making faces :: product review [mac "big bounce" shadows]

sheesh. with all the advance talk about these and the reviews from consumers, you'd think these shadows broke up someone's marriage. seriously, even the best products have their detractors, but i don't think that i have ever seen such universal distaste for something. i guess it's kind of reassuring to know that unanimity is still possible, even in the diversified world of the internet.

mac released these at the beginning of the month, along with a collection of coloured mascaras under the collection name "flighty". on the same day, they came out with a colour collection [one with no new products] called "fashion flower", which i reviewed previously. at the time of the launch, i'd already heard reviews of the new cream-mousse formula big bounce shadows that indicated that they weren't for me.

now, just to let you know where i'm coming from, i haven't used a cream shadow in about fifteen years. i don't like them as a rule, they tend to crease like crazy on my deep-set eyes and i dislike the sensation of having moist eyelids. so the negative reviews just reinforced what already made me skeptical. however, i got sample sizes of four of the colours and i figured, there are lots of things that i like even though a lot of other people hate them, so maybe i'll find out if there's a way i can make these work. the colours, after all, are simply gorgeous. mac really ran with these and released a whole palette of shades, even more than they did with their sumptuous "mega-metal" shadows that came out in january.

spread the wealth/ good fortune/ rich, sweet, luxury touch- direct light

i can understand their eagerness to get in on the market right away. in 2011, cream shadows went from being a niche product to "the new hotness", which meant that mac competitors nars, makeup forever and benefit had a serious advantage, since they already had cult favourite products on the market. on the high end, giorgio armani led the charge with their "eyes to kill" shadows, which are not creams but work more or less the same way and everyone else is now playing catch-up. guerlain has three cream shadows out with their summer collection and chanel apparently has some on deck for fall. so mac needed something that was new and they needed a good colour range to hold their own against those who already had a toe-hold.

ARE THE BIG BOUNCES REALLY THAT BAD? SEE THEM IN ACTION...



people seem to like cream shadows for two main reasons: they're quick to apply and their smooth consistency makes them relatively idiot-proof. you can swipe them on with a finger and go and they tend to be more even than powders. once they've set- usually within a few seconds- they stay put. also, bright colours are more intense in cream formula, so if you really want a pop, they're your best bet.

same as above, in indirect light

people hate cream shadows more or less for one reason: they crease. the moist product gets squished into the fine lines on your eyelids, which make it look like you're wearing a dingy horizontal blind as makeup. there's a reason benefit named their product "creaseless creams" to push them to the public.

so for mac's product to be successful, it would have to be quick and easy to apply, it would have to be relatively forgiving in application [without being unreasonable] and it would have to maintain an even colour [and a rich colour for darker and brighter shades] for several hours. on top of that, there are a couple of things that they would need not to do [i can't make that grammar sound good]: smudge and crease.

with that in mind, i proceeded to test out four shades:

good fortune :: a light pink champagne
spread the welath :: a medium metallic golden olive
luxury touch :: a rich purple-plum
rich, sweet :: a deep espresso brown with gold shimmer

from the start, i have to say that i was nervous. the texture of the shadows, described by mac as "spongy [and] mousse-like", is considerably wetter than regular cream shadows. they're about the consistency of yogurt- not the thick eastern european stuff, either- which seems counter-intuitive for a product that's supposed to last longer and wear better than regular cream shadows. but i figured i'd try them in a few different ways to see if i could find something that worked.

attempt #1 :: use 'em like a regular shadow

6 hours after application

5 minutes after application

i figured that a lot of people will just want them for the colour and will combine them with other shadows to create a full look. in this case, use applied "good fortune" lightly with a brush, it sheered out a lot and seemed disinclined to dry. i used two of mac's own mega-metal shadows, which are the ultimate in terms of blending and ease of use. however, it still looked kind of messy, because the cream shadow just wouldn't set, despite me leaving it a full minute. in order to get it anything close to dry, i had to give it a few seconds with the hair dryer. i did use a base [mac paint pot in painterly], but i have to say that the end result still looks like the before picture in a lesson on why you should use a base for your eye makeup. i tried adding a touch of eye liner- a liquid formula, because i could apply it with a lighter touch in case things still weren't absolutely dry- but that just seemed to make the cream shadow angry. within minutes the liner was so smudged you could barely tell it was there. the weird thing is that there really isn't that much difference between the way it looked after a few minutes and the way it looked several hours later when i took it off. that would be great, if it had looked good to begin with.

