MAC Semi Precious Collection Eyeshadows - HAUL and THOUGHTS...

M∙A∙C Semi Precious Collection Eyeshadows - HAUL and THOUGHTS...

The talk of the town (at least for this week) is the  M∙A∙C Semi Precious Collection which hits stores tomorrow, July 7, and is already sporting its stuff online. I already grabbed the items I was interested in and finally got my hands on them earlier this week. I barely got a chance to play around but I had to get at least the eyeshadow swatches and thoughts out there for those of you who are hoping to snag a few.

 

************* 

SEMI PRECIOUS EYES

Inspired by the naturally beautiful form & mystery of ethically mined minerals from Brazil, these Mineralize formulas get richer with the infusion of four finely milled gems. Like any limited edition, these elements start off rare & tend to get rarer!

Mineralize Eye Shadow
Baked minerals refined into a powder formula provide exceptionally sheer and lightweight application. Colour builds lightly, layer after layer, without heavy coverage.
2 g / .07 US oz US$20.00
Golden Gaze - Gold & Black
Blue Sheen - Navy, Black & Peach
Dark Indulgence - Forest Green & Black

Smoked Ruby - Burgundy & Black 

*************

My Five Ps

Price
The M∙A∙C Semi Precious Mineralize Eye Shadows are priced at $20 for the 0.07 oz. This is interesting since previous M∙A∙C Mineralize Eye Shadows were $19.50 for 0.07 oz. At first I attributed this higher cost to the annual price increase but even the new M∙A∙C Mineralize Eye Shadow Duos are $19.50 for 0.08 oz. So the point I'm making here is that these are a tad higher in price than usual but this may not be such a big deal for M∙A∙C Mineralize Eye Shadow lovers.

These seem to be on the expensive side for M∙A∙C Eyeshadows but they also 40% larger than the regular shadows which retail for $14.50 for 0.05 oz. If you do the math, the $20 price tag is actually right in line with M∙A∙C Eyeshadow pricing - ($14.50 for 0.05 oz = $20.30 for 0.07 oz).

Purchasing

The M∙A∙C Semi Precious Mineralize Eye Shadows are now available at M∙A∙C counters, M∙A∙C stores and www.maccosmetics.com. These are Limited Edition and as such are only available for a limited time or until they are sold out. There are a total of 12 shades available. See the INFORMATION post for full details.

Packaging
The M∙A∙C Semi Precious Mineralize Eye Shadows come in the typical larger sized black eyeshadow pots identical to previous mineralize eyeshadow containers. The lid has a clear center with the M∙A∙C logo imprinted on the front. The clear center is perfect for seeing the color you are grabbing without having to open the lid.

Product & Performance

The M∙A∙C Mineralize Eye Shadows always seem to cause a stir in the beauty community each year and this year is no different. These eyeshadows tend to garner more hate than love for various reasons - color payoff, texture, blandability, etc. Funny enough, a lot of beauty lovers gushed over the sparkly deep shades from M∙A∙C Venomous Villains Collection and M∙A∙C Style Black Collection but the subtle shades from M∙A∙C In The Groove Collection and the new M∙A∙C Mineralize Duos are getting little love.

I personally skipped the Style Black Mineralize Eye Shadows and grabbed the ones from Venomous Villains for novelty. I picked up all the In The Groove Mineralize Eye Shadows which are the same as the new Mineralize Duos and I love the formula.

From that you can probably deduce that I prefer the soft and smooth versions over the deep glittery types. As such my opinion may reflect my preferences but I will try to stay as 'neutral' as possible - hahahaha since neutral isn't my thing.

I only picked up the darker eyeshadows which all have a black base color. The black base helps to add depth to each color and will give a much better color payoff than the lighter shades.

The first thing to note about the 4 colors I tried out is the texture which is mostly identical to the soft smoothness of the In The Groove Mineralize Eye Shadows. They are all super soft but not creamy - a side effect of being baked - so they can seem a bit powdery to the touch. The powdery feel will require a bit more layering and definitely an eyeshadow base/primer to get rich color payoff. But when used when these colors are perfection! They glide on super creamy and velvety with intense pigmentation when used wet (water or mixing medium). Some bloggers have noted that the color intensity wears off throughout wear but honestly I did not notice that at all...am I doing something right or special? Nope just using them wet....no big deal.

You may think that using an eyeshadow wet leads to issues with blend-ability but I had no problems blending these colors out over the lid and into the crease. I will say that the black base color will dominate as you blend more and more so to bring out the brighter color just add a bit more product. I really had no issues working with these but to each their own. There will be some fallout when these eyeshadows are used dry but not much more than using a pigment or a powdery eyeshadow. 


Overall
I absolutely love the dark colors for colored smoky eyes and would urge you to check them out. But I recommend testing the lighter shades out in person before buying since these can be trickier especially if they have a gritty texture. There are various opinions out there regarding these eyeshadows but I am loving the darker versions for sure! Take it from your resident Fancy Face...don't judge these eyeshadows so harshly.

*************

PICTURES & SWATCHES

  Golden Gaze - Gold & Black
(dry/wet)
Gorgeous blackened antique gold. Perfect for dark golden smoky eyes.


 

 Blue Sheen - Navy, Black & Peach

(dry/wet) 

Beautiful glow deep blue with purple nuances when used dry and more intense blue sheen when used wet.

 

 Dark Indulgence - Forest Green & Black

(dry/wet)  

This a deep blackened forest green which looks mostly black when used dry. The green sheen shows up best when used wet.

Smoked Ruby - Burgundy & Black
(dry/wet)
Again a deep burgundy color which looks almost the same wet or dry. This color can translate a little flat since there is no real sheen to the color. I expected a bit more from this color but alas what to do.