MAC’s Holiday Collection: Glitter & Ice

The MAC Holiday 2011 collection landed at Sassy HQ last week, tucked in beautiful silver boxes. This could only mean one thing: the new season is finally upon us!

The collection, ‘Glitter & Ice’ boasts a full range of products, from mineralized eye shadows, beauty powders, nail lacquers, faux lashes, lipsticks, glosses… to brushes and sweet little makeup cases. I’d read that this was a collaboration between MAC and an Olympic athlete, which sounds odd until you learn more about the man in question: Johnny Weir. Far from an ordinary athlete, Johnny is a flamboyant performer and figure skating star with a penchant for Lady Gaga. This could only mean one thing: glitter, glitter, GLITTER!

I tested the ‘Cool’ eyeshadow compact (HK420), which is housed in a pristine white case topped with a mini snowglobe – so pretty! (A side note: the entire collection comes in white casing, unlike any other MAC range which is usually encased in black). The compact came with six shades: pale lavender, frosty white, medium purple, shimmery grey, slate and a matte royal blue. The variety of textures and finishes make this a very versatile compact – I loved how easy it was to mix and match the colours. The darker colours are strongly pigmented and showed up easily on my light-to-medium skin, the lighter ones did require some coaxing to show up, although they work well layered over the medium shades or as highligters beneath the brow bone and in the inner corners of my eyes. I wore the medium purple shade to work with aubergine lashes and it lasted all day with primer underneath.

Other items from the collection I tested were Such Flare! (HK150) a matte, red lipstick with a cool blue undertone. I’m a fan of this very versatile colour – I’d wear it dressed down and up, depending on my mood. I love a matte red lip with minimal makeup, which always looks very modern. At the same time, I can imagine sashaying down a red carpet with this red and a graphic eyeliner. Like I said: versatile. The formula is dry, as you would expect from a matte finish, so I had to exfoliate my lips before attempting this look.

One product in particular encapsulates the glamour and icy beauty of figure skaters: Frozen Lamé, a silvery lipglass. Worn alone, this shimmery gloss imparts an ethereal quality to lips. Worn over colour, it gives a holographic, plumping effect to lips. It doesn’t hurt that the tube smells of caramel either. This came in a Limited Edition case called ‘Pure Drama Iced Delights Nail & Lip Bag’ (HK420), paired with Hang Up, a deep berry lipstick and Vintage Vamp, a dark, wine coloured nail lacquer which I will be using from Halloween to Christmas and every event in between.

The collection is surprisingly wearable, given its muse, and perfect for recreating that ice queen look. The unique packaging, in particular the eyeshadow compacts, would make great gifts for the glamour puss in your life…or you could try self-gifting; I love getting just what I’ve always wanted!

The MAC Holiday collection will be available from October 31st at all MAC locations.