MAC Hey, Sailor!: Crew High-Light Powder

MAC will be releasing their main Summer collection, called Hey, Sailor!, this coming Thursday, May 24, in stores in North America. Hey, Sailor! will be comprised of two parts, one focusing on colour and the other focusing on face and body. Together, this collection will feature a total of 40 products — 30 of which are new and limited edition, five of which are re-promotes, and five of which are permanent. Hey, Sailor! sees the release of Crew High-Light Powder, which will undoubtedly be the star product, and therefore the most coveted item, in this collection. Each High-Light Powder comes in limited edition navy blue compact with a clear lid, and limited edition box packaging featuring a navy blue and white nautical stripe design. Each compact contains 10 grams of product, and retails for $34.

Crew High-Light Powder (separate three shades)

Crew High-Light Powder (blended)

Crew features three main shades in raised stripe patterns: a medium cool-toned pink-lilac in a satin finish, a light-medium warm pink in a satin finish, and a light-medium orange-peach in a matte finish. Between these three shades is a pale creamy beige overlay colour (this does not go all the way through to the bottom). When these shades are swirled together, it creates a light-medium warm pink with a very subtle satin sheen. The texture of this powder is soft, smooth, and finely-milled. I found that it went on very evenly and was easily layerable and blendable. It is warmer than Well Dressed Powder Blush, lighter and warmer than Dame Powder Blush, and more muted and much cooler than Dainty Mineralize Blush.

I don't know how well this product actually highlights, but it certainly brightens the skin. Those with fair to medium skintones can easily layer this to use as a natural blush, but for those with darker skintones, this will be more of a skin brightener (it will lean on the chalky side if used as a blush). You can easily alter the undertone of this product by mixing more of the peach shade to make it warmer, and likewise mixing more of the lilac to make it cooler, so it should suit both warm and cool undertones. Compared to the High-Light Powders from the past couple summers (Marine Life from To The Beach in 2010, My Paradise from Surf, Baby! in 2011), Crew is definitely a more subtle, natural mix of shades, but it is soft and pretty, nonetheless. To me, it's not a must-have like the ones from previous years, but it's a welcome addition to anyone's make-up collection and will certainly sell out fast.