Doing the laundry has never looked this good! The MAC Wash and Dry Summer 2015 collection truly was a sight to behold in store. The stuff I wanted sold out online fast so I had to go into the MAC store on Sunday morning! Now that’s dedication!It was like a tidal wave of colour and ombre and bronzer, lots of bronzer!Now, I am as brown as peanut but I’m bronzer obsessed, highlighter obsessed . . . ok, I’m make up obsessed.
So, let’s get rid of the elephant in the room and talk about the packaging . . . it’s a beautiful, metallic ombre that runs from turquoise to orange to gold. It’s shinier that my face at noon and just a thing of beauty. I will say that it doesn’t hold a candle to the packaging of last year’s summer collection, the MAC’s Alluring Aquatic collection, but let’s be real, will that ever be topped?
I didn’t go cray cray because technically, I’m on a no-buy, because I have heaps of products to review and hauls I’ve done and have yet to film because life’s hectic when you’re a working mother of a Yorkshire terrier whose greatest pleasure is playing soccer . . . with his mum 🙂
I got items from this collection that I knew I would use.
I didn’t get any lip products because I don’t like lipgloss and the only lipgloss I wear is MAC’s plushglass. The lipstick that I wanted, Morange (a vivid but oh so wearable orange) was sold out. However, Morange is a permanent lipstick so I wasn’t in a rush to get it.
As for blush, Hipness did appeal to me but it looked pretty dupable so there wasn’t that ‘I will sell my first-born child to get it’ desire.
I did have that desire though for the High-Light in Freshen Up.
It has the same ombre packaging with a see-through top and a button open and close mechanism. If there is one thing I wish MAC would do is use that mechanism with the new packaged MSFs.
Back to Freshen Up, it is a highly pigmented tri-coloured powder with a wavy design and a gold overspray and a texture that mimics the beach. As for the ‘hoo haa’ about the overspray, it happens, I’ve moved on.
The powder has some peach, tangerine, red-orange, yellow and orange tones with a very fine shimmer.
I used the powder, overspray rubbed off, with a fan brush concentrating on the larger yellow-peach section and applied it to the tops of my cheekbones and it gave a beautiful peachy highlight that really stood out (in a good way) on my dark skin. Swirled together it is a beauty deep coral blush borderline orange, again in a good way.
Lighter skin tones may find this worn as a highlight or a blush too intense, but for brown girls like me, rejoice, this guy was made for our hue!
I actually love the fact that this isn’t high frost; it’s like a kind of ‘Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder’ for brown girls. No, it’s not a dupe, the feel and texture reminds me of that. I don’t own anything like this from MAC so I am super stoked to have this in my collection.
The next thing I picked up was the MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Bronzing Powder, which is the same as the line of permanent line of powders, except that these are marketed as bronzers and I’m sure the shades are limited edition. While the sculpting powders have gotten a bad rep for being too sheer for contouring or shading, it’s a definite winning formula for a bronzer. It comes in a beautiful mirrored compact with the same button closure.
I got shade Delicates.
This is muted, medium-dark brown with soft, warm undertones with a golden sheen. I had to swipe this a few times to get some colour but I didn’t get this shade to add too much of colour to my skin, I got this shade to add a luminosity to my skin and it does.
It’s soft to the touch and blendable and it’s not muddy.
This is a powder I would happily dust all over my face as a finishing powder, like a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural but with a glow! The satin finish is beautiful. I didn’t get Golden Rinse, which was a very red-based bronzer. It reminded me of red clay. I mean, I’m brown not brick and the colour didn’t appeal to me.
The last thing I picked up was the limited edition MAC 125SE Split Fibre Dense Face Brush. I have two other split fibre brushes and I love them.
One side is made with natural hair (best for powder products)
The other side is synthetic (for cream products).
The idea behind these split brushes is that the natural bristles soften a look and the synthetic side applies product.
The MAC 125SE Split Fiber Dense Face Brush is a wide, densely packed brush with a blunt top. It is the prefect shape for getting a good, solid contour and you can use it with both cream and powder.
You can apply your contour products with the top of the brush and blend the products out with the sides. The bristles are super soft and the multi-coloured ferule is firm. The handle of the brush is also a glossy black unlike the traditional matte black MAC brushes. You could also use this to blend out blush, apply highlighter or even liquid foundation.
Overall, I am happy with the items I picked up. Even though we in South Africa are heading towards a dry and cold winter, these products will surely add some glow and sunshine to my days . . . for sure.
Where to buy: MAC FFS nationwide and while most of the stuff is sold out online, you can still pick up a few items at www.maccosmetics.co.za
Price: MAC Wash and Dry High-Light Powder: (Freshen Up) R420
MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Bronzing Powder (Delicates): R420
MAC 125SE Split Fibre Dense Face Brush: R660
Have you picked up anything from the MAC Wash and Dry Summer 2015 collection? I’d love to hear about your favourite picks!
Until next we meet, stay blessed and beautiful
xxxx
Prativa
Beauty Bugle
