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

Monday, October 3, 2011

My First MAC Palette



Actually, this is not the first MAC palette I have ever owned.  It is the first MAC palette that I have assembled.  The first palette was pre-filled and I purchased it around 2002.    It was about the same size as this palette, but it had around 4 or 6 eyeshadows (I wish I could remember what they were!), and maybe 2 blushes.  I threw it out a few years ago, but I wish I hadn't - for some reason I didn't realize that I could refill the palette!  And how I wish MAC made a palette like that today!

Regardless, I finished assembling all of the colors for this palette a while back, and I had intended to do a blog post about it but for some reason I never got around to it.
My First MAC Palette
For the longest time I just purchased MAC eyeshadows in their infamous black plastic pots, but then I realized that there were so many eyeshadows that I wanted that it was better to just purchase a palette - not only was it a space saver, it was also cheaper.
MAC Brule, Filament, Jest, Pink Venus, Electra, Shroom, Retrospeck, Woodwinked, Swish, Shale, Phloof!, Vex, Wedge, Expensive Pink and Blackberry 
What's Inside my MAC palette?

Top Row: 

Brulé - Satin
Soft creamy-beige

Filament - Lustre
Platinum silver

Jest - Frost
Soft peach with icy shimmer

Pink Venus - Lustre
Washed pink

Electra - Frost
Silver with icy shimmer

Middle Row:

Shroom - Satin
Soft beige with shimmer

Retrospeck - Lustre
Beached blonde

Woodwinked - Veluxe Pearl
Warm antique gold

Swish - Frost
Bright pink with icy shimmer

Shale - Satin
Mauve-plum with subtle shimmer

Bottom Row:

Phloof! - Frost
Frosted off-white

Vex - Frost
Beige with pink/green pearl

Wedge - Matte
Soft muted beige taupe

Expensive Pink - Veluxe Pearl
Pink with duo chrome

Blackberry - Matte
Muted burgundy-plum brown
My MAC Palette
I'm definitely a fan of neutral colors - I find that they complement my eyes, which are dark brown.  As for the finish, I'm probably more partial to a satin, but I really love them all.
MAC Eyeshadows
Because I travel so much, I enjoy taking this palette with me.  The convenience of having my personal eyeshadow selection on hand is immensely satisfying. 
MAC Eyeshadow Palette
As for a favorite eyeshadow?  It's very difficult to say, since I really do love them all, but if I had to pick it would probably be Vex and Retrospeck.


- The Sassi Wench