MAC Brant Brothers is the brand's second collection with oh-so-beautiful New York socialites, Peter and Harry Brant (I hadn't heard of them either) and offers a palette of wearable neutrals for boys and gals alike. Much as I love a bright lip and pop of shimmer, my heart lies with products that make me look better without looking like I've applied a whole lotta slap. I'd much rather look good than have my makeup look good if you know what I mean? My eyes lit up when I saw this collection as I just knew it would deliver on that level and it absolutely does. The line, launching August, includes Pro Longwear Lipstain Markers, brow gel, black kohl and skincare, but my must-have is the eye shadow palette.
EYE SHADOW x 4:4 PILLARS
To be fair, I don't own any MAC neutral shadows, so maybe this is a bigger deal for me than most, but I'm so drawn to shades that mimic the natural shadows around my eyes, which these do. I very rarely wear black to be fair, except maybe pushed into the upper lash line, so I mainly use the other 3 shades in this palette.
The four shades in Eye Shadow x 4:4 Pillars (£27.50) are:
- Mother's Milk - pale creamy beige satin (lid and brow bone)
- Sandstone - matte taupe (socket)
- Mystery - dark plum-toned matte brown (lash line and outer corner)
- Carbon - matte black (upper lash line)
The first three make creating a very natural or smokey eye look in seconds an absolute breeze and I've used nothing else for several weeks.
PRO SCULPTING CREAM DUO: TRYPHAENA & CLEOPATRA
I'm not really a contour-er but the Pro Sculpting Cream Duo (£26.50) almost makes me wish I was. Hands down the most natural looking contour and highlight I've tried. 'Crevasse' taupe contour is cool but not muddy and 'Climax' white highlight adds cool-toned glow rather than shimmer. If you're after the full on Kim K look, this really isn't for you, but it absolutely works for adding subtle definition, which is where it's at.
PS The Pro Beyond Twisted Lash mascara isn't part of this collection... I just included it here as it's pretty and I've been loving it to coat lower lashes while I have extensions. The entire wand and brush can be bent into any shape you like, which anyone who has manoeuvred lash extensions or finds mascara application tricky will appreciate! I normally bend it at a right angle to avoid poking myself in the eye.
You can see how creamy and malleable the contour in particular is here. It just melts into skin rather than sitting on top of it. I find that both work best applied with fingers.
SWATCHES
Check out the deep gold Eye Kohl in El Dorado (£15.50) at the centre. To it's left, the Pro Sculpting Cream Duo and on the right, all four shades from Eye Shadow x 4:4 Pillars. I used the eye shadows to define my eyes in this pic.
The Limited Edition MAC Brant Brothers Collection launches in the UK in August 2016.
Products featured on Strawberry Blonde Beauty include press samples. See my full disclaimer here.
