MAC Makeup, Cosmetics, Product Reviews – Invisible Set Powder; Natural Flare Loose Beauty Powder; Indianwood and Groundwork Paintpot; Plushlash in Plushblack
Source: makeupandbeautyblog.com
Product Reviews – Part Uno of Mac Pro Store Haul
MAC Loose Beauty Powder in Natural Flare
Price: $21.00 for a 0.28 jar
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+
Oh. My. Gawd. Becky.
The Loose Beauty Powders are frickin’ amazing.
Loose Beauty Powders are sheer, jet-milled powders used to bring shimmer to eyes, cheeks and skin.
There are eight colors, and I think I want them all!
- Paperwhite: Soft white with pearl reflects
- Micro Pink: Pale pink with red reflects
- Lightly Lilac: Soft lavender with violet reflects
- Daisy Dust: Pale banana with gold reflects
- Natural Flare: Peachy champagne with white and gold reflects
- Peach Haze: Soft coral with gold and bronze reflects
- Dancing Light: Creamy gold with white gold reflects
- Drizzlegold: Flechy beige with copper and gold reflects
I have Natural Flare, a peachy champagne with white and gold reflects. Not only is the color beautiful, it’s incredibly versatile.
In the past two weeks I’ve used it in several different ways, including:
- on top of matte blushes to give them dimension
- as a highlighter on the nose, chin and upper cheekbones
- with lotion and applied to legs and arms
- mixed with sunscreen on days I’m too lazy to wear foundation but still want a little glow.
What I liked about it
- gorgeous, refined glitter that isn’t too in your face
- perfect, natural looking sparkle
- very sheer, yet buildable coverage. Even when I’ve accidentally overloaded my brush and the results still look great
- great for a luminous J.Lo skin look
What I didn’t like about it
- nada! I just wish I picked up a few more colors!
The final word
Words can’t even begin to capture how much I love this product. Ladies, get your hands on this asap. Tis the shizz.
… Loose beauty?
MAC Paintpots in Indianwood and Groundwork
Price: $16.50 for a 0.17 oz jar
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C+/B-
I’m a big fan of MAC Paints as eyeshadow bases. Barely a day goes by when I don’t reach for my beloved Bare Canvas.
I’ve been a little hesitant to get on the Paint Pot train because the last thing I need is another MAC obsession to fuel. However, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. And if it’s for the sake of beauty blogging, then I’m down to make the ultimate sacrifice of possible product obsession.
I had great expectations for the Paint Pots, and was entirely hopeful that they’d rock me, Amadeus.
Although I liked the colors, I was disappointed with the texture and performance of the Paint Pots. My wallet will be happy to know that I will not be shelling out le dough to get all of the colors into my makeup stash.
What I liked about it
- great packaging
- natural and pretty colors
- long wearing
- doesn’t crease
What I didn’t like about it
- drier formulation
If you’ve used the previous MAC Paints in a tube, you know that one of the big issues is that the product is hard to control. It tends to shoot out of the tube, a lot ends up going to waste, and the metallic tube packaging just sucks!
The Paint Pock packaging is a vast improvement. And the stuff stays on forever and doesn’t crease, which is great. I often use Indianwood just as a wash of color all over the lid on days when I’m too lazy to do a full eye.
However, I just feel so-so about the paint pots as a shadow base. Maybe I’m nuts (hey, it’s entirely possible) but the drier texture of the new formulation doesn’t grab or blend shadows as well as the OG MAC paints.
The final word
I’ll probably buy Bare Study just to see how it compares to Bare Canvas, but then I’ll stop there. I don’t lust after these enough to collect them all.
MAC Invisible Set Powder
Price: $24.00 for a 1.1 oz jar
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
By far for the past few months Laura Mercier Translucent Loose setting powder has been my favorite thing to top off every range of foundation – tinted moisturizer, liquid foundation, etc.
Yet old beauty habits die hard, so I’m always on the hunt for something new.
I’ve been wanting to try MAC Pro’s Invisible Set for a while, so during my last trip to the Mac Pro store the first thing on my list was this product. The Set powders are loose powders designed to stabilize and fix makeup, and you can only purchase them at Mac Pro stores. By the way – you don’t have to have a card to shop at the MAC Pro Store! All you need is your credit card and a massive amount of self restraint.
