Top to Bottom: Shadow end of Drag Strip, Little Miss Moffet, Beth or Glory
Beth or Glory shadow end
Little Miss Moffet shadow end
Drag Strip shadow end
Top to Bottom: Liner end of Drag Strip, Little Miss Moffet, Beth or Glory
Bottom two: Little Miss Moffet and Beth or Glory liner end
Top: Drag Strip liner end
Swatches:
Beth or Glory liner/shadow, Little Miss Moffet liner/shadow, Drag Strip liner/shadow (sunlight)
Beth or Glory, Little Miss Moffett (sunlight)
(shade)
Little Miss Moffet, Drag Strip (sunlight)
(shade)
Drag Strip
Beth or Glory
I guess this product called the Shade and Smoke Shadow/Liner is one of the most intriguing products from the MAC Beth Ditto collection, mostly because this is a new product and the early reviews are pretty mixed. I would have to say that this seems like a product that you can't be ambivalent about- it's either you love it or you hate it. However, for me, that is exactly what it is: I have a love-hate relationship about it. The thing is - I loved the liner ends, but hated the shadow ends of these pencils. Hate is a strong word, so let's just say the shadow ends were "meh".
I liked the liner ends because they glided well on the skin (with and without a base), they were pigmented, and they stayed put on the lids for several hours. On the other hand, the shadow ends were very dry and will not glide properly when worn alone. However, they did not give me a hard time the minute I applied them over a nude base like my Inglot Eye Makeup Base #01, or your usual Urban Decay primer potion, or even MAC's Nubile or Soft Ochre or Painterly paint pots. For me, it's already a given that I should use a nude eye makeup base underneath a colored base, so it never became an issue for me.
These shadow ends remind me of the earliest versions of the shadesticks, so I remember having to warm the tip with my finger for the product to glide properly on my skin. Warming the tip seems to help in the case of the shadow ends too. The liner ends remind me of the reformulated or "improved" versions of the shadesticks which actually glide well on the skin.
I tried three of these and I like Beth or Glory the best. The deep brown liner end is very pigmented and glides like a dream. The bright blue shadow end applied the best out of all the three shadow ends I have. Little Miss Moffet is my second choice, just because the black liner is very pigmented. The white shadow, albeit opaque, is a tad patchy, but that is okay since I will use this as a shadow base instead, and will be covered by powder shadow. This one reminds me of NYX jumbo pencil in Milk. The most patchy shadow end is the one from the Drag, Strip. It is a pale blue shadow that is really dry and did not apply evenly. However, since this will be used as a base, I don't see it as a big issue. However, if you are going to use this as your main shadow, be apprised that it does look uneven when applied alone. A little blending with your finger will help a lot. However, the smoky navy blue liner is really pretty and pigmented. The sparkles in it are nice too.
All in all, I think that this is not for everyone, but it is something that would have to be tried to be appreciated. As I said, the liners were good, but the shadows are dry and apply patchy. They didn't hurt my lids though or anything extreme like that, but they were dry. They make good bases and are perfect to make a powder shadow more vibrant and make the shades pop.
Watch out for more reviews and swatches on the MAC Beth Ditto collection.
Note: Media sample was provided by a representative of the brand for consideration. All opinions are completely mine.
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