Hello everyone!

If having a cosmetic line is any indication of success in one’s YouTube career (I mean, it has to be, judging from the announcements of new makeup lines we are inundated with by beauty gurus almost on a monthly basis 🤷🏻‍♀️), Patrick Starrr has hit a home run by scoring an unparalleled five collections – which will be rolled out over the course of this year – with the world’s most influential makeup brand, M·A·C.

Following his holiday collection last December, Patrick returned with a second instalment (we are well into the third as we speak) that had a floral theme to it just in time for spring. And to make our lives easier, he had specially curated two kits for the entire face, each comprising a Lipstick, Lipglass, Eye Shadow Quad and Powder Blush Duo, all of which are not sold separately. But don’t worry, at under US$50 per set (with a US$97 value), they won’t break the bank either.

Available in on-trend hues of Me So Fleek and the natural everyday shades of Me So Chic to choose from, this collection covers both ends of the style spectrum with colour schemes that cater to the adventurous and sophisticated crowds. Consolidated in a box alongside a face chart, the products – which are individually wrapped in purple crepe-like paper to prevent breakage in transit (but failed – you’ll know why) – are designed in pink packaging with a kaleidoscopic floral motif that serves as the backdrop for Patrick Starrr’s signature.

It was tough choosing between the two worthy contenders but my daredevil nature eventually led me to pick the Me So Fleek kit which is centred around deeper and more unconventional and contrasting hues. Me So Chic may look generally fuss-free and easy to work with, but it lacks variety in my opinion.

Eye Shadow X4: Stay With Me

Reading stories about makeup arriving broken in the mail might have geared me up for this dreadful nightmare since most of my purchases have to be subjected to long-distance air travel before they reach me. But for it to happen to an order that seemed to be far more protected from shock was certainly what I would have least expected.

So, imagine being so psyched about your order only to find one of the shades in the eye shadow palette crumble into a powdery mess, and it had somehow spilled over on to the case and ruined the aesthetics of it. Unlike fixing a snapped lipstick, reconstituting a broken eye shadow can be a real pain in the neck because modifying the formulation with an additional ingredient (e.g. rubbing alcohol) to revive the product will not only affect its performance, but it also is just a temporary fix. Hence, I’m leaving the damage as is and review it in its flawed state.

According to M·A·C, these eye shadows are ophthalmologist tested and safe for contact lens wearer. They can also be used wet or dry but personally, these work better dry because the colours (apart from All’s Rosy) lose a ton of their intensity when applied damp.

The following palettes were selected for comparison purposes due to their similarities to Stay With Me: Too Faced Rebel · M·A·C × Rossy De Palma Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow · Juvia’s Place The Masquerade

The said victim of this misfortune is In Living Pink, a muted warm peach described by M·A·C as a pinky coral with gold micro-shimmers and Frost finish. Perhaps because it has disintegrated in the pan, the texture felt incredibly soft and smooth like baby powder, which could also explain why the loose heap exacerbates and breaks down into even finer particles every time it is utilised.

When applied, it renders great colour payoff and blends very well without sheering out too easily. The shimmers are rather fine and not chunky (but you can definitely tell they are there) so they add a beautiful sheen to the lid without being too in-your-face. Unfortunately, because of the mess it causes on the palette every time I dab my brush into it, I feel compelled to knock some scores off its grade.

Hickie is described as a bright pink with pink micro-shimmers and Frost finish. This hot pink has a semi-rough texture which looks kinda matte at first glance. Although applies with nearly sheer coverage on the first coat, it builds up to a more opaque pigmentation with three or four coats (which is also when the shimmers begin to be more conspicuous). As this shade is being blended out, it loses its intensity very quickly (the pigment couldn’t even hold up past 1 cm when I swatched it on my wrist) and can turn out to be quite patchy especially when applied on larger surface areas. Hence, in order for the colour to show up more vibrantly, I had to employ the pat-and-dab technique a few times on my lid.

All’s Rosy is described as a dirty midtone pink with a matte finish. Although a repromote from the Padma Lakshmi collaboration, this version appears to be slightly different as it has more of a muted brown-toned plum hue to it and without the gold pearl. In terms of application, this doesn’t apply as pigmented and, on top of that, has the tendency to ball up. It also gives a semi-sheer coverage with a mildly dusty and uneven consistency which renders it a bit more difficult to work with. This shade blends out fairly easily and adheres well on the bare skin.

