MAC Cham Pale Eyeliners Review and Swatches

Last but not least in my Cham Pale haul are the two LE eye liners, I get No Kick Eye Kohl and the oft repromoted Feline Kohl Power. Both pencils are $17.50 CA/14.50 US.

I Get No Kick Eye Kohl (top) and Feline Kohl Power (bottom),

I Get No Kick is a lovely shimmery champagne color which is light enough to create a highlight on any skintone without looking ashy or too white. You could use this on your tear ducts, brow bone, cupid's bow or even on your cheekbones in a pinch by dabbing it on with your finger tips.

Feline is a pitchy black which has a cult following as the blackest black liner that MAC produces. I resisted buying Feline for a long time, on the logic that it couldn't be that much different than Smolder, my standby by lining my water line. Photo on NC 40 skin, flash.

Left to right: I Get No Kick, Feline and Smolder

Well I finally caved and picked up Feline, if only to see what the hype was about. For this post I thought I would include a comparison of Feline and Smolder to assauge the readers (and my own) curiosity. As you can see, Feline really is blacker than Smolder, which looks more like a soft, graphite black in comparison.

Any one else a Feline devotee?

J

MAC Cham Pale Paint Pots Review and Swatches

Probably the most anticipated part of the Cham Pale collection are the four new LE shades of paint pots ($20.00 CA/$16.50 US).

The most obvious difference in the four new shades is the shimmer texture. Unlike previous paint pots which were either highly pigmented matte or frost finishes, these are sheer and glittery.

Clockwise from top left: Let Me Pop, Vintage Selection,

Dangerous Cuvee and Chilled on Ice.

One layer, left to right: Chilled on Ice, Let Me Pop,

Vintage Selection and Dangerous Cuvee.

Two layers, left to right: Chilled on Ice, Let Me Pop,
Vintage Selection and Dangerous Cuvee.

Chilled on Ice - a beautiful, shimmery white gold. This would make an excellent highlight for the tear duct, or even a possible dupe on the cheekbones for NARS Albatross.

Let Me Pop - a peachy copper shimmer, quite lovely and not too warm to be paired with neutrals or cooler browns. I can see this working well with forest greens or khaki's too.

Vintage Selection - a taupey, mauvey beige? The most opaque of the three, it is still quite a light shade. Would work well under mauves, browns, greys and plums. I do wish this one was a bit deeper in tone.

Dangerous Cuvee - a sheer mid toned shimmery grey. Slightly cool but neutral enough to work with many shades.

General Comments

In texture and finish, the Cham Pale paint pots are very similar to Bobbi Brown's Metallic Long Wear Cream Shadows (I own Galaxy, which looks like Dangerous Cuvee with some gold glitter thrown in). I know that die hard paint pot afficiandos might not appreciate the sheerness of these four new shades, but I think that in terms of the general concept of the collection, they work. Cham Pale is supposed to be all about glitter and light and these certainly fit that bill. I also think that unlike other more opaque paint pots, these will be easier to wear as a stand alone shadow because of their sheerness. They require less work to look blended than the opaque shades, and won't leave you with a sharp demarcation where the shadow stops. I intend to wear these as bases, but also as quick shadows with a little bit of liner and mascara. I could also see these working nicely as an all over colour with a powder shadow thrown in to cut the crease.

Of the four, Chilled on Ice is my favourite, and I understand why this shade sold out online long before the other three. It's a gorgeous highlight shade that would work for anyone. Try a tiny bit on the end of a fluffy brush and hit the tear ducts or even the cupid's bow. I predict greatness!

J

EOTD: MAC Cham Pale's Dangerous Cuvée and MAC Stylishly Yours Dangerous Diversions

Two of MAC latest collections are Cham Pale and Stylishly Yours, released in North America on December 26, 2010. They're still in stores at the time of writing. I picked up a product from each - Dangerous Cuvée Paint Pot from Cham Pale and Dark Diversion Fluidline from Stylishly Yours. 

