MAC Makeup

It’s cool, I’ll drive. I want you and your blending brush to relax. 🙂

Where are we going, you ask?

Well, it’s quite a journey. We’re going to a different dimension — an Extra Dimension, if you will — where easy shimmer and smokey eyes rule.

No, it’s in our timezone, and we’re not even leaving Earth’s orbit (or going into cryo sleep). We can actually get there in my Mazda. All we have to do is meet at a MAC counter on December 26, because the inter-dimensional highway opens when the five Extra Dimension Eye Shadows from the new MAC Magnetic Nudes collection debut that day.

Sorry in advance if my car is dirty… I don’t have plans to clean it. Also, please ignore the turntables in the backseat (it’s a long story).

You might remember first seeing the Extra Dimension Eye Shadows for spring 2012. The relatively new formula combines a cream, liquid and powder shadow in a single pan.

[Continue reading…]

I honestly did not intend for this post to turn into a novel about the three Magnetic Nude Fluidlines, but the more time I spend with them, the more I think they’re just about the most exciting Fluidlines I’ve seen in a really long time.

My friend Courtney (hey, Court!) summed it up well in a text she sent me today. “I’m drooling over that Magnetic Nudes Collection! And I’m not a nudes kind of girl!”

There’s just something special about these three Fluidlines that drew me to them right away. The attraction was straight. Up. Magnetic.

Let’s start with It’s Physical.

I swear, pics do not do this shade justice.

Officially, MAC describes It’s Physical as a brown with purple pearl, but on me it’s more of a purplish brown duochrome with hot pink and gold glitter — elements that can border on cray but work in the BEST possible way in this case.

I tried to capture the fine glitter flecks as well as I could, but in real life, this color is much livelier, more sparkly and more dynamic. I don’t know why the camera missed most of the pink glitter, but you can see a little flash of it in the left eye up in the pic up top, right in the middle of my lid. But when you see this color in person, it’s much more obvious.

The Fluidlines are usually used as gel liners, like for cat eyes, but they can also double as cream shadows and eyeshadow bases. It’s Physical works in all those ways, but I like it best worn as a cream shadow.

Here’s what I like to do: pat it on my lids with a 239, and then, right away, buff out the edges, drawing the shadow up toward my brow bone. Buffing brings out the brown tones and adds some smoke to the look. I think it also coaxes out more of the pink glitter.

It’s important to work quickly with this color and all of the Fluidlines if you plan to wear them as eyeshadows, because they dry really fast.

After buffing, I pat 2-3 additional layers along my lower lash line and in the outer corner to create a gradient. Whack a little Smolder along my water lines and bam! — a glittery, smokey purplish brown eye that takes very little effort. LOVE IT!

It’s Physical is the star of this show, for sure, but I think the two other colors are just as beautiful and totally worthy of your makeup bag. Like It’s Physical, they work great as liners, eyeshadow bases and standalone cream shadows.

Metallic reddish brown Our Secret, the only Fluidline in this launch without flecks of glitter, is my second fave shade.

It’s basically like a gel liner version of MAC’s must-have Teddy Eye Kohl…

I know, right?! Beautiful on its own patted and buffed on the lids, maybe with some Teddy on the water lines.

Oh, and if you like reddish brown eyeshadows like Swiss Chocolate, and coppery colors like Amorous Alloy Extra Dimension Eye Shadow, also from the Magnetic Nude collection, you could get tons of use out of it.

Chilled, the third shade, is a frosty white gold with golden glitter — also super pretty, particularly as an inner corner highlight or patted and buffed on the lids. I bet you could also wear it on the brow bone, or maybe even the upper cheekbones.

[Continue reading…]