MAC Guilty Passions: Brilliantly Cool Crushed Metallic Pigments

This past Thursday, MAC launched their holiday mini kits collection called Guilty Passions. There is a total of six kits in this collection, all of which are new and limited edition, and in special edition packaging for holiday. Guilty Passions sees the release of three Crushed Metallic Pigment sets, each containing four shades in clear stackable jars. Each kit is housed in a round, mint green, chevron-print box trimmed with a black patent bow. Each palette contains a total of 12 grams of product (3 grams of each shade), and retails for $38.50.

Clockwise from left: She's Got Class, Moss Garden, I've Got a Crush on You, and Spruced

Stacked left to right: She's Got Class, Moss Garden, Spruced, and I've Got a Crush on You

She's Got Class, Moss Garden, Spruced, and I've Got a Crush on You

She's Got Class is a light silvered white in a metallic finish. It is a new and limited edition shade. It has a chunkier, more gritty texture, and goes on slightly patchy and unevenly. It has medium pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered easily, but there is some fall-out when blending. It is more silvered than White, and more white than Frozen White.

Moss Garden is a light grey-tinged aquamarine in a metallic finish. It is a re-promoted shade from February's Vera collection, and is limited edition. It has a chunkier, more gritty texture, and goes on slightly patchy and unevenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered easily, but there is fall-out when blending. There is nothing similar in MAC's permanent Pigment line-up. It is darker and more green than Mint in the Fresh & Mint Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo, and lighter and more blue than Sweet in the Sweet & Sour Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo.

Spruced is a medium-dark vibrant green-teal in a metallic finish. It is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more green than Teal, and darker and more teal than Emerald Green.

I've Got a Crush on You is a medium-dark reddened brown with a green-teal duochrome in a metallic finish. It is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and brighter than Blue Brown.

I have always been a fan of Crushed Metallic Pigments because they look absolutely stunning — in the jars and in execution. They really stay true to their product name, and really do look like crushed metal nuggets. Because they are loose pigments, they do create some fall out and it take some patience to use, but once they are applied, they are long-wearing, non-creasing, and really stay put — as long as you crush the pigment (using a brush in the lid) to create a smooth, even layer of product. I recommend a stiffer eyeshadow brush (e.g. MAC's #239) to pad on the pigment and then using a blending brush to soften the edges. Keep in mind that this is a product for fans of loose pigment eyeshadows in an extremely metallic finish (they almost have a foil-like look). I do recommend using these on top of a more emollient base as well, just so they adhere better to the eye area (I use NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base). I usually don't like loose eyeshadows because I find them messier with more fall out, but as someone who loves metallic eyeshadows, I find these totally worth working with. Bonus: The boxes are gorgeous and can be kept for storage use!