MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 1)
MAC Styledriven Collection (well, part of it!)
MAC Styledriven: Pro Longwear Eyeshadows (Part 1)
MAC Pro Longwear Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.11 oz.) is supposed to wear for eight hours with a “silky, creamy texture” that yields “maximum color impact.” It’s also designed to be blendable and buildable. As a reviewer, I am endlessly pleased that MAC gave definite wear times on these–it’s so much easier to assess whether the product was successful!
There a whopping sixteen shades released in MAC Styledriven, and because of the amount of photos, I’ve split them over three parts. This first part includes: Carefree (pale white gold), Fresh Flare (bright kelly green), Hot Paprika (mid-tone burnt red), Keep Your Cool (dark grey brown), and Legendary Black (warm almost black).
- Carefree is a pale, creamy white gold with a soft, frosted finish. The texture is very slightly powdery. This has a frost finish, but it’s considerably less frosty compared to your traditional MAC frost finished eyeshadow. It has a less metallic finish compared to MAC Nylon with a yellower color overall. MAC Manila Paper is closer in color. Make Up For Ever #101 is similar but more metallic in finish. It’s a little yellower compared to MAC Peek-at-You.
- Fresh Flare is a brightened medium grassy green. This has a frost finish. It has good color payoff and soft without being powdery. It’s darker than Wet ‘n’ Wild Bright Idea. Inglot #384 is similar in color with a slightly yellower undertone and a matte finish. For those who wanted more green from MAC Jealousy Wakes, you might this more to your liking–on me, it is a very similar green base without the teal flash. I expect this is similar to Kelly Green pigment.
- Hot Paprika is a burnt orange with pinky-red shimmer. This has a frost finish. It looks redder in the pan than when used–it’s more orange than it is red. The color payoff was excellent. It is similar to MAC Double Feature 8. MAC Red Brick is more intense and matte.
- Keep Your Cool is a smoky, dark, brownish taupe. This has a satin finish. It is just slightly darker than Urban Decay Mushroom. It’s cooler in tone and much grayer compared to MAC Satin Taupe. It’s quite similar to the taupe from Chanel Prelude. Burberry Taupe Brown is similar but more matte. It is also similar to MAC Unflappable.
- Legendary Black is a dark brown with bronze shimmer. It’s not really blackened or black–just a really dark brown. This has a satin finish. Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone has a similar shade but it’s not quite as dark (and almost leans green). MAC Smut is similar but has a burgundy tone.
I don’t find that these are Mega Metal eyeshadows by another name; their textures feel distinctly different. Where Mega Metal Eyeshadows were buttery and dense, Pro Longwear Eyeshadows have a thinner, drier texture. I had better color payoff with the Mega Metal Eyeshadows overall, but these are still good–just easier and more blendable with the Mega Metals because of the buttery texture. I do prefer the textures of the Mega Metal Eyeshadows, which is a personal preference, as the Pro Longwear Eyeshadows yield good color payoff overall, last over twelve hours (without primer) without creasing, and are still soft to the touch.
I tested the six eyeshadows I received as samples (the rest of the shades I purchased from the LA PRO store, which is why it took me awhile to get the review up; the rest just arrived late yesterday afternoon) extensively. I knew I couldn’t review these immediately, especially since everything was long-wearing! Each time I tested the new eyeshadows, I applied everything over primer on one eye and then the same placement but without primer on the other eye. It was consistent no matter what shadow I used that a primer boosts the intensity of the shades; they all had this slightly faded/muted look to them when applied without a primer. If you use them wet, you can mitigate some of the faded characteristic (I’ve used a few wet and haven’t seen any ill-effects to the pan itself yet).
The good news is that what you see is what you’ll still see twelve hours later. When I was originally testing these, I didn’t know what MAC considered “long-wear,” so I went for a full twelve hours. These are only touted to last eight hours, which means these fully satisfy that and then some (at least on me). I’m ecstatic about the wear of these, though I personally will use a primer underneath them because I prefer the more saturated look (closer to the pan color).
They have a soft texture, but it’s thinner–kind of like a cross between satin and frost finish–so it has a dryness to it. Some of the shades (always noted by the shade as appropriate) can be on the powdery side and may require layering to achieve true-to-pan color. I did find them blendable and buildable, though. I didn’t feel like I had to put in much work to get these to come out right, which is a hallmark of a good product.