Dark Diversion (blackened plum)

Dark Diversion swatched

Dangerous Cuvée (frosted cool grey)

Dangerous Cuvée swatched

I was excited to try the new Paint Pot formula (shimmer, shimmer, shimmer!) and since Dangerous Cuvée reads slightly lavender and Dark Diversion is a blackened plum, I put the two together in a simple but dramatic eye look.

Using an angle brush (MAC 263), I lined my eye, top and bottom with Dark Diversion and extended it to a short point at the outside corner. Cat eye! How timidly Cleopatra.

Dark Diversion Fluid Line with angle brush used

I applied Dangerous Cuvée to my eyelid, extending it up to and slightly past my crease. With any cream product, you need to work quickly as they tend to dry fast. Use your finger or a thin brush so you can add a small amount at a time and blend quickly. 


Look at the pretty, pretty sparkle! Sadly, my camera didn't fully capture the texture of this new formula but hopefully you can see how shimmery and lovely it is. 

Dangerous Cuvée Paint Pot with brush used

I felt I needed something more, so I used my MAC Greasepaint stick in Dirty and smudged some darkness into my crease, blending it with a full, short brush. I also used a bit of Dirty on my waterline to intensify the effect of the liner.

Greasepaint stick in Dirty with brush used

To finish the look, I brushed MAC Sketch eyeshadow into my eyebrows and used Maybelline Great Lash BIG in black on my lashes.

So there you have it! An eye look using two new (still in stores!) limited edition MAC products. Simple but dramatic and very pretty.

Let me know what you think!

C.

MAC Cham Pale Caviar Dreams Eye Shadow x 4 Review and Swatches

I think MAC is trying to kill us, or more likely kill our wallets. No sooner are the holiday kits released, then they pummel us with Cham Pale, Stylishly Yours and next week Mickey Contractor and Peacocky!

Anyways, here's my haul from Cham Pale. Cham Pale is this year's version of Warm and Cozy, and I for one always welcome a neutral themed collection. The spin on this collection of neutrals is high shimmer and shine.

In this post I will be reviewing the Caviar Dreams quad ($43.00 CA/$36.00 US). All photos taken indoors with flash, skintone NC 40.

Left clockwise: Caviar Dreams Eye Shadow x 4, Chilled on Ice,

Let Me Pop, Vintage Selection and Dangerous Cuvee Paint Pots,

 I get No Kick and Feline Eye Kohls.

Caviar Dreams Eye Shadow x 4 clockwise from top left: Brule (S),

Retrospeck (L), Et Tu, Bouquet? (F) and Caviar Dreams (L).

Brule (S), Retrospeck (L), Et Tu, Bouquet? (F) and Caviar Dreams (L).

MAC Cham Pale Caviar Dreams Eye Shadow x 4

Brule (S) - A well pigmented, smooth yellow toned beige, great for a base shade or as a highlighter for medium or darker skin tones. Permanent colour.

Retrospeck (L) - A pale silvery gold slightly gritty shimmer that pulls a bit green on me. Like other lustres, fallout is a concern. Permanent colour.

Et Tu, Bouquet? (F) - A frosted iridscent white-pink, last seen in A Rose Romance. LE colour.

Caviar Dreams (L) - A pewter toned brown with fine silver shimmer. Fallout seems less of a problem with this lustre than with Retrospeck. LE colour.

General Comments

The Caviar Dreams quad definitely fits the "pale" part of the Cham Pale collection theme. While each shade in the quad is fairly nice on its own, I think most people would have some difficulty pulling together a strong look soley using this quad. If Caviar Dreams had been a pigmented veluxe pearl, or better yet the same shade in a satin or matte formula, it would have saved this quad from essentially being a palette of highlighters. That being said, this quad will look beautiful with any deeper satin or matte neutral of any shade thrown in, so in that sense this palette works and is very flexible.

I consider this a decent buy for me, but only because I only own one of the shades (Et Tu, Bouquet?). I think if you have two or more of the shades in this quad you would be better off saving your money for the Mickey Contractor quad of neutrals.

Another consideration with this quad is the heavy emphasis on shimmer and lustre finishes. This is a very shimmery/glittery quad, so if shimmer is not your MO, I would skip.

