jenise
Well-known member
DittoI'm still team blush
MAC x Pedro Lourenço (June 5, 2014)
- Thread starter Mac-Guy
- Start date
liba
Well-known member
So I got to see the whole collection today!
Team Blush people - no need to worry. I had ZERO issues with the blush. It was plenty pigmented and I was able to pick up a normal amount on my brush without any issues - PLUS I was the very first person to test it. It was right out of the box. So, if there was any weird coating that needed to be rubbed off, I didn't see it. Here's the thing - the pale part of the blush is very pale and skin-like. It was peachier and deeper than Forever Marilyn, but it's more of a beauty powder finish than a bright blush. On my NC15 skin, it showed up as a blush without any issue, but a barely there type of blush, not something super colorful. Meanwhile, the darker part was PLENTY pigmented and so smooth and soft and blendable. On me, it has a very natural rose/terra cotta color. It's more on the warm side and more summery for sure, but with the paler color blended on top, it looks very natural and soft. On someone darker than me, it will be a very subtle effect, perfect for any daytime situation. I think it'll be fine on NW as well as NC, because you can use the paler shade to soften the darker shade and add a little more of a neutral to cool cast, plus its peachiness will cancel redness in the cheeks just right. There's no sheen or sparkle at all, just a soft natural texture. And the COMPACT!!!! I looooove this packaging so much more than AA. It's the smoothest, most velvety rubber finish - way better than Temperature Rising or Viva Glam Riri - it feels so soft, like a soft little puppy belly. Doesn't show any fingerprints and doesn't look like bits will flake or rub off. The gold accents are classy - even the box is nice. If MAC changed all their packaging to this texture, it'd be LOVE. Same goes for the lipstick tubes in particular, but the CCB and quad are nice with it too.
The other products I thought were A-mazing were the glosses. They are gorgeous, particularly the silver one. That one is spectacular. It's so packed with shimmer and metallic color, but it's not quite the same as the pearlescent AA glosses - those are more drastically light reflective. These ones allow a little bit more of the natural lip color to peek through, but just around the curves, primarily. The silver one is happily not too cool (or too warm) - it'll be fine on basically anyone who has well-pigmented lips. It's honestly more silvery pale gray overall, than metal silver. It was extremely flattering on me, and silver lips are pretty hit or miss for me. Spectacular. The gold one was a teeny bit sheerer, but barely. It had the same glistening but finely milled texture. This is a classy texture for adults, rather than disco time sparkle and glitter and shine. It's a bit of a subdued bronzy gold that again, wasn't too warm or cool. Many NWs will be able to enjoy this one without a lot of work. They look great over the lipsticks too, but I think I'd wear them alone. I'm getting the silver for sure and the gold I might want to compare to the gold from Sharon Osbourne (that one so far looks much sheerer and more sparkly from the photos I've seen).
The lipsticks aren't must haves if you have a lot of reds already or you don't care about Amplified. Right now, I am in love with Mangrove and I already have some fun, creamy reds like Just A Bite and Prepare for Pleasure. These just don't have that je ne sais quoi that makes Mangrove so modern, except possibly Ruby. That one was probably the most flattering of the reds on me. True Red also looked nice, but it was too Scarlet Ibis-y for me. I don't need another super bright red right now. Roxo was pretty but had a bit of a brown undertone that, while not dragging down my skin coloring, wasn't something I really need. If you love Diva, this will be your nice creamy version. Peach Beige was actually a little too light for me?! Pale NWs are gonna looooove it, though. They're all good formulas and heavily pigmented, but I'd say try before buy, unless you are a red fanatic and want something a little more grownup than an ultra-matte red.
The quad is very soft and the colors are quite pale. With the dark natural coloring on my lids, they're just not my thing. I think they will look best on pale people who want a no-makeup eye look with a little polish, or darker complexions that like the pale shadow look, since while pale, none of these colors are heavy on the white or pastel and aren't chalky at all.
What's on my list? Mirror for sure!! Probably also Gold Mirror and the blush duo ( the blush duo is not unlike Ring of Saturn MB on me when worn very buffed down, but without any sheen or sparkle at all). Maybe Ruby, but I don't really need that one. I've got enough red lipstick already that I think 2 or 3 new reds a year is my maximum and they really have to be very unique and modern - this year VG Riri and Mangrove are fitting the bill for me, above and beyond this collection. They're all good quality products, though.
Team Blush people - no need to worry. I had ZERO issues with the blush. It was plenty pigmented and I was able to pick up a normal amount on my brush without any issues - PLUS I was the very first person to test it. It was right out of the box. So, if there was any weird coating that needed to be rubbed off, I didn't see it. Here's the thing - the pale part of the blush is very pale and skin-like. It was peachier and deeper than Forever Marilyn, but it's more of a beauty powder finish than a bright blush. On my NC15 skin, it showed up as a blush without any issue, but a barely there type of blush, not something super colorful. Meanwhile, the darker part was PLENTY pigmented and so smooth and soft and blendable. On me, it has a very natural rose/terra cotta color. It's more on the warm side and more summery for sure, but with the paler color blended on top, it looks very natural and soft. On someone darker than me, it will be a very subtle effect, perfect for any daytime situation. I think it'll be fine on NW as well as NC, because you can use the paler shade to soften the darker shade and add a little more of a neutral to cool cast, plus its peachiness will cancel redness in the cheeks just right. There's no sheen or sparkle at all, just a soft natural texture. And the COMPACT!!!! I looooove this packaging so much more than AA. It's the smoothest, most velvety rubber finish - way better than Temperature Rising or Viva Glam Riri - it feels so soft, like a soft little puppy belly. Doesn't show any fingerprints and doesn't look like bits will flake or rub off. The gold accents are classy - even the box is nice. If MAC changed all their packaging to this texture, it'd be LOVE. Same goes for the lipstick tubes in particular, but the CCB and quad are nice with it too.
