Sunday, October 9, 2011

MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadow Review - Count Your Assets

I was in the mood to try something new, so I invested in one of MAC's Limited Edition Big Bounce eye shadows, called Count Your Assets.  It's from the Flighty Collection that was released a few months back, and it retails for $16.50 for 5g.  Is it worth the money for this pricey goop?  I think not.


MAC Big Bounce Shadow
MAC Big Bounce Count Your Assets Packaging


MAC claims that this eyeshadow has a mousse-like, spongy quality, that it lasts for hours, that it's lightweight and cool upon application.  Those are a lot of promises, and I'm not convinced that it lives up to all of them.


MAC Big Bounce Count Your Assets
MAC Count Your Assets Shadow
MAC Big Bounce Eye Shadow
If you decide to purchase this, I would advise you to keep the little plastic insert (shown above on the right) on the pot under the lid, otherwise you'll end up with the eyeshadow stuck underneath the lid and it will probably be very messy when you open it.


While the shadow is definitely cool when first applied, this isn't particularly groundbreaking technology because if you apply any kind of cream or lotion it feels cool the first moment it touches your skin! 

MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadow Pot
I found the consistency to be rather inconsistent with a mousse.  I feel that a makeup mousse is usually more airy, but this texture seemed to be a little more dense to me.  I suppose I would consider the texture to be just a little spongy, but it's rather more tacky.

I certainly don't think that this is an eyeshadow that you should use if you are in a hurry - I wouldn't dream of applying this before I rush out the door each morning for work.

The problem is that if you apply it and blink before the eyeshadow has set you may find that you have eyeshadow in places you never intended to put it!  Some beauty reviewers recommend using a brush, but I got the best application by using the tiniest amount on my finger and building it up a little.  A little really does go a long way.  You would never want to slather this stuff on.

The eyeshadow is highly pigmented, and once it sets it stays put.  Even when I rubbed the area about 2 hours later, the color remained and didn't smudge, although a small amount of shimmer was visible on my fingers.  I do have dry eyelids, though.


I didn't use primer because of the tacky texture of the product sticks to the skin well enough on its own.  This also has drawbacks, however, because one little dab of the stuff in the wrong place and it can be quite a mission to remove all that sparkle.


MAC Count Your Assets Swatch
The Big Bounce Shadow collection is a rather strange concept from MAC, and certainly not one of their greatest hits.  In fact, I don't even know why they would even allow something like this to be manufactured in the first place.  


The best (and maybe the only good) thing about this shadow is the actual color.  It's an intense purple with silver flecks that sparkle like diamonds - it's absolutely gorgeous! 


While I do enjoy this eyeshadow as the final result is exceptionally stunning for a few hours (after some fussing about with it and layering some regular eyeshadow over it in the outer corners of my eyes), it's not something I would reach for very often.  It's probably more suited to wear in the evenings anyway, and not very practical to apply unless you have a decent amount of time to get the job done properly.  


While I will use this on the rare occasion, I won't purchase another color from this collection because, to be honest, who really has the time to fuss this much with makeup? 


- The Sassi Wench