August 21, 2009

I got a chance to stop at a MAC counter yesterday evening to check out the new MAC collection, Makeup Art Cosmetics. I went in to either buy nothing or only get a quad. I tend to read many reviews and look at as many swatches as I can so my spending is more controlled, lol. Anyway, in brief, this is a pretty decent size collection that offers something for everyone. The only problem is, if you've been an avid MAC collector for sometime (like me), there are not too many stand outs. My favourite products were the eyeshadow quads and Crest the Wave eyeshadow.

Here's my two cents on this collection:

Lipsticks
I didn't even bother swatching the Frost lipsticks. I am not a big fan of Frosts and plus one of them (I believe High Strong) is Perm. The Lustre lipsticks were pretty and very fall appropriate, I was actually tempted by them and swatched them on my hands. I was disappointed that with the exception of Fully Body, they apply very sheerly. Instant skip for me. I already have 2 vampy shades from last years Cult of Cherry and I will wait for Style Black to get my vampy fix for this year.

Lipglasses
The only lipgloss that didn't look like something we've seen 100 times in the past was On Display. It's a gorgeous burgundy shade and applies so pigmented and rich. I was going to pick it up when I realized it reminds me a lot of Jampacked, also released with Cult of Cherry. I put the lipglass down for now. I will go back this weekend with my Jampacked to compare them side by side.

Technakhols
These are four beautiful shades of pigmented technakohls. They are all beautiful and bold colour and apply very smooth. I skipped them all coz I make my own colour liners when I need to. I use a gel mixing medium I bought from MAC Pro and any of my pigments and they last on me all day. If you're too lazy for that (lol!) or don't have access to MAC Pro for the mixing medium, def pick up some of these. I especially loved Colour Matters which is a chartreuse green.

Eyeshadows
This collection offers 6 eyeshadow singles out of which only two are new. I would say skip Violet Trance, it looks gorgeous in the pan but it's so freakin chalky. Invest in some MUFE instead. Same with Maira's Mood. I think MUFE makes better pinks and purples. Maybe get MUFE #26 instead of Maira's Mood and MUFE #92 instead of Violet Trance. Haunting is a beautiful aqua blue which also doesn't apply well. It also reminds me of a cross between Aquadisiac and Mutiny. Off the Page is a gorgeous shimmery orange. I didn't pick it up coz I don't wear orange that much and I already have some MAC sample orange pigments as well as MUFE #11 and #5.
My favourite eyeshadow was Crest the Wave, previousely released with Naughty Nautical quad. It's a gorgeous plae shimmery yellow. I have a thing for shimmering pastel shades so I picked it up.

Blushes
The Perfect Cheek is a very pale chalky pink. Not my type of colour. It showed up on my inner arm which is probably an NW25, but I doubt it's show on my super tan summer face which is possibly an NW35 now. Notable is very pigmented but again not my type of colour. It's a redish brown. I'm thinking if you're NC40 or higher you might enjoy this one.

Pigments and Glitters
I skipped the glitters right off the bat since they're all pro products. Out of the pigments I already have Heritage Rouge (but if you don't GET IT!!), the most gorgeous burnt burgundy colour. Cocomotion is beautiful and I might pick it up later. I skipped Push the Edge coz I have enough purples in my arsenal. Brash and Bold is a beautiful shimmering fuchsia, but too close to Bright Fuchsia for me to be interested in.

Eyeshadow Quads
This was my favourite part of the launch. I have never bought any pre-made MAC quads and was determined to loose my quad virginity to these beautiful things, lol! I loved all three quads, I personally picked up Photo Realism coz it's full of Velux Pearls and Frosts tw of my favourite finishes. Also, Photo realism is more of a subdude green quad which makes it perfect for fall. Notority (neural quad) and In the Gallery (purple quad) are also beautiful. It just comes down to personal preference. I thought all three quads had colours that were very complimentary of each other and based on the pictures I've seen in InStyle, all three are very "fall 2009".

I don't have any swatches unfortunatly coz it's an overcast day. But if you want, please let me know and I swatch what I bought. Here's a picture of my haul:

Picture courtesy of Temptalia

MAC's newest collection, Make Up Art Comestics is due for release in North America on August 20th. This is to be MAC's big fall collection, like Cult of Cherry last year or Smoke Signals in 2007. I'm a huge fan of MAC's fall collection as they tend to have more well rounded collections then and also more dramatic products.

This collection will have a someting for everyone. You can check out Spektra for complete list of products and early swatches. But so far this seems like it will be a big seller. There are 3 quads, 5 lipsticks, 5 lipglasses, 2 blushes, 6 single eyeshadows, 5 technakhol eyeliners, 4 pigments and 4 glitters! It's huge! Now looking at them all, it seems like my wishlist is not a big one again. I guess it migtht have to do with my collection slowly becoming so big that I don't get easily excited about MAC new collections anymore. Here's my wishlist based on preliminary info:

- Young Thing l/g - Yellow Neutral with gold pearlized pigments (Frost)
- Push the Edge p/m - Deep bright purple with pearlized pigments (Frost)
- Photo Realism Quad

I need to save up for Style Black which excites me much more! What's everyone getting from this collection?