MAC Archie’s Girls Pigments and Liners – review, photos, swatches & looks
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Betty, Veronica or somewhere in-between – MAC has pencils and pigments to make you shine!
While I do adore MAC’s Archie’s Girls collection, and think the concept and execution are fantastic, I do have to make a confession before I write my review… I’ve never been particularly interested in the Archie comic books.
I just wasn’t in to a story line that focused on two girls/friends fighting over a guy. I mostly read super hero comics, like Spiderman and X-Men (side note: OMG how awesome would it be if MAC made more super hero collections? I obsessed over the Wonder Woman collection).
In spite of my lack of enthusiasm for the actual comic books, I am really excited about MAC’s Archie’s Girls collection for spring 2013 because it has almost all of the components that a good collection should have: quality, variety and theme.
My favorite part about this launch is how well the products fit into the Archie’s Girls theme. The characters and this collection both have a lot of personality. Betty’s products and Veronica’s products each fit their respective characters perfectly. And though the products may seem as different as yin and yang, they compliment each other and can be mixed and matched with ease.
While not every item is a grand slam, overall, this collection has a great batting average. I love the variety of products – nail polishes, pigments, eye liner, blush, lipglass, lipstick, eye shadows, mascara, face powder and even accessories! There’s something for everyone. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the Pigments and Eye Liners inspired by Betty and Veronica and get a look at the products in action.
Archie’s Girls Pearglide Intense Eye Liner Pencils ($16.50 each)
Veronica:
Petrol Blue – a bright blue with silver/shimmer sparkle
Designer Purple – pearl violet with silver shimmer/sparkle (Slightly less pigmented, but the color can be built up easily)
Betty:
Lord It Up – a medium brown pearl with gold shimmer/sparkle.
Black Swan – pearl black packed with gold shimmer/sparkle (Like an oil slick!)
The finish of these eyeliner pencils is gorgeous. I haven’t seen many other eye liner products of any type that have the shimmery, sparkly, glossy, almost wet-look to them that these particular pencils have. These are very, very soft in texture, and nicely pigmented eye liners, so they apply easily.
Petrol Blue, Designer Purple, Lord It Up, Black Swan
Because they are so creamy, I actually prefer to use an angled eyeliner brush to apply the product (swipe the tip of the brush on the tip of the pencil). Once they “set,” these eyeliner pencils last for hours without smudging or fading or transfer. I was surprised that they were so long lasting, given how soft they are, and how oily my lids can be!
Due to the glitter, these seem to irritate my eyes a bit, even when just applied on my upper lid. They do have a great length of wear on the waterline, but are fairly irritating. I really like the colors, which are all part of MAC’s permanent collection. The Archie packaging is 50 cents more expensive than the regular MAC pencils.
Veronica Pigments ($23 each)
Black Poodle – matte blackened violet with sparkles
Magic Spells – matte blackened teal with teal microglitter
Black Poodle, Magic Spells
These pigments really shine when used wet, because you can really see the shimmer. Used dry, you’ll need to pack the color on to get the color true to what you see in the jar, and the shimmer is subtle. As with all pigments, they can be potentially messy, especially if you’re klutzy, and a bit of fallout is to be expected.
Ready for a peek at a Veronica-inspired look?
Products used – Veronica look:
Pigment in Black Poodle, Magic Spells
Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Designer Purple
Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flatter Me (from the Betty line)
Betty Pigments ($23 each)
Cheers My Dear – cool lavender tinged pink with a pearl/metallic finish.
Lucky in Love – pale iridescent/frosty blue-green.
Cheers My Dear, Lucky in Love
Again, applied dry, you’ll need to layer to get the super bold color. Particularly with Lucky in Love; while not opaque by any means and very pretty, it doesn’t really look the same as it does in the jar.
Let’s see these Betty products in action, shall we?
Products used – Betty look:
Pigment in Cheers My Dear!
Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan
Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flatter Me
Lipglass in Summer Sweetheart
And we’re calling a truce between Betty and Veronica with this mash up:
Products used – Veronica and Betty hybrid:
Pigments in Magic Spells, Lucky in Love
Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan
Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flatter Me
Lipglass in Summer Sweetheart
That was so much fun – here’s a second mash up!
