Play It Proper Beauty Powder (a repromote from Stylishly Yours) from MAC Chen Man Love and Water Collection is described as "Softly hued and lightly sparkling, this Beauty Powder reflects the artist's infatuation with the colour pink." It is a very pale pastel pink with sparkles, and is probably best suited to fairer complexions. Medium to darker skin tones may find the color too light, or that it looks a bit ashy. While this formula does contain sparkles it produces a subtle sheen rather than being glittery, and it doesn't have the same type of metallic finish that one often sees with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish. While I have a few MSFs, I prefer the subtlety of Play It Proper.
The texture is creamy and silky smooth to the touch. It is very finely milled, and in my opinion of such high quality that it effortlessly competes with similar products from the couture beauty houses. This is definitely one of the stars from this collection, and I wish that MAC would make this a part of their permanent range. I tend to use Play It Proper as a highlighter rather than an all over beauty powder, and have found that applying it with my Hakuhodo S113 Highlight Brush (reviewed here) is the perfect way to get an amazing finish every time.
0.35 oz. $23.00 US at MAC and where MAC is sold.
That looks really good and I LOVE the work of Chen Man, whose magazine covers are incredible. I have MAC Beauty Powder in Light Sunshine, which I also apply as highlighter with the Hakuhodo S114, but I have been considering this one, which could almost be a glowy blush on me.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a GREAT color for you, Zu! I really like it a lot. It is so buttery soft and finely milled that it's almost hard to believe that it's a MAC Beauty Powder. You know I am still kicking myself for passing on Light Sunshine-- I only picked up a couple of shadows from Fashion Flower, but really wish I had picked this one up. PLUS it was on the Gone but not forgotten link on MAC's website until very recently. However, MAC is so found Repromotes and Re-releases that it's is bound to come back around. Definitely either a glory blush, but also good to tone down darker blushes, and cool down and add clarity to more muted or warmer ones.It's pretty versatile. But ah the texture is like butta!
DeleteI agree Chen Man's work is extraordinary. She's a very compelling photographer. She really blurs the line between fashion and High Art-- somewhere in the liminal space between the two.
DeleteIs the powder really so creamy? I am glad to hear it. I find Light Sunshine to be every so slightly gritty, the way a pressed mineral powder can be. I don't mind because I wouldn't want a ton of product to be picked up on the brush, but I wouldn't call it finely milled.
DeleteToo bad Light Sunshine is no longer around, but you are right, MAC often repromotes products--annoyingly so. I am looking forward to trying Moth Brown eyeshadow when it's back in stock, even though it probably will be too warm for me.
Mine is super creamy and luxurious. However, god knows MAC has become famous for inconsistency in their product quality not just in launches, but even between particular products. A few months ago I swatched one of their eye shadow palettes in the store and it was chalky and patchy, I tried it at another store and it wasn't (they were both brand new so it wasn't a matter of oily fingers). I imagine that yours will be creamy and lovely as well!
DeleteWow, I didn't realize that Light Sunshine was gritty, but if it is in the mineral powder way that wouldn't bother me either. Just not into that scratchy sand feeling of gritty eye shadows and face products :-)
Yes, all of the limited edition launches every 5 minutes- with so many products that are mediocre in quality coupled with everything being LE is truly annoying. I agree I am looking forward to Moth Brown as well. I hope it's not too warm for you. If it is for the lid what about lightly smudging into lower lash line? I remember MAC so fondly back when it first became available at Nordstrom and nobody had heard of it-- it was so fabulous then, and though there are still some really solid products in the line I just can't help to feel as though it changed (not for the better!) when it was gobbled up by Estee Lauder.
Too late. Sold out. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not actually. I never trust their website and always go straight to their Customer Service people who send me on to their beauty advisors. I have on numerous occasions begged with them to search every nook and cranny and every single store until they turn up what I am looking for. So far I have had great success in giving them far more of my money that I should :-)
DeleteAll is not lost! I just found Play it Proper at Nordstrom. Thank goodness for Nordies, free shipping and 5% cash bac from my bank. So this was practically freeeeeeee. I blame you for creating this lemming. ;D (Not that it was hard to twist my arm.)