MAC Styledriven Pro Longwear Eyeshadows Swatches, Photos, Reviews (Part 1)
Ingredients
One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease over primer
One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease over primer (12 hours later)
One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease (NO primer)
One to Watch on lid, Hot Paprika in crease, Lie Low above crease (NO primer, 12 hours later)
MAC Carefree Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Carefree Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Carefree Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Carefree Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Carefree Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Hot Paprika Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Keep Your Cool Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Keep Your Cool Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Keep Your Cool Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Keep Your Cool Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Keep Your Cool Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Legendary Black Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Legendary Black Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Legendary Black Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
MAC Legendary Black Pro Longwear Eyeshadow
OMG, I’m a sucker for green and this one is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!
And that Legendary Black too! :x:x:x:x
ok… I think I ate too much sugar today :))
Gah, none of the colors really jump at me, but I’m somehow immensely pleased that they wore well. It must be nice when you test a product and it actually lives up to its wear-time claims, if not better.
They all look so beautiful! I particularly love Hot Paprika, Fresh Flare and Keep Your Cool =)
love love love these 🙂
I see three shades that are coming home with me for sure!
Love the before and after shots… very helpful!
Is Fresh Flare like Wondergrass from C Shock ’06? From memory it seems identical to FF.
Are these definitely permanent? I’ve asked at two different MAC counters in my city and been told by both that they are limited edition. Perhaps they are just limited in the UK 🙁
All information I have is that they are permanent.
Thanks Christine – I have read this elsewhere too but I am getting different information from the actual MAC employees I’ve spoken too. Oh well, they told me the same thing about the Superslick eyeliners and they are still around! I just wish they were better informed about their products sometimes.
*spoken TO. Typo.
Wow, they’re all really beautiful shades. I love Fresh Flare and Keep Your Cool!
And is it just me or did the shadow seem to look even *better* after 12 hours? The fact that it looks so amazing without primer is, well, just that! Amazing!
Yup, Hot Paprika is for me!
Hmmm I really thought Legendary Black would be a perm dupe for Hocus Pocus, I guess not huh? So far these are a miss.
I like these, but it just seems like SO much eyeshadow. I bought every Peacocky color because I fell in love with all of them, but I know for sure I’ll never make it through all of them. At least these are perm!
Yep, they give you twice as much, but they tack on $5 more – and in the long run, you’re really just spending more. What’s worse is these are permanent, so normally you could buy then in pan form (if they were the size of regular eyeshadows) and save $3-4 that way!
love the green. i will definitely check these out, i appreciate anything long-wearing, as i hate to re apply.
I nEEEEEd Legendary Black!!!! Perfect!
I am so glad these are not limited edition! I’d be so broke.
Hot Paprika looks good to be paired with theBalm mischievous marissa.
Fresh Flare is AMAZING! I have to get it!
Hot Paprika is such a cool color, I might have to indulge.
Thanks for working hard to get all these reviews out to us! 🙂
Legendary Black looks a lot like Hocus Pocus from this swatch. What do you think?
I’m drawn to Hot Paprika, though they all look great.
They hold up well. Curious as to what primer did you use?
NARS!
Fresh Flare looks almost like Urban Decay’s deluxe eyeshadow in Graffiti.
These all look gorgeous! Is Hot Paprika similar to Saffron from Surf Baby/Mickey Contractor? 😮
Lighter, more orange!
loving fresh flare, keep your cool, and hot paprika!
Is Keep Your Cool anything like Bloodline pigment?
Hmm, kind of, but I remember Bloodline have more burgundy in it.
Did you compare “Keep Your Cool” to “Unflappable” from Peacocky Coll.? To mee they look rather the same)
I mentioned that in the review! 🙂
Oh, damn it! Sorry! ;D I’m always in such a desperate hurry to see the shades swatches that I completely forget to read descriprion!
Hi I’m on the verge of buying unflappable and just saw “Keep your cool” and agree that they look SO similar. Which one would you recommend?
Not quite there… For me.
I’m obsessed with Legendary Black!
We’re these permanent?