Review: MAC "Fun in the Sun" Mineralize Kit

MAC 'Fun in the Sun' Kit

I know I’m a little late in reviewing this product, but it's worth a review- better late than never! :)

It may seem strange for MAC to release a bronzing kit for the holidays, but for me, this is perfect timing. After all, the weather is getting cooler and the air is causing my skin to get drier, so it’s nice to have a product to warm me up even when the outdoors don’t.

The kit includes a promotional size buffing brush (181SE) and 3 full-size mineralize products: ‘Shimpagne’ Mineralize Skinfinish; ‘Nuance’ Mineralize Blush; ‘Play on Plums’ Mineralize Eyeshadow.

I was so excited to see ‘Shimpagne’ being repromoted in this kit- to be quite honest, it was the make or break of this purchase for me. I first discovered this product a few years ago when it was originally released, but sadly I dropped it on the ground shortly after purchasing it, so I lost most of the product, and have been kicking myself ever since.

Shimpagne Mineralize Skin Finish

‘Shimpagne’ is the perfect warm highlighter. It adds glow without looking scaley or greasy. I love to apply it on the apples of my cheeks with a large powder blush (like MAC’s 150).

Shimpagne swatches

The next product in the kit is ‘Nuance’ Mineralize Blush.

Nuance Mineralize Blush

 Truthfully, I already own ‘Nuance’, and perhaps even more coincidentally, I’d been using it daily for the past couple months, so I could already appreciate it for the perfect peachy-corally shade that it is. That said, I’ve still got a ton of my original left, so I’m debating if I should keep this one or sell it, since I am not a huge fan of back-ups. But if you’ve not yet tried this blush, it is universally-flattering, so it will be great on any skintone.

Nuance swatches

Next, we’ve got ‘Play on Plum’ Mineralize eyeshadow. 

This was originally released in summer ’08 with the Electroflash collection. It is yet another perfect, universal eyeshadow. The lighter side is a gold-pink shade, and the darker side is, as the name infers- plum. These colors will make blue eyes pop like crazy, but will flatter any other color very well.

Play on Plums swatches

Finally, the kit includes a 181SE. 

181SE Brush

This travel-size buffer brush works well with any mineralize products- blush, foundation, MSFs, etc. The 181 is  multi-purpose, so I was happy to see it included in this kit. Now, do keep in mind that this is a "special edition" version- hence the "SE", MAC's way of saying that it's not expected to be as good as the regular 181 (which by the way is only LE, darn it!). Thus, I expected it to be coarse and unusable like many of MAC's other SE brushes; However, I am happy to report that this SE version is surprisingly soft- almost as soft as my full-size 182 brush, which is a good thing, because the 182 is very soft! 

So, after trying these products out, I definitely recommend this kit. It is full of fun, festive and effective products. It makes my entire face look glowy and healthy, even in this cool fall season. The price point is also ideal, because to buy these products individually would cost at least $25 more- so $59.50 is a great deal. 

Review: Nars- The Multiple Trio

l to r: Copacabana, Orgasm, South Beach

Thanks to Sephora's F&F sale, I was able to get my hands on this lovely trio of NARS' mini multiples, and I'm excited to share my thoughts and a few swatches with you.

The Multiple is a many products in one compact roll-up stick. It can be used as blush, highlighter, eyeshadow, lipstick- whatever works for you. The set contains three varied colors: Copacabana, a nice soft pink-white; Orgasm, a universally-flattering and best-selling peach with gold sparkles; and South Beach, a buildable bronze. I find that all three colors are ones that can be used on a day-to-day basis- there are no obscure, difficult colors in the set.

I also love the silky texture that these have; it is a similar texture to NARS' cream blushes. It is easy to apply but won't melt on your skin. 

With Flash: Copacabana, Orgasm, South Beach

Without Flash: Copacabana, Orgasm, South Beach

The only thing I do not like about this product, is the price. Luckily, with the F&F sale, I saved a bit on the $40 retail price. Still, these sticks are only 0.14 oz each, which is a tad less than the typical lip balm- in fact, they are rolled up in the photo as far as they will go, and I have just tried them each once! So in nutshell, they average at about $13 for each- yikes!

Overall, the formula plus the convenience of having a lip, eye and cheek product in one container could ultimately make it worthwhile for you, as it was for me. However, if you are looking for a (much) cheaper version of these, I like Flirt! Big Deal Lip & Cheek Tint (my fave shade? The gold-hued Sheer Genius)! 

Enjoy!