Hello Angels!
Back with a review of some MAC pressed pigments I picked up to complete my collection of what I found most interesting from that collection. While I was at it I also decided to try (for the first time!) their Strobe Liquid, famed by many makeup artists and beauty bloggers as a go-to for creating an ethereal glow on any skin tone. So it came home with me (see separate review post!).
All told I own 7 of the 20 pigments. The complete collection can be viewed
here
Here is my haul (plus strobe liquid):
I've swatched them on my NW45 skin.
From left to right, we have:
Moth (silver based light purple), Sweet Acting (silver based frosty pink), Angelic (silver based frosty off-white), Day Gleam (pearly NC30 shade), Deeply Dashing (pearly NW55 shade), Lime Ice (glittery seafoam green) and lastly Black Grape (deep aubergine with multi-pearl). No primer, one good firm swipe across the pan.
What do you think? Ok well for starters let's address the name: Pigments When we were discussing this with our local fave MAC artist she explained that the goal of these was to provide something like their glitter pigments that is a little bit easier to use. If you've every tried using any loose pigments or glitters then you understand what difficulty she's talking about. Imagine dropping black MAC pigment... anywhere.... Disaster. With these they stay put in the pan.
What about the color payoff? Well I'd say there's a loss of color on a darker skin tone such as mine, and the silver undertone can start to take over. I purchased Moth when these first came out and really liked that I could use it as a lightly colored, sparkly overlay for my purple eyeshadow looks, and decided to go back for the others to use for the same purpose. So for me, the fact that their color isn't high impact isn't a deal breaker. What is high-impact is the SPARKLE! And I'm not talking crazy looking arts and crafts glitter chunks. The ultra fine sparkle from these babies on the lids is, as my boyfriend put it, "mesmerizing" for a fun date night makeup look.
Here is an example I put together to illustrate:
That said, the colors are subtle enough to wear during the day as well. They're all pigmented enough to wear alone when applied correctly, and would look very nice with an "unmade-up" makeup look (especially the Day Gleam and Deeply Dashing pigments).
How to apply, you ask? I would use any stiff and short-bristled eyeshadow brush (my fave for these is the MAC 215 but the 213 and 239 work as well. You just don't want the bristles so long that they flick sparkle all over your face as you apply. Moisten the brush with a little MAC Fix+ solution misted over it to really pack the shadow on to deepen the color if desired. I also recommend using Shadow Shields, to avoid excessive fallout (although with a moistened brush and careful application it's not too much of a problem).
The only heartbreaker here? I couldn't get my hands on the most popular pressed pigment: Damson. Described as a "deep brown with gold pearl" online, the pot I swatched in the store made me gasp it was so pretty on my brown skin. But they're alllll sold out. I may check Ebay, and pay above retail, it was that pretty.
Well that's all for now. Hope you liked the swatches and got some useful tips! Please leave your comments and questions below and as always... Happy Haulin'!
