Eye Shadow -MAC - Infamous Paint
piratecaptain 8/18/2010 2:16:00 AM
Let me begin by saying that I think that the old school MAC paints are straight from Heaven, and I am currently trying to scoop the last ones on earth up so that I will never run out...That said, this paint kind of sucks. The color is awesome, a bright royal shimmery purple reminiscent of Parfait Amour, but with less pink and more blue. BUT the texture is all messed up. The main point of paints (for me) is that they provide an awesome base for my eyeshadows, and last a very long time. This paint REPELS eyeshadow. Seriously, I don't know how or why, but where I apply the paint is exactly where the eyeshadow does not want to stick, leaving a weird lighter area devoid of color. Perhaps this paint is best used on it's own, but that is not really how I roll, so.... for me, buying this paint on ebay was a very pricey roll of the dice. And I lost :( But if this is the only paint out of 14 that sucks, I can live with that. I just probably won't be using it very often. UPDATE: I am not going to take back ALL the mean things I said about this paint, but I will say that I wore it today with Push The Edge over the top of it and the color was spectacular! The paint even managed to last about 6 hours (until I tried to "freshen up", bad mistake, it rubbed off again leaving one of it's weird lighter areas). So I will keep this paint for purple looks.....but only when they need to last for 5 hrs or less.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Pigment in Deep Blue Green
piratecaptain 8/16/2010 10:07:00 PM
FALLOUT! FALLOUT! FALLOUT! Such a bummer because the color is gorgeous. But all I end up seeing are the weird greyish shadow bags under my eyes that, no matter how hard I try, always appear when I wear this pigment. My latest trick was to put the mirror down on a flat surface, so when I bend over to apply the pigment to my eyes, it falls down onto the counter instead of on my face. But even with that nifty trick, the pigment finds it's way down below my eyes eventually. Lame. I think if this was going to be wearable for me at all there would have to be some kind of heavy duty plastification sealer involved, ensuring that every last molecule of color was trapped forever inside of some sort of encasement. And that just sounds like way too much work. Too bad. So pretty.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Sweet & Punchy
piratecaptain 8/4/2010 7:28:00 PM
LOVE THIS EYESHADOW!!!! It's funny because I had never planned to buy this because I already own Eyepopping, and I assumed that they were nearly identical. But when I went to my 3rd MAC store looking to find Lucky Green and they too were sold out, the MA offered up Sweet & Punchy instead and it just looked so gorgeous in the pot that I couldn't resist (also I was on vacation far away from my Eyepopping so I had nothing to compare it to). When I got home and got them next to each other I found that they were indeed almost identical, BUT juuuust different enough to justify having both :) ....almost. They are made of pretty much the same pigment colors, but their textures and sheens are very different: Eyepopping is a satin (very pigmented and soft) and appears on the lid as slightly greener and less shimmery gold than Sweet & Punchy. Sweet & Punchy is a Veluxe Pearl, highly pigmented and VERY shimmery, and to me is a LOT more yellow gold which makes it much more versatile than Eyepopping. Bottom line is, I appreciate them both, but now that I have S & P I can see that I will probably never be reaching for Eyepopping again, because more of my looks involve golds, reds and browns than greens.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Lucky Green
piratecaptain 8/3/2010 5:55:00 PM
I DO understand why we were all lemming this eyeshadow for so long, because it is a gorgeous golden green, and a veluxe pearl, and for a while there it was REALLY hard to find.... The funny thing is, that when I got it home and tried it out next to Sweet and Punchy, I liked Sweet and Punchy wayyyy better. But I think it is because I prefer my golden greens to be golder vs greener, as they are more wearable alone on me, and I think they are more versatile in general. I don't really ever return much, but I think I am going to take Lucky Green back....and just stick with Sweet and Punchy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Wind Me Up
piratecaptain 8/3/2010 5:47:00 PM
Copper and rose microglitter in an almost transparent tan-nude base gloss, this is the most everyday wearable of the 6 Dare To Wear glosses. As I stated in my review of Ban This! (the magenta gloss from this collection) I am normally completely distrustful of any kind of glitter, but this gloss is gorgeous and very wearable for 30-somethings who normally shy away from the sparkle. The overall effect of the gloss is a rich copper shimmer, which can be amped up with lipliners (spice, chicory, pink treat, sublime culture...anything remotely warm will work great with this gloss) or worn alone for a copper glow. The texture is definitely a bit bizarre, as there is so much microglitter trapped in the gloss that it feels kind of tacky, which many folks will probably hate. Me, I don't mind it too much. All in all if you want to try one of these glosses but all the other colors seem too over the top, this is a great one to try. It's less of a spectacle, and way more versatile.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Dame Edna lipstick in Gladiola
piratecaptain 8/2/2010 5:51:00 AM
Great lipstick (of course, it's MAC), and I bought it based on rave reviews here on MUA. But in my opinion the lipstick has a weird grey undertone that nobody else has mentioned, and on me looks horrible. In theory it is a great color, a vibrant blue toned pink, but on the lips looks a little bit...fake? Does that make sense? I think the combination of the strong cool undertones and the fact that it is a matte means that it makes me look like a creepy doll. But I am sure that this color looks divine on many other ladies...so only listen to me if you are a fair to medium skinned freckled brunette with hazel eyes.
