MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit Review, Photos, Swatches
MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit
MAC Dazzlesphere Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit
MAC’s Dazzlesphere Collection launches on November 10th, and the next set I’m reviewing is MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit ($32.50 for 0.40 oz.), which contains four shades: Light Violet (pale violet), Grape (purple), Seasonally Cool (sparkling taupe), and Misty (pale silver). Crushed Metallic Pigments are described as having “intense colour payoff” with “medium coverage” and “highly reflective metallic sparkle.” They are “creamy, crease-resistant, [and] long-wearing.”
- Seasonally Cool is a subtly cool-toned bronze. The gray tint is minor, so it comes off as more of a brown than it does a taupe. This one has a fair amount of sparkle, so I did encounter some fall out when it was applied dry, but this was lessened when it was applied damp. Similarly, it’s sheerer when applied dry and much more intense when applied damp. It’s similar to Urban Decay Lost and Make Up For Ever #15.
- Misty is a bright, lightened silver with a strong, metallic finish. It’s slightly sheer when applied dry and more opaque when applied wet. Giorgio Armani #12 is similar but cooler-toned.
- Light Violet is a pink=lavender with a metallic shimmer-sheen. It’s very, very chunky; I did not find I could really “crush” these into becoming smooth, even on my arm. It reminded me of a much pinker Kitschmas. The color is also similar to theBalm Curtain Call. It’s warmer and pinker than Stacked 1.
- Grape is a rich, red-toned purple with a softer but still metallic sheen. It had good color payoff both dry and wet, with the metallic finish coming out more when it was applied wet. It’s more vibrant and red-toned than Stacked 1. MAC Plush is similar but a touch darker and less metallic in finish. MAC Half-Wild is redder. Inglot #446 is less purple.
In my experience, these pigments wear well as long as you ensure you’ve really “crushed” them against the skin/lid. I’ve worn them with and without a base and the difference is minimal. There is some noticeable but relatively minor fading after eight hours when applied without a base (or mixing medium). For more on how they wear, please see this post where I went in-depth on that particular characteristic.
I loved the smoothness and vibrancy of Grape, while Light Violet was one of the worst shades out of the three sets entirely. It was very gritty and chunky–it was much harder to work with and extremely prone to fall out. I also had some fall out issues with Seasonally Cool from the sparkle when used dry, but it was lessened if it was applied damp. Generally, the finishes are extremely frosted, metallic-like, and add a lot of oomph to a look–but they may be better when mixed and matched with other finishes (like mattes) for more textural contrast as all of these at once can almost look heavy on the eye.
MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit Review, Photos, Swatches
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MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit
MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit
MAC Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit
MAC Seasonally Cool Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Seasonally Cool Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Seasonally Cool Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Misty Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Misty Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Misty Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Light Violet Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Light Violet Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Light Violet Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Grape Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Grape Crushed Metallic Pigment
MAC Grape Crushed Metallic Pigment
Grape looks lovely! I do like the idea of the these crushed pigment stacks. Surf the Ocean from the Surf Baby Collection was one of recent purchased and every shade from that stack is amazing!
I don;t know, I think $39.50 is too much for sample-like pigments. I’d rather get jars. They’re really pretty colors though 🙂
This set is the equivalent of $56 of pigments, actually. Each pot is ~0.10 oz. and a full-size pigment is 0.15 oz. 🙂 Where are you getting $39.50? These are $32.50 for U.S. and $38.50 for CDN!
Well feel lucky, one full size pigment in Australia is $39 AUD.
digging the grape!
Hrm. Light Violet either looks really cool, or really… infectious. I have yet to determine which is the case. 😛 Not loving the sound of all that fall-out, though!
One of the close-up shots of these looks like lice… or eggs. Some products were not meant to be shot with macro!
Haha! I was just going to comment that the detail shot of Light Violet reminds me of a fibrous, shaggy carpet up-close. 🙂 Too bad that colour is not that pigmented.
That’s funny… I was just thinking to myself how STUNNING I thought the pure close ups are. I love seeing the texture zoomed up on my screen.
Oh, that’s a nice image burnt into my brain. THANKS! LOL!
the light purple picture is amazing lol looks like abstract art or something 😛 is the silver in this the same or close to the surf the ocean stack silver?
A bit!
I remember the full size of Mac’s Grape pigment is NOT eye safe. Is the Grape pigment in this set eye safe?
All of the kits are only listed as not lip safe.
I think the packaging looks cheap, too much like pigment sample jars. What a rip off.
TBH, the sample pigment jars actually look classier than these stacks…
How exactly do you “crush” these?
You just press more firmly, which is why I like using a flatter and firmer brush (242) over a fluffy brush (like the 239). You could also take the other end of a brush and stab at the product itself in the jar for the larger chunks!
looks kinda like Summer Stash crushed pigments from Surf baby collection
Grape looks GREAT, but I don’t think I’m going to shell out $32, I’ll just buy something similar. Thanks for the great swatches! (:
Hi there Christine!
How does this set of pigments & the Smoky Berry set compare to Surf the Ocean pigments from the MAC Surf Baby! Collection?
Thanks
They’re pretty different 🙂
It’s so irritating that all of these look so beautiful in the jar, and then are so underwhelming on skin =(
I love crushed pigments, they’re beautiful, but thats just my opinion 🙂 Just use a base underneath of the same colour, or something like Milk from NYX to make the colours pop if they’re on the more sheer side 😀
Ooh! I need Grape and Light Violet!
Sounds like you need a mortar and pestle to get it right.
wow. light violet is REALLY LIGHT
Definitely almost exactly like the Summer Stash Crushed Metallic Pigment. Would you say their exact? or a little different?
No, they’re definitely different – they have a similar tone, but if you look at them side-by-side, they’re not the same.
Between this set and the berry set, which would you recommend for a cool toned brunette with green eyes, Christine. Thanks for your help!
Berry
I tried them yesterday and they are all so beautifully pigmented ! The seller told me to apply them directly with my fingers : used like that all of the shadows were awesome, much better than applied with a brush
Same with me.
I brought these yesterday and swatched on the back of my hand with my finger they are lovely, especially grape.
But apply them with a brusb, and they just loose a lot of impact.