I've had the opportunity to play with the colors and textures of the
MAC Warm and Cozy collection. I must say that they are not the most unique makeup colors on this planet, but I liked some nonetheless because they are mostly neutrals and can be used time and again on almost any occasion. I like the fact that they are mostly warm colors too which would suit my complexion, although the colors are pretty much universal and would suit a wide range of skintones.
LIPSTICKS:
Spiced Tea is a warm bronzed brown that would probably suit medium to dark skintones. It is a tad too dark for me, however.
Siss is a muted golden beige which I love because it is a satin formula, which I believe I can probably pull off if I am sporting a really dramatic or smoky eye look.
My favorite of the bunch has got to be
Warm Me Up, a creamy mid-tone neutral pink in the Amplified formula, and I will definitely be getting this baby. I tried it in the store and I loved the glistening finish, the great pigmentation (thanks to the formula), and the beautiful shade.
Warm Me Up reminds me of the MAC lipstick in
Marquise 'D, but much more pigmented:
LIPGLASSES:
The lipglasses are nice but there's not one that really called out to me. I already have
2N and
3N - they're okay but not really that unique.
2N is a creamy neutral yellow pink that you can use over darker lipsticks to town down the color.
3N is a neutral brown with gold and pink pearl that is sometimes too dark for my taste.
Feeling Dreamy is a dreamy pale neutral pink with pink pearl that to my eyes look very similar to
2N.
Light That Fire! is a mid-tone burnt coral with pearl that is the most interesting color of the bunch for me, but still didn't light
my fire.
SHADESTICKS:
Oh wow, I think the shadesticks are the winners in this collection. I LOVE the pigmentation and wonderful texture. These are definitely a great improvement from the old-school shadesticks that tug at the lids and really don't give great color pay-off. These new ones glide like butter on the skin, have great texture and color pay-off is amazing. That is the reason why I much prefer shadesticks over other eye primers like Urban Decay primer potion- they not only give long life to your eyeshadow looks, they even have great texture and pigmentation to make your eyeshadow colors pop!
Cuddle is a frosted light golden yellow that I would definitely use to brighten my eye or to give a touch of shimmer to my looks.
Nurture is a frosted pale neutral pink with pink pearl that you can use with most eyeshadow colors.
Warm & Cozy is a burnt amber with red and gold pearl that would look great with coppers, bronzes, neutrals and golds.
Relaxed is a frosted dark chocolate brown that would look best with smokey and neutral looks.
I love these, and I would probably get each one of them, but if not, I would definitely get
Cuddle and
Nurture.
EYESHADOWS:I like that the shadows are on the neutral side especially for this time of the year. My most fave is
Mulled Cider, a dark warm brown in the satin formula that would look amazing as a crease color. A must-have!
Chamomile is a creamy pale yellow that looks like your average pale yellow highlighter, however I like that it is satin in formula because I need a toned-down (as opposed to a shimmery) highlighter.
Embark is from the permanent collection I believe and is an intense reddish brown. Very pigmented and matte so it would be great for bridal work or any neutral look.
Modelette- a mid-tone warm camel that didn't do anything for me. I didn't like the color at all.
MINERALIZE SKINFINISH:
(See rest of the review after the jump)
I am a collector of mineralize skinfinishes (MSFs), so I am such a sucker for these. I just had to have By Candlelight, a golden pink which to my eyes is a warmer version of Pleasureflush, a discontinued but very much sought-after MSF from many collections ago. I used to have all MSFs ever released by MAC except Pleasureflush (but just sold Stereo Rose and Lightscapade as I never used these). With my possession of By Candlelight, it feels like I own Pleasureflush too, but better, because the warm undertones truly complement my skintone. I love it!!
On the other hand, I didn't like Comfort because I already have too many similar-colored MSFs and contour/bronzing powders.
TINTED LIP CONDITIONERS (see above photos for swatches):
I love MAC TLCs because they really keep my lips supple and soft and prepped for my lipstick and lipglass application, but I have not really found a shade as good as my MAC Hello Kitty Pink Fish TLC. I liked Feelin' Good which is a light neutral beige, but for the price, I feel that there are cheaper balms out there that give a neutral hue as well for a lesser price. Close for Comfort is a pinkish brown that is a bit too brown for my taste. I have nothing against the formula of the TLC, I just didn't like the colors they released for this particular collection.
All in all, Warm & Cozy has a little bit of everything for everyone. I highly recommend the shadesticks, Chamomile and Mulled Cider eyeshadows, Warm Me Up lipstick and By Candlelight MSF. These are going to be staples that will remain classic because of the universal and classy shades.
