Saturday, January 5, 2008

sculpt & shape haul and samples

sculpt & shape haul and some other samples:


- MAC 138 brush
- MAC Sculpt and Shape Powder in Accentuate/Sculpt
- Samples of The Originals collection pigments: Steel Blue, Violet, Reflects Teal, and Reflects Red
- Sample of Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer (the MA recommended it for dry skin)


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Closeup of the Sculpt and Shape duo and 138 brush:


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The MAC 138 brush is freakishly expensive. But it does feel super soft and looks very unique, I don't think I've ever seen a face brush shaped like this. I washed it yesterday and all seems well, there wasn't any bleeding (unlike some other brushes like the MAC187SE, which leaves a bit of a stain on whatever you are drying it on). I bought the 138 to try it out and see if its worth the money, after all I do get 3 months to try it out and return it if I don't like it - the main reason I usually buy from MAC counters at The Bay rather than the MAC stores.

For size comparison:


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The sculpting duo doesn't seem all that unique, although I do like the fact that its conveniently packaged in a duo for portability. However the Sculpting portion looks very similar to MAC Emote blush, while the highlighting part could be substituted with any highlighter, or even a slightly lighter glowy foundation. I could probably use my unused sample of EM Fawn foundation in Original glo, which was a bit too light for me, to highlight instead.


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Comparison swatches of MAC Emote with MAC Accentuate/Sculpt Duo:

From left to right - Emote, Sculpt, Accentuate

Emote has a greyer tone, while Sculpt looks more brown.

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I'd say its a great pick up for someone who doesn't yet have any suitable contouring shades, or who missed getting MAC Emote when it was out, as it was limited edition.
But for someone like me though, I have the feeling going to end up returning it as I already have similar items in my collection. I'll definitely post more about it though if I keep it and use it more.

9 comments:

Christiana Divine @ Memoirs of A Shopping Addict said...

i was thinking of getting mac's sculpt and shape powder... but because of the very same reasons you stated I decided not to. I have PLENTY of mineral samples that are too light that I could def use as highlighters (which I DID in my contouring video. LOL.) and I have a ton of blushes and bronzers that I can use as contour shades... so I figured I'd skip on it. BUT, I'd still love to see a lovely review done by you. :]

Anonymous said...

aw I'm sorry it didn't work out for you :( do you think it would be too light for a nc35?

watercoloursky said...

christiana: i might still keep it for a bit and try it out before I decide whether to return it...so i'll post a review then :)

helen: it'd be perfect if i didn't already have emote...i just feel bad spending money on this when I already have something similar :( I think NC35 would still be ok, because I'm an NC25 and I still had to be careful not to apply too much to avoid looking like i have dirt on my face. HTH! :)

Elizabeth said...

Hi, thanks for dropping by~

I use the mint concealer on my red cheeks to neutralise the color. Sometimes i find that it makes me look too white but after a while it 'blends' into your skin pretty well. I only use it on the red areas and not the entire face otherwise ill look like a pale chinese ghost lol.

Im linking you if you dont mind :)

watercoloursky said...

thanks for letting me know :) i guess using too much of it will 'suck' away the natural warm tones of your face hence the ghost look...
and nope i don't mind at all, will link you back :)

Vanessa said...

I LOOOOOOVVVVE the 138 brush! But I agree, it was unbelievably expensive, but I had to get it...LOL. Shake me please! Yeah I might end up returning my duo too simply because I already have the sculpt powder from PRO....

watercoloursky said...

lol i know exactly the feeling vanessa :)

MakeupByRenRen said...

hmmm i'm debating on getting the contour brush but the "freakishly expensive" part is throwing me off...do you like it better than the angled blush brush?

watercoloursky said...

i'm not sure yet if it really works much better than my angled brush but i plan to review it more once i've gotten more usage out of it.

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