J



MAC Cham Pale Preview

Introducing MAC Cham Pale: Only the finest will do for a M∙A∙C toast to the New Year! Cham Pale is a cuvée colour collection that’s cause for celebration – a Champagne smash, shimmering with all the bubbly optimism and golden glow of the best that’s yet to be, in Eye Shadow, from Brule to Et tu, Bouquet?; Paint Pots in Chilled on Ice and Let Me Pop, Lipstick in four shades, especially Quiet Please, and Flustered; Lipgelée from Bubble Lounge to Straight to the Head; two Chromagraphic Pencils (NC15/NW20 and NW25/NC30); Eye Kohl in I Get No Kick; Kohl Power in Feline; Nail Lacquer we call Very Important Platinum!; Studio Fix Mascara, and NEW Special Reserve Highlight Powder in four shades ending perfectly elegantly in everyone’s favourite: Rosé Olé.

All, for every skin tone. To us! Every sensible person knows having a bottle of good Champagne on ice at all times is a must! So too this premium skincare collection, inspired by the sublime simplicity of the finest quality pale cuvée, the care and nurturing required to get it right, and the extraordinary satisfaction that comes with an appreciation of the ultimate luxury: Introducing new Complete Comfort Creme, an ultra-riche facial moisturizer that relieves visible redness immediately, for a gentle, soothing, calming, hydrating formula that makes life prettier, like only the best Champagne can do. The soothing properties of French lavender enhance well-being, body, mind and spirit. M∙A∙C Fix + Lavender, Lip Conditioner SPF 15 + Lavender and Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 + Lavender round out the collection.  

At North American MAC counters and in stores on December 26th, 2010. 



Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US



Chromagraphic Pencil in NW25/NC30
$17.50 CDN/ $14.50 US



Eye Kohl in I Get No Kick (metallic nude)
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US





Kohl Power in Feline (rich black)
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US



Eyeshadow x4 in Caviar Dreams
Brulé (soft creamy beige) - satin
Et tu, Bouquet? (frosted pale pink) - frost
Caviar Dreams (dirty frosted pewter) - lustre
Retrospeck (beached blonde) - lustre
$43.00 CDN/$36.00 US

Lip Gelée in Bubble Lounge (sparkly pink peach) - frost 
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Lip Gelée in Luxure (off-white with pink pearl) - frost
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Lip Gelée in Sin-tillation (sparkly pale ice pink) - frost
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Lip Geleé in Straight to the Heart (sparkly bronze brown) - frost
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Lipstick in Flustered (frosted pale bronze) - frost
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Lipstick in Gel (sheer metallic beige) - frost
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Lipstick in Quiet, Please (frosted pink champagne) - lustre
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Lipstick in Tanarama (pale beige with golden shimmer) - frost
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Nail Lacquer in Soirée (sparkly light bronze gold) - frost
$15.50 CDN/$13.00 US

Nail Lacquer in Very Important Platinum (dirty platinum) - frost
$15.50 CDN/$13.00 US 

Paint Pot in Chilled on Ice (frosted white gold)
$20.00 CDN/$16.50 US

Paint Pot in Dangerous Cuvée (frosted cool grey)
$20.00 CDN/$16.50 US

                                                        

Paint Pot in Let Me Pop (frosted light copper)
$20.00 CDN/$16.50 US

Paint Pot in Vintage Selection (frosted dirty peach)
$20.00 CDN/$16.50 US



Special Reserve Highlight Powder in Chez Chez Lamé (soft gold with silver shimmer)
$33.50 CDN/$28.00 US




Special Reserve Highlight Powder in Rosé Ole (soft pink with gold shimmer)
$33.50 CDN/$28.00 US



Studio Fix Lash in Black Fix (black)
$16.50 CDN/$14.00 US



Complete Comfort Creme
$38.50 CDN/$32 US





Fix + Lavender
$21.50 CDN/$18.00 US



Lip Conditioner SPF 15 + Lavender
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 + Lavender
$17.50 CDN/$14.50 US

So what do you think? Are you a soft and shimmery makeup lover? I for one am LOVING the look of the new shimmery paint pots. I'll definitely be checking those out.

C.