ReplyDeleteI know- their new free shipping policy is awesome!!! Add 5% cash back and WOO HOO!!!! Happy to enable! Please, you have made me become obsessive about going and swatching Ellis Faas- I can only imagine where that will lead!! xoxo
DeleteWhen are you going?? I can't wait to hear what you think. It's definitely not for everyone. It seems people either love it or hate it, finding it too gimmicky.
DeleteI do wish the bullets were shorter so they'd fit in a normal-sized makeup bag. No WAY am I carrying that canister with me every day, though if I suddenly had to take a weekend trip and, seriously, be out of the house in 5 minutes, that's the product I'd grab. It has everything in it but mascara. And even though not all of the colors I have are my best, I'd still be able to put a more polished face forward.
Unlike you vibrant Winters, Summers can really look washed out with our blend-into-everything skin/hair/eyes—especially as we get older and Mother Nature makes us fade even more. My EF canister has all the basics: red lip stain, a berry liquid lipstick/gloss, taupish eyeshadow, concealer, and blush. Sadly, nothing for my poor brows,but I have a skinny Prescriptives brow pencil I keep in my makeup kit, which never leaves my purse ... and I am sure I have a bite-sized mascara tumbling around in same bag.
I'm trying to figure that out. I really want just jump in the car and go straight to Sephora-- I was told that 3-4 of my local stores stock it, but the woman who I was talking to in Customer Service wasn't very helpful and said that everyone had it if it didn't say "online only"- then I had to tell her that just isn't true because only one store in the area has Bobbi Brown and only a couple have Illamasqua- yet most of those products aren't designated as "online only." She then put me on hold and told me that it appeared to be in stores x,y & z. So I have to take the time to call each.
DeleteI'm working from home to keep an eye onEmma since she had that health scare-- and in case I need to run her tho the vet today.
I will definitely let you know as soon as I go! I am interested to see and feel those canisters in order to better visualize that you mean about their size in person. It's too bad that they aren't shorter-- it sort of defeats the purpose if they are too large to carry in a standard size makeup bag!! That's aging quite a bit that you would grab it first while running out the door for a weekend trip though!
I think that Summers have some of the greatest colors-- I always naturally gravitate toward them- even though as a Winter they aren't always the best suited for my skin tone. I can see how Summers would have to be careful could wash out when straying away from the quintessential Summer Palette. I can become sallow and sickly looking if I stray too far-- especially if I put something coral on my face!!
I gave up waiting for a sunny day to re-photograph this powder, and just started using it. It IS creamy! And I love the finish, much better than Light Sunshine, which I find to be a bit scratchy. My Suqqu cheek brush picks up the perfect amount of this for my cheekbones, and I can stop chasing around those !^@#@%$ Meteorite balls for a while now. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that love it!!! It's gorgeous!! You can use one of my pictures of the unused compact! I'm glad that yours is so creamy. They are back up on the Nordstrom website-- I was actually thinking about getting a back up because it's so great! Also I checked and it looks as though Moth Brown made the cut and will be coming back- WOO HOO for us!
DeleteOh no, so Suqqu brushes are really as good as they say???
Yay, Moth Brown! I can't wait to try it. Do you know when it will come out?
DeleteYes, I am afraid the Suqqu brush is every bit as exquisite as they say. I was lucky to grab one from Dolly Leo Apothecary before they closed. I had an RSS feed on their Facebook page so I'd get instant notification when the brushes were back in stock, and literally 15 minutes after my order went through, the brushes had gone out of stock again.
The Suqqu cheek brush is, without question, the softest brush I have ever used. I love that it's kind of small, It's as wide as my Hakuhodo S114 highlighter brush but a tiny bit shorter and about twice as thick. Best splurge EVER.
I'm excited too. I think it is supposed to launch online only in August. The swatches of Moth Brown are so nice that I think I might order two.
DeleteI have tried to avoid looking into Suqqu brushes since I have nearly gone broke ordering from Hakuhodo! I might have to take a closer look now!