attempt #2 :: quick & dirty

5 hours after application

5 minutes after application

like i said, the main appeal of cream shadows is supposed to be their ease of use. endeavour #1 didn't seem very easy to me, but i figured that maybe i just wasn't using the shadows the way they were intended. so this time, i went with the simple approach.

having learned my lesson about liner, i started off with a paint pot base [augmented with a little inglot powder shadow for extra grip] once again, but i used one of mac's greasepaint sticks to get a dark, smudgy line around the eye, then i carefully, gently patted "rich, sweet" on my mobile lid, with the aim of doing a very quick, slightly smoky look that would allow me to go from no makeup to out the door in five minutes. the result?

ten minutes later i was still fidgeting with the eye shadow, had resorted to using a brush [smaller and firmer than the first time] and had something that looked worse than my first attempt. in the end, i had to call it quits [although the shadow still hadn't entirely dried] and live with something that was uneven and messy. a few hours later, the cream shadow had dissolved more or less to a dirty stain and i was left with a sort of muddy ring around my eyes, because the greasepaint stick, true to form, stayed put.

attempt #3 :: from the bottom up

5 minutes after application

so the last thing i could think of to do with a cream shadow was to use it as a base for other shadows. i do this anyway with a natural shade to even out the colour of my lids and to give a smooth surface for the makeup i'm applying. i still did that, but in this case, i layered "spread the wealth" over the base on my lid with a large, round, soft shadow brush. this brush on its own gave me smoother and more even coverage than anything i've tried so far, which is a plus. it did not help with the drying time, but since i knew what to do [close my eyes and wait], i managed to get it to dry much as i applied it.

i used a palette of greens [mac's photorealism quad- l.e. 2009] over the cream shadow and it definitely does seem to add a certain depth and warmthto the overall look. the thing is, i don't know that i'd spend $20 just to get this effect. it's nice, but it's not a real "wow" factor. these colours are lovely on their own and all this adds is a bit extra.

i will say that this is the only way that i was successful in using the big bounce shadows and since previous attempts indicate that there isn't a huge difference between what these look like freshly applied and what they look like hours later, i decided just to go with the "fresh" photo. used as anything other than a base, i'm afraid the big bounce are a big bust. the drying time means that they aren't quick to work with. the super-soft texture means that they're far from idiot-proof and, unless you apply a base underneath and a shadow over them, they start to migrate within minutes of application. sorry mac, i think you were so eager to get something into the cream shadow market that you rushed a deeply flawed product that'll come back to bite you.

note :: by day three, my right eye showed signs of irritation and was itchy and swollen in the corner. i can't say whether this was because of the shadows or not, since my eyes can be a little sensitive. nonetheless, i can't rule them out as a source of the irritation, so i felt i should mention it. 

here's a breakdown of the three looks that i did [realistically, i think the first two belong in the "hall of shame" from last week.]


"good fortune"

good fortune

i find that the sloppy eye here really lets down the side. the blush and lipstick are so pretty [guerlain rocks], but the shadow makes me look tired.

face ::
nars sheer glow foundation mont blanc
mac prolongwear concealer nw20

eyes ::
mac painterly paint pot [as base]
mac good fortune big bouncee/s
mac mating call mega-metal e/s

good fortune

mac noir plum mega-metal e/s
mac smoky heir superslick liquid liner
ysl faux cils mascara

cheeks ::
guerlain blush g

lips ::
guerlain cherry blossom rouge automatique





"rich, sweet"

rich, sweet

notice that, on the eyes closed shot, even though the focus is a little fuzzy, you can still see the unevenness of the cream shadow application.

