I must admit that when M.A.C's Starflash collection launched I was completely oblivious to any and all forms of make-up, so I undoubtedly missed out on one of their best eyeshadow collections....EVER!!! If you're one for sparkly, glitzy, glamorously textured eyeshadows then this collection would have been a necessary addition to your makeup collection. But, sadly, M.A.C didn't make any of these twelve eyeshadows part of their permanent line : ( so if you're lucky you can either catch them in a CCOS for much cheaper or online for double and sometimes even triple the original price. I've even seen some of the eyeshadow shades on amazon.com for about the same price as the CCOS after the price of shipping was factored in. But anywho, lets get right into the swatches and my overall thoughts.
Ego, Bold & Brazen, Fashion Groupie, Glamour Check (1.5g/0.05 oz)
These are the four shades that I could find at my friendly neighborhood CCOS.
Finish: The finish of these eyeshadows are very, very similar to that of M.A.C.'s veluxe pearl eyeshadows but are a tad more shimmery and have a very pronounced sheen to them, much more so than the veluxe pearl shadows.
Pigmentation: The pigmentation of these eyeshadows is outrageous!!! One swipe of your brush/finger and you're good to go. They are even more pigmented than the veluxe pearl shadows, which to me are some of the most pigmented shadows out there, period!
Lasting Power: They seem to last anywhere from 5-12 hours depending on your skin type as well as the primer in which you're using. For any shadow to last up to 12 hours is somewhat remarkable and well above average in terms of overall lasting power for eyeshadows in general. With that being said one downfall to these shadows is that they may crease because of the very silky, and creamy texture. I personally have not had any creasing with any of them yet but individual results depend, again, on your skin type and the eyelid primer or concealer you're using.
Consistency: The texture of these shadows is very silky-soft, and velvety. They are in no way, shape or form powdery. Also, despite the amount of glitter that's in them there is a minimal amount of fallout. You will still need to tap off any excess powder from your brush before applying it but other than that you can rest assured that you won't have multi-colored cheeks or under-eyes.
Value: If you are lucky enough to get these shadows from a CCOS then for $10.25 (usually) you can get a an extremely awesome bargain. M.A.C shadows are $14.50 and pan shadows are $11.00 so to get a limited edition shadow that is no longer available in M.A.C stores or online is one hell of a deal!
Bold & Brazen
Color Description- A very bold, warm, coppery color with bronze,orange,and silver sparkle/glitter. Once the eyesahdow was swatched the glitter became less apparent as the sheen and slight frostiness of the eyeshadows finish took over.
The left side has an eyeshadow primer and the right is bare skin.
Ego
Color Description- Extremely frosty, almost silver based, pale pink that's chock full of a fine silvery, multi-colored glitter.
Fashion Groupie
Color Description- A vibrant, high sheen, purple with very subtle multi-color glitter. Out of all of the eyeshadows I own from this collection this one seems to have the least amount of visible glitter and the most amount of sheen to the finish,not to mention this is by far my favorite!!!!
Glamour Check
Color Description- A deep, rich, reddish-brown color with copper and bronze sparkle. The finish has a strong sheen but the glitter definitely still shines through.
Overview: My overall feeling of M.A.C.'s Starflash shadows is that of pure joy. I'm head over heels in love with these shadows. From the level of pigmentation to the range of colors I am beyond impressed. The actual finish reminded me of a liquid or even cream eyeshadow because of how rich and vibrant the color pay-off was, not to mention the ultra creamy texture. I do wish that M.A.C would have at least considered putting them into the permanent line or re-promoting some of the colors more often and in different collections. To those of you who are fortunate enough to be able to find any eyeshadows from this collection in colors that you're fond of please don't hesitate to pick them up. I give you my word, you will not be disappointed!!!!
