MAC N Collection Review and DreamWorld Foundation Look

For product photos and swatches, check out this entry.

Overall, I love the classic colors in this collection. I especially love the eye shadows. Everything I need for a classy neutral look is here. The eyeshadows are very timeless and I know I would be using colors like these even when I'm well into my 50s. I also liked that there were shades in pink and grey included in the mix.

Eyeshadows:

Nanogold is a beautiful neutral eyeshadow that gives an opalescent sheen. This is one of the very few eyeshadows in my opinion that one can use anywhere on the lid. It can be a wash or lid color, and it works great as a browbone highlighter. It doesn't have color pay-off as good as Vex or Almond Icing from the Sweetie Cake quad, though, but it has less or no grey undertones compared to the two mentioned, so that's a plus if you don't like grey tones on your highlighter.

Modest Tone is described as a "neutral dirty tan". This one is beautiful. Its formula is Satin so it goes on buttery rich and smooth. This is one of the prettier "transition" or "blender" colors that I have, it works great to show the progression of shades and can also work to blend the highlighter into the crease color.

Neutral Pink - this one is pure love. It's a beautiful dirty pink that works great as a crease color for daytime, and a beautiful lid color anytime of the day or night. This can go well with literally anything as it is neutral, and I can't wait to try this with pinks, purples, browns, coppers and blues (it's described as "dirty mid-tone blue pink").

Rich Flesh- another winner in my book. Very neutral, very classy as a crease or outer lid color.

Dark Edge - the darkest of them all; can be a beautiful crease color and liner. It's described as a "dirty chocolate brown", so this hue is pretty universal and would work great on all skintones.

Lipsticks:

I am less enthusiastic about the lipsticks as I am about the shadows. Two out five lipsticks didn't work well for me. 1N and 2N are just waaay too light. The only thing that can salvage them is if I use a darker shade of lipglass on top. 3N is okay, but I am not crazy about it. I can use it and can make it work by using a warmer lipliner and gloss, on its own, it's okay (a milky pastel pink), but this is not the color I normally wear. Now 4N is a different matter. It is absolutely gorgeous! I can wear it alone and it goes well with my warm complexion. It's described as a "midtone creamy brown", and it can change appearance on me depending on my lipliner or lipglass. 5N is a plummy sheer brown, which is perfect for nights out and even days when you want pretty plum lips.

Lipglasses:

I like the lipglasses better than the lipsticks. 1N is a beautiful creamy white tan, this shimmery light toffee-colored gloss looks great with darker lipsticks. I paired it with 4N lipstick and it looked subdued yet pretty. 2N is a neutral yellow pink, but I see more pink than yellow. This reminds me of Illicit lipglass, only the latter is a tad darker. 3N is mid-tone brown with gold and pink pearl. I like beiges and browns so this is a fave. I especially love the gold and pink shimmer that add spice to an otherwise "boring" color. I treat 4N as a liquid lipstick because of the outstanding color it brings forth. It's a chocolate brown with red pearl, and to my eye it sort of leans toward the bronzey side, which is a plus for me. I love this color; very dramatic and yet feminine at the same time.

Paint Pots:

Ahhh, now the paint pots. These are some of my favorite products from this collection. In my previous post, I have professed my love for Soft Ochre, deeming it the asian girl's Painterly (this one is too pink for my skintone). Soft Ochre literally disappears into my skin, making it a perfect eye base. Soooo beautiful; I cannot rave enough about this paint pot. I also used it as a base the other day and my shadows stayed vibrant and pretty the entire day. No need for Urban Decay Primer Potion or any other product to go with it; this baby delivers. Ground Work is a midtone neutral taupe and is a winner as well. I love taupes and this is going to be a staple for my taupe shadows like MAC Coco pigment. Lastly, Quite Natural is a dirty chocolate brown that would bring forth the richness of your shadows when used underneath. I can see this under beautiful outer lid and crease colors, to deepen the color and to make the shadows appear smooth and professionally applied.

Nail Lacquers:

The nail lacquers are going to be staples of mine for everyday use. Of course they may look boring because of the neutral hues, but this is perfect for me to use at work. The colors let me show my feminine side, but also show that I'm professional and exude an "I-mean-business" attitude. I work in a conservative firm and these are the perfect colors for my tips when I work at the office. N Colour is a creamy beige that is perfect for nails to make them look polished. Do I wear brown nailpolish? The answer is a resounding "Yes". I love brown polish and Naturally Rich, a milky chocolate color, is a pretty neutral brown. I love shimmery polish though so my favorite of the three is Demi-Blanc which is described as a gold beige with green pearl.

Technakohl eye kohl and Cremestick liners:

The technakohls and cremestick liners are my fave as well because the colors in this collection are universal and can be used with anything and everything. I love Graphblack and Brownborder in the classic colors of black and brown, and Sublime Culture and Creamola can go with any lip product, given their shades, "low-down tan" and "pink caramel fusion" respectively.

There you have it, my N Collection review. Here's a look using the N shadows and my new DreamWorld mineral samples. This time I used Theia as my foundation. I think I like it better than Themis. Thoughts? This is one of the better foundations I've tried; it goes on creamy, coverage is amazing and staying power is excellent.









Eyes:
MAC Soft Ochre paint pot as base
MAC All that Glitters eyeshadow on lid and inner lower lashline
MAC Nanogold eyeshadow as wash and highlighter
MAC Neutral Pink eyeshadow on outer lid
MAC Dark Edge eyeshadow on crease
MAC Remotely Grey eyeshadow on outer V
MAC Graphic Brown fluidline on upper lashline
Shu Uemura and Rimmel mascaras

Face:
Camellia Rose skin smoothing primer
DreamWorld mineral foundation in Theia (Luna formula)
Mary Kay undereye concealer in Ivory topped with
Bare Escentuals Well Rested
Monave Angel finishing powder
NARS blush in Sin
MAC Sculpt powder to contour

Lips:
MAC Creamola cremestick lipliner
MAC lipstick in 4N
MAC lipglass in 1N