I have a very lukewarm realtionship with Mineralize Eyeshadows - I do buy a small number of these every year, but generally I skip the majority of them because I find the pigments in them too weak. Plus, there is always the issue of the large amount of fallout they produce, the overly chunky glitter and the general difficulty in applying them evenly.
That being said, I did pick up a few things from the holiday offerings. All holiday colours are limited edition:
Left to right: (top row) Midnight Madness Mineralize Eye Shadow, Conjure Up and Superdupernatural Mineralize Blush
Left column (top to bottom): Total Wow Lipstick (glaze), Surprize Me Lipstick (lustre)
Right column (top to bottom): She-Zam Dazzleglass, Ever So Rich Cremesheen Glass
Left to right: Midnight Madness Mineralize Eye Shadow, Conjure Up and
Superdupernatural Mineralize Blush
Midnight Madness Eye Shadow ($23.50 CA) is an interesting combination of a slightly plummy, gunmetal taupe with tiny silver sparkles with a cresent of chunky yellow gold glitter shadow. The main gunmetal taupe colour is very smokey and is a unique colour for MAC. The good news is the gunmetal taupe is actually quite pigmented and applies well for the mineral formula. The gold side of the shadow is very chunky and not very wearable as a shadow in the conventional sense. I think it could function fairly well as a glitter accent on top of a sticky base such as a cream shadow.
The standout products for me in the whole collection are the two new LE Mineralize Blushes ($25.00 CA). Unlike their eye shadow siblings, Mineralize Blushes are very high in pigment and apply like a dream (why the two formulas are so different is beyond me). Conjure Up is a fanastic deep berry pink blush with that could be worn lightly for a shy flush or heavier for some serious drama. Superdupernatural is a nice peach laced with pink shimmer. I think that both colours could work for both warm and cool toned skins - on a very pale, cool toned skin, Superdupernatural could work as a bronzer.
Left to right: Surprize Me Lustre Lipstick, Total Wow Glaze Lipstick, She-Zam Dazzleglass, Ever So Rich Cremesheen Glass
Surprize Me lipstick ($16.50 CA) is a sheer peach with decent colour payoff. Total Wow is the lipstick version of Conjure Up blush, and the two look great together - it is a deep berry pink with very good pigment (surprizing for a glaze formula!). She-Zam Dazzleglass ($21.50 CA) is a silver and pink micro-glitter laced gloss which would look great layered over any colour lipstick - a must have for people who like Dazzleglasses (and possibly even for those who don't!). Ever So Rich Cremesheen Glass ($21.50 CA) is a pale, milky lilac gloss which is very sheer, but does give lips a hint of paleness. As well it has a great gel based formula which is completely non-sticky.
Overall, I think this holiday collection is medicore. There are some great products (notably the Mineralize Blushes) and some nice, easy, everyday colours (lipsticks), but in my opinion it lacks the drama and sizzle I usually associate with holiday shades - there's no killer red lipstick or emphasis on smokey shadows.
J