PRODUCT REVIEW : MAC N COLLECTION MAKEUP

January 27, 2008

I’m always excited to see a neutral color collection. These are the most flattering colors and the hardest to find, lost in a sea of shine and unnatural color. Neutral makeup colors include any color already on the face, so the range of shades available are browns, pinks, peach to tan, burgundy-brown, and black.

Even companies that make a few good ones have them scattered around the display randomly. It takes a very discerning eye to pick them out. I am certain that if a company made a range of great neutrals and grouped them according to warm/cool and color intensity, it would sell mighty well. Ultima II did this in the late 80’s with the Nakeds and they outsold their projections by a long shot. I still remember the outstanding colors.

N is for Neutral

Presumably N is for neutral. These are amped up neutrals. Here’s how MAC positions the collection : “Seductive and ripe for scandal. A colour collection daringly stripped-down, voluptuously finished, with everything you could possibly need to play up the nakedness of your look. Think of it as naked - with coverage”. Although it takes some effort to clear your mind of any glamazon possibility, there’s hope here.

There’s NColour which is makeup and NFace which is mineralized powder foundation, highlighter, brushes, and a hydrating mist. Here’s the graphic for N collection color.You’d never go anywhere with those eyes but the colors look usable.

MAC N Face makeup collection

The smoky eye is a look that we’re all supposed to strive towards. Not me. Like all tricky looks, if you get it wrong, it just ends up looking contrived, like you tried too hard. Avoid the bizarre effect at all costs. You do not want to end up here and this is just the makeup to get you this look.

The smoky eye.

Dear MAC : update your on-screen colors!

I’m not posting the colors of the collection here for this reason : if there is one website that needs to update how their colors look on screen, it’s MAC. On my display, the colors are always a grey version of their real selves.

This doesn’t happen with other color makeup companies. It’s just the way MAC is displayed on the monitor. The close-up of the image is better but still doesn’t convey the richness of the real color. Here are the colors in the N Face collection.

MAC N Face collection

www.temptalia.com

I spend a lot of time looking for good makeup reviews on line. I often find overly expensive products that are raved about without knowing if the product does anything except feel good and smell good. I won’t put money down for that. Or else, I find exaggerated smoky or colorful looks that would never suit women of my age group.

For this makeup collection, I found a great review at Temptalia. Although I might not have the same taste in color or finish, I could not do a more thorough and effective job of showing you a makeup collection than this reviewer.

The colour swatches are all shown on her arm and discussed objectively with an eye to personal preferences.This represents a lot of work and she did a great job. Very useful approach, well done. Her reviews are consistently some of the best.

N Face

Paint Pots eyeshadow: a cream eyeshadow. They go on well and last well. The appeal of this collection is they don’t shine so the eyelid skin looks smoother. Soft Ochre is a good yellow-beige base color for the whole lid ; it’s also a great option for under the eyebrow if you’re looking for a light color that doesn’ t shine (because gleam under the eyebrow is passé ). Groundwork is one of the greyer ones. Quite Natural is nice but dark. All 3 colors could work on the right face.
Powder eyeshadows : Rich Flesh shadow is the star here; this is a warm medium mostly matte brown with a bit of gold sheen, so it may be too yellow for cool skin tones. The other eyeshadows are too shiny or too gray. On the MAC site, the powder shadows are all described as ‘dirty’ something and that’s just what they look like. It may be ok for a young person doing a street look or a ‘smoky eye’, but the colors are dull and grey or bright and shiny with a weird double-color shimmer effect. No one needs holographic eyelids. We don’t live our lives in bars.
Lipglass : Lipglass is gunky thick very glossy stuff, almost too much unless you only wear a little. It always seems to come on too strong because it looks goopy, so the light colors look like shimmery concealer and the dark colors are theatrical because of the color + shimmer.
Lipstick : these are the nicest parts of the whole collection (along with Rich Flesh shadow above). They are a little sheer and nicely creamy with some good colors depending on the intensity of your coloring, though N1 and N2 are still very light. 3N and 4N are great, and 5N would be nice for darker skin.
Lip and eyeliners : these colors are good and the application is good. If the color suits your face, these are a good choice. Brownborder is a great all-purpose brown eyeliner. Creamola is a very wearable medium-deep flesh color lipliner.

NFace

The Mineralize Skin Finishes did not do anything that MAC’s other makeup does better. As for the frosted Skin Finishes, I didn’t even open the container – where on your body do you want a shot of sparkle?

Finally, we have Charged Ions Hydrating Mist, fused with vital water from a diamond. Good grief.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Makeup, Sites To Know

Comments

One Response to “PRODUCT REVIEW : MAC N COLLECTION MAKEUP”

Temptalia on January 27th, 2008 5:19 pm

Thanks for the love I’m glad you liked my review, and I’m always happy to hear someone enjoyed a MAC collection!