Hi everybody, I purchased some lipsticks and magic dusts last Wednesday and they arrived today, which I didn't think was too bad since they came all the way from New York to little New Zealand
I had concerns about the streakiness of the colour that others had described but had decided to give it a go anyway. I realise in America and other places the cost of these is higher than MAC, but in NZ you would expect to pay $35-40NZD for a lipstick at a MAC counter, however ordering 2 lipsticks and 2 magic dusts cost me $81.80NZD including postage. I couldn't drive up to Auckland (about $60NZD in petrol for a return trip) to buy a single MAC lipstick for less than that, and MAC doesn't ship within NZ. So cost wise I was very, very happy.
Onto quality - I use a lot of YSL lipsticks and I ADORE them, especially the Rouge Volupte line. I found these to be very similar to the Rouge Volupte both in colour pay off and creaminess. It truly was one stroke colour for me, very opaque and not at all streaky as I had been warned. I wore Airborne Unicorn all day and it lasted really well and never felt drying. I also didn't get that crumbly bit I sometimes get on the inside corners of my mouth - not sure how to describe that so that it makes sense to anyone!
I already have one of the Magic Dusts, the multi use shade 'Fairy Wings'. I use it a fair bit, mostly as a blender and highlight colour. I've tried many different brands and I felt the Magic Dusts were on par with one of the MAC shadows I have that I use for a similar purpose, Soft Force from the Style Warriors collection. I still find Dior to be one of the longest lasting shadows I have used. Again, cost wise the Magic Dusts are great for me. They work out at around $18 NZD which is the same as a Maybelline quad here, and half the price of a MAC shadow.
In case you're interested, I have very fair skin (no MAC foundation rating sorry), green eyes, red hair and my eyelids crease really fast with eyeshadow on, so I'm always looking out for a shadow that will last really well.
Hope this helps anyone wanting to steer clear of the Doe Deere/Xenia debate and read about the products themselves.