Guys… this is pretty exciting! Several months ago, we all found out that there was going to be a MAC x Star Trek collection, but details were (and still are) a bit scarce. The whole collection was premiered at San Diego Comic Con, but it doesn’t launch online till August  25th and in stores on September 1st.

The timing of this collection coincides not only with the movie that was just released, but also with Star Trek‘s 50th anniversary (which is the “50” you see emblazoned on the insignia). My husband and I have also been watching/rewatching all of the movies over from the beginning over the last year, so my interest in this collection is piqued even more than normal for a MAC collection!

All items in the collection feature the usual matte black MAC packaging, but they’re also layered with the silver insignia.

Even the interior design of the packaging matches!

On to the products! I’ve got a pressed pigment in Bird of Prey. At first glance, I thought this was a black with gold sparkle (the lighting in my office is bad, okay?) – but it is not! It’s a very, VERY deep green with a black base and some gold sparkle.

I’ve only used a few other pressed pigments by MAC before and they were ALL a disaster. We’re talking Fallout City, crumbling everywhere, etc. I can thankfully report that this pressed pigment behaved like none of the others. It felt smooth when I stuck my brush in it and applied to the lid nicely as well. Pigmentation is good, but you will need to apply a few layers to get full opacity.

The item that intrigued me the most was the lipstick in LLAP (Live Long and Prosper).

LLAP is a frost which is a finish I haven’t worn in years (I’m thinking back to the 90s and wearing MAC‘s Gel…).

As I was photographing this product, it finally clicked for me what this shade was. LLAP is a true rose gold FOR YOUR LIPS.

Swatching it confirmed the rose gold hues and I was so, so curious to see how it would look on my lips.

There are full shots of my face later in the post, but I was astonished with how oddly flattering I found this shade. I never thought I needed or wanted to wear a rose gold hue on my lips and certainly not in a frost finish lipstick… but you know what? I’m sold. I love this. I cannot wait to show LLAP some love and wear that bullet down!

That beautiful pair of lashes you see right there are called Wink of an Eye. I can’t seem to find these lashes on MAC‘s site, so they don’t seem to be a permanent product repackaged. These lashes have a thick band and are swept sideways which gives a bit of a cartoon-like slow lash wink to the outer corners of your eyes. I especially love how there are bright blue lashes in the mix with the usual black. It adds for quite a bit of intrigue when I looked back on my photos.

Sadly, I found the last band too thick and firm. It was causing the lashes to want to straighten out no matter how much (or how little) glue I used. I did wrap them around my makeup brush for a few minutes before applying them, but I would suggest that if you want to wear these for a long period of time, wrap them around your makeup brush handle, clamp it in place and let it stay that way overnight to put some solid curve into that stiff band.

MAC‘s usual Super Slick Liquid Eye Liner in On The Hunt has been repackaged for this collection.

I was unfamiliar with this formula, but I’m telling you now… this thing can last through anything. MAC‘s site says it’s a water-based, water-resistant liquid liner that’s quick and precise to apply. Yes to all of the above, but I have to say, this thing is MORE than water-resistant. I had one heck of an impressive time getting this off my eyes when I was done my look. Even rubbing the swatch off my arm proved its impressive longevity. Need something bulletproof for your eyes? Give this one a shot!

On The Hunt does have a bit of a sheen, so if you’re looking for something purely matte, this isn’t the one you’d want to pick up.

MAC Star Trek Look

This makeup look will be coming to my YouTube channel tomorrow – here it is! but for now, I hope the pictures will suffice! For those curious, I have Bird of Prey all over my lid, I created the wing with On The Hunt, I’m wearing the Wink of an Eye false lashes, and the LLAP lipstick is on my lips. 🙂

I also have an additional post on the Trip the Light Fantastic Powder in Strange New Worlds that’s just been posted!

So how about you? Are you excited for this MAC Star Trek collection? Let me know!

The products featured in this post were sent to me by PR for review.

You may remember that MAC‘s Vamplify collection was a limited edition release last year… and now it’s back! They’ve added a few new shades into the lineup and re-released this limited edition collection!

