertones. It has decent pigmentation in a single go, but again, it’s not fully opaque, and it doesn’t seem to get there even with layering. Make Up For Ever #4L is a bit darker, more burgundy. CoverGirl Violet Voltage is a bit darker.

With the amount of eyeliner formulas out there, MAC’s Eye Kohls are not on my list of favorites.  They’re soft but not creamy, so they don’t glide on effortlessly.  Luckily, they’re not dry, so they don’t tug and drag painfully across the lash line, but I can never get a really great, opaque line of color.  Even after going back and forth one or two times, it just doesn’t look right.  It seems to fold over itself and bunch up in places, so it does look nice and even.   What is applied, though, does wear well.  I was able to wear Heirloom for eight hours without any problems–it looked a little faded after ten hours.  Some of the shades in the range are creamier than others, but these just didn’t have enough give.

MAC Eye Kohls

MAC Eye Kohls: Heirloom, Hyacinth, Resort

MAC Heirloom Eye Kohl

MAC Hyacinth Eye Kohl

MAC Resort Eye Kohl