The Fancy Face: May 2011

M∙A∙C Surf, Baby! Collection - HAUL and THOUGHTS...

I mentioned a few posts back that I was attending an unveiling party for the M∙A∙C Surf, Baby! Collection. These unveiling parties allow us to preview and purchase the products a week before the official online launch and in-store launch (a couple of days later). Of course this gives me the chance to review the collection and let you know what I think! Today is the official launch so go out and enjoy!

Surf, Baby! Color

The lure of the endless summer starts here with My Paradise Cheek Powder, Pigments, Summer Stash of Crushed Metallic Pigments, Hibiscus Lipstick and Splashproof Lash Mascara that just won't smudge. Journey to a world where feeling the rush means taking a risk. Hang Ten!

Surf, Baby! Face

Bronzing for every dude and dudette looking for a killer tan. Bring commotion to the ocean with Bronzing Powder and new Studio Careblend/Pressed Powder. Add contours and dimension with the latest Skinsheen Bronzer Stick! Defy sun-and-sea blasted lips with Suntints SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balms. Stylishly striped Surf, Baby! Bags are ready for sea, splash and sun.

My HAUL and THOUGHTS...

Packaging
The packaging is fun and playful. It's not sophistated but hey it's a beach theme...what do you expect? It is also has a more laidback vintage vibe with a more beach bum feel. I like that the base color for the compacts are white to be honest....I love white anything!

Surf, Baby! Eyeshadows
The eyeshadows are nice shades and are surprisingly very subtle compared to usual summer brights. They also seems to translate much differently on varying skintones.

On my skintone Short Shorts! is a super shimmery light white gold much like Nylon, Saffron is a deep dark brick orange, Sun Blonde is a murky mustard yellow and Swell Baby is more mid-tone silver than grey. Surf USA is the winner here and I think it will be one of the sell-out items of the collection. It's a vivid turquoise shade in the pot but on my skin is much more of a muted teal that leans green. I like it but I am not in love with it.

These colors are more trial and error. Test them out to see if you like the colors on your own skin before committing. The textures are nice (not the nicest I have ever felt but decent) and the color payoff is decent (again not the best thing ever).

Surf USA

Saffron

Sun Blonde

Sun Blonde, Saffron, Surf USA

Crushed Metallic Pigments
The Crushed Metallic Pigment Stacks are actually quite nice this time around. I think Surf The Ocean is the better of the two and will go fast as well.

The colors in Surf The Ocean look great against darker/bronzer skintones - the Platinum shade is a vivid high shine silver/platinum not for the tame of heart, the Aquamarine is a bit disappointing since it pale and lightly pigmented but maybe useful for the inner corner, the Bronze color is actually quite a nice and richly pigmented deep golden bronze shade but it clumped and stuck to the sides on the container :( and the Graphite is a gorgeous dark slate color with green, blue and purple nuances. These colors will look great on tan and deeper skintones. The texture of these are smooth and rich but can flake if layered to thickly.

The Summer Stash Stack is would suit paler skintones can can translate as too frosty on deeper skin. The Pearl and Peach color are similar and are very light champagne colors that are easily duped. The Pink is actually a mauvey rose color and the Old Wine shade is more of a deep dark dirty bronze. I didn't like the texture of this stack because there was a lot of fallout and flaking when swatched.

Aquamarine

Platinum

Graphite

Bronze

(all clumped and abused)

: (

Powerpoint Eye Pencils
I wasn't impressed by these at all. The colors were okay but nothing that can't be found elsewhere.I skipped. They are dull colors in my eyes but maybe some people will be into that.

Lipsticks
There are 4 lipsticks total and although none of them pulled me in I know many others may think otherwise. None of the colors made me go wow although they were nice enough. Naturally Eccentric was a scary pale nude on my skintone that came off as ghastly...dark skin avoid at all costs! Mocha is a rich red based deep brown that may be perfect for someone seeking a rich chocolate lip. It's permanent so don't rush to get it. Hibiscus and Bust Out! seem to be the ones that are most promising in the collection. Hibiscus is a reddened coral with a cherry appeal and may find some fans out there. It is not too pigmented but rather gives a fresh bitten appearance to the lips. Bust Out! is a berry purple which I did not find too flattering on my skintone...it was a bit too bruised-looking for me. I prefer Up The Amp in this case. Hibiscus and Bust Out! will be the first ones to go.