face ::
nars sheer glow foundation mont blanc
mac prolongwear concealer nw20

eyes ::
mac painterly paint pot [as base]
inglot 351 e/s
mac french quarter greasepaint stick
mac rich, sweet big bounce e/s

rich, sweet

mac false lashes mascara

cheeks ::
nars deep throat blush
mac truth & light magically cool liquid powder

lips ::
mac red devil l/g

spread the wealth

"spread the wealth"
again, this is one that worked. i find you can the golden tone on the lid, but does that make the look that much better? a matter of personal preference, i guess. after the first two disasters, i eschewed liner on my upper lids, something i would normally not do, since i find liner makes my eyes pop. you can definitely see the irritated eye in the first shot.

face ::
gosh velvet touch foundation primer
nars sheer glow foundation mont blanc
dior diorskin nude skin perfecting hydrating concealer [trying this one out for a change]

eyes ::
mac sensibility e/s

spread the wealth

mac photorealism e/s
mac fresh approach e/s
mac image maker e/s
mac grey range e/s
mac mothbrown e/s
mac she who dares mineralize e/s [blue & green mixed as liner]
ysl faux cils mascara
mac smolder eye kohl

cheeks ::
mac dollymix blush

lips ::
mac true babe l/g

making faces :: product review [guerlain]

i've never been quite sure why, but guerlain was my first experience with a pretige brand. it started years ago when i purchased one of their foundations. it aws a very nice formula and i loved its faint rosy scent, but i found ultimately that even the lightest shade was too dark for my skin. i did fall completely in love with their eye kohl, a powder eye liner that makes a crisp line and stays put, something i find most eye liners can't do. i also became a huge fan of their "mitsouko" perfume [and, more recently "insolence"] and all this before i really started investigating prestige brands.

since i have investigated them, of course, a couple of things have become clear: 1. even by the standards of high-end brands, guerlain is pretty pricey and 2. it's really hard to compete with their quality. in the midst of a pretty strong group of spring collections this year, guerlain's brightly coloured, somewhat surprising collection was my overall favourite and this seems to be continuing through the summer.

recently, guerlain has had two launches to titillate the imaginations of beauty fans everywhere: a new and permanent range of lipsticks called "rouge automatique" and a limited collection for summer called "terra inca". both are pure guerlain, with careful attention paid to quality and to presentation and both make me want to squeal with joy [and frustration, given the costs involved]. i've had a chance to sample a couple of items thus far, so here are my initial impressions.

FIND OUT WHAT GUERLAIN HAS COME UP WITH AND SEE THE PRODUCTS IN ACTION!



rouge automatique lipstick :: when i heard of these originally, i thought that they were going to be another lipstick/ gloss hybrid, the likes of which we're seeing from chanel and yves st. laurent at the moment. turns out, i was pretty completely wrong. these are most definitely lipsticks, with full colour coverage, just done in a new, lightweight formula.

the innovative rouges automatiques

the colours are supposed to be long-wearing and hydrating and seem to score on both counts. even a light colour survived eating for me and, while the initial colour faded a little, it was still clear that i was wearing lipstick hours later, post-snack. it felt immediately moisturising going on and, once on, it actually felt like i wasn't wearing lipstick at all. it did, however, feel like i had very soft, kissable lips. who says you can't buy self-confidence?


this being guerlain, the packaging is fascinating in itself. it's based on an original design from the art deco period with no cap, something which allows for application using only one hand. it reminded me a little of a fancy lighter and, despite the fact that it's made of plastic and not metal, it does look exceptionally classy. one press of the slider and out pops your lipstick. you just have to be careful not to push it out too far, because it could break.

cherry blossom

one thing i love as someone who's worked a long time in marketing is how nicely this line dovetails with guerlain's other premium lipstick, their rouge g line. the packaging is smaller [not hard] and sleeker, the price is about $10 less [$40cad compared to $50cad for rouge g] and the colour selection is markedly different. i adore the rouge g line, but i've often lamented the fairly limited and conservative choice of colours available. now that the rouge automatique line has been introduced, i find that the two are perfect complements to each other. the 25 shades of rouge automatique lean towards the brighter, deeper and more daring- there are trendy corals, deep berries and burgundies and a selection of stunning bright reds. rouge g lipsticks, by comparison, have more nude shades, more restrained and understated colour [although even there, the colours are nuanced enough to make them fascinating to look at].

