MAC In The Spotlight Collection

I always look forward to MAC‘s Autumn and Winter collections as I always find them to be their most exciting, and the brand new MAC In The Spotlight Collection might be my favourite collection for the whole of 2016 and whatsmore, it’s a permanent collection which will be music to MAC lovers’ ears. My two favourite MAC product formulas are their Pro Longwear Paint Pots, and their Extra Dimension Skinfinishes so whenever a collection includes either formula, I’m instantly intrigued and the In The Spotlight Collection consists of just two products; the Extra Dimension Skinfinish and Strobe Cream in multiple shades. I already own quite a few of the MAC MSF’s and their Extra Dimension Skinfinishes but that doesn’t stop me yearning for more.

The MAC In The Spotlight Collection is designed to give radiant skin in a flash no matter what the lighting conditions. The collection consists of five shades of their Strobe Cream formula with the original shade being renamed Pinklite, alongside four new shade additions.

This collection is perfectly timed considering how popular highlighters have become, and there’s a shade for everyone’s skintone and undertone as well as a couple of brushes; the 127 Split Fibre Face Brush and the 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush.

From the four shades of the In The Spotlight Extra Dimension Skinfinishes £24, I have the shade Beaming Blush which is described as being a ‘pink that breaks gold’ but there are also Show Gold (peach that breaks pink), Double-Gleam (a beige that breaks silver) and Soft Frost a white that breaks violet). The Extra Dimension Skinfinishes have a liquid to powder formulation which gives a luminous, well-defined finish.

The powders are packaged within the typical, rounded plastic compacts with a clear lid with the shade name on the base. The pans of the powders within the collection have a slightly different design to the waved design of the past Extra Dimension Skinfinishes as these have a lined and MAC logo design and I actually prefer it, and find it gives a better payoff than my waved design Extra Dimension Skinfinish powders.

The Beaming Blush shade is absolutely incredible, and I had to turn down my studio lights to get a true representation of the amazing duochrome shift of the powder which I hope my photos show but I also uploaded a video on my Instagram which shows the fantastic pink to gold shift very well.

The texture of the powder is extremely silky almost as if it was a liquid, and it’s very fine milled and not at all chunky or powdery. Due to how pale my skin is, I was worried the duochrome shit might not have translated very well onto my skin but it really does and I think the effect would be even better on those with deeper skintones than myself as shown in these swatches here.

My favourite way to apply any powder highlighter is with a fan brush and Beaming Blush applies nice and evenly and even though it has an high shine finish, it doesn’t emphasise my pores which I guess is due to how finely milled the powder is, and it feels even smoother and more lightweight than the Laura Geller Gilded Honey Illuminator – and I much prefer this shade to Gilded Honey too.

I like that you could use this shade as an highlighter, an eyeshadow or as a blush topper and I think £24 for 9 grams is pretty good value especially when you compare it to the Laura Geller Gilded Honey Illuminator which is £21 for 4.5 grams. I’m so glad that MAC have made these powders permanent as well as the Strobe Cream, as I am seriously lusting after the Soft Frost and Double Gleam shades from the MAC In The Spotlight Collection after loving Beaming Blush so much.

From the five shades of the MAC Strobe Cream within the MAC In The Spotlight Collection (one existing shade and four new) I have the Goldlite shade which is described as ‘gold pearls’ and the Strobe Cream is £24.50 for 50ml of product. I have tried the original shade of the Strobe Cream in the past in the Sized to Go 30ml size so I was excited to see how Goldlite would compare.

If you’re new to the MAC Strobe Cream formula, it’s described as being a moisturiser which is super-powered with potent botanicals, antioxidants and iridescent pearl particles. Strobe Cream works to de-stress, de-snooze, hydrate, freshen and boost the look of dull, tired-looking skin.

The Strobe Cream is packaged within a white plastic tube with a black rubberised lid, and the cream has a slightly thick consistency similar to that of a nourishing moisturiser, and it has a lovely fresh cucumber scent which is so pleasant to apply especially in the mornings. Once applied to the skin, it instantly imparts a noticeable sheen to the skin as well as a beautiful luminescence due to the golden pearls.

The golden pearls aren’t noticeable unless you look up close in a mirror, but the skin is left looking so radiant and healthy. I like to wear Strobe Cream throughout the colder months as my dry skin can tend to look a little dull and lacklustre, but with just a pound coin sized amount of the cream my skin looks considerably brighter and it works well on the days where I don’t want to wear makeup but I still want my skin to look nice. I wish MAC did a larger size for the body as it’s so hydrating, and illuminating that it would be amazing for the body but for now my face will have to enjoy the radiance and moisturisation.

What do you think of the NEW MAC In the Spotlight Collection? Will you be checking it out?

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