M.A.C Zac Posen Collection (Eye Z You Palette, Lipsticks and Fluidline Pen) Review + Swatches!

Hi lovelies,

I do apologise for the delay in writing this post; it was meant to come out two weeks ago but I unfortunately caught quite a bad cold, so everything took a bit of a backseat while I took up residence on the couch and tried to recover. Luckily there's plenty of stock left online and in stores, so you can still pick up anything you see here if it takes your fancy!

The M.A.C Zac Posen collection is one that caught my attention immediately, simply because I love the fashion that designer Zac Posen comes up with. The cover image that accompanies this collection is stunning, with an elegant, classy feel given a modern twist with a bright pop of colour on the lips. When you combine fashion from one of my favourite designers and the words 'limited edition'...let's just say it's no surprise that this one reeled me in, hook, line and sinker. Throw in some burnt orange and bright pink lipsticks, a sleek pen liner and a beautiful eyeshadow palette with plenty of pinky purples, and I was jumping for joy when these landed on my desk. Let's take a look at some of the items in this collection, shall we?

M.A.C Zac Posen Collection.

The packaging is simple, sleek yet elegant, with the name emblazoned in gold on a matte, dark greenish grey background. The lipsticks and eyeshadow palette have sharp, square lines, which lend quite a classic feel (and made this beauty blogger's day, as it was so much easier to photograph). The products also have a bit of weight to it, which gives it a luxe feel.

I was kindly sent the Eye Z You Palette, lipstick in Darling Clementine (burnt orange) and fluidline pen, and also purchased the lipstick in Dangerously Red (bright berry red) because I couldn't resist it! In addition to these, the collection also has a Zoom Lash mascara, sheer nude lipstick in a lustre finish called Sheer Madness, Prep and Prime Powder, Haute Contour kit and two makeup brushes.

Both Darling Clementine and Dangerously Red are mattes, which I think will look lovely when topped with Sheer Madness for a little extra moisture.

Keep reading after the jump!

M.A.C Zac Posen Collection.
Lipsticks in Darling Clementine and Dangerously Red, Eye Z You palette and fluidline pen in black.

Let's talk about the eyeshadow palette ($72) first. The six shades are beautiful, extremely wearable and a mixture of warm and cool tones. The textures comprise a range of finishes, including matte, pearl, satin and frost. 

Starting from top left and going right across the row, the shades are Cozy Grey (supposed to be a veluxe pearl, but looks and applies more like a matte), Performance Art (veluxe pearl) and Palatable (satin). Bottom row, moving left to right, has Phloof (frost), After Dusk (veluxe pearl) and Mauve Over (veluxe pearl). 

M.A.C Zac Posen Eye Z You palette.

My favourites have to be Performance Art, Palatable, After Dusk and Mauve Over, as shown in the swatches below. Each of the swatches was made on bare skin, with approximately two swipes of my finger. I would say that the shadows are relatively pigmented and the quality is decent, with little fall out, but this palette is definitely suited for subtle/day looks. You can still get good versatility by applying it with brushes dampened with Fix+ for a more dramatic look. If, however, you're after something that will give you drag queen-esque dramatic smokey eyes, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

L-R: Cozy Grey (matte), Performance Art (veluxe pearl), Palatable (satin), Phloof (frost), After Dusk (veluxe pearl) and Mauve Over (veluxe pearl). 

The fluidline pen ($35) is part of the regular line, but it's always nice to have something in limited
edition packaging. The nib is pretty long and flexible, which would make it perfect for creating a cat's eye flick. In case you're curious as to how it compares to say, my HG favourite, the Maybelline Master Precise liner, I've included a comparison photo below.

M.A.C Zac Posen Fluidline pen.

Both pens are comparable in size, but the M.A.C Fluidline actually holds 1.25 g of product, as compared to the Maybelline Master Precise, which has 0.5 g. Weight for weight, that actually makes the fluidline pen better value.

The fluidline pen also has a nib that's slightly longer and a smidge more flexible than the Master Precise. Overall, I find it just as easy to work with at creating both fine and thick lines, and the pigmentation and texture of the liner is perfect. There's a swatch photo right at the bottom of this post.

Last but not least, the lipsticks ($40 each). Lipsticks are always my favourite item in any collection, for some reason, and these are no exception. Both colours are bold, bright and have perfect pigmentation, though Dangerously Red pulls more berry pink on me than red. Dangerously Red also leaves a slight stain as it wears off and is slightly less drying as compared to Darling Clementine, though I find both relatively comfortable to wear. Overall, I love both shades and am thrilled to add them to my collection!

M.A.C Zac Posen lipsticks in Darling Clementine (left) and Dangerously Red (right).

I'll just add a quick apology for the messy lipstick swatches. I was a little pressed for time with the photography as I was losing daylight! They're doing my head in a little so I might change the swatches once I have a chance to take some in proper lighting.

M.A.C Zac Posen lipsticks in Darling Clementine (left) and Dangerously Red (right), and fluidline pen swatches.

There you have it, lovelies! Do any of these take your fancy?

I wouldn't say that some of these shades are terribly unique to M.A.C, but that's to be expected when M.A.C have such a huge collection of products, not including the limited edition collections which come out every so often. I think it's a lovely addition to any makeup collection, and quite suitable for our autumn weather, with the pink/purple/greys adding definition to the eyes, while the bright lips provide a punch of much needed warmth.

There is plenty of stock left on the Australian website, as well as the American website (but please note that the pricing quoted above is for my Australian readers). I've also seen lots of stock in store at the Camberwell and Eastland stores in Victoria.

Will you be getting any of these items, lovelies? Let me know in the comments!

Much love,
MM.
x


Note: The Eye Z You palette, Darling Clementine lipstick and Fluidline Pen were kindly provided for editorial consideration, while I purchased Dangerously Red myself. This has not affected my opinion in any way. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.