hello my fabulously feline ladies. It's been a busy day and I still have more stuff to do, but I am taking a break with some comments now that I finally spent hours in the store trying every darn thing on
This is a very weird sophisticated collection - lots of very subtle colors and textures that do not necessarily pop in indoor light, in hand swatches or even on bare skin that hasn't been primed and color corrected to porcelain perfection. I came, bought some things, but still couldn't get others out of my mind and wound up changing my opinion especially on Bloodline after stopping in at another MAC location that has good natural light.
In other words, you might need to test everything carefully and you might even feel a little "meh" about some of it but once you are out under real-world conditions, it's easy to see there is some special stuff going on. For folks with tons of makeup already, you might be able to dupe some things, but everything is really fresh and modern. I'm going to have some go-to looks for day to day from this one and also some dramatic high fashion statements too.
Aristo-Cat: I had wanted this one first and foremost, but on my lips (red pigmented) it honestly looked very much like Hellraiser without the blue sparkles. A little too much to justify getting it, sad to say. If you don't like sparkles and want a lovely old-rose/mauve, it's still sweet. If you prefer sparkles or a creamier formula, you might be better off with Hellraiser. I have a feeling that on less red lips, Aristo-Cat will read pinker and brighter, so mileage is going to vary on this one.
Bloodline: Hand swatches do not do this one justice. Indoor artificial light doesn't do it much justice either. I actually skipped it at my usual counter, but then went crazy over it at second store I went into, that has plenty of sunny natural light. This is definitely a color that the majority of skin tones can use on a daily basis for a day-into-night smokey eye. It's not sheer at all, though, so my hopes of it being something I could use as a veil from lid all the way to brow are a little thwarted. Also, even though I did get it and do think that it's the sort of color that can justify a full bottle of it, rather than just a tiny sample, there IS a color in this collection that will give an even more fashion forward smokey eye effect - Furiously Fabulous from the LL quad...
LL Quad: As I was saying, Furiously Fabulous, the warm black veluxe pearl is just radical. This shit is gorgeous, although if you were expecting heavy pigmentation and deep jet black, that's not what this is about. What it's about is that it is soooo finely milled, soooo smooth. It's so buildable - you need to layer it on gently like transparent silk stockings. You can apply this all the way up to your brow so that it's just the sheerest wisp of darkness, and then you can smooth on another layer or two for an amazing glossy sheen. It almost looks wet, that's how beautiful the sheen is. I was thinking I'd hold off on this quad, but I was simply amazed at the texture of this shadow. It's like what we were all trying to do, putting a gloss medium over shadow for a wet look, except now you can just use it dry, avoid the greasy aspect of gloss medium and still get that amazing shine. It really is just the color of the fanciest french pure silk stockings. This is the most modern, gorgeous black shadow I've ever seen!!! Superlatives all around for this one. Next level shit. Jaw dropping, etc. etc. etc.
Wild by Nature - the matte camel beige nude is also fantastic. Very buttery for a matte. I'd say it's closer to a satin, without actually being a satin and there's a very subtle sheen. Lithe turned a bit yellowish on my skin after a while, but this one stays true. Another one you want to gently layer on to get the full effect- packing it on is not as beautiful, although wetting your brush with Fix+ after loading it with the shadow and then applying is another option that still keeps the sheen but intensifies the color. Blended with Style Predator you get a stunning sunset effect while still being basically nude.
Style Predator - Warm and gilded without being in your face or heavy. You could call it a coppery, gilded apricot. Heavier application or using a base or Fix+ would bring out the orange color. A MA was applying it for a medium dark cool toned woman over a paint pot color and it looked very vibrant and glowing that way, would look great like that out at night in a dark club or restaurant. This color under the eyes will make any color eyes pop. Again, super smooth - for a color that is basically metallic and frosty, it still smoothes over any wrinkles on your lids, because it's so finely milled. Seriously will take the years off, not put them on as you might expect an
orangey eyeshadow to do.
Notoriety - I know some people have mixed feelings about this one, but it's an excellent compliment to the rest of the colors in this quad and provides a touch of glitter and sparkle to the other colors which are basically very subtle gradations of sheen.
All in all, this quad is what modern, subtle, age-defying eye makeup is all about. Seriously gorgeous and much more glamorous than a lot of what the fancier designer brands have come up with this season. I do not even feel a twinge over spending $40 (with tax) on this baby. Pan hitting is gonna happen, without a doubt.
PP Quad: I didn't buy this one today, but not because it's not beautiful. It's just not quite as stunning as the LL quad, but that's primarily due to Quite Spoiled, which could have benefitted from a bit lighter finish. It's the obvious accent color here, but it goes on a little flat and heavy for my taste. It's a tough call - if it had had more shimmer or sheen it'd have looked tackier. It's more sophisticated the way it is, but also winds up being a bit plain jane due to it. Total Catch-22. Russian Blue was better and really beautiful - what painters would call Payne's Grey. I'm not surprised this was used on the runways. The two paler colors were just as soft, beautiful and full of silky sheen as the camel and apricot from LL quad. If you are extremely cool toned around the eyes and/or have grey, blue or light hazel eyes, this is the quad of total gorgeousness for you. When I was 20 years old, this would have been my pick over the LL Quad, but my eyes are a little puffy and darkened with age (and wisdom) to rock this quad in the best possible way.
BB Quad: I dunno about this one. It's the cooler, more muted step-sister of the LL Quad. I swatched all of it, but it was just all too subtle and subdued for my taste, without benefitting from the full textural interplay of LL or PP quads. Burmese Beauty, the duochrome, though is beautiful, with that same wonderful, buildable sheerness of Fabulously Furious with the green duochrome for added loveliness. If they ever bring this one around in a single pot, I would snap it up in a second. As it is, though, this quad plays it awfully safe compared to the other two. For the right skin tone, it'd be something you could use every single day, if you like keeping things simple and pretty. If your eyes are showing a lot of signs of age, this one would probably be the most flattering. One thing.....if you are a guy who likes to wear a little eye makeup, honey this will be an HG. I would gladly run after a guy in a rustic tweed suit with this quad properly applied, hehe.
uhoh this post has gotten waaay too long. I'll make another post for my further rantings. Don't ask me why, but I just love analyzing all this makeup for all of you. I'm a writer for a living, so I guess I like going on
