MAC Style Black Review and Swatches

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I am certainly not a goth girl by any standards, but I can appreciate some of the products in this collection. The key to wearing these is moderation. All in all, I really loved some of the items, especially the greasepaint (I really, really think this will be a hit), the mineralize eyeshadows, the 214 brush, and Goth Baby Girl nail lacquer. NOTE: All the swatch photos you see in this entry were taken under direct sunlight.

Let's start with the mineralize eyeshadows. I was very impressed with the texture when I swatched these. They were buttery, glided on the skin effortlessly, and unlike other mineralize shadows in the past, this new batch is very pigmented even when applied dry. The swatches above were applied dry, and yet you could see how easily the pigment shone through. When foiled, these are just amazingly metallic and pigmented, and the nuances of the black base mixing with the silver, gold, plum and blue specks are just out of this world. I've never liked mineralize shadows especially the earlier releases, but if you like black mixed with metallic colors of blue, silver, gold and purple, you will love these. My favorite would be Gilt By Association since I love golds- a mineralize black with gold bronze. Cinderfella is a black base with silver pearl, which would also look amazing especially for night looks. Blue Flame is a pretty black base with blue pearl, and Young Punk is a black base with purple pearl. MAC just basically mixed mineralize black with some of the colors normally worn with black, which is cool.



These lipsticks were probably not a favorite since I hardly wear dark lippies, but for the right skintone and look, these would look great. Black Night is a creamy true black that kinda applies sheer but it is buildable to make that opaque black lip look. Night Violet is a repromote from 2007's Mattene collection which I had but had to give it up because I never used it. I agree, it IS very pretty, though, and on darker skintones (and maybe lighter ones), this would look fab. Midnight Media is a dense matte black, a very opaque matte lipstick that looks scary to me. Definitely not for me.



I am liking the glimmerglasses more than the lipsticks, maybe because they are definitely not as opaque as the dark lippies. These are also best layered over another lipstick, which would look quite amazing, I must say. Blackware is a creamy true black that I don't care much for, because I want bling and not just cream. Blackfire is my best bet in this lot, a sheer black with pinkish purple pearl. I would love this layered over pink, magenta, or red lipsticks. Bling Black is a sheer black with gold pearl, which is also meant to be layered over other lip products as this is very sheer.



I believe that this might be the winner of this collection. This is an amazing product. A very deep, intense black eye base, eyeliner, or shadow that glides like a dream on the skin, effortlessly coating it with dense black grease-like paint, hence the name. I can't wait to use this under shadows. As you probably know, a black base is not just for black eyeshadows. The blackness of the eye base makes any kind of color more vivid and makes the particular shade pop on the lid. You can choose to use whichever color you want over the greasepaint stick, and it will make the color pop right out. This is much easier to glide on the lids than the shadestick, and a hundred times more pigmented. Love it.

Smolder is your basic intense black kohl liner that also glides easily and VERY pigmented.


Volcanic Ash Exfoliator in old packaging

( See the rest of the swatches and review after the jump)



Last year's Future Earth collection featured a highly coveted product called the Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. I would always see this product in In-Search-Of posts in MAC fan boards, and I know why. This sludgy product is an amazing exfoliator made of- surprise- volcanic ash. In my previous review, I'd said that I hated the packaging, which was in a huge tub that causes the product to spill out of the sides - annoyingly messy, and I believe that's the reason why they chose to house it in those new squeeze tubes. I also said that the smell kinda gets to me too. It IS a pleasant scent, but it is just a bit too strong for me. Other than that, it is a great product. I used it on my face and back, and it just made my skin supple and smooth. The sugar granules were a bit big compared to what I am used to (I use Mary Kay Microdermabrasion set), but it is definitely effective nonetheless. My face looked noticeably smoother with a lot less of those half-in-half-out whiteheads on my temples and forehead. I am thinking if I should get the mask, considering that I already have a couple of glacial mud masks myself, but I will update you once I do get it.

Nail Lacquers

I lost my swatches of the nail lacquers, but I bought Baby Girl Goth and it's a beautiful black with pinkish purple pearl. The MAC MA was spot on when she said it is MAC's nail lacquer version of Beauty Marked eyeshadow. It is exactly like that shadow, but picture it in nail lacquer form. I will post swatches of the lacquers once I get the opportunity. However, I do have an old pic of Nocturnelle, a basic black cream on my toes. It is a beautiful black and it's one of my prized MAC nail lacquers.



214 Brush



It's officially described as a small shader brush on the MAC site, but it is mainly a smudge brush, but it can have a variety of uses. It can be used to smudge lines to create a sultry smokey eye look, and the stiff but very dense hairs can likewise apply color effectively on the lashlines. It can also be used to pack color on the lid, or to create a defined crease. I had a hard time getting this when it was first released in the Brunette, Blonde, Redhead collection, it was sold out everywhere. I had to get this at the Pro store in LA. No regrets, though, because this is such a versatile little brush with lots of uses.

Penultimate Liner in Rapidblack





If you want precise black lines, liquid eyeliner is the way to go, and Penultimate liner is a liquid liner in pen form that is very easy to use. The felt tip is amazing in giving you precise control of your strokes, and the very fine tip also makes your lines as fine or thick as you like. This is still my favorite liquid liner up to this day. Fool-proof application and glides like a dream on the lids.

All in all, Style Black would be a hit for those who like dark, vampy looks. For those who think it's way too dark or gothic, you can always opt to layer them over other colors to tone down the look, especially for the glimmerglasses.