If diamonds are a girl’s best friend then, so are bronzite, black tourmaline, pyrite and lepidolite. These are ethically-mined minerals, as per www.maccosmetics.com, from Brazil have been infused in July’s newly launched Semi-Precious Collection.
MAC Semiprecious Marbleized Eye shadows are swirly, and retail for $19.50 each. The top larger Mineralize Skinfinish retails for $28 each
Upon first viewing them in the MAC store on 22nd Street in New York, I immediately was drawn to the look of them. They reminded me of what planets looked like from my Elementary School Science books. There were so many colors in some of the shadows and blushes that I was curious as to which pigments would show up on my skin. I knew I had to try this line as these products were Limited Editions and some would not be back in stock, never to return again!
The 32-piece collection included 12 new Limited Edition Mineralize Eye Shadows, 3 Mineralize Blushes, 4 Lipsticks, 4 Mineralize Skin Finishes, 5 Cremesheen Glasses, Mineralize Satin Finish SPF 15 Foundation, 4 Limited Edition Split Fibre Brushes that combined both Synthetic and Natural Hair for different looks, Mineralize Face and Body Lotion and green tea infused Mineralize Charged Water!
MAC cosmetics artist, Ashlee Glazer, was kind enough to take me from my bare face to a day time look and then to a night time look only using the products that they still had IN STOCK from the Semi-Precious collection. They were already sold out of several products. Even some of the testers were gone. I had noticed this already at Bloomingdale’s while perusing the make up counters as I always do.
We started with the Mineralized Charged Water that felt like a skin quenching burst of water (especially on the 104 degree day ). This product was sold out in the store but we were able to find the tester in order to lock in the Mineralize Satin Finish SPF 15 Foundation she was about to apply. In reference to the Mineralize Charged Water, I loved this product as it was so refreshing to my skin and later found out it was infused with green tea among other ingredients.
Before
The Foundation also felt very hydrating on my combination skin. Next came these gemlike looking eye shadow swirls and Ashlee chose “Hint of Sapphire” for my eyes, “Warmth of Coral” for my cheeks and both “Lush Amber” and Pure Magnificence” for my lips. At first I wondered if the shadows would read like a variety of shades but they actually went on very sheer and I could wear any of them during the day. “Hint of Sapphire” during the day? Indeed I could as it was a sheer glimmer on my eyes. These shadows are made from baked minerals that are refined into a powder and are meant to be lightweight and sheer. The Mineralize Blushes too have a plethora of colors in them, these with the concentration of the “swirl” in the center, yet go on as an overall light look. You could always layer them if you chose to for a more contoured appearance. It wasn’t until we went into the night time look that these colors became more strong. Ashlee dipped the specialized brush from this collection, # 234, into water first and then into the “Rare Find”Mineralize Eye Shadow to create a glitter-like eye liner effect that made for a stronger eye.
Day Look
Night Look
She did the same for my lower lashes and I went from Day to Night immediately within minutes of this one change. Now I saw how the color began to “pop” like a gemstone would with it’s shine and opulence. She also added “Richly Revered” to my lips for a more dramatic lip. It was both rich and bold in color. I loved both looks and bought quite a few products…
I truly enjoyed sitting in her chair and finally seeing the collection go from counter top to my face! If you do get the opportunity to see this collection and like these products as much as I did, then I must give you a few words to the wise…”Buy them while you can!”
– Nicole Gordon Levine
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