MAC Reel Sexy – review, photos & swatches

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It’s not too late to get a good seat for the show!

product photos: we heart this, event photos: MAC Cosmetics

Before you break out the nautical stripes and jaunty hats for Hey Sailor, you may want to grab a popcorn and catch the last showing of MAC Reel Sexy (it’s here until May 24). The launch is based on/accompanied by photographs and film by Miles Aldridge that star his wife, supermodel Kristen McMenamy. It’s bold and brilliant and oh so late 80s inspired.

Check out a couple of pics from the release party on Robertson Blvd.

Reel Sexy ushers who handed out movie snacks

And look, our beautiful pal; Senior Artist Tiffany J (far right).

Ok, on with the show…

Nail Lacquer in Screening Room, Vivid Effect and In the Dark…Purple

There are three Nail Lacquers in Reel Sexy, which perfectly represent the primary colors that dominate the launch: Teal, Coral and Purple, all in creme formula with good coverage in two coats.

Vivid Effect

Vivid Effect is described as an orange-coral. I’m not seeing a lot of orange. I’d call this a true coral, or more specifically “the color I buy over and over again”. Bright and pretty!

Screening Room

Screening Room is a bright blue teal. I often find polishes to be either too blue or too teal. This is a beautiful, equal mix of both shades.

In the Dark…Purple

In the Dark… Purple is a bright medium red-tinged violet.

We got to check out two of the four Eye Shadow Duos, and two of the four Eye Kohls…

Dynamic Duo 3

Dynamic Duo 3 won me over with its taupe and teal combo before I even tried it. Happily, it still had me after I swatched it. It’s a true taupe shimmer, meaning that it looks both purple and gray. I went back and forth over which one I thought it leaned more towards, before deciding it was a tie! And while the dark matte shade looks teal in the pan, it applies so dark that it almost looks emerald on. It makes a beautiful liner and a great compliment to the taupe. Nice pigment on both of these too.

Dynamic Duo 4

Dynamic Duo 4 is a light pink with a slight shimmer and a matte black violet. I had trouble with both of these shades. I couldn’t get the pink to show up on my skin, no matter how many layers I applied. And the dark shade was definitely on the chalky side.

Eye Kohl in Heirloom and Hyacinth

I find myself reaching for Eye Kohl’s a lot, with Teddy being my go-to shade for just about ANY look. They’re soft; but not too soft, and wear for a long time; but not so long that removal is difficult. Just a good, standard liner!

Heirloom is a metallic lavender grey, and I’ve found that I love using it on the lower lashes to accompany grey and purple looks. Hyacinth is a medium cobalt blue with a lighter blue sheen.

Duo 3, Heirloom and Hyacinth Eye Kohls, Duo 4

Cremesheen Glass in Private Screening, Star Quality, Cinestyle and Colour Saturation

We got a sneak preview at all four of the Cremesheen Glasses. Private Screening is a milky and light peach nude. Star Quality is a bright pink coral that I knew would be mine from first swipe. Cinestyle is a light, creamy lavender that gives just a touch of milky coolness. First looking at it I thought it would be way too cool for me, but surprisingly, it worked for my warm skin tone in the same way a light nude would. How about that! Color Saturation is a bright berry with a hint of purple.

Private Screening, Star Quality, Cinestyle and Colour Saturation

Lipstick in Reel Sexy, Watch Me Simmer, Heroine and Pink Popcorn

Lastly, here’s a look at all four of the lipsticks. The launch’s namesake, Reel Sexy, is a light and bright peachy coral with an amplified finish. This was pretty non-forgiving on me; streaky and settled into lip lines. Too bad, I really wanted it to work. Watch me Simmer was a hit in the Shop/Cook launch, and it still is. It’s a bright pink-tinged coral with an amplified finish. Coral fans, if you didn’t get a chance to scoop this up then, you surely should now. Heroine is a magenta purple with a matte finish. But I call this a “new matte”, it’s got a plusher feel and no dryness at all (I swear MAC has reformulated their mattes, and I like ’em!) Pink Popcorn is a sheerish purple tinged pink with a lustre finish.

Lipstick in Reel Sexy, Watch Me Simmer, Heroine and Pink Popcorn

Review Team, what did you think of the products? And readers, do you want to catch the show?

Zoom Lash mascara
Zoomblack – Rich black
$15 U.S./$18 CDN

Eye Kohl
Heirloom – highly metallicized greyed lavender
Hyacinth – Dirtied mid-tone blue
Resort – Deep amethyst plum
Smolder – Intense black
$15 U.S./$18 CDN

Nail Lacquer
Vivid Effect – Vivid orange coral (creme)
In the Dark…Purple – Vivid violet (creme)
Screening Room – Bright mid-tone teal (creme)
$15U.S./$18 CDN

Lipstick
Reel Sexy – Light bright coral (amplified)
Watch Me Simmer – Bight pink-orange (amplified)
Pink Popcorn – Lavender (lustre)
Heroine – Bright violet/purple (matte)
$14.50 U.S./$17.50 CDN

Cremesheen Glass
Private Screening – Mid-tone peach
Cinestyle – Mid-tone blue grey violet
Star Quality – Bright orange coral
Colour Saturation – Dark cool wine
$19 U.S./$22.50 CDN

Pro Palette Eye Shadow X2
Dynamic Duo 1 – Coral with yellow pearl (veluxe pearl) and Clean purple (matte)
Dynamic Duo 2 – Violet duochrome with pearl (frost) and Clean violet (matte)
Dynamic Duo 3 – Dirty-toned purple (veluxe pearl) and Teal blue (matte)
Dynamic Duo 4 – Mid-tone pink (satin) and Blackened violet (matte)
$27.50 U.S./$33 CDN

Powder Blush
Pink Cult – Mid-tone dirty neutral pink (matte)
Magenta – Bright magenta (matte)
$20U.S./$24 CDN

Mineralize Skinfinish
Lightscapade – Soft candlelit beige with multi-dimensional shimmer
$28 U.S./$33.50 CDN

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.