June 2011 -

MAC Semi-Precious Swatches: Eye Shadow, Mineralize Blush, and Mineralize Skinfinish

The MAC Semi-Precious collection offers twelve very well pigmented mineralize eye shadows, three blushes, and four Mineralize Skinfinish luminizers/blushes/bronzers. In the past when MAC has done mineralized eye shadow I found that some of the shades ended up a bit muddy at times, but this collection generally didn’t have that problem among the eight shades that I swatched, with the exception of one dark green shade, Dark Indulgence (which I think still looks OK, but the green doesn’t show at all) .

MAC Semi-Precious Eye Shadow Swatches

Below are Semi-Precious Eye Shadow swatches of eight of the twelve shades. From left to right with notes in parenthesis: Unsurpasssable (this is more luminous than the picture shows and is a gorgeous light turquoise/teal), Quartz Fusion (lots of glitter in this one that doesn’t show as well in photos), Dark Indulgence, Blue Sheen (particularly well pigmented), Rare Find (my personal favorite), Faux Gold (more luminous than the photo really depicts), Jade’s fortune (another really pretty and interesting sea green shade), and Mineral Mode (this was more pinkish than I thought it would be).

MAC Semi-Precious Blush Swatches and Mineralize SkinFinish Swatches

Neither of the blush shades that I tried thrilled me, but that is only because they wouldn’t personally work well for me, they actually are rather pretty shades. I also noted that they have pretty decent pigment to them. I also tried three of the skinfinish shades. Here are swatches of the blushes and skinfinish. From left to right: Pearl SkinFinish (probably the best shade for my rather pale skin), Rose Quartz SkinFinish (has a very pretty pink to it), Goldstone SkinFinish, Pressed Amber blush, and Warmth of Coral Blush

The collection also includes brushes, mascara, face and body lotion, mineralize charged water, mineralize satin finish foundation, and new lip shades. I swatched the lipsticks and cremsheen lipglasses over on Girl Gloss. You can see them here: MAC Semi-Precious Lip Swatches.

This collection is available July 7, though August 21, 2011. Sometimes the collections show up for sale a few days early.

Disclosure: This review is based on products provided by a representative of the company. For more, please see our disclosure page.

Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

About the Author: Carleen Pruess Coulter

Guest Post: Enjoy Leave-In Conditioner Review

Recently my boyfriend got me hooked on some new hair care. Yes, my boyfriend. I never thought my boyfriend would care about his hair more than I do – but I can honestly tell you he has introduced me to some amazing hair care products that I might have never discovered except through him. Before I tried to be frugal by buying what I thought were some fantastic products, only to be disappointed when trying his hair products because they are so much better!

I’m proud of my boyfriend for being a man who loves to try new hair products. At first I didn’t understand why his hair care is so important to him – his hair is so short! But I guess just like a woman, a man also likes to take care of his skin and hair. If a man wants to take care of himself, I think that’s a great thing. I have to proudly admit that he’s doing a great job of taking care of his hair and skin. When I run my fingers through my boyfriend’s hair it is very soft and shiny and I’m about to tell you why.

My boyfriend introduced me to a new hair product called Enjoy Leave -In Conditioner. You can still use your normal shampoo and conditioner in the shower, but when you get out of the shower you put this product into your damp hair. In addition to being a leave-in conditioner, this product is also a color holding formula that locks in your hair color! I personally love this quality about the Enjoy line because I had never heard of a leave-in conditioner that also helps your hair color stay longer! In addition to this remarkable aspect, Enjoy Leave-In Conditioner is also recommended for all hair types and gives hair “extra” moisture, detangling, and protection. In addition, you can either leave it in or rinse it out.

I love to leave my conditioner in because I use it as an alternative to hair gel. Believe it or not, Enjoy Leave-In Conditioner honestly works just as well! Since it is a conditioner it smoothes down your hair, but does not make your hair look oily if you evenly distribute it throughout your head of hair. I have naturally curly hair so I put the conditioner in different sections of my hair, scrunch my hair with my hands, and this creates loose curls that surround my face. It’s very effective; you will achieve a beachy and wavy look that is in style right now without having to put a ton of hair product in your hair. I also was able to find the lowest price on these products so that was certainly helpful if you are wanting to save on cost. It’s great for achieving long lasting and soft waves. For men it softens their hair while making it look very healthy. In conclusion, I would encourage you to try the Enjoy line because I guarantee you will “enjoy” it!

An ocean dreamer at heart and in real life, Sierra Greenman thrives on visiting and living near the beach and could never imagine herself anywhere else. She recently ventured out into the freelance world and now is a Freelance Writer and Social Media Specialist and absolutely loves it. Writing about fashion and style are one of her many passions. You can also find Sierra at her blog Ocean Dreams and follow her on Twitter @oceandreams4u. She also is a featured fashion blogger for JoeShopping.com and her e-mail is oceandreams4sierra@gmail.com if you want to say hello!