Face

Tonight on Top Makeup Chef, Dillon and Skyler face off in the Quick Fire 10-Minute Makeup Challenge! Before the day is over [FLASH TO HOST PADMA LAKSHMI], one of them will see their dreams on Top Makeup Chef come to an end. “Please pack your blush and go.”

You’ve gotta know Padmna Lakshmi. She’s the host of Top Chef, one of my favorite TV guilty pleasures, and how do I get a catchphrase, BTW? On Top Chef, Padma’s is “Please pack your knives and go.” Mine could be “So many cats, so little time,” or “The world is a vampire!” ??

LOL.

Padma’s new MAC collaboration comes out next week, and here are three things you should know about it.

1. Unfortunately, neither of the two Blush Duos is called “Please Pack Your Knives and Go.”

I would have loved them even more if they were, haha! One of them has a satiny peachy pink and a frosty orange — that one is the one that’s more like a traditional blush and highlighter duo — and one that has a neutral matte brown and a frosty beige. That one works more like a bronzer and highlighter.

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Let’s break it down, babe.

Starting with…

1. What is it? Well, I’m glad you asked! 🙂 It’s a new line of $36 medium-buildable pressed powder available now in the permanent line.
2. It has a split pan with two shades, one warmer than the other, so you can customize your color.

   —-> I love this idea and wish more brands would do this! Heck, I’m always mixing shades anyway.

3. MAC says it’s for all skin types, but it’s supposed to be ESPECIALLY good for normal and dry skin…or so they say (more on this in a few).
4. The plastic compact feels sturdy and substantial (yay!). It also comes with two applicators — a sponge and a face brush.
5. It’s available in 11 shades (Dark Deepest, Dark Deep, Dark, Medium Deep, Medium Dark, Medium Golden, Medium Plus, Medium, Light Plus, Light, Extra Light).

   I wear Medium Golden, which is a good match for my NC42 skin.

6. I think ladies and gents who want 1) oil control, 2) pretty good coverage (one or two layers easily hides hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone) and 3) a matte finish should give it a try.
7. At least for me, this powder is a little tricky because when I layer it on top of foundations and concealers, my skin looks dry (it’s REALLY noticeable around the fine lines on my forehead), and my makeup looks heavy (you can see it in action here and here).

   Between the opaque coverage (even though it’s described as medium), the matte finish and my *ahem* age, this isn’t the most forgiving powder in the world. I mean, it’s not like I can see the powder grains or anything. In fact, the powder itself is very finely milled, but when it’s applied on top of other face products, it’s just more…Insta-glam fabulous than I’m used to these days. I don’t even venture up to medium coverage that often anymore.

   But if I just wear this on its own without concealer or foundation, or with, like, a primer or an illuminating lotion (like BECCA Backlight or MAC Strobe Cream), and I douse my skin with MAC Fix+ afterward, then I like it… It looks natural and gets the job done.

   Even by itself, though, it isn’t going to replace my number one MAC powder love, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

8. It reminds me of Chanel’s loose powder, and if you want moderately opaque coverage in a line with a good shade selection, and you have oily or normal skin, I think it’s definitely worth a try.

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1. Gosh, this is a comfy concealer!

MAC Studio Waterweight is MAC’s new lightweight medium-coverage matte finish liquid concealer (which you can build up to full). It has a thin, watery formula of the type that has become over the past few years, like Dior Nude Air and Shiseido Sync Synchro Skin, except with more coverage.

If you crave moderate coverage and a matte finish, and you don’t like your face to feel painted and “makeup-y,” check it out. You can set it with a powder or leave it alone.

Out the gate, Studio Waterweight provides more coverage than other MAC medium-coverage concealers like Select Cover-up and Select Moisturecover, but slightly less coverage than full-coverage Pro Longwear and Studio Finish. But you can build it up to full.

“MAC STUDIO WATERWEIGHT CONCEALER is an ultra-fluid formula with medium-full buildable coverage and a natural finish. While it hydrates and gently diffuses the appearance of imperfections, it also helps reduce the appearance of under eye circles, dark spots and discolouration.”

— maccosmetics.com

2. Not the best concealer for dry skin…

It looks fresh for a solid six hours on my combination skin and covers almost everything, from my dark circles to uneven pigmentation, without oxidizing, and it doesn’t pool up in my fine lines, buuut it does. Not. Cooperate. With. Dry. Skin.

Even if your skin is just the teeniest bit dry.

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1. These two new highlighting palettes are bound for the MAC permanent line, and each has three powder highlighters boasting a formula that I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen from MAC before…
2. They’re $39.50 each and coming February 15th to all the usual MAC haunts.
3. Get It Glowing is all about golden bronze, and Flash + Awe lives for rose gold.
4. These look exactly like the MAC In Extra Dimension Highlighters on my skin. They’re high-beam headlight highlighters with a flattering opalescent shine, and they feel like a BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powder.
5. Essentially, they’re MAC in a BECCA body. They feel a lot like the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powders and look similar on skin. They have that same practical pearly finish that you can dial up to full-tilt frost, or dial down for a subtler glow.
6. While similar to BECCA’s beauties, these feel considerably softer and creamier, which is incredible, because BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powders have been some of the softest, creamiest powder highlighter on the block for years.

   The Hyper Reals feel a little springy and spongy to the touch, and when you press a finger into a pan, it actually leaves a fingerprint behind (!).

7. The packaging reminds me of the long, slim cardboard MAC Girls eyeshadow palettes… I’m not crazy about it, actually. I hope they replace it soon, because the powders feel delicate, and I’m pretty sure they’ll break easily. A few hard knocks inside a makeup bag, and I suspect they’ll shatter.
8. I thought these might be hard to wear because of how frosty they look in the pans, but once they’re blended, all I see is a soft, pearly highlight, even around the smile lines near my eyes. That’s good stuff! 🙂
9. Girl, these are a GO! (Just don’t drop them.)

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