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Wearing the New MAC Aaliyah Collection (VIDEO REVIEW)

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mac aaliyah collection
Wearing Eye Shadow X 9 in Age Ain’t Nothing, Bronzing Powder in Baby Girl and Lipglass in Li Li’s Motor City from the new limited edition MAC Aaliyah collection, coming June 20th to the MAC website and select stores June 21st.

You know what I just realized? I just realized that I can tie different eras from my teens and 20s to Aaliyah’s music. Like, Jen, Cindy and I played Back and Forth so much in the summer before I left for college, and then in the spring of my senior year at Davis, Are You That Somebody was almost constantly on the radio whenever Eleanor, Mary Anne, Christine and I drove anywhere (In-N-Out after class, to the city late at night to go clubbing, house parties, the library, to go rollerblading all over town, to the gym).

And then around the time El Hub and I met, Rock the Boat was THE JAM.

Aaliyah’s legacy lives on through her music, and her fans lobbied hard for a MAC collection.

mac aaliyah collection
Feelin’ this packaging

I wore my first look with it today (I plan to do at least one more with a lip), and here are pics, swatches (NC42) and some thoughts (in the video). First impression: holy shimmer!

mac aaliyah age aint nothing eye shadow x 9
Eye Shadow X 9 in Age Ain’t Nothing ($32)
mac aaliyah bronzing powder
Bronzing Powder in Baby Girl ($27)
mac aaliyah lipglass
Brooklyn Born, Li Li’s Motor City, At Your Best You Are, 1 in a Million ($17 each)

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New From MAC and Patrick Starrr: The MAC Summer Starrr Kit and Hot and Heavy Face Powder

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mac summer starrr k
It’s karaoke time!

“You must be my Summer Starrrrrrr!!!”

I dare you to NOT sing Madonna’s Lucky Star out loud whenever you think of the name of this kit, ’cause I sure as heck can’t do it.

Mega-influencer and glamazon YouTuber Patrick Starrr is back with another collab with MAC, Summer Starrr, and it’s all about warm shades and peppy packaging.

The summer collection includes a kit containing an eye quad, glosses and a bronzer; and a separate shimmery face powder, and they’re up on the MAC website right now.

mac summer starrr swatches
Swatches on NC42

The Summer Starrr Full Face Kit ($49.50)

I looooooove me a summer eyeshadow quad! Gimme, gimme! ? All of those tantalizing, toasty golds and peaches… Basically, I like any and all shades that go well with a tan. Unexpectedly, Patrick’s new quad is actually warmer toned than usual for a summer collection.

mac summer starrr
So fun!

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The “New” MAC 224 Synthetic Tapered Blending Brush…

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mac 224s

Hey, can I borrow your hot tub/DeLorean time machine for an hour? Pretty please?

I need to get back to 2017 or, really, any time before MAC revamped their brush line and changed so many of their classic brushes. Like this one: the 224.

If you say “yes,” I’ll babysit your cat or bake you brownies. What do ya say? Deal? 🙂

MAC 224S Synthetic Tapered Blending Brush ($34)

I wish I could stock up those old 224s because — HELLO, CRANKY PANTS — this new version is scratchy and stiff, several of the bristles have fallen out, and the ferrule is already loose.

Such a bummer, too, because the old-school 224s are beasts. I have two that are more than five years old and still going strong, but they’ll have to be replaced sooner or later.

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REVIEW! MAC Mirage Noir Slow As You Go Eye Shadow and Mother o’ Pearl Pearlmatte Face Powder

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mac mirage noir slow as you go

Playful plum and purple today! I’m wearing MAC Slow As You Go from the new Mirage Noir summer collection on my lids, Mother o’ Pearl on my cheeks (also from MAC Mirage Noir) and Brave Lipstick on my lips (MAC permanent)

I went for ’80s today… Don’t know if I quite got there, but it’s all good. 🙂 I still like how this look turned out.

So, plums and purples today. And I found this top that I’ve had forever. It’s by Halogen, and I got it at Nordstrom a zillion years ago.

I wanted my makeup to complement the top, which is something I don’t do very often — coordinate my makeup with my clothes — especially lately. Lately my clothes have basically been an afterthought (although I’m working diligently to change that), but today I thought I’d coordinate. Plus, big hair. I was going for ’80s hair…or a modified version, but I’ll get to that in a sec.

First, the two key ingredients in this look… LOL! Ingredients. 🙂 What, are we making brownies? OK, the two key “elements” are a purple eyeshadow called Slow As You Go, and a plummy golden bronzed cheek/face powder called Mother o’ Pearl.

