Bedhead? Check. Smoky eye? Check. Sexy look? Check.
As the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris and modern taste-maker, Carine Roitfeld is a fan of the “tired sexy” look, and her new collection with MAC puts it all on display. Not a lot of color comes along with these pieces from the image-maker’s signature look, but the neutrals are still smoky and seductive—anything but boring. Let’s check out what I took a peek at…
From MAC…
Carine Roitfeld elevated the smoky eye to an art form. For her M·A·C collaboration, Carine edits her look into a collection of chic colours and tools for recreating her aesthetic. Full Face Kit contain four Eye Shadows and Cremeblend Blush, Eye Brows in Brunette, Kohl Power Eye Pencil, Fluidline, 49 Lash and two Mascaras. Tropical Mist Lipstick, Face and Body Foundation, Mineralize Concealer, Nail Lacquer and Brushes create the perfect backdrop for dramatic eyes.
See more photos, swatches, and details…
What I found most special in the collection are the Full Face Kits. The MAC Carine Roitfeld Collection actually has two of them; one called Desert Camouflage—and the second—Jungle Camouflage. What I found really interesting is that they’re each a mirrored compact of four shadows, and a Cremeblend Blush shade. While I’m not familiar with the Cremeblend Blushes in general, I can say that the shade in the Desert Camouflage kit adds more of a sheer, caramel warmth to the skin than it does an actual blush color. Not something I’d wear daily, but it’s pretty neat. I like it for a very minimalist look.
The four eyeshadow shades in Desert Camouflage are very complementary to each other and three of them are PERFECT to me. Sadly, one of them isn’t so perfect.
Eyeshadow shades…
- Sahara Dust — light neutral beige satin
- Cactus Thorn — mid-tone brown bronze frost
- Desert — shimmering warm taupe satin
- Carbon — black matte
In my very humble opinion, I absolutely love every shade here except for Carbon. Even though Carbon swatches decently, it’s kind of hard to blend and move around for me. I have this problem frequently with black shadows, but there’s something missing here. Where the remaining three shades feel velvety and there’s a silky smoothness to them, Carbon just kind of hangs out, feels a little stiff, and doesn’t live up to its initial pigment payoff once you do start to blend. But okay, three out of four isn’t that bad! Sahara Dust, Cactus Thorn, and Desert left me happy with killer color payoff and minimal fallout.
Pieces from the MAC Carine Roitfeld Collection
Desert Camouflage Full Face Kit
Eyeshadow shades of Desert Camouflage Full Face Kit
Swatches…
Cremeblend Blush; Sand Storm / Eyeshadows; Sahara Dust (S), Cactus Thorn (F), Desert (S), Carbon (M)
Pretty interesting—in this collection, there’s a set of Good Luck Star stencils that you can use as beauty marks, etc. It’s a little Kat Von D for me, but it works on Carine in all of the promotional photography. Makeup to me is all about expression, and if you want to wear a star on your face, then do it! The stencils feel like a piece of tape and adhere pretty well to the skin—but lift off easily once you’re finished. Fill them in with an eyeliner, remove, and you have a star beauty mark anywhere you want it. There are 20 individual stencils in this set.
How to apply…
Bottom Line…
I dig the eyeshadows in the Desert Camouflage Full Face Kit, and the sheer warmth of the Cremeblend Blush. I can’t see why the shadows wouldn’t translate nicely for anytime.
Price & Availability…
Desert Camouflage Full Face Kit—$44, Good Luck Star—$18; through October 4th at maccosmetics.com and all MAC locations.