In The Shadows is described as a vibrant dark blue with cobalt-blue micro-shimmer and Frost finish which appears almost metallic-like due to its densely-packed shimmers that reflect light to add sparkle and glamour to the eyes. This electric blue has a lightly creamy texture and a finely-milled formula which goes on opaque on the lid with little effort. Although it packs a punch of pigment (which makes it not-so-forgiving towards mistakes during application), it can also cause quite a bit of fallout on the face, so it is best to apply it before putting on foundation (so that any stray specks of the eye shadow can be erased with ease). This shade blends out exceptionally well without sheering out too much.

APPLICATION & SUGGESTED LOOK

Below is what I had come up with using the aforementioned palette because I felt that the suggested look on the given face chart had placed too much emphasis on the blue that it sorta overshadowed the other shades. Furthermore, this look is less intimidating and more suitable for everyday wear.

Powder Blush Duo:
Take Me Home

The powder blush duo (0.35 oz / 10 g) comprises a soft coral pink (top shade) and a muted pink plum (bottom shade) with Satin and Matte finishes respectively, and it was the vast contrast in both shades that sealed the deal for me in deciding to purchase this kit. Both blushes are pressed very densely in the pan so do not kick up any excess and dirty the mirror within.

The soft coral pink is a muted warm rose with sparsely-distributed silver shimmers that aren’t very obvious and do not catch every light. The blush goes on fairly pigmented when pressure is applied, and yields quite a lot of product as compared to the muted pink plum when swatched on my wrist although it somehow does not show much on my cheek (which, in all fairness, could be due to the fact that I had used a tapered brush instead of a buffing one). It has a smooth and silky texture without being too powdery or dry on the skin. Sheer on the first pass, its opacity can be built up with more layers without emphasising the pores or rough texture of the skin.

The muted pink plum, on the other hand, is a muted cool plum with a flat matte finish. Even though it appears deeper than the other shade in the pan, it is actually somewhat lighter and sheerer on the skin but is moderately buildable to a semi-opaque coverage. This shade applies with an uneven consistency unless on a sticky and moist surface, and would leave harsh edges if pressure is not applied uniformly on the skin. Hence, to get a more consistent payoff, you may have to sweep the brush lightly on the cheeks back and forth a couple of times. This shade blends out easily and does not appear dry or cakey on the skin despite its being a matte.

Lipstick: Hey, Boy, Hey!

Hey, Boy, Hey! is described as a dirty pinkish plum with Retro Matte finish which is notoriously known to be incredibly drying. However, it was not entirely the case for this medium-dark reddish purple which, even though isn’t slippery on the lips per se, applies with very minimal tugging and skipping. This lipstick deposits an evenly, semi-opaque pigmentation (but buildable to full coverage in just a few strokes) across the lips with a consistency that is negligibly streaky. Although some product did settle into my lip lines, the formula generally did not suck out all the moisture off my lips like the other Retro Mattes that I own (I’m looking at you, Ruby Woo) and leave them chapping like crazy at the end of the day. This shade adheres to the lips very well and stayed on for more than 5 hours.

Lipglass: Queen P

Queen P is described as a neon pink with blue pearl. This warm fuchsia has a glossy finish infused with a mix of blue and purple shimmers. As someone who absolutely loathes the tackiness of lip glosses, this is actually quite wearable and lightweight despite the thick consistency. The texture isn’t exactly tacky to the point that it makes me want to remove it the very instant I put it on, and it has the ability to camouflage any imperfections on my lips.

Fairly pigmented (enough for me to properly line my lips) with a semi-opaque coverage, this Lipglass can be used on its own or as a lip topper. When used in conjunction with the lipstick, the shimmers blend into the purple without altering its colour much or moving it while giving the lips a luscious and juicier shine, as well as a fuller appearance. Queen P is neither drying or hydrating and it stayed on my lips for about 2 hours (until I took a sip of my drink, that is).

As the brains behind this partnership, Patrick Starrr had, no doubt, put a lot of thought into developing such coherent collection while still living up to the high standards of the brand. But quite frankly, the choice of colours for both kits didn’t quite blow me away because I’ve already seen similar schemes (of the eye shadow quad in the Me So Chic kit especially) a couple of times in past M·A·C collections. That aside, just judging based on the quality alone, the Me So Fleek kit is certainly a bargain at this price so if you haven’t own anything from M·A·C yet, now is the time!

What do you think about this collection? Did you snag any of the kits?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or simply take a quick poll!

Thanks for reading!

M·A·C × Patrick Starrr (Part II) Floral Realness Full Face Kits are now available on MACCosmetics.com and M·A·C ION Orchard Outlet.

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