MAC Stroke of Midnight Face Palette/Cool Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 10:00:00 +0000

MAC Stroke of Midnight Face Palette/Cool

MAC Stroke of Midnight Face Palette/Cool ($49.50 for 0.295 oz.) is a cool-toned palettes with products for eyes, lips, and face. It contains three eyeshadows (0.028 oz. each), two lipsticks (0.024 oz. each), one iridescent powder (0.176 oz.), and one eye pencil (0.015 oz.). The products represent a a total value of $44.09 –$16.80 worth of eyeshadows, $7.20 worth of lipsticks, $15.09 worth of iridescent powder, and $5 worth of eyeliner. Over time, as more and more brands churn out mega palettes for the holidays all around $50 or so, and I wish MAC would step-up the value (or reduce the cost) of their holiday sets and kits. The biggest misses in this palette were Scene and Ebony, and they were both really pitiful products. There are several nice products here–Romantically Inclined, All Races, Magic Moor–but they don’t make up for the two bombs.

Sparkling Rose is described as a “soft pink with gold frost.” It’s a soft, golden beige with a light, frosted finish that looked rather metallic on. It had decent pigmentation, and the texture was soft and fairly smooth. It wore well for seven hours, but it looked noticeably patchy after eight hours of wear. It did lightly emphasize pores as it looked quite metallic applied. Urban Decay Glint (LE) is warmer. bareMinerals The Love Affair (LE, $26.00) is darker. Bobbi Brown Rose Gold (LE, $42.00) is pinker. See comparison swatches.

Sublime Pleasure is described as a “soft mauve cream [with a Lustre finish].” It’s a soft, cool-toned, medium pink with a luminous sheen. It had semi-sheer pigmentation, and it applied smoothly overall. It lasted two and a half hours and was a little drying on me. MAC Flair for Finery (LE, $15.00) is lighter, less pink. theBalm Milly (P) is warmer. MAC Dreaminess (P, $22.00) is pinker. Chanel Candeur (P, $34.00) is similar. Bobbi Brown Orchid Pink (LE, $23.00) is cooler-toned. See comparison swatches.

Romantically Inclined is described as a “cool plum cream [with a Cremesheen finish].” It’s a magenta purple with cool undertones and a soft sheen. It had semi-opaque color coverage, and it applied evenly and smoothly. It wore for five hours and was neither drying nor hydrating. MAC Feel My Pulse (LE, $15.00) is similar. Maybelline Brazen Berry (P, $7.49) is lighter. MAC Seductive Intent (LE, $16.00) is more magenta/purple. MAC Violetta (P, $15.00) is more iridescent. MAC Strong Woman (LE, $15.00) is purpler, darker. MAC Heroine (LE, $15.00) is slightly purpler. MAC Bust Out (LE, $15.00) is similar. See comparison swatches.

All Races is described as a “cool light mauve taupe [with a Matte finish].” It’s a pale, gray-ish lavender with cool undertones and a matte finish. The texture was soft and finely-milled with great color payoff. It lasted well for eight hours on the lid. NARS Namibia (P, $24.00) is grayer. Disney by Sephora What’s-It (LE) is similar. MAC Creative Whim (LE, $15.00) is shimmery. MAC Fresh Ice (LE, $21.00) is lighter. MAC Silver Gull (LE, $15.00) is grayer. MAC Silverwear (LE, $15.00) is frosted. MAC Look at the Eyes (LE, $15.00) is darker. See comparison swatches.

Scene is described as a “muted blue-grey [with a Satin finish].” It’s a dirty gray with neutral undertones and a satin finish. The texture was dry and stiff, so the color payoff reflected that–it was very sheer. It had noticeably faded after six and a half hours of wear. Guerlain Crazy Paris #5 (LE)is darker. NARS Delphes #2 (LE, $24.00) is similar. MAC Interior Life (LE, $15.00) is darker, grayer. MAC All Woman (LE, $15.00) is warmer. See comparison swatches.

Magic Moor is described as a “rich blackened plum with pearl [with a Veluxe Pearl].” It’s a deep, dark purple burgundy with a pearly sheen. The color payoff was fantastic, and the texture was soft and smooth. LORAC Deep Purple (P) is similar. Fyrinnae Alchemist’s Curse (P, $6.80) is brighter. Urban Decay Rapture (LE, $18.00) is purpler. Urban Decay Rockstar (P, $18.00) is purpler. Estee Lauder Cyber Lilac (LE, $24.00) is also purpler. See comparison swatches.

Ebony is described as an “intense black.” It’s a sheer, stiff black eyeliner. The consistency of it was really dry–it just wasn’t creamy at all, so it skipped and dragged on the skin. I highly recommend dulling the initial point, as it is extremely sharp, which doesn’t help the color payoff but does make it less painful to use. It lasted for almost eight hours with light shrinkage. There is no shortage in black eyeliners, so you can see comparison swatches of many blacks that out-perform this one.