MAC Nutcracker Sweet: Magic Dust Eyeshadow in Forward March, Dance Flowers Dance, Pretty Dainty, Rabblerouser, Dark Lullaby, and Mustache

Tomorrow, MAC will be launching their holiday collection called Nutcracker Sweet. It was inspired by the story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: "Leap into a magical land that's a bit nutty, a little naughty, bursting with whimsy. Lose yourself in an eccentric kingdom of oversized treats and rosy-cheeked nutcrackers. Twist, turn, and tumble deeper into the land of dolls. Our story has only begun..." There is a total of 18 products in this collection, of which 12 are new and limited edition, one is a re-promote, and five are permanent in special deco packaging. Nutcracker Sweet sees the launch of a new and limited edition product called Magic Dust Eyeshadow in six shades. Magic Dust Eyeshadow is described as "a new, long-wearing shimmering pearl powder eye shadow [that] has a unique silky texture, feels creamy to the touch, yet is incredibly lightweight, easily blendable and buildable. Formulated with ultra-fine light-reflecting shimmer pearls for maximum colour impact, this powder leaves lids visibly smooth with a beautiful pearl finish." They are housed in special edition neon coral and dark purple pots with gold trim, with matching secondary card stock packaging. Each Magic Dust Eyeshadow contains a total of 1.15 grams of product, and retails for $25.50.
Clockwise from left: Forward March, Dance Flowers Dance, Pretty Dainty, Rabblerouser, Dark Lullaby, and Mustache
Forward March, Dance Flowers Dance, Pretty Dainty, Rabblerouser, Dark Lullaby, and Mustache

Forward March is a light-medium warm gilded peach with gold iridescent pearl in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, finely-milled, creamy 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 peach than Motif, lighter and more gold than Arena, and darker and more gold than A Natural Flirt.

Dance Flowers Dance is a pale warm pinked beige with white pearl in a frosted finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, finely-milled, creamy 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 warmer than Phloof!, lighter and more frosted than Yogurt, and warmer and less frosted than Pink Freeze.

Pretty Dainty is a medium warm brightened guava pink with a soft sheen in a satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, 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 less shimmery than Fashion's Field Day, warmer than Sushi Flower, and darker and more pink than Free to Be. 

Rabblerouser is a medium-dark warm vibrant watermelon pink in a semi-matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, 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 warmer and more muted than Passionate, darker and brighter than Sushi Flower, and darker and brighter than Fashion's Field Day. 

Dark Lullaby is a dark warm muted plum with a soft sheen in a satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, finely-milled, creamy 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 darker and warmer than Nocturnelle, less shimmery than Rich Core, and more brown than Fig. 1. 

Mustache is a deep-dark inky black with gold and silver sparkle in a velvet finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a soft, 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 warmer than Black Tied, warmer and more sparkly than Carbon, and warmer and more sparkly than Dark Dare.

Like the Magic Dust Powders, these shadows come in different finishes despite having the same formula (unlike last year's Colourdrenched Pigments or 2014's Heirloom Mix Pressed Pigments), but they are all soft, silky, and almost buttery, and apply smoothly, evenly, and beautifully pigmented. They are all easily blendable and take little effort to get full colour pay-off. Again, I have to note that the colour story for this year's holiday collection is one of the more unique ones I've seen: the pops of pink and coral keep it more fresh and playful than the typical winter palettes of smoky neutrals and straight-up glitter. Though it may not look like it at first, there is something for everyone in this collection even if you don't like brights; Forward March and Dance Flowers Dance are gorgeous workhorse shades that will work great alone for natural looks and mixed in with darker shades to add incredible dimension, and both Dark Lullaby and Mustache work beautifully to smoke out any eye look. While I don't think it's necessary to own all of these, they do create some very cohesive looks together, and the variety in the shades create a multitude of looks that will go from day to night.