Christmas came early for MAC fans this week as the company moved up the counter release date for two of its collections, Love That Look and Baby Bloom.
Love That Look’s 12 Starflash Eye Shadows ($15), four Pearlglide Eye Liners ($15), makeup brushes and mascara (the brushes and mascara belong to MAC’s permanent line) were expected to arrive at the end of the month. Instead, they dropped last Thursday. 
Starring frosty MAC Starflash!
The uber-frosty Starflash Eye Shadows headline this show, focussing tons of attention on the eyes, BAM!
There’s nothing subtle at all about these powder shadows, so be prepared for bling when you wear ‘em.
How I might wear Starflash
I like frosty shadows in moderation and probably wouldn’t wear an eye look using Starflash alone, as super frosty eye looks tend to overload my bling-ometer. I prolly would, though, apply ‘em on the lid, outer V or use them as liners, sweeping a matte color into the crease for contrast. That sounds pretty to me.
Swatches on NC35 skin
From left to right: Smoke & Diamonds, Dreammaker, Fashion, Glamour Check!
Unbasic White, Ego, Fashion Groupie, Grand Entrance
One-Off, Rated R, Style Snob, Strike a Pose
Black Russian, Fly-by-Blu, Molasses and Rave
Some thoughts on the collection…
- The bright Starflash shades shine in this collection, applying smoothly and with lots of vibrant color. A few that stand out: Rated R (a frosty yellowish green), Fashion Groupie (frosty violet) and Strike A Pose (a shimmery cobalt blue).
- If I had to pick just one Starflash shadow to take home with me it would probably be shimmery blue Strike A Pose because it strikes me as one of the more flexible shades of the bunch. I can see it going well with a wide range of blues, greens, golds and bronzes. I might try pairing it with MAC Paint Pot in Delft (a shimmery teal with golden pearl), MAC Eyeshadow in Amber Lights (a shimmery, peachy gold), MAC Eye Shadow in Club (a shimmery duochrome that flashes blue, green, brown and gray) or MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked (a warm, shimmery gold).
- But I’m less inspired by the neutral and lighter Starflash shadows, which look somewhat chalky on my skin. I think lighter-skinned lovelies may have better luck with them, though.
- As for the Pearlglides, they’re some of the smoothest, creamiest MAC liners I’ve ever tried — a really great way to bling-out your lash line — but be aware that they aren’t recommended for use on the waterline because they contain tiny bits of glitter that can irritate the eyes.
Product shots
Smoke & Diamonds, Dreammaker
Fashion, Glamour Check!
Unbasic White, Ego
Fashion Groupie, Grand Entrance
One-Off, Rated R
Style Snob, Strike A Pose
Black Russian, Fly-by-Blu, Molasses, Rave
Love That Look also includes three re-promoted items from MAC’s permanent line: MAC Zoom Lash Mascara ($12), the 217 Blending Brush ($23) and the 239 Eye Shader Brush ($25).
What’s your take on the collection? Are you lovin’ the look?
I’m tempted by Strike a Pose … but I haven’t pulled the trigger (yet). I might go back for it if I’m still lusting in a few days.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
ya labeled Strike a Pose as Unbasic White in the last pair of shadows, hun
Hi Redhead,
Thanks, it’s fixed!
Thanks for the review & swatches, Karen, they’re great! I can’t wait for this release, One-Off is calling me, it’s gonna haunt me in my dreams, LOL
.-= Marcela’s last blog post… Esta semana, Givenchy! =-.
I bought fashion groupie and glamour check! Very pretty. I knew I had to have glamor check immediately. I might go back for smoke and diamonds, though. I also bought the pearlglide liners in rave and fly by blu. They are very pretty and creamy, but wiping them off left bits of glitter on my face. That’s not cute. I prefer mufe aqua eyes pencil, but I wanted these for the extra bling.
Oooh, dreammaker looks nice. How did I miss this one the other day? I got Style Snob & Ego (thanks to your post a week ago). I should probably go back and check out dreammaker again. Do you think it’s similar to any existing colors?
.-= Lina’s last blog post… Trish McEvoy Sparkling Bronze Collection =-.
The Rated R shadow reminds me of the green color from Nars’ Rated R duo! Digging those liners though, I can never resist glitter.
.-= Meghan’s last blog post… Nail Polish, blues and greens =-.
I’m getting like 5 of them…lol i LOVE starflash texture!
.-= Jessica’s last blog post… When I Chopped Off All My Hair… =-.
Hmm… Smoke and Diamonds actually looks really pretty! I seem to recall a shadow with a similar name from before… but then I might be mistaken. Oh and the liners look pretty!
.-= Paris B’s last blog post… Review: Guerlain Slavic Beauty Brun Mordore Eyeshadow Quad =-.
I ALMOST went into a brand spankin’ new MAC store today up in Brentwood, but I resisted and went to look at carpet at Lowe’s instead (boring!).
I really love all those Pearlglides, especially Black Russian and Rave. I made the mistake of putting Wolf on my waterline before and man those little glitter pieces were all over my poor eyes, ow!
As a side note, Sammy accidentally snagged my upper lip with his claw this morning and managed to rip it open. MAN that hurt, time for a nail trimming!
.-= Vampy Varnish’s last blog post… LA Girl Rock Star Nail Polish – Part III =-.
