Review: MAC Molasses Pearlglide Liner and Style Snob Shadow

Like I promised, I actually made it over to MAC this weekend to check out the Love That Look and Baby Bloom collections. I didn't end up getting anything from Baby Bloom because the glosses looked even sheerer in person, and I'm trying to cut my gloss addiction (it's so a lost cause), and the tinted moisturizers looked pretty small for $30. Love That Look, on the other hand, looked pretty fab. The Starflash shadows were GORGEOUS. I mean, the shimmer on those things is stunning. I've never seen anything like it. Not only is the shimmer fantastic, but the texture is divine. It's not gritty at all, it's buttery smooth and just slightly frosty.

So I got the Pearlglide liner in Molasses, which is $14.50 at maccosmetics.com, and is the second swatch from the left in the left pic and second swatch from the right in the right pic.


I'm in love with this liner. Don't get me wrong, it's no showstopper. It's just a dark, dirty, warm brown with moderate gold shimmer. It's a little deeper than Urban Decay's Bourbon, which is why I like it. I have so many bronze shadows that buying a bronze-brown liner seemed redundant. I just wanted something dark enough to give definition, but softer than black, and this hits the spot perfectly. It's the most natural looking liner I own, but I can layer it on for a smokier, darker look easily. If I smudge it into my lash-line it looks like I have crazy big lashes, even without mascara. The glitter is subtle, and it's definitely glitter, not shimmer, but it keeps the liner from looking flat. The pencil itself is about 4-5 inches long, about the same size as an Urban Decay liner, and it's a good deal for $14.50. The formula strikes the right balance between smudgeable and long-lasting, even without a primer. What I really like is that the name matches the color. It really does look like Molasses. Oh, and it's awesome. I might have to repurchase because it's Limited Edition (sad face), and I never, ever buy multiples of the same thing. This is a big commitment.

I also go the eyeshadow in Style Snob, which is $14.50 at maccosmetics.com. As much as I like Molasses, I might like this even more.


Style Snob is a warm, pinky taupe with tons of gold shimmer and a bit of gold frost (it is a Starflash, after all). Now, before this I thought I didn't need a taupe. Taupe sounded old and boring and ugly. But Style Snob...well, it's freaking magical. The shimmer is indescribable. I don't even remember looking at the other shadows, I made a beeline right for this one. It makes me eyelids look like they're literally glowing. It's gorgeous. It's not too obvious, it's not fake looking, it's just a lovely golden glow. The taupe itself is just a subtle wash of color over the lid, enough of a light brown tint to be worthwhile, but not so much color that it really looks like you're wearing shadow. This is the perfect shadow to use as a base for a relaxed day-time look. It makes your eyes pop! Or you could use it to lighten up a heavy smokey eye (I did that last night, with this as a base/in the inner corners, Romp in the crease, and Benefit's Busy Signal to contour and it was stunning). The lasting power was pretty good--I got minimal creasing at the end of the day without a primer, and the shimmer didn't migrate at all. I'm going to buy a backup of this one. It's not even optional, if I run out of this I will freak out. I can really see myself using it everyday (which makes its LE status very frustrating!).

Image Sources:
Molasses liner: karlasugar.blogspot.com, makeupandbeautyblog.com, all Style Snob pics: musingsofamuse.com