Lipglasses
The lipglasses complement the 4 lipsticks very well. Girl On Board is a very pale almost milky white that does not translate very well on darker skin but may be a nice nude for pale skin. Strange Potion is a re-promote from Venomous Villains and is one of my fave coral lipglasses. Definitely check this one out if you missed out before. Good Lovin’ is actually also a very pretty peachy pink but it's a little on the lighter side so if you are darker toned make sure to test before buying. Krazy Kahuna is an interesting deep brown that I think will look great on deeper skintones for sure....maybe even a staple color.

Suntints
I guess these are cute tinted lip balms. Nice to have since they have spf and subtle color.

Surf, Baby! Cheek Powder
Of course this is one of the stars of the collection and has probably already sold out! As usual MAC releases an adorable blush that everyone goes crazy for....remember Marine Life or Bite of An Apple? This is similar to both those blushes. It's almost too pretty to mess with. But beyond the gold embossed flower design is a gorgeous orange-coral matte shade that adds a beautiful flush to the skin. This reminds me of Bite of An Apple Blush from Venomous Villains but more peachy orange coral than red coral. When mixed with the gold shimmer of the flower design it becomes a more golden peach shade which is also beautiful. The gold imprint is relatively thick and will last quite a few applications but the same effect can be accomplished by mixing the coral blush itself with a bit of a golden shimmery blush. I personally love the coral shade on its own rather than mixed in with the gold...but I'm a fan of matte versus shimmer anyway.

Blush only - Heavy, Blush only blended, Blush + Gold

Blush only - Heavy, Blush only blended

Blush only blended, Blush + Gold

The Aftermath....I preserved most of the flower :)

Surf, Baby! Studio Careblend/Pressed Powder
This collection seems to have bronzers at it core. So much so that there are 3 versions of bronzers available in the collection. My dark skin lovelies may not get much benefit from the Careblend Powders to be honest. They are indeed creamy and ultra-smooth and may delight light skin beauty lovers. I say check these out if you like to add a bit of color to your lighter skin. My dark skinned beauties can skip these altogether unless they want a very very subtle natural nude blush to add to their arsenal. I honestly did not see any color change on my own skintone when I swatched these. : )

Surf, Baby! Bronzing Powder

Same goes for the Bronzing Powders. Nice options for paler skin but an easy skip for us darker ladies. These are not as refined and soft as the Careblend Powders but they are very nice bronzers especially Solar Riche which adds a nice subtle golden glow. Refined Golden is permanent so you can hold off on this one too.

Surf, Baby! Bronzing Stick

And the third choice is a cream Bronzing Stick which is very similar to NARS Multiples. I have never been a fan of NARS Multiples simply because I don't like excess shimmer or sheen on my oily skin. However, I fell in love with the MAC Bronzing Sticks. They are super pigmented (a tiny bitty bit goes a super looooong way) and creamy with a subtle glow rather than full blown shimmer. They can be sheered out or intensified whichever your preference. You can use the matte/cream shades for contouring and the shimmer shades to add a great glow. I really like these a lot and I recommend checking these out! And oddly enough they remind me of the Cremeblend Blushes in terms of creaminess : )

Tan-Tint

Very subtle natural nude color. Better for lighter skin.

Billionaire Bronze

Beautiful golden sheen

Surf, Baby! Nail Lacquer

Nail polish is nail polish and I was never a fan of the MAC Lacquers. The colors are nice but better suit lighter skin. The nude didn't even show up on my nails. I always skip the nail colors....

Splashproof Lash Mascara
: ) Can't comment because I have no idea : )

Surf, Baby! 1 and Surf, Baby! 2

The bags are cute but not worth the price to me when Target and Ulta has similar bags at a fraction of the price.