MAC for Gareth Pugh Swatches & Overview

I went to the MAC Pro Store on Robertson Blvd. yesterday (11/18) to find that the Gareth Pugh for MAC Collection had only just arrived (a day later than the expected launch date) and they were still awaiting  the arrival of the Metal-X Cream Eyeshadows. The Collection will launch 11/23 everywhere else.

Initial thoughts: The packaging is quite heavy, thick and elegant- it has a real couture feel to it. The color palette ranges from soft and demure to bold and vampy, and the juxtaposition of the two is quite interesting.

The first products that I swatched were the pigments, and I have to say- the texture is like a creamy velvet and the pigmentation is extraordinary. Guise, the frosty grey on the left, is a lovely shade- albeit not that original. It is so soft to the touch that it feels more like silk than a pigment. The stand-out, however, is Deceit, the blackened plum with pink pearl shown on the right. This color is incredibly pigmented and smooth. The color is deep, rich, and unbelievably gorgeous. This would make one stunning eye liner.

The lipsticks are both lovely. Fervent (swatched on top) is described by MAC as a glossy blackened berry- which I think is an apt description. It has a satin finish so it goes on very smoothly, and is perfect for that vampy lip. The color looks a bit like a cross between Plum Bright (LE from MAC Colour Collection) & Rebel with a sprinkle of Smoked Purple. Restrict is described as a creamy greyed nude- it definitely leans cool, but as you can see it barely showed up when swatched on my hand (NC25), but it would clearly look different on my lips.

The top picture is taken outside while the picture below is inside the Pro Store. Outrage lipglass boasts the most original color of all of the lip products, and I can't think of a dupe (shown on the bottom). It is described as a sheer berry with blue pearl, but it has a pronounced duochrome finish- to my eyes it is like Club for the lips with a purple base. This color is stunning and very original and unusual. It has the same stickiness of the lipglasses from the permanent range. Vacant is described as a sheer light lavender with violet pearl (shown on the far left)- while this is a lovely shade it is neither as original, nor as interesting as Outrage. This color is far more approachable across skintones, and certainly lends itself to playing it safe, and of course it would be perfectly paired with Restrict lipstick.

Strada Blush is described as a mid-tone nude, but when I swatched it read more as a pinky beige, and in fact it basically disappeared on my NC25 skin (and was undetected by the camera). It looks a bit like Malt eyeshadow to my eye. It is very soft and silky in texture, and is quite lovely especially if used for contouring. I suspect that it will disappear on darker skin-tones, or run the risk of looking ashy.

The compact that it comes in is very substantial and heavy, and I believe that it was metal rather than dense plastic. There is a geometric pattern pressed into the powder which will wear away after a few uses, and unlike the blushes from the permanent range this one includes a mirror. If you love this blush (which is a repromote and a permanent color at the Pro Stores) then I would probably buy the regular Strada blush from the Pro Store to save some money because at $30.00 you pay a premium for this limited edition packaging (especially since it's not a refillable compact). If you are a collector who simply cannot live without this gorgeous compact- then the cost may well be worth it for you.

The Beauty Powder is described as a "translucent neutral beige" so it is really only going to work for fair beauties. The texture is soft, silky and luxurious, but the price tag is prohibitively expensive for most MAC enthusiasts at $60.00. While the embossed imprint on the beauty powder and the hefty mirrored compact are gorgeous- I doubt that will encourage too many people from spending so much to get it.

Lipstick ($22.00 U.S./ $27.00 CDN)
Fervent: Glossy blackened berry (satin) (LE)
Restrict: Creamy greyed nude (cremesheen)(LE)

Lipglass ($22.00 U.S./ $27.00 CND)
Vacant: Sheer light lavender gray with violet pearl (LE)
Outrage: Sheer berry with blue pearl (LE)

Beauty Powder ($60.00 U.S./ $72.00 CDN)
Elude: Translucent neutral beige (LE)

Metal-X Cream Eyeshadow ($32.00 U.S./ $38.50 CDN)
Obscura: Frosty gunmetal grey (LE)
Ardent: Frosty blackened burgundy (LE)

Pigment ($32.00 U.S./ $38.50 CDN)
Guise: Frosty grey (LE)
Deceit: Blacked plum with pink pearl (LE)

Mascara ($15.00 U.S./ $18.00 CDN)
Studio Fix Boldblack Lash: Blackest Black

Technakohl Liner ($19.00 U.S./$23.00 CDN)
Greyprint: Rich pewter grey with frost
Graphblack: Rich graphic black

Lashes ($18.00 U.S./ $21.50 CDN)
Flight Lash: Dense, geometric triangle-shaped lash (LE)

Nail Lacquer ($23.00 U.S./ $27.50 CDN)
Inert: Creamy mid-tone greyed nude (créme)(LE)
Ascension: Grey with blue violet reflective pearl (frost)(LE)
Hyper: Deep blue with violet pearl (frost)(LE)

Powder Blush ($30.00 U.S./ $36.50 CDN)
Strada: Mid-tone nude (LE) (Repromote)

Square Handled Buffer Brush ($60.00 U.S./ $72.00 CDN) (LE)

Gareth Pugh for MAC Makeup Bag ($75.00 U.S./ $90.00 CDN) (LE)
Square black high gloss bag with geometric design.