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MAC Year of the Snake: Beauty Powder

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

For the upcoming Chinese New Year, MAC has launched a small colour collection aptly called Year of the Snake, inspired by "the luxury-loving individuals born under its sensual sign." This collection is new and limited edition, and is available online only. To create the visual for this launch, MAC collaborated once again with graphic designer and photographer Chenman (who worked with MAC for last year's Chenman Love & Water collection). This collection is comprised of 12 products — six of which are permanent, and six of which are re-promotes. Year of the Snake sees the release of one shade of Beauty Powder, which can be used "as a highlight, soft blush, or overall finish." Each Beauty Powder comes in a regular black plastic compact with special edition secondary cardstock packaging featuring a metallic embossed snake design. The powder itself also features a embossed snake design. Each Beauty Powder contains 10 grams of product, and retails for $29.


Shell Pearl is a light pinked peach with a soft golden shimmer-sheen. This is a re-promoted shade from 2006's Sundressing collection, and is limited edition. It has a soft, silky, finely-milled 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 more pink than Springsheen Blush, and darker and more pink than Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish.

I actually bought Shell Pearl with the Give Me Liberty of London collection a few years ago, but I could not resist the Year of the Snake embossing on this version (the Asian in me needed it). I've always loved MAC's Beauty Powders over their Mineralize Skinfinishes as a highlighting product. They both go on smoothly, but I find Beauty Powders are more finely-milled and leave more of a soft glow, whereas Mineralize Skinfinishes can go on powdery and very metallic. This product yields true-to-pan colour, so it does work well as a soft blush on fair to medium skintones. On darker skintones, this shade will work better as a highlight or to add a shimmery finish to a darker blush shade. Of all the Beauty Powder shades MAC could have released with this collection, I'm really glad it was Shell Pearl since it's one of the more flattering shades I've seen. However, this shade has been released four times previously, so if you already have it, you probably don't need another one... unless you're like me and you're a sucker for special edition designs.
12 comments on "MAC Year of the Snake: Beauty Powder"
  1. The Unprofessional Beauty BlogFebruary 6, 2013 at 1:20 PM

    Really loving the packaging of this collection. The embossing part is also really beautiful.

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    Replies
    1. DeniseFebruary 7, 2013 at 12:32 AM

      Agreed! That's what really drew me to this collection to begin with. I probably wouldn't have bought as many products if these came out in regular packaging, lol.

      Delete
  2. ToyarosieFebruary 6, 2013 at 6:42 PM

    I`m kind of a sucker for the embossed design on these, gotta say Denise. While yes, I have the new Chanel powder, I`m honestly not crazy about designs on powder - I like to look at 'em, I have no problem destroying them tout suite lol, and they don't pull me to buy something. But these are...sexy. How can you resist?? I really love the look of Shell Pearl, but I can't picture how it would look on my darker skin. I know you said it would be a highlight, but it looks fairly dense - can it be sheered out? Is it more SUITED to lighter skin, but dark skin *can* wear it? Thoughts?

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    Replies
    1. ToyarosieFebruary 6, 2013 at 6:42 PM

      ...and nevermind. It's sold out online anyway LOL!

      Delete
    2. DeniseFebruary 7, 2013 at 12:37 AM

      I think I have a love/hate relationship with embossed products. On the one hand, THEY ARE SO PRETTY TO LOOK AT. On the other hand, it kind of really breaks my heart to use them. :P I remember when I bought MAC's Marine Life Powder a few years ago... I seriously couldn't bring myself to touch it.

      Agreed, though, these ARE sexy! I didn't think of it that way before, but now that you say it, it's like, "It is rather sensual, isn't it..." LOL.

      And yes, this product can absolutely be sheered out. Keep in mind that when I swatch here, it's at full opacity! I actually wore this on top of a much more pigmented blush yesterday. I applied it with a MAC 187 brush (duo-fibre) to buff it out and it looked GORGEOUS. I think that's why I love Shell Pearl so much, and why it appealed to me when it was released with Give Me Liberty of London several years back. It's super flattering on EVERYONE. :) It seriously makes the most beautiful highlight for darker skintones.

      Delete
    3. DeniseFebruary 7, 2013 at 12:38 AM

      Oh, and if it is a product you are seriously considering buying, check back online in a day or so. MAC will often add more stock when it sells out so quickly. :)

      Delete
    4. ToyarosieFebruary 7, 2013 at 8:00 PM

      Ohhh good to know! (and...not good for my wallet lol). And great info all around Denise, thanks a ton! Except...I REALLY want Shell Pearl now, I hope I can get my hands on it! :)

      Delete
    5. DeniseFebruary 8, 2013 at 8:31 PM

      Keep checking online! Oh, and if you call customer service, they will often have the product available if it says SOLD OUT online because they check the warehouse inventory on the computer right then and there. :) I've done this several times with sold out shades!

      Delete
    6. ToyarosieMarch 11, 2013 at 6:04 PM

      So, I followed your advice and compulsively kept checking for this but it never came available. However, I just happened to be on the site today and for whatever reason took a look, and lo and behold!! And damn you for instilling that major lemming because I broke my Lent goal of no shopping online and I bought it LOL. Ah well. I hope I LOVE it :D

      Delete
    7. DeniseMarch 14, 2013 at 6:29 AM

      Haha, I'm so glad you were able to get it! I guess now that New Year's is actually over, they're putting any available stock left online. :) At least you were persistent and kept checking the site! I hope you love it, too!

      Delete
  3. Liz (Beauty Reductionista)February 8, 2013 at 11:16 PM

    I was waiting for this one but it looked too rosy for my liking. I like pale yellow/gold highlighter/beauty powders. PHEW! Money saved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DeniseFebruary 9, 2013 at 1:26 AM

      I used to be the exact same way and then I slowly moved to peachy highlighters and then pink... NOW I USE EVERYTHING.

      This one actually leans more peach than pink, though, and definitely leans warm. It's super-flattering on everyone. :)

      You just wait, soon you'll be like, "Suddenly... PINK HIGHLIGHTERS!"

      Delete

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