OH GEEZ I LOVE THESE COLORS… i could probably wear all of them except glamour check which is too reddish for my NC15/20 skin!
i hope your weekend went well… i know mine was mostly sleeping and watching friends reruns on tv with cha cha. he says hi, except the poor thing is hiding in the closet because of the thunderstorm right now.
how’s the move with tabs going? i’m sure he’ll do just fine in his new home!
.-= ines + cha cha’s last blog post… Dance Photo Roundup – Winter 2008/Spring & Summer 2009 =-.
I love the texture of these shadows! I was crazy and skipped them all last year so I picked up smoke and diamonds. I may go back and check out others if I still have the lemming in a few days.
I LOVE the pearlglides! They are the softest and creamiest liners and they look so amazing on! I highly recommend them!
.-= Kajal Couture’s last blog post… MAC 226 Brush Review =-.
Wow. Such pretty eyeshadows. I def agree that it’s the brighter ones like One off and Rated R that really catch my attention. And to think I deliberately did not pass by the MAC counter when I went to the mall today b/c I had already seen colour craft..
I made a MAC store visit, unplanned, and walked out with the smoke and diamonds shadow from the collection. I absolutely love it! Gives me the perfect smoky eye and this shade is so versatile!
.-= Katie’s last blog post… MAC Double Dazzle Collection =-.
I love the starflash shadows texture so much. The Rated R looks amazing. I will be in the store on monday to check these out! yay!
.-= Sara’s last blog post… Favorite Skin care for Sensitive Skin =-.
One Off and Rated R=Need to have! Ah, I didn’t even remmeber to check these out.
.-= Smiley’s last blog post… UK Gifts =-.
I bought Smoke n’ Diamonds, Dreammaker, and Glamour Check last year but I really want Ego, Fashion Groupie and Grand Entrance! From the pictures, Strike a Pose looks a lot like Parrot, which I have already. I do love all the liners. If I could splurge I would probably get all of them!
Hi Karen. I want Fly by Blu, Black Russian and One-Off. I love Ego too but I must resist it because it looks like I can dupe it with my stash.
I think this is the first MAC collection where I’m looking at it and I want EVERYTHING!
I love the look of all four Pearlglide liners and the eyeshadow in Rated R looks gorgeous.
.-= Beth’s last blog post… Haul! =-.
YAY MAC is back to its true colour self! Most excellent post!
Thanks for the review and swatches! One off and Rated R look amazing!
.-= gio’s last blog post… Sunday Beauty Reads =-.
Like Meghan, Rated R totally reminded me of the Nars duo! I have smoke & diamonds from last year, and none of the other shades are really calling out to me…
Karen, if you do buy any of these — can you do a few looks? I bought Smoke and Diamonds and Style Snob and need some ideas for how to wear them
Like you, I don’t like too much frost on the eye (can’t quite rock the all frosty look at age 36). I would love to know what looks peopl come up with!
I’m not sure if I’m feelin the eye shadows.. I have a feeling they’d look way too costume on my dark skin. I need to try them out though before I judge. Fashion doesn’t appear to bright but it’s like WHAM when I see it on your skin.
.-= Marmar’s last blog post… Cheeky chicks =-.
I’m only excited about pearl glider pencil, Molasses made a comeback – I might buy 2 pencils!
Strike a Pose is my favourite! I think you to buy it since MAC dosen’t have something similar in the perm line up. Give in!
Yummy but probably not on me. Those are colors I am not comfortable with.
.-= Meream’s last blog post… 5 Cool Posts to BlogStalk … =-.
a little too sparkly for me, (im kind of a matte fiend and im scared of looking like a disco ball) BUT i dig the rave eyeliner, and i really want the smoke and diamonds shadow.
poo : ( i’m on a makeup diet, i told myself i wasn’t allowed to buy any until next month.
.-= emma’s last blog post… Earth Girls Are Easy =-.
These are the prettiest colors MAC has released in a while! YAY, finally. Thank you for showing swatches.
Dang, I really want Fashion Groupie and Glamour Check, but my wallet is a black hole right now, so if there are still any available in a month or two, I might grab them. Thanks for the swatches!
I picked up Smoke & Diamonds, Dream Maker, Grand Entrance, and Glamour Check last year (actually, I bought almost the entire collection)!!! Smoke & Diamonds was definitely a fave along with Top Hat and Go so I was super excited for the re-release. I went by the counter the other day and saw these and purchased Fashion and Strike a Pose. I love the finish of Starflash- they aren’t glittery but have more of a subtle shimmer which is fab.
Hi Meaghan,
Smoke & Diamonds is a good one. I got a pan last year and need to bust it out soon. What do you usually like to wear it with?
This collection looks great!! I want Smoke & Diamonds, One Off, Strike a Pose, Rated R, Fashion Groupie, Rave, Fly By Blu and Black Russian!!! I can’t wait to see this in person though. Come on Thursday!!
Hi Misha,
It’s already out! Have you popped by the counter yet?
the liners are to die for… i can see myself doing all sort of fun looks with them! i think i’ll save some $$$ (or €€€, LOL!) and get them all! and rated r, if i can. i’ve been wanting an acid green for quite some time…
thanks for the swatches!
Wow!! I love this collection very much, ‘cos I am an eyeshadow junkie, haha! But I don’t know in terms of daily use, may be it’s not so practical….I mean it’s so bling-bling……
That said, I might get at least 1 e/s from this collection, just for the sake of my love for e/s…:D And the Pearlglides?? Haven’t tried any liners from MAC. Wouldn’t mind getting one of that either….just need to play with them 1st!!
.-= Vonvon’s last blog post… Busy Weekend =-.