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Ban This!
piratecaptain 7/28/2010 4:06:00 PM
CRAZY COLOR! It's like Violetta lipstick but with hot pink and blue microglitter galore. It is a vibrant very dark red-violet magenta, rich and deep and lovely. As for the texture, the glitter is very fine but there is a LOT of it, so the gloss is kind if chunky and tacky-sticky (but not slippery-sticky like lipglasses) which may drive some people nuts. For me it kind of works because I end up messing with my lips less, so the gloss stays in place for much longer. (Beware that as you wear it the blue glitters become more prominent because somehow they stay in place even when the pigmented gloss has gone...) I bought this color and Wind Me Up (which is a very wearable everyday copper color), and I love them both. But for people who do not normally like glitter or sparkle I would recommend that you try these on before you buy them, I can see that a lot of people might seriously dislike them, especially the texture. -EDIT: The way that the color fades but leaves my lips with a blue shimmer is just too weird. I mean it still looks good, but not daytime friendly. It's a party gloss only.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Paint Pot in Cash Flow
piratecaptain 6/7/2010 4:28:00 AM
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz. Snoozefest. For those of you who have been lemming this LE paintpot....don't even worry about it, because you are not missing anything. I am a die hard MAC fan, and not generally interested in finding cheaper dupes of MAC products, but this paint pot is so underwhelming, that there is no reason for anyone to spend the $30+ on ebay that you will now have to pay to get this. it is a boring light gold. BORRRRRRING. I was hoping for a yellow gold, or a bronze gold, or a tarnished gold, or a greenish gold, a COLOR worthy of the MAC name. But this gold is like a generic, cheap light beige-gold, and if the color could talk it would say "meh". Bottom line is that if you just want a light colored sparkly base, and you don't want to buy beige-ing shadestick, but would rather drop 30$ on a discontinued paint pot, well be my guest. But if you think you need this because it is special, unique, different, or even pretty...don't bother. For those of you who want this color, but are frustrated at not being able to find Cash Flow, I am sure that Benefit, or Bobbie Brown, etc (or more "normal" and "traditional" cosmetic companies) will have this color. It is very middle of the road, and totally dupe-able. PS- did a test today with pigments over Cash Flow PP and Beige-ing Shadestick and the pigments adhered wayyyyy better to the shadestick, and the colors were MUCH more vibrant.
5 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Paint Pot in Artifact [DISCONTINUED]
piratecaptain 5/30/2010 3:15:00 AM
SO GORGEOUS!!!! I have been debating this paint pot for months since I have Benefit's "Stiletto" creaseless cream shadow already, thinking that they were too similar. Finally I gave in since Artifact is being discontinued and I didn't want to miss my chance. So glad I did! This color is SO PRETTY. It is a rich velvety mahogany red with coppery red reflects. This is NOT a tame "reddish brown" color, this is a color for people who want bright rich luscious redness. It provides a gorgeous base for Star Violet, Cranberry, and it turns Coppering into foiled metallic copper madness. Compared to Benefit's Stiletto, Artifact is much more of an oxblood red, with much more copper. Stiletto is more of a rich wine-red/burgundy, more purple undertones. When swatched on my hand, they initially looked quite similar, but as I studied them I saw all the differences and thought about how the undertones would suit very different looks. If you are looking for a base to go under the shadows mentioned above, either Stiletto or Artifact will work. If you get pretty picky about color, you can definitely own both and probably use them in very different ways. (Artifact can go into the bronzey copper gold realm, and Stiletto can go more towards magenta, pinks and lilacs). Great color, great texture. If you don;t own this and you can still find it at your MAC store, BUY IT NOW.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Liners -MAC - "mouth off"
piratecaptain 5/21/2010 8:59:00 PM