l'heure bleue

i picked up two colours : cherry blossom [#161] and l'heure bleue [#168]. the first is quite possibly the prettiest light pink colour i've ever seen. it looks vaguely like a sating ribbon, with subtle variations in the colour that carry over to the lips. i'm not a huge fan of "girly" pinks normally, but the subtle, whitish sheen and unique cool pink base are incredible. although it may look like the easiest and most standard lipstick colour in the world, i cannot think of a single duplicate. photos really don't do it justice.

l'heure bleue is a deep reddish berry shade. it's one of the darkest colours and, while not terribly dark by my standards, it's certainly the kind of colour that's most appropriate for a night out. it definitely leans cool so, for warmer tones, i'd recommend the shade samsara, which is a warmer deep red.

i appreciate the fact that both colours are pretty much exactly what they look like in the tube. [something that i found to be true with the other shades that i swatched.] based on my first impressions, i'm definitely planning to go back for more of these colours.

available at all guerlain counters. $35usd/ $40cad


terra inca sublime radiant powder :: well, it's not exactly modest to call your product "sublime" is it? in fact, it seems flat-out arrogant. however, having tried it, there's nothing about this powder i don't love. i love the effect it gives my skin. i love the fact that it has a faint jasmine scent in the pan [once it's on my skin, the scent is gone]. i really love the thought that's gone into the packaging. i love the fact that it's hard to overdo. it is, in a word, sublime.

in fact, it's a  pretty straightforward kind of product. it's a shimmery powder, primarily a rosy bronze shade, with a shimmery gold part in the centre. i was a little intimidated by how shimmery the powder looked when i swatched it but somehow, i have no idea how, on my cheeks the shimmer is really downplayed. it becomes just a very nice warm glow.

i think it would be very difficult to use the colours separately, although you could probably move
around the gold centre if you were careful. mixed together they form a beautiful warm rosy peach
colour and while you could never call it a bright or strong shade, it immediately imparts a sort of lit-from-within glow that would be flattering to every complexion. the powder can be built up to give more colour and i did not find that it started to look cake-y at all. unlike some highlighters, it made my skin looked more refined and smoothed over my pores. i think it's the sort of thing you could wear with full makeup, but also just on its own, to give you a natural-looking boost.

 l to r :: outside, inside and blended

and of course, no discussion could be complete without calling attention to the packaging. guerlain, always known for their beautiful and sometimes elaborate packaging, have really outdone themselves here. the powder is housed in an engraved wooden case [with a mirror on the inside lid] that locks together with small magnets. it really does seem like pulling out a small treasure and i've yet to show it to anyone [in person or in pictures] who hasn't been wowed. even by guerlain standards, this is a pretty remarkable looking piece.

as a pale girl who's not that excited by the idea of bronzers, i really like the fact that this is a powder that can give my complexion a bit of a boost without requiring me to

a subtle glow

look baked. it works as a bit of a contour, it brings out a soft radiance and can be applied anywhere you want a subtle glowing effect [cheeks, temples, decollete]. because the magnets can be pushed apart fairly easily, it's not something you can carry with you, but the effect is long enough lasting that touch-ups shouldn't be necessary. and when you've finished the powder [which will take a while, since it's a fairly large amount], you can hang onto the packaging just to look

t to b :: blended, inside, outside

at when you want to see something beautiful.
available at guerlain counters. $70usd/ $66cad [yeah, you read that right. i've no idea if it's a temporary mistake or guerlain have decided to be the first cosmetic company to stand up and face the currency conversion music, but the powder is cheaper in canada than stateside. i'll take it!]


that's all great, but what do they look like in practice? well, here's a look that i did using both the terra inca powder and rouge automatique. i thought the colours worked fairly well with both shades of lipstick, so i swapped them out so you could see each one.

here's what i used ::

yes, i am eating my hair

face ::
nars sheer glow foundation in mont blanc
mac prolongwear concealer nw20

eyes ::
mac dazzlelight e/s
inglot 351 e/s
mac sunset b e/s
mac hepcat e/s
nars night clubbing e/s
mac patina e/s
mac blacktrack fluidline eye liner

wearing cherry blossom

ysl faux cils mascara

cheeks ::
guerlain terra inca sublime radiant powder
guerlain blush g

lips ::
guerlain rouge automatique l'heure bleue
guerlain rouge automatique cherry blossom

wearing l'heure bleue

making faces :: a passion for purple

purple

apparently, purple is the colour preferred by most teenage girls. that doesn't entirely surprise me, because in their teens, girls still identify with the perceived femininity of the colour, but they've advanced beyond the pure girlishness of pink (although many circle back in later years, that's another story). but aside from it's feminine aspects, purple has always been the colour of the outcast- an appealing thought to any teenager- the colour of the minority. perhaps it's that's why it's still one of my favourites today; i never grew out of that phase.