The other products I thought were A-mazing were the glosses. They are gorgeous, particularly the silver one. That one is spectacular. It's so packed with shimmer and metallic color, but it's not quite the same as the pearlescent AA glosses - those are more drastically light reflective. These ones allow a little bit more of the natural lip color to peek through, but just around the curves, primarily. The silver one is happily not too cool (or too warm) - it'll be fine on basically anyone who has well-pigmented lips. It's honestly more silvery pale gray overall, than metal silver. It was extremely flattering on me, and silver lips are pretty hit or miss for me. Spectacular. The gold one was a teeny bit sheerer, but barely. It had the same glistening but finely milled texture. This is a classy texture for adults, rather than disco time sparkle and glitter and shine. It's a bit of a subdued bronzy gold that again, wasn't too warm or cool. Many NWs will be able to enjoy this one without a lot of work. They look great over the lipsticks too, but I think I'd wear them alone. I'm getting the silver for sure and the gold I might want to compare to the gold from Sharon Osbourne (that one so far looks much sheerer and more sparkly from the photos I've seen).
The lipsticks aren't must haves if you have a lot of reds already or you don't care about Amplified. Right now, I am in love with Mangrove and I already have some fun, creamy reds like Just A Bite and Prepare for Pleasure. These just don't have that je ne sais quoi that makes Mangrove so modern, except possibly Ruby. That one was probably the most flattering of the reds on me. True Red also looked nice, but it was too Scarlet Ibis-y for me. I don't need another super bright red right now. Roxo was pretty but had a bit of a brown undertone that, while not dragging down my skin coloring, wasn't something I really need. If you love Diva, this will be your nice creamy version. Peach Beige was actually a little too light for me?! Pale NWs are gonna looooove it, though. They're all good formulas and heavily pigmented, but I'd say try before buy, unless you are a red fanatic and want something a little more grownup than an ultra-matte red.
The quad is very soft and the colors are quite pale. With the dark natural coloring on my lids, they're just not my thing. I think they will look best on pale people who want a no-makeup eye look with a little polish, or darker complexions that like the pale shadow look, since while pale, none of these colors are heavy on the white or pastel and aren't chalky at all.
What's on my list? Mirror for sure!! Probably also Gold Mirror and the blush duo ( the blush duo is not unlike Ring of Saturn MB on me when worn very buffed down, but without any sheen or sparkle at all). Maybe Ruby, but I don't really need that one. I've got enough red lipstick already that I think 2 or 3 new reds a year is my maximum and they really have to be very unique and modern - this year VG Riri and Mangrove are fitting the bill for me, above and beyond this collection. They're all good quality products, though.
PixieDancer
Well-known member
MandyVanHook
Well-known member
My list is staying the same. Roxo, Mirror, and Gold Mirror!
PixieDancer
Well-known member
I'm not seeing this and your hard core "Roxo Enabling" missy! LOLMy list is staying the same. Roxo, Mirror, and Gold Mirror!
liba
Well-known member
Honestly, with your coloring, Gold Mirror may be better than Mirror. Mirror is very grey. I'd think about that. It doesn't wash me out, but I have naturally red lips and generally very strong, contrasty coloring with the dark hair and brows and green eyes and fair skin.
The blush, on the other hand….you might love it. I'd check it out in a store if you can. You might be surprised!
liba
Well-known member
Roxo looked much browner on me than it does on T. Sort of a Fixed on Drama type of red, just a little lighter looking, in part due to the texture. If it runs brown on me, plenty of other people will run into that issue. Buying reds without trying them is always a super danger zone, with how they can wash out a complexion so fast if it's the wrong red.
GlamQueen21
Well-known member
liba
Well-known member
The paler color will be great for canceling out excess redness on the cheeks. The deeper color might pull slightly too warm if you don't buff it in with some of the paler color, but the good news is it's sheer enough to let your natural coloring come through a bit, so with red cheeks or pink cheeks, it might actually just look redder, more than warmer.
MACina
Well-known member
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the collection, liba
Honi
Well-known member
Thank you!
Your descriptions are always so handy. I was worried it would be too warm for me but I guess that mixing it could help with that.
PixieDancer
Well-known member
Isn't she the bestest ever!Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the collection, liba
Purrkitten
Active member
BrainsAndBeauty
Well-known member
AMEN!
BrainsAndBeauty
Well-known member
Ok! After lurking and reading Liba's wonderful review, here's my final list: - All the lippies - Both glosses - The blush - The Quad I don't know what is is about this collection that's sucking me in. I just find the rubberized black and shiny gold packaging so sexy and sophisticated. I must have these!!!! :eyelove:
Dolly Snow
Moderator
I love your avi!
awickedshape
Well-known member
[@]PixieDancer[/@] I agree with you re: "I was going to get the blush... but I'm on blush overload right now. And I cannot chance a poor performer if I were to end up with a dud like T & Karen. To me, it doesn't look unique enough to risk it, since I can't try it in store first. I'm cutting off impulse buys after my AA fail! LOL" [@]liba[/@] thank you, good news for those with Corol on their list I'm always looking for good reds for me so, hopefully, TR for me