This is the lipliner I was recommended when I purchased Vegas Volt, and it matches pretty much exactly. Which I actually don't like, as I would prefer a bit darker/deeper/brighter line to define the edges of my lips better. The color is a BRIGHT light coral orange, and just like Vegas Volt it is very opaque in it's lightness, as if there is a really white base for the color itself...if that makes any sense. It just seems a little weird for me to have a lipliner that is LIGHTER than my lips, especially since I have very little color in them to begin with. All in all, if you like to use your lipliner as a base for your lipstick, filling in the whole lip under the lipstick, then this is a great color for any bright orangey peaches or corals, if you want a liner with more depth I would go for Spice or Chicory. I do wish there was a middle ground color between those 3....a nude coral perhaps? Does it seem to anyone that MAC is kind of lacking in the lipliner department sometimes? (Don't get me wrong, I am not committing treason against my queen, it's just that I hate having to go behind her back to find colors from other brands, and I feel like I have to do that with lipliners.)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -BeneFit Cosmetics - Creaseless Cream Shadow in Stiletto
piratecaptain 5/21/2010 8:51:00 PM
Great color. shimmery sparkly wine, definitely on the warm plum side but still with redwood reflects. I usually apply this on the outer half of my lid and use Benefit Get Figgy Creaseless Cream on the inner half. Looks PERFECT under MAC Star Violet, Plum Dressing and Cranberry. Easy to blend, very creamy, OK staying power....But "creaseless", they are not. Gorgeous on hazel eyes, and the color balances out the pinkish tendency I have around my waterline.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Paint Pot in Moss Scape
piratecaptain 5/21/2010 8:45:00 PM
Gorgeous color. As a wash it is a very sheer barely olive-tinged sparkly gold, with a heavier hand it is a deeper greener golden moss. I bought it to wear under Henna eyeshadow, which it goes beautifully with. However, despite it's pretty color this has the least staying power of any MAC paint pot that I have tried (and I have about 10 of them), and after 4 or 5 hrs it's all creased and oily looking, having also taken my eyeshadow with it. Granted, nothing stays on my lids for long, so if you don't usually have issues with eye makeup disappearing or creasing, this may not be an issue for you. But if you do...... you have been warned :)
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Haze
piratecaptain 5/21/2010 8:33:00 PM
I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THIS EYE SHADOW SINCE 1998!!!! And I still haven't found it (since it has been discontinued for over 10 years), but at least now I know what it is called. I have been trying to mix pigments and layer existing shadows to come up with the beauty of this shadow, and have never been able to recreate it, nor have I found anything like it in any other makeup lines. I wish MAC would come out with this again, even if it was only for a LE collection.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Flammable Paint
piratecaptain 5/15/2010 9:24:00 AM
For some reason New Zealand MAC stores are still carrying this color with their paints, which is awesome because I was going to have to shell out 30 bucks for it on ebay since the US MAC stores stopped carrying it a long time ago. This is a rich dark pinky red as it comes out of the tube, but sheers down really nicely to a bright red, and then to a coral-ish hot pink, and then to a coral. It is VERY easy to blend, much more so than lots of other paints, which is good since it is quite bright and mistakes would show quite easily. It is suprisingly wearable, and provides a great base for a lot of different colors. Great under browns, bronzes, coppers, peaches, corals and provides a lovely rich depth. Does not give the "rabid bunny eye" look as long as you line your eyes with black liner. If you have this color and Rubenesque PP you can mix them together for a good replica of Coral Crepe PP (which is the new LE paint pot with the Pret-a-Papier collection). By the way, I actually prefer the paints in tubes rather than the paint pots as they stay WAY creamier and more hygienic for much much longer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Kraft (Amplified Creme)
piratecaptain 5/14/2010 8:03:00 AM
LOVE THIS LIPSTICK!!!!! Was definitely enticed by this color when I knew the collection was coming out, but was secretly fearful that this brown would be too yellowy-red brown instead of the plummier browns that tend to look better on me. I was very pleased to find that this is a lovely warm brown that does not make my NW20 skin look too pinkish or too sallow, somehow it is perfect! It looks great with Spice lip liner (as you would assume), but it also looks fantastic with Plum liner, and I will bet that it would transform beautifully with Chicory, Auburn, Mahogany, etc. It is that perfect middle ground brown that can become any kind of color you want it to. I do find the texture to be slicker and less matte than other amplified cremes such as Up the Amp, Vegas Volt, and Craving. All in all, I wish it wasn't LE and I think you should all go out there and buy it while you can!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No