in fact, there are good reasons why purple is an "outcast" colour. for starters, it's an outcast from the colour spectrum, because there is no such thing as purple light. there is violet light, which many people would say was purple, but in fact, in terms of their wavelengths (which are what makes our mind register them as colours), they are distinct. violet is much closer to blue than true purple, which is a mix of red and blue. purple, therefore, is ephemeral. it exists only as a mix of other colours.

violet

of course, originally, people didn't understand how colours in the light spectrum worked, but purple was still a special shade. the first use of purple as a fabricated colour came from phoenicia, where a colour now known as "tyrian purple" was made from ink extracted from a type of mediterranean snail. because the dye was difficult to produce, it became the purview of royalty. later on, the emperors and senators of rome adopted this shade as a sign of their nobility and thus began a long-time association of purple with the privileged classes. even after the collapse of the roman empire, when tyrian purple lost its allure and was replaced by difficult to manufacture blue dyes, a bluer shade of purple, now termed "royal purple" became the shade of monarchs.

EXPLORE THE MYSTERIES OF PURPLE AND SEE SOME LOOKS INCORPORATING DIFFERENT SHADES...

in the new age movement, purple auras- and lavender, a lighter, bluer sibling colour- are associated with wisdom, imagination and spirituality. (that last association is deeply ingrained in western culture- the coloured academic robes in french universities assign purple to those who have studied divinity.) the union of purple and mysticism goes some way to explaining why purple has come to be perceived as feminine- these areas are generally associated with the late-twentieth century burgeoning of women's studies and female mysteries, both parts of the larger feminist movement.

purple has also for years been associated with queer sexuality. lesbians in the early-to-mid twentieth century would supposedly tattoo themselves with a purple star in order to make others discretely aware of their sexual preference. now, purple is linked to sexuality that is most difficult to define- bisexuality, genderqueer identification (particularly the shade lavender) and polyamory. from the colour of kings, purple has become the colour of the resilient minority.

of course, purple is also the colour of psychedelia. there's a reason that jimi hendrix's haze was purple and not yellow. in timothy leary's eight-circuit model of consciousness, purple is the colour of the eigth level, the highest and most mystical, the level of quantum consciousness where the mind has evolved to its highest state.

there is no colour that has such varied and provocative associations as purple and, personally, that's part of the reason i love it. it also helps that being pale, blue-eyed and cool-toned means that purples of various sorts tend to suit me better than, say, browns or bronzes. plus there's the fact that purple is flexible. there is a range to any colour, but purple seems to express a wider variety than most. it can be closer to blue or red, but it can also mix with pink to form a bright magenta of a softer colour, like those of orchids or heliotrope. it can mix with silver or taupe/ brown to give a cooler cast to either colour. it's probably the only colour i can think of where virtually all of its incarnations seem beautiful to me.

and, since lent is in full swing, it bears mentioning that purple is traditionally the colour of lent. and of crocuses, those first harbingers of spring in canada, which (hopefully) soon be fighting their way through the last of the snow to lead their way to balmier weather.

so, in honour of all the shades of purple, here are a few looks that use them. check here to see the "official" names of the shades i've used (and see if you agree with me).unless otherwise noted, all products are from mac.

