MAC Art Supplies: Greasepaint, Lipstain Marker and Pearlglide Swatches and Reviews

I am torn on MAC Art Supplies: there are products from this collection that I would consider some of the best MAC has come up with, and are probably must-haves in my book, but there are others that really don't pique my interest. Nonetheless, this is a cool collection because you can be as creative as when you were 3 years old in preschool using these crayons-for-your-face from MAC.

GREASEPAINTS:













I am totally, totally in love with the greasepaints. They are technically shadesticks on steroids and since I love shadestick (especially Beige-ing that I have been using as a daily eyeshadow base for many years), the greasepaints are my kind of products. The greasepaints, true to their name, somehow have a grease-like look and staying power because they do not budge on the skin. The pigmentation is way off the charts. They don't tug on the skin like the old shadesticks did, they glide like butter on the lids and are very easy to apply. Staying power is very good. That's the reason why you can use these greasepaints either as eyeshadow base, eye liner or eyeshadow. They are very versatile and the possibilities are endless with these babies.

Brown, Now is a blackened burgundy that would be great for browns, reds, coppers. Below Ground is my favorite - it's a blackened bronze that would be amazing with neutrals, golds, or basically anything especially warm colors. Charred Mauve is a beautiful blackened violet that would be great with pinks, purples, plums, blues. These would work as a nice eye liner as well to make the eyes pop.





The greasepaints above were from the DSquared and Style Black collections of last year, and as you can see from the swatches, they are very pigmented and vibrant, which are the characteristics we all want in shadows, liners and even for colored eyeshadow bases. So you see, I can't rave enough about the greasepaints. They are long-wearing, transfer and water-resistant (although for me, I still use a good neutral base underneath the greasepaints). For me, they are the winners in this collection.

PEARLGLIDE LINERS:









The pearlglide formula has been around since two or three years ago, but this time, they added a new characteristic: a new shimmering sparkle effect, not just micro-glitters. This is the reason why the Black Line pearglide which is described as a "true black" is not exactly true black- it has these shimmery bits of sparkle that make it look like a greenish duochrome to my eyes. Almost Noir is a dirty plum that has tiny little specks of gold particles. They glide like butter on the skin and are very pigmented. However, I wouldn't recommend them on the waterline or tightline because the tiny shards of shimmery particles might irritate your sensitive eyes. Since I tend to use mostly liquid, gel or mineral liners for the upper lashline, I tend to forget that these Pearlglide liners are great on the lashline because they're very pigmented and glide easily on the skin:


the old Pearlglide colors

I have not tried my Pearlglides in ages, and this new collection makes me want to break them out of their boxes and play with different looks using these.

PRO LONGWEAR LIPSTAIN MARKERS:










See rest of the review and swatches after the jump






As the name suggests, they are just lipstains in marker form. Remember these see-thru lip colors from the Rose Romance collection?



I believe they are the same lip color formula as the texture, finish and feel is the same, it's just that these new Pro LongWear lipstains are in new containers. The colors are pretty nice, though. Point of View is a light neutral, Sunset is a coral brown, and Purposefully Red is a dirty red-coral which is probably the best of the bunch. I will use this if I really want to make a statement as it is quite attention-grabbing, like probably on a night out with friends.

The darker ones are very, very pigmented. I used Purposefully Red yesterday and after scrubbing my lips raw (yes, I forgot to use my MAC Cleanse Off Oil), I still have remnants of red lipstain on my lips. It's also great that this is in marker form so I don't have to get a separate lipliner to trace the outline of my lips to prevent bleeding. However, these applied really splotchy on my lips. Like the other lipstains, I don't like the wet, runny, and eventually dry and parched feel of the product on my lips. Sorry, but I really don't like these new markers. I might change my mind if I apply a lipgloss or lip balm on top to add some moisture, but I am not a fan of using the lipstain by itself.


Point of View


Purposefully Red

I used lip balm underneath and yet my lips still look all wrinkled and dry. And so you see folks why I am not a fan of the new lipstain markers.

All in all, though, Art Supplies is a noteworthy collection because of the fantabulous greasepaint (eyeshadow, eyeliner, and colored eyeshadow bases in one), and the new shimmery pearlglide liners. I recommend these products, especially the greasepaints. As for the lipstain markers, you might probably like them if you like lipstains, or you want a just-bitten lip look and your lips aren't dry like mine. I really want to love them, seriously, but they apparently don't love me back. =( However, greaspaints love me! Stay tuned for looks featuring greaspaints and pearlglides! =)

Watch out for swatches of the entire Art Supplies collection on this blog when it debuts in stores on April 1st.

NOTE: Media samples were provided by a representative of the company.  For more information on the matter, please refer to the Disclosure Page.