MAC To the Beach bonanza

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Photos, swatches and a beauty reviewer’s declaration of love…

photos: we heart this

That’s right weheartsters, grab your sunblock-we’re going To the Beach! This 31 piece MAC collection has been causing quite the stir. The gorgeous Marine Life high-light powder sold out online in about 2 hours (wonder if that’s a record?) with many other pieces quickly following suite. But, keep an eye on anything you want that is sold out, as stock seems to be being replenished regularly. For me, this collection was exactly what I needed after a rather long winter; bright and fun with shimmers of gold and bronze. In two words: absolutely gorgeous. And to a coral and green fanatic like myself, downright irresistible. So, let’s take a closer look, shall we?

First up, shown in the above photo are the items I purchased. Those that I felt I would simply perish if I didn’t have them (I’m only slightly exaggerating). They are: (clockwise from left)

• Marine Life high-light powder ($26) – bright coral orange and light pink duo with a gold overspray. You won’t see any swatches here. Why? Because I can’t bring myself to use it. Just. Too. Pretty. And because it’s so hard to find, I feel like I’d instantly regret it. I also feel like an insane person admitting that. Plus, you can’t find this anywhere anymore, so I’d be teasing you anyway. Moving on…

• Thrills lipstick ($14) – rose bronze with gold frost. This lipstick is divine. Think of MAC’s O, but lighter and with less frost (and to me, more wearable). It’s the perfect shade for a hot summer night; beach blown hair, sun kissed skin, rosy bronze lips. Beautiful!

(Hipness, Sweet and Punchy)

• Hipness blush ($18.50) – bright pinky-coral with very subtle shimmer. It gives a nice pop of wearable color. A can’t miss for coral fans.

• Sweet and Punchy eye shadow ($14.50) – chartreuse green. MAC has released quite a few variations of this (Rated R from Starflash, Sharp from Cult of Cherry, along with others) and I seem to buy every one of them. This yellow green might look shocking in the pan, but it’s amazing on (especially on the inner corners of your eyes) and gives you an unexpected, but really beautiful, burst of color. If you love greens, this is your next step, trust me! Or better yet, watch this Temptalia tutorial and see for yourself!

• Temperature Rising lip pencil ($13) – bright, pure orange. I’ve been having a love affair with orange lately; which of course, began with coral. Coral is the gateway drug to orange! This lip pencil didn’t disappoint and is surprisingly wearable, especially when paired with…

• Flurry of Fun lipglass ($14) – peachy light orange with iridescent shimmer that changes from purple to teal. Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds! But the shimmer does dominate. You don’t get a ton of color pay off. In fact, I barely notice the peachy shade on my lips. It’s all opalescent shimmer. But it does add a sparkly dimension to whatever it touches.

Here’s a few closer looks…

And here’s a rundown of the additional items we received for review, shown in the above photo (clockwise from left)…

• Easy Lounger lipglass ($14) – light, sheer pink with tons of white and silver shimmer. I was surprised to see that this was the next item to sell out online following Marine Life. Sheer pink lipglass? Hardly revolutionary, right? But getting this in my mitts, I see what all the fuss is about. As with Flurry of Fun, there’s little color pay off (even less, actually). It’s all about the shimmer, which I can only describe as diamond-like, catching light at different angles creating a glimmering effect. I surprisingly like it even more than Flurry, and prefer it on it’s own.

(MAC left, NARS Body Glow right)

• To the Beach bronze body oil ($22) – Just one of the many bronzing options in this collection, this being specifically for the body. The obvious comparison is to NARS Body Glow, but I was glad to see that there were some major differences. This is unscented, so if you don’t like the overly tropical scent to NARS, you’re in luck. It’s also less oily, drying quickly without leaving any feeling behind (greasiness or stickiness, but also not much moisture). It’s also noticeably more sparkly and has a more brown base to NARS (which looked very orange in comparison).

• Scorcher nail lacquer ($12) – creamy bright coral red. Can you believe, my first MAC nail polish? I always get so wowed by the makeup that I always pass them up. I will say, I always love this shade (whoever releases it). It’s a such a more exciting choice than pure red. And it looks amazing with summer skin (especially with a pedicure). But MAC lacquers are definitely on the thin side, aren’t they? I prefer that to thick, but this is only 2 coats, and I probably could have used another.

• Life’s a Breeze lip pencil ($13) – medium bubblegum pink. Pink and I have a hard time getting along because I find more often than not, it leans towards cool. Warm-toned girls, rejoice! You may have found a pink that will work for you (it does for me!)

Here’s a few more lip swatches…

(Thrills)

(from left: Life’s a Breeze, Temperature Rising, Easy Lounger, Flurry of Fun, and the lipglasses over the pencils)

(Easy Lounger alone, and over Life’s a Breeze)

(Temperature Rising topped with clear lipglass)

Finally, can we just talk packaging inspiration for a moment? The muted orange used for the lip products is a given. The shades of green used for the eye and cheek shades (a 70’s avocado and an acid green) is a bit more of a head scratcher. But ultimately, I love them. And of course, the starfish, seahorse and seashell illustrations are perfect.

So, fess up readers-what did you buy and what do you want?

Disclosure: This review includes 4 products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.