The skinny on the Set powders:
- jet-milled
- contain micronized pigments and talc for pure colors and soft application
- sheer-light coverage
- matte finish
There are seven shades, including:
- Lilac: Whisper soft lavender
- Peach: Light-medium beige peach
- Deep Peach: Medium-deep beige with neutral peach undertones
- Soft Yellow: Creamy soft yellow
- Dusty Rose: Very soft pink
- Porcelain: Soft white
- Invisible: Transparent ivory
One of my issues with Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose setting powder is that it doesn’t have enough lasting shine control. I’ve read that Invisible Set is a great for ladies with oilier skin, so I was very excited to see how it performed in comparison.
I’ve been alternating MAC Invisible Set with Laura Mercier Translucent over the last two weeks. I wish I could scream from the rooftops that Invisible Set is my new favorite powder but I just feel so-so about it.
What I liked about it
- matte finish that absorbs oil for long periods of time (although this seems to be dependant on the base that I use)
- only have to use very little to get good coverage
- no weird grey cast
- huge jar!
What I didn’t like about it
- has a more stark finish and not as “soft-focus” as Laura Mercier Translucent Loose
- requires more thoughtfulness during application. I can’t just slap this on and go. I really have to be careful not to overload on my brush and dilute, dilute, dilute otherwise the look becomes too Memoirs of Geisha
Invisible Set definitely keeps me less oily throughout the day, but on my skin it really depends on what type of base it has to grab on. I’ve tried it with various types of coverage, from light tinted moisturizers to medium coverage liquid foundations. By far the best results were from the heavier coverage products. When I wear Laura Mercier Oil-Free foundation, Invisible Set really grabs onto the color and won’t let go. But when I use Laura Mericer Tinted Moisturizer, Invisible Set seems to get oilier much more quickly.
On me, Invisible Set gives a more theatrical, dramatic finish than Laura Mercier Translucent. Laura Mercier’s Translucent is like “I’m running barefoot through a field of sun flowers in afternoon light in sun-dappled Tuscany” while Invisible Set is like “I’m wearing Dubonnet red lips, a black Armani suit and four-inch Manolos and you better move out my way when I’m strutting down Market Street.” Get the picture?
You might like Invisible Set if
- you like to have a range of powder finish options
- wear heavier foundation
- have really oily skin
The final word
I probably won’t buy this again simply because of the fact that this jar is going to last me into the next lifetime. It’s huge and I barely need to use any of it to get great coverage.
Also, I also like to have different powder options on hand, and will use this on days when I want a more dramatic look to my skin. It’s a fun option to have, but if you’ve got a limited budget then it’s not a must have. However, if you’re skin is super oily and you wear heavier products this could be a godsend.
I think in the future I’ll actually mix Invisible Set with Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder. I’ll keep ya’ll posted on the results of this Franken-powder experiment.
MAC Plushlash in Plushblack
Price: $11.00
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+ and a big fat HELL TO THE YAH!
Plushlash will kick your Plushass!
I’m usually a big fan of drugstore (aka cheap!) mascaras, but MAC Plushlash is actually worth spending your hard earned cash on. And baby, I know you work hard for that money.
Plushlash awesomeness begins with the huge brush. It’s all puppies and rainbows from that point on, ladies:
- excellent curl hold
- great lengthening and thickening
- deep, dark black color
- doesn’t smudge
Just for fun the other day I put on four layers of this and I actually went out in public without feeling like a total freak…
After three years of heavy weight domination, Plushlash now knocks out DiorShow as my new fave higher end mascara. LOVE IT!
How’s your Saturday been? I’ve been slightly out o’ commission because earlier today I was listening to “Get Low” by Flo-Rida (She hit the floor, next thing ya know she got low, low, low, low…). I started dancing around the house, which is standard operating procedure ’round here, and then proceeded to pull a muscle when I got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low. Yes, this is what happens when you’re 32 and you don’t warm up! So I’ve been wobbling around all day like a pirate with a wooden leg. Not cute!
Anyway I hope whatever you are doing is fun and that you are enjoying your day!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