I was interested/curious/excited to try these out because my experiences with MAC‘s lip gloss formula has been limited to their lipglass and plushglass lines. The Vamplify formula is “loaded with high-powered pigments that hug lips in shades that glisten with a delicious shine, one swipe of Vamplify loads lips with attitude as a combination of lush natural oils polish with impeccable, moisturizing colour. Never a tease, the glossy colour wears comfortably for hours, for a look that comes on strong and doesn’t let go”. It retails for $24 CAD/$20 USD and contains 5 ml of product.

The packaging is far longer and slimmer than any other lip gloss I’ve had by MAC. The doefoot applicator is also longer and slanted than the “usual”.

• What’s Going On? is a hot intense fuchsia that is a repromote from last year. It has an intensely pigmented base and very fine blue/purple micro-shimmer.
• Peer Pressure is intense red burgundy that has no shimmer. (I’d call it a matte, but obviously it’s glossy – so it has that deep coloured base that is totally opaque.)

MAC Vamplify in What’s Going On?

My jaw dropped the first time I put this one on! The micro-shimmer in the product adds one heck of a gorgeous reflect to the center of my lip.

MAC Vamplify in Peer Pressure

This is what I would consider a “holiday” shade because of the deep berry/red tones, but it’s gorgeous for any time of year.

My Thoughts

This is sad you guys, but I think I’m just going to finally have to realize that I’m not a lipgloss person as I just don’t have the mouth for it. It looks BEAUTIFUL on me but I found that the gloss would seep outside my lip line. You’ve heard me lament about my lipline bleed out problems regardless of the product that I’m using in many, MANY posts, so I really don’t feel that the Vamplify formula is to blame for that (just something to be aware of for those of you that have the same problems I do). I found these worked best for me if I applied a similar coloured lip colour and then applied the gloss to the center of my lips for that extra punch.

My annoying issues aside, the Vamplify formula is super smooth and ultra pigmented (like holy BAM! pigmentation). It doesn’t feel like the traditional sticky lipglass formula that I’m used to (stickiness doesn’t bother me by the way, but I know it affects others). If you’re looking for hyper pigmentation that is comfortable to wear, glides on effortlessly and delivers outstanding colours, then I think you’ve found it with the Vamplify formula. Please let me know if you’ve tried this formula in the past and if you’re interested in any of the new shades!

The limited edition Vamplify glosses will launch online on July 7, 2016 and will be in stores on July 14, 2016. For a full colour story and information on repromotes versus new shades, please visit Swatch and Review.

The products featured in this review were sent to me for consideration.

One of MAC‘s latest collection to launch is Fashion Pack! It’s currently available online now, and will be in stores on June 23rd. For full colour story details, please see Swatch and Review’s roundup.

I’ve got two of the limited edition lipsticks from Fashion Pack… and holy crap you guys… they are not messing with these colours! They’re jawdropping!

• By Special Order is a deep reddened fuchsia (be still my heart) in an Amplified formula.
• Stylist’s Tip is a deep violet, also in an Amplified formula.

You can see from the swatches that they have a very creamy finish and are quite shiny. I did find that some of the sheen died down after about thirty minutes (which is a plus for me).

By Special Order has completely stolen my heart. This is the kind of shade that I’m drawn to time and time again. Anything with “reddened” in the shade description usually sends my heart aflutter, and this one is no exception!

As for Stylist’s Tip, at first I wasn’t sure what the heck I was going to pair it with… however I quickly discovered that it goes with just about anything. I wore Stylist’s Tip the other day with an olive smokey eye and it turned out to be gorgeous!

Final Thoughts

Although I have admittedly not been a fan of the Amplified formula in the past, there’s something different about these lipsticks now. While soft on the lips and easy to apply, they oddly (/amazingly) had more grip on my lips than I had ever experienced with previous lipsticks in this formula. THIS IS WONDERFUL! I didn’t get any excessive lip line bleed out which I was prone to with their Amplified formula even with a clear liner and primer! I can finally wear the Amplified formula and enjoy it – man oh man, I’ve been missing out on the wonderful shades they’ve been putting out!

As for the colours in this post, they both applied smoothly and were cushiony and comfortable on my lips. I’ve worn each of them for 5+ hours and noticed very little fading over time. They are completely non-drying on my lips as well. Of the two, By Special Order is my favourite shade, but hey, it’s up to you to pick whichever is YOUR favourite!

The products featured in this review were sent to me for consideration.