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MAC Unsung Heroes: Shaping Powder in Lightsweep

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Wearing MAC Shaping Powder in Lightsweep underneath my eyes
Wearing MAC Shaping Powder in Lightsweep under my eyes

Lightsweep.

No, it’s not the name of a Transformer or an evil supervillain (far as I know), but it is a very appropriate name for this highlighting face powder.

Whenever I wear Lightsweep (I don’t know why, but that name cracks me up!), I do kind of feel like I’m being illuminated by soft beams of light.

Really flattering light — not hard or harsh streaks of noonday desert sun.

MAC Shaping Powder in Lightsweep
Shaping Powder in Lightsweep (MAC Pro)

I’ve been wearing it as a highlighter and an under-eye concealer a lot over the past month, all thanks to Mr. White…which is to say that I’ve been marathoning Breaking Bad lately, and Lightsweep has saved me after quite a few late nights (seriously, Mr. White could REALLY use a life coach!).

After waking up bleary-eyed, I’d put on my face paint and use Lightsweep to set my concealer. Then it’s, “Hello, bright eyes!” Just like a Jetoy Choo Choo Cat (my latest obsession).

Lightsweep, like the fictitious supervillain I just invented, is one of those secret squirrel MAC products that can be tough to find, but it’s SO worth tracking down.

Like the other Shaping Powders ($16.50 each), it’s a MAC Pro product, so it isn’t carried at regular MAC counters. It lives at MAC Pro Stores and online.

So what is it exactly?

This: a warm-toned, finely-milled face powder with a whisper of barely-there shimmer. It highlights skin with a delicate sheen — none of that greasy or oily-looking business you get with some highlighting powders. You can also use to set under-eye concealer, and brighten the under-eye area without going over the top.

At first glance in its pan, you might be like, “Wha? Really now, Karen? I don’t get it,” and your heart may not be thumping like it does when RyGos wears a striped tank top.

I feel ya…but wait! Pat it under your eyes, on top of your regular concealer (I usually pair it with MAC Pro Longwear), and I think you’ll understand.

I like to take into the “triangle” area…

No, not the one by Bermuda. 🙂 I’m referring to the triangle area under my lashes that runs along the side of my nose, from the tip of one nostril out to the outer corner of the eye on the same side.

Give that a try, and then step back from the mirror. Take a good look, and you should see a soft, diffused, natural-looking highlight under your eyes. Oh, so glowy.

As if that wasn’t enough, Lightsweep doesn’t settle into my fine lines or appear heavy or caked-on (the grains are very fine), and it doesn’t dry out my combination skin. Once applied, it stays put, too. No need to touch up for the rest the day.

If you have dark under-eye circles or more mature skin and are looking for brightening products that don’t emphasize pores or fine lines, Lightsweep is a fantastic product to have in your makeup bag.

By the way, the Shaping Powders come in other shades, too, if you’re interested. If your skin is lighter than NC42, check out Emphasize and Accentuate, and if you’re a darker diva, peep Warm Light and Soft Focus.

MAC Shaping Powders in Lightsweep (left) and Accentuate (right)
Shaping Powders in Lightsweep (left) and Accentuate (right)

The Shaping Powders come in a regular MAC pan, so you’ll want to keep them safe in a palette. I keep mine in a MAC Pro Palette/Large ($8), with a $2 Pro Palette Blush X6 Insert. Each one holds six pans.

My latest cat lady obsession: Jetoy Choo Choo Cats!

Jetoy Choo Choo!How cute are these kitties?!

SO CUTE!

I’m all sorts of obsessed with these Jetoy Choo Choo Cats. From what I gather, Jetoy is a Korean brand, and the Choo Choo Cats are all over the place over there — on postcards, calendars, stickers, office supplies, etc.

They haven’t been that easy to find in the U.S., but I have spotted a few on amazon.com.

I’m thinking of ordering a daily planner — ya know, to help Tabs get organized. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The MAC Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorite products from MAC’s permanent collection

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. It is an Unsung Hero and I can see how someone might not be impressed with it just by swatching it but after you apply it to your face then the magic begins. I am really happy I bought it after your reccomendation.

    Reply

  6. Do you know if there’s a way to buy an empty compact pan for this? I know you can get a pro pan palette that would hold it, but the way my makeup is set up right now I’d do best just having it alone. I think I’ll probably end up with Accentuate and not lightsweep, but they’re all gorgeous. And half the price of one of the hourglass ones!

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  9. It looks like a nice highlighter! (Although I don’t use powders much this time of year, so dehydrated right now!)

    but OMG those cats!

    Reply

  10. Karen, speaking of highlighting products, I was lucky enough to win a hard to come by Cream Color Base from RiRi Woo a couple of months ago. I was thrilled to win, but since I received the product, I’m not sure how to use it. Is it a highlighting products, or should it be used as an all-over base under foundation? I’ve been flummoxed by it. I guess I should just try it different ways, but I am a highlighter novice. thanks for any help!:)
    Allison C recently posted … Beauty Blog Coalition Weekly Roundup

    Reply

  11. Do you have any recommendations for a pinky coral MAC blush? I don’t have any MAC counters in my area and can’t trust the colors I see online. I’m also looking for a peachy nude color, if you have any recommendations. Thanks Karen!

    Reply

  12. Hi! Long time lurker, first time commenter here. I ended up replacing a lot of my makeup over the holidays, since one of my New Year’s resolutions is to try to look more pulled together every day. I splurged on the Hourglass Dim Light compact (Sephora was out of the special compact with three colors in there) and the marketing got to me since I’m an amateur photographer as well. My question is, how are you supposed to use it? I picked Dim Light because it was matte and I didn’t want a bunch of micro-glitter on my face (I just stopped wearing Nars Orgasm because my husband would play the ‘sparkle game’ at night after I washed my face whenever he found a fleck of glitter). Granted, I realize there are a lot of different ways to wear something, but are the Hourglass and Mac powders supposed to go all over your face or just in certain spots?

    Reply

    • I know this was an old comment but thought I would just reply to say that you can use these powders any way you like. They are good to set undereye, as a subtle highlighter on cheeks, down nose and on brow bone or dusted all over the face. The effect is subtle and hard to overdo. They just seem to soften your look especially if you use matte powders or foundation. I’ve learned from just trying it out.

      Reply

  14. You just HAD to go and find another Cat Lady obsession thing for me to crave… drool over… obsess about… didn’t you?! 😀
    (btw… my El Hub doesn’t know it yet, but he’s totes getting me one of the sweet little cosmetic bags for my Valentine’s prezzie, lol.)

    Reply

  15. I just bought the Lightsweep Shaping Powder yesterday then came online to find reviews and came across your old post. Its probably very similar to the Hourglass Dim Light (which I have in the palette of 3) but the girl brushed it under my eyes and I just loved it so I bought it on the spot! Can’t wait to play with it more. I’m NC35 and it works on my skin tone for reference.

    Reply

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