Both are from the new MAC Mirage Noir summer collection available now.

MAC Slow as You Go Eye Shadow ($17)

You’re gonna dig this if you’re a fan of MAC Trax. Slow as You Go is similar, but I actually think I like it more than Trax because it’s shinier (in a good way) and more richer. Like Trax two point oh. It’s also silky soft and blends like a dream. And — this is important — it doesn’t make my eyes water like so many other purples do.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Did you know? Golden purples like Slow as You Go pair very well with MAC Powersurge and MAC Prunella eyeliners. 😉

mac mirage noir mother o pearl slow as you go
Makin’ mah heart flutter!

MAC Mother o’ Pearl Pearlmatte Powder ($34)

This plummy gold has a slightly warm bronze undercurrent. It’s like a combo bronzer, blush and highlighter. Normally I just mix it all together and sweep that on my cheeks and blend.

Technically, it’s a powder, but it feels almost like a cream, and the opalescent finish is pure purr-fection.

It’s like a bronzier MAC Plum Foolery, but not as shiny.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Did you know? You can also use Mother o’ Pearl as an eyeshadow. Yup, it’s also approved for lids.

mac mirage noir other o pearl k
CHEEKS!

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Try This Skin-Like Base Combo ASAP: MAC Face and Body Foundation Set With Mineralize Foundation/Loose

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mac face body mineralize skinfinish loose
These two together are pretty epic!

Shout-out to my fellow Bay Area gal pal Kelly (Say hi to her in the comments!) for the 4-1-1 on this awesome base combination. She said it was the BEST combo for skin-like results and said that it had just enough coverage for her to be able to skip concealer.

She. Was. Right! I wholeheartedly agree. I started wearing it last weekend, and I don’t plan to stop.

I’m wearing a mix of Face and Body in C4 and C5 in these pics with a dollop of the new Light Pearl from Mirage Noir. And I set it with Mineralize Foundation/Loose in Medium Dark.

mac face body mineralize skinfinish loose 2
The face of a happy girl who just found her new favorite face base combo… 🙂

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Testing the MAC Mirage Noir Collection Eye Shadow in Sun, Tan and Repeat, and Lipstick in Twig

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mac sun tan repeat eye shadow k 1
Sun, Tan and Repeat!

OK, every time I sit down to do my makeup and say to myself, “Karen, don’t do smoky eyes,” I end up doing smoky eyes, so at this point I’m thinking that I should just tell myself to do smoky eyes and assume that via the power of reverse psychology I’ll do something other than smoky eyes. 🙂 Let’s see if that logic holds. LOL!

Today I used Sun, Tan and Repeat, a duo chrome teal shadow from MAC Mirage Noir,, to see how it performs.

First off, it looks awfully similar to MAC Club, one of my favorite MAC shadows of all time. They’re actually surprisingly similar, so you may not need this one if you have already Club. They’re essentially dupes to my eye… Practically. They’re dupe-esque. Or dupe-like. I think you have to look really closely to see the differences between them, or be like a total eagle-eyed color hound.

Sun, Tan Repeat pops a bit more on lids… It’s a bit brighter and more teal (tealer?) than Club, so it seems a tad more cheerful than Club, which has those deeper charcoal tones… Club is moodier.

Sun, Tan and Repeat is also shinier than Club, so if you always end up applying Club with a wet brush to amplify the shimmer, then ST&R could be a worthy addition.

Here’s it in action…

Something else I’m noticing: I prefer ST&R’s texture. It’s MUCH softer and creamier than Club.

ST&R, by the way, looks really beautiful if you line your lash lines with a deep, dark forest green or a blackened green liner. You could do an iridescent liner, but I prefer a matte finish because I like the contrast of the matte against the shimmer, so you get that extra interesting element. I’m wearing it today with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Invasion on my lash line and water lines (although I’m not sure if I’ll be using this particular shade on my water lines again because my left eye is all watery now… I think I’m destined for a life of only wearing certain MAC liners and Chanel Stylo Yeuxs on my water line).

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MAC Mirage Noir Collection Extra Dimension Bronzing Powder in Delphic and Face and Body Foundation in Light Pearl

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Mission “Ketchup Run to Target” was a smashing success this afternoon, and Delphic Bronzer from MAC Mirage Noir looks just as swoon-worthy as it looked when I put it on a few hours ago. Also, just as swoon-worthy as it looked the first time I saw it back in — HOLY CRAP! — the MAC Alluring Aquatic collection in 2014.