Products used – Veronica and Betty hybrid #2:
Pigments in Archie Black Poodle pigment, Lucky in Love
Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan
Overall, regardless of your feelings on the comics, the Archie’s Girls pigments and pencils are good products; choosing your perfect picks just comes down to color preference and personality.
we heartsters – which is your favorite look – the Betty, the Veronica or one of the mash ups? Let’s talk MAC pigments and liners in the comments!
Marilyn is a makeup maniac and slow but stubborn runner. She loves color coding her day planner, reading celebrity gossip and drinking good wine. Marilyn blogs about makeup and fitness over at her blog, Lipgloss and Spandex.
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
Pigment
Betty:
Cheers My Dear – Light lavender (frost)
Lucky In Love – Shimmering light blue green (frost)
Veronica:
Black Poodle – Blackened pink (frost)
Magic Spells – Blackened teal (frost)
$23.00 US/$27.50 CDN
Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner
Betty:
Lord It Up – Bronze with pearl
Black Swan- Black with gold pearl
Veronica:
Petrol Blue – Deep navy with pearl
Designer Purple – Violet with pearl
$16.50 US/$20 CDN
These looks are great! I love the mash-ups, 1 and 2 are more equally lovely. I think my favorite out of this set is Black Swan, that oil slick description sounds great!
I’m wondering about Black Poodle and Magic Spells; they look just so black, almost too much so. Does the purple or teal shine through more in person, or do they just read black?
If you use them with a damp brush, you can get the teal and purple to show up a little more on the Veronica pigments. But used dry, you’re mostly going to see matte black. Either way, they’re going to be VERY dark. Using less product results in a dark charcoal grey, it won’t give you more color. Hope that helps!
You must have had a blast doing this! I love all the pics, everthing looks pretty dang nice on you but my most favorite from above is when you used – Betty look:
Pigment in Cheers My Dear!
Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan
Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flatter Me
Lipglass in Summer Sweetheart.
Really looks awesome!
Sing three verses of Rod Stewart’s “You Wear It Well” here, @lipglossandspandex! Wow, one picture is more flattering than the last. These jewel tones are so luxe, so vivid, that my heart is beating hard, my blood racing through my body! I prefer your own mixes; you did an exceptional job of making the utmost of these pigments.
I loved the Veronica side of the collection, but about pigments… I’m with Betty also. And I own also Black Swan <3
Black Swan is just wonderful, isn’t it?
Excellent review @lipglossandspandex ! Your pictures really capture the essence of Betty and Veronica. I love the hybrid pics most of all.
@hao9703, thank you! Capturing the feel of the characters was definitely important to me when it came to creating the looks :)
I’m voting for the Veronica look! That Designer Purple liner is too gorgeous for words and it really looked great with your dark brown eyes! Great pics, @lipglossandspandex !
Thank you, @krista! I love Designer Purple on the lower lashline… so glam and fun.
These are just gorgeous – well done! I loved the Archie comics but probably wouldn’t have given the line much notice until I saw your pics! My favorite is also the Veronica look on you, but they are all stunning.
@Mel, that’s always such a compliment when people decide to give a collection a second glance because of my different “looks” using the products! Thank you :)
I LOVE these eyeliners. They look even shinier and wetter than in the photos. They are really fun, on the upper and lower lashline, and I love the length of wear. If you have sensitive eyes, be careful, as the glitter can be irritating. And the good news is that the shades themselves are permanent though the packaging is LE. If you love eyeliner, especially glittery ones, definitely check these out.
The pigments are pretty but a little more work than your typical eye product, especially these shades. While those used to working with pigments won’t have too much trouble, you still might be a little disappointed that three of the four colors are a little less pigmented as you’d like. The shades themselves are pretty but not terribly unique.
I love the mashups! You did SUCH a great job with all of these products. I honestly wouldn’t know what to do with those Betty pigments. They are so sweet and pretty but I get dumb with light colors.
I received the liner in Petrol Blue. It’s so so pretty. Dark enough to feel like a liner, but distinguishable from black. Works lovely with my eye color! I love it smudged a bit, which is how I like to wear my pencil liners. The packaging is adorable for these too.
I love how easily you can smudge these a bit, and then it SETS like nobody’s business. But they look great when they’re not smudged too. They’re awesome.
Your photos are great @lipglossandspandex ! I love your first mashup and can totally see myself doing a look like that. Thanks for giving us a break down of the products you used!