Highlights from MAC's Summer Collections - Beauty Addict

Monday, June 16, 2008

Highlights from MAC's Summer Collections

I already gave you my take on some of the products from the Naughty Nauticals collection, so now let's take a look at some of the highlights of MAC's most recent collections -- Cool Heat, Tendertones, Solar Field and Neo Sci-Fi. You'll see several of these pop up in roundups and recommendations over the coming weeks, too.

Read on for my favorites from these four collections.

1. Tropic Glow Slimshine (Cool Heat) A sheer hot pink lippie with tons of shine and a helping of fine silver shimmer? Sold! Brights are everywhere this summer, and this one's gorgeous. It's a cool-toned blue pink - amazing with a tan (faux, please!).

2. High '90s Slimshine (Cool Heat) The other hot lip color this summer? Orange. Oh yes. In fact, I have an entire feature devoted to orange lippies coming up next week. Can't wait! High '90s is glossy and a little sheer, so it's more wearable than it looks in the tube. By the way - the description says frost, but I can't detect any shimmer in this one. Probably a good thing anyway.

3. Climate Blue eyeshadow (Cool Heat) Such an intriguing little pot of color. Climate Blue is a dark violet-blue, sort of an indigo, with PINK shimmer. The only problem I have with it is that sometimes the little pink flecks migrate onto my cheeks. But who cares when you're rocking such a unique color anyway? Just brush them off and move on.

4. Blue Flame eyeshadow (Cool Heat) You know how much of a sucker I am for navy eye shadows, don't you? I've been waxing poetic about them for years. So I HAD to include Blue Flame, a dirty metallic navy. Not as subdued as, say, Becca Velour shadow, but absolutely lovely in its own way. Both Climate Blue and Blue Flame would be gorgeous for lining.

5. Cool Heat eyeshadow (Cool Heat) And my obsession with teal eye shadow continues! I was determined to find a way to wear this that wouldn't look totally outlandish, so I layered Cool Heat over a base of Clinique Brush-on Cream Liner in Bronze (weird, I know) and the result was surprisingly gorgeous. The neutral bronze base kept the look somewhat grounded, and the wash of Cool Heat over it just added a super-special touch. (N.B., I used the Bronze liner all over my lid, blending into the crease, with Stila Kitten on the browbone and inner corners. Then I concentrated the Cool Heat at the lashline, fading out toward the crease. It was AWESOME.)

Note: I bet a lot of you are going to note the absence of Warm Chill, which was certainly one of the more buzzed-about shades, but I haven't tried that one yet. Soon, soon!

6. Tread Gently (Tendertones) At first glance I dismissed this "lime green" shade as the dud of the collection. Now I find myself using it to top pretty much any lip color I'm wearing, not to mention all the times I've worn it on its own. It does look lime green in the pot, but it's really more of a fine pale gold shimmer. Also: its strawberry kiwi scent is a major, but fun, departure from the usual MAC vanilla.

7. Solar Bits in Black Ore (Solar Field) I included one of the Solar Bits mostly because they're just so damned strange. They're little clusters of pigment that you can shmush between your fingers (or into a brush). Black Ore is exactly what you're thinking; it looks like the "fool's gold" you used to get at those mountain tourist attractions where you could "pan for gold." Please don't tell me I'm the only one who visited those. Ice Cave Mountain? The Catskills? Anyone?

8. Electro lipstick (Neo Sci-Fi) Yes, darlings, another orange lippie among my list of favorites. Have I gone crazy? Or is it just the interminable heat here in NYC these days? In any case, this deep tangerine lipstick is just lovely, and isn't scary at all once you get it on your lips. In fact, I wore it to the office this week (blended with a little balm). Electro just SCREAMS summer.

9. Spaced Out Blush (Neo Sci-Fi) My mother stole it before I even had a chance to test it, so it must be good.

10. Neon 8 nail lacquer (Neo Sci-Fi) The photo here really doesn't do this nail polish justice. It's a tangerine shimmer, pretty close to Pink Grapefruit lipglass, which I love. It's more pearly than shimmery, and is an excellent choice for a summer pedi.

What are your favorites from these collections?


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