"heliotrope"

heliotrope

this is a look a did a while ago in fits of ecstasy of mac's 2010 "spring colour forecast" collection. i unfortunately didn't get a good shot of the lids, but basically the entire look (with the except of one shadow) is comprised of colours from part 3 of the 4-part collection. each part was based on a specific colour- pink, coral, plum and amber. does it surprise anyone given this post that plum was my favourite? these products are mostly sold out, but you can sometimes track them down through ebay or, if you live in the u.s., at cosmetics outlet stores. a few pieces (although sadly, none of the ones used in this look) are still available on the canadian mac web site. no, i have no idea how i got that nice glowing halo effect around my head, but i wish i could get it in real life.

face:

heliotrope

mac studio fix fluid nc20
mac mineralize skinfinish natural light

eyes:
rosy outlook e/s
mink pink e/s
bruised plum e/s
black tulip e/s
jungle moon e/s
boot black liquis e/l
plushblack plush lash mascara

cheeks
vintage grape blush ombre

lips
radicchio l/s

"tyrian"

tyrian

before i wrote this blog, i wouldn't have had a clue what to call this colour, but, in the grand spectrum, this shade of reddened purple is what i think of when i'm asked my favourite colour. there are others that come close, but the lipstick i'm wearing here comes as close as anything i've tried to the exact tone i was looking for. the eye has some purple in it too, although it's more subtle. even the browns have a bit of a purple tinge to them.

face:
prolongwear foundation nc15
prolongwear concealer nw20

tyrian

prep & prime finishing powder

eyes:

dazzlelight e/s
laura mercier african violet e/s
star violet e/s
satin taupe e/s
blacktrack fluidline e/l
smolder e/l
black black false lashes mascara

tyrian

cheeks
amazon princess blush

lips
chanel rouge coco ballet russe



"eggplant"

eggplant

mmm... deep dark purple, almost black. i'm a huge fan of dark lips, so i tend to do looks like this a lot.  undoubtedly, it'll be the subject of a future face-post, but for the time being, here's a nice, deep purple.

face:
prolongwear foundation nc15
prolongwear concealer nw20
mineralize skinfinish natural light

eyes
silverwear e/s
to the ball e/s
hold my gaze e/s

eggplant

heather belles e/s
smoky heir l/l
false lashes mascara

cheeks
azalea blossom blush ombre

lips:
faithfully yours prolongwearl/s
fab frenzy superglass

"fandango"

fandango

what a wonderful name for a colour. why is it called fandango? i have no idea. especially since i associate the fandango with warmer climes, which might suggest fierce reds and oranges, marigold tones, russets and terracottas, but not purple. and yet here it is. a lovely pink-purple shade a few strokes darker than magenta. now i feel like dancing.

face:

prolongwear foundation nc15
prolongwear concealer nw20

eyes:
almond icing e/s
mating call e/s

fandango

beautiful iris e/s
parfait amour e/s
siahi fluidline e/l
false lashes mascara

cheeks
lancome butterfly ballerine blush

lips
quite the thing sheen supreme l/s

"regalia"

regalia

this one was tricky to place. as you've probably sussed at this point, i'm taking the colour names here from the various shades of my lips in the images. for this one, i had trouble placing something that was a rich purple with a blue sheen. i guess that's the difference between theoretical colours and real colours. the real ones have depth and layers. just to complicate things. the blush and lipstick in this look are from the "jeanius" collection, brand new from mac- available for a limited time only.

face:
nars sheer glow foundation mont blanc
prolongwear concealer nw20
prep & prime finishing powder

eyes:

regalia

inglot #352
restless e/s
freshwater e/s
love lace e/s
contrast e/s
blacktrack fluidline e/l
yves st. laurent faux cils mascara (some of you might have caught that mac has a mascara with the exact same name, just translated into english. tricky.)

cheeks
overdyed blush

lips
riveting rose l/s

"lavender"

lavender

this is one shade of purple that always scares me a little. because it's both pale and cool, it matches my own colouring pretty closely and can end up making me look a little ill. so i chose to dress it up with, yes, more purple and a pop of green tucked away on the eyelid. this lipstick is discontinued and still highly sought after. inglot has a couple of decent imitations in the meantime.

face:
nars sheer glow foundation mont blanc
prolongwear concealer nw20
mineralize skinfinish natural light

eyes:
inglot #352
dame's desire e/s
memorabilia e/s

lavender

vile violet e/s
lucky green e/s
shu uemura me olive 471 e/s
bad bad black opulash mascara

cheeks
play it proper beauty powder
azalea blossom blush ombre

lips
lavender whip

i could seriously go on about this a long time, but you get an idea of the range. feel free to comment with your feelings on purple, good or bad. what colours spark your imagination?