Saturday, May 15, 2010

Prettifying with Pret-A-Papier

MAC's new collection, Pret-A-Papier is all about neutrals this time - the palette is very classic warm beige and vellum with coral and peach being the color statement. With our skin darker, neutral is the key, plus coral looks absolutely fabulous on tanned skin. I passed by the MAC counter two days ago and saw these babies on display. So the usual thing - swatch, take pictures, and post a review, for those who would love to know more about it.

Neutrals, neutrals, neutrals... who doesn't love them? First of all, let's go to my most favorite part, the lips.

Four lipsticks (three lustre and one amplified ) and three lipglasses for the lippie-lover. The shades are mostly beiges, corals, and browns. The colors are very warm, which gives an instant life to the face. Plus, these shades are very soft, so the effect is very subtle.

Swatches: TOP (lipglasses L-R) : C-Thru (repromote), Fold and Tuck, and Pret-a-Papier
BOTTOM (lipsticks L-R): Archetype, Dressmaker Dressmaker, Made To Order, Kraft

C-Thru has been a regular stock at MAC counters and it's now repromoted in this collection. By the name C-Thru, it's our alternative to colorless lipglosses except it's more on the white-nude shade so it could soften a loud orange to more pastel-peach with a tad of gloss. Fold and Tuck is a subtle red-coral shade for those who would want a stain of color without looking overdone. The Pret-a-Papier shade was one shade I was apprehensive trying out at first since it really looked too brown on the tube. The color is actually quite sheer though (I'll tell you how I found my own use for this shade later).

Pale lip lovers would love Archetype. Made to Order was my winning shade, since it's such a subtle and pretty coral shade which would look great on any skin tone. The only amplified finish from the collection, Kraft, was a rich cool brown. Since it's amplified, I could pair this too on subtle smoky bronzey eyes should I quasi-break the rule of dark eyes and dark lips. Dressmaker, Dressmaker was a favorite of many who tried it. However, when I tried it, I found it a bit too pale on me when it looked soft on others. My solution? Pret-A-Papier on top to give my lips a pop, so it doesn't look so pale. Again, the lipsticks, save for Kraft, are all in Lustre finishes so those who want more color should use a lipliner under (recommendation colors: Spice and Chicory. I like Chicory because it's such a dark, brick-orange shade that's very unique).

Eyeshadows again are very neutral, something to use for a subtle bridal event with a coral or sand-colored motif.

Five traditional eyeshadows and two Paint Pots complete the list for this collection. I discovered my love for Paint Pots after trying them first hand. They really are fantastic primers especially for girls who have oily lids. Although I couldn't bring the products out for product shooting on natural light, I was able to take swatches of the shades with better lighting.
LEFT (Paint Pots T-B): Groundwork and Coral Crepe
RIGHT (Eyeshadows T-B): Tissueweight (frost), Cut To Fit (frost), Bamboo (Matte), Memorabilia (Matte), and Gazette Grey (Velvet)
Again, since this palette is all about neutrals, the colors are very, very subtle. We don't get strong blacks or blues here. A subtle gray could contour an eye swept by base colors Bamboo or Tissueweight while Cut To Fit could add a bit more warmth so the combination could be less dull. Memorabilia, a subtle lilac could be blended with Gazette Grey for a bit of dimension as well.
Since the colors are quite sheer and matte, paint pots could help in making the colors adhere more to the skin. Groundwork is actually a regular stock already at all MAC counters and the satin brown shade is an excellent base and a favorite of many bridal makeup artists (yes, make it reach the browbone, there's still brow highlight color to lighten that up). Coral Crepe kinda looks unusual, especially those who are apprehensive of putting an orange color to the eye. The trick is to use this subtley. On its own, it looks great to warm up the eye a bit. It's a fantastic base too if you're doing a peach-colored eye makeup scheme (pair with Dressmaker, Dressmaker if you're doing a subtle smokey peach eye).
I wasn't able to take pictures of the blush though but here, we have two sheertone blushes - Instant Chic and Garb. Instant Chic kinda reminded me of a warmer version of Melba or Peaches. It's actually what was used on the model in the picture, and I like how it instantly gives life to the face. Garb was too sheer for me, and I see this more as a highlight color for morena skin. Aside from the two sheertone blushes, this collection also has one mineralize blush, namely Light Over Dark, which I prefer using as a bronzer and/or highlight on top of blush, so the look isn't too matte.
Overall say? Since this is neutral, I think this collection has promising shades especially if the makeup artist is in the bridal business. I like the warm spectrum, which looks fantastic on tanned skin. I'm curious to try the Coral Crepe paint pot, as I've never tried coral eyes before. For lippies, Made to Order gets my vote.
This collection is already available here in Manila at all MAC counters - Glorietta, Rockwell, MoA, and Rustan's tower.

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