NOTE: Swatches can be found
HERE.
I always love the collection immediately before the holiday sets because the products, packaging and colors are just gorgeous and well thought-of. Just like
Antiquitease of last year, this year's counterpart in
"Red" She Said did not disappoint. The combination of all my favorite MAC products in one collection made me feel as giddy as a child in a candy store when I stepped inside MAC. Seeing my favorite dazzleglasses, beauty powder blushes (yes, I prefer them to the regular blushes), holiday-jazzed up lipsticks and new-and-improved mineralize eyeshadows in one collection was just too much for me. MAC-gasm indeed!
Dazzleglasses
First of all, the dazzleglasses. Aahhh! I'm such a dazzleglass bimbo, and on most days I really prefer them to the lipglasses because of the mega-watt shine, although I love lipglasses to bits as well. I heard they will become permanent, but as of now they have all just been talks; I really, really hope these become permanent.
Sugarrimmed is a beautiful milky pale pink with red, teal and white pearl. This would look amazing on top of darker lipsticks or on its own when I am sporting dramatic eye looks. I love the pearls incorporated in this shade.
Baby Sparks is one of my favorites, if ever I have a favorite, as I love all of my dazzles. It's a pale pink with violet pearl that just gives the prettiest pink puckers with the trademark glassy finish.
Miss Dynamite - ahh. I love it so much I am glad I have a back-up. Its sheer orange-y copper with pearl really complements my warm undertones. On its own it looks really beautiful.
Love Alert is a raspberry red with red pearl; it's the first dazzleglass from this collection to get sold out on the MAC website. The festive color of
Love Alert must be one of the reasons why it's such a cult favorite. Lastly,
Date Night is a sultry deep plum with blue and gold pearl. This one is a favorite as well because it may look dark in the tube but it goes on pretty sheer but pigmented on my lips. Can't wait to play with these some more.
Mineralize eyeshadows
The texture and color pay-off in these are so much better than the previously released mineralize shadows. Except for the glittery "zipper" in the middle of the product, they are very pigmented and absolutely saturated in color. I believe you need to apply the glitter zipper wet to achieve decent color pay-off, but the shadows themselves can be applied dry, yet still bring forth rich, pigmented shades.
Inter-View is my absolute favorite as it is very versatile and the colors are just classic and classy. It has frosty deep navy with copper pearl stripe and frosty bronzy brown. The two solid colors look amazing as crease/outer V colors or to create a smokey eye.
Threesome is a combination of frosty burnt red, copper pearl stripe and frosty indigo. I read that it is also one of the crowd pleasers from this collection.
Dangerzone is sooo beautiful. It is a trio of frosty true red, silver pearl stripe and frosty black. They really do look "mysterious and dangerous". However, I believe the red is a very wearable one and coupled with the black side, they are gorgeous. The silver glitter truly kicks it up a notch.
Persuasive is a combination of frosty white blue, silver pearl stripe and frosty indigo. In the swatches I made, the indigo side is as rich and as deep as a stormy, tempestuous ocean. I would buy this trio if only for the indigo side. Just gorgeous.
Outspoken is a frosty plum and frosty violet with a silver pearl stripe. I've seen breathtaking eye looks using this one, so I believe this is also a very good buy especially if you like purples.
Word of Mouth is a frosty pale beige, copper pearl stripe and frosty blue grey. I am not a fan of this as I already have similar colors. This would appeal to someone who doesn't have these shades yet.
Lipsticks:
"Red" She Said is the star of the collection, a very pigmented, mid-tone blue red that absolutely commands attention. I literally stared at the
"Red" She Said-painted lips of the MAC MAs, and it looks amazing when worn. This is such a fabulous, festive red, and would truly herald the coming of the holidays.
Quiet, Please is a sheer frosty pale beige that is as quiet as
"Red" She Said is loud and festive. This would look great to pair with dramatic eyes or to tone down darker lipglasses.
Crazee is a mid-tone coral red with pearl that is warmer than
"Red" She Said; a must if you love coral-reds.
Soft Pause is a sheer dark brownish berry that I believe would suit my complexion. I love berry shades especially for fall, so I also recommend this.
Pomposity is a frosty mid-tone blue pink with pearl. Now this one truly suits its name. A little too pompous for me, I must say, and it reminds me a bit of the 80s, so I think I'm passing up on this one.
Fluidlines
Silverstroke- I have been looking for a pigmented platinum gel liner all my makeup life, and this is the answer to my prayers to the MAC Powers That Be. A beautiful metallic platinum that would truly bring the holidays to your eyes. I also love how it opens up the peepers and makes them look less tired.
Blacktrack- well one can never have too many black gel liners. This is a back-up. A real classic. 'Nuff said.
Beauty Powder Blushes
First of all, I love these products because I really prefer beauty powder blushes over regular MAC blushes due to its beautiful finish. The colors are soft but definitely buildable, but the beautiful multi-speckled sheen is just amazing.
Stark Naked - the emerging superstar of this collection. I can't believe it's sold out in many stores, and based on the online reviews, its fanbase is enormous. And rightly so; its shimmery mid-tone mauve with gold pearl is as beautiful as it is universal; it cuts across all skintone boundaries.
Enough Said is a shimmery light bronze with gold pearl, a cousin of
Eversun, and would look good on medium to darker skintones.
Eye BrowsI have
Stud, a deep rich blackened brown. It is deeply pigmented and looks great over my dark eyebrows. If you have dark hair like mine, I recommend this shade.
All in all, I believe this collection is one of the better ones from MAC this year. I loved most of the items from
"Red" She Said, and the colors truly speak of the coming holidays.