Has it really been that long??

Incidentally, I think this is the best bronzer MAC has ever done. Yes, even better than Give Me Sun MSF. Seriously, it’s that creamy, dreamy, buttery, silky Extra Dimension formula, man. It’s amazeballs. It’s like applying pure color to your skin without a trace of powdery residue.

I don’t think there’s anything else quite like it. I’ve been rationing my one from Alluring Aquatic (yes, I don’t care how old it is) for years… Glad I don’t have to do that anymore.

That’s also MAC Eye Shadow in Sun Speck on my lids, which ended up being frostier than I expected, and MAC Face & Body Foundation in Light Pearl, which I mixed with Face & Body C4 and C5… I wouldn’t wear Light Pearl all by itself, except for maybe on my arms and legs, because it’s pearly, but I love it mixed with another Face & Body shade.

Oh, and haha! Yes, that’s the Coywolf saying “hello” in the background of the video. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I put pics and swatches of the collection in this post here.

MAC Mirage Noir Collection for Summer 2018: Pics, Swatches and My First Look Using the Products

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mac mirage noir collection
Here’s the look I’m wearing today to test three things from the new MAC Mirage Noir collection — Sun Speck Eye Shadow, Delphic Bronzer and Face and Body Foundation in Light Pearl. More looks coming soon.

Serious question for you: is this “bronzed peach” look too glam for a ketchup run? — because from among the list of “things that go well on BBQ,” I do believe that ketchup is the least fancy of them all. FOR SURE, the fanciest has to be dijon mustard, because — hi — if something can be prefaced with a word en français, it’s officially fancy. 🙂

Speaking of my limited high school French, can anyone out there confirm what Mirage Noir means? Is it “black illusion”?

Pics and swatches coming at’cha…

MAC Mirage Noir: Summer 2018

LE and coming May 17th, 2018, to select MAC locations and the MAC website.

LIPSTICK ($18.50 each)

  • Nothing to Wear: Cool nude (Cremesheen)
  • Twig: Soft, muted brownish pink (Satin)
  • Goodbye Kiss: Cool mid-tone pink (Amplified)
  • Beach Nut: Deep violet (Matte)
  • Noon Noir: Frosty brown (Frost)

LIPGLASS ($17.50 each)

  • Oysterized: Soft white shimmer
  • Strip ‘n’ Dip: Pink bronze with shimmer
  • Soft Shell: Mid-tone brown
  • Midnight Dip: Mid-tone violet shimmer
  • Treasure Beach: Bright fuchsia

EYE SHADOW ($17 each)

  • Dust Off: Soft beige shimmer (Frost)
  • Sun Speck: Light brown shimmer (VLXP)
  • Slow as You Glow: Purple shimmer (Frost)
  • Sun, Tan and Repeat: Forest green with purple sparkle (VLXP)

EXTRA DIMENSION BRONZING POWDER ($34 each)

  • Golden Rinse: Light brick reddish bronze with fine shimmer
  • Delphic: Coppery bronze with gold sparkle

BRONZING POWDER ($27 each)

  • Baiana Bronze: Medium deep-tone neutral matte bronze
  • Matte Bronze: Bare-shouldered bronze

PEARLMATTE FACE POWDER ($34)

  • Mother o’ Pearl: Gold (mid-tone golden brown), Pink (muted peach beige), Berry (red plum), Brown (warm chestnut brown)

M∙A∙C STUDIO FACE AND BODY FOUNDATION ($30 each)

  • Light Pearl: Light with added bronze pearl
  • Medium Deep Pearl: Medium deep with added bronze pearl

BRUSH ($42)

  • 140SES Full Fan Brush
mac sun tan repeat
Sun, Tan and Repeat ($17)
mac slow as you go
Slow as You Go ($17)
mac sun speck
Sun Speck ($17)
mac dust off
Dust Off ($17)
mac mother o pearl
Pearlmatte Face Powder in Mother o’ Pearl ($34)
mac mirage noir lipstick
Lipsticks in Nothing to Wear, Twig, Goodbye Kiss, Noon Noir and Beach Nut ($18.50 each)
mac mirage noir lipglass
Lipglasses in Oysterized, Strip & Dip, Soft Shell, Treasure Beach and Midnight Dip ($17.50 each)
mac face body light pearl medium deep pearl
Studio Face and Body Foundation in Light Pearl and Medium Deep Pearl ($30 each)

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