Make-up fanatics everywhere were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Style Black, a chic, edgy collection that definitely pushed the envelope when it comes to the winter face. As the name suggests, the dominant color in this collection is black with the the odd sprinkle of deep violet and plum colors. I was looking forward to this collection especially for their mineralized eye-shadows which oddly enough, I did not end up getting for a number of reasons that I'll explain later. For now, this collection, while impressive for a number of key items, did not impress me as much as 2008's Cult of Cherry collection that was just sinfully indulgent and oh-so-chic.
Style Black takes a break from the colors of last year's fall/winter collection with nearly every product being black in color, black-toned or a very dark mauve color. Beginning with the limited edition mineralized eyeshadows, I have to say that I liked Young Punk and Blue Flame quite a bit. Gilt by Association was not one of my favorites nor did Cinderfella make the cut. The reasons why I liked Young Punk and Blue Flame, especially over a dark base (think Paint Pot Blackground or a black Cream Color Base from this collection), was because of their vibrancy and glitter. My partner in style (glamourgirl) suggested that Young Punk had a dupe in the permanent collection, namely Beautymarked. A MAC make-up artist said that Cinderfella and Blacktied were quite alike as well. But in my opinion, Young Punk differs from Beautymarked because the former has purple shimmer that is also far more vibrant than the duller red-plum glitter of Beautymarked. Similarly, Blacktied was a less exaggerated version of Cinderfella. Blue Flame and Gilt by Association do not have similar colors in the permanent collection. Personally, I felt that Gilt by Association went great as a crease color with Sumptuous Olive as a lid color. I still opted not to get these particular eyeshadows because of the fallout from the glitter.
Moving onto the creme lipsticks, I completely steered clear of the solid black lipstick as well as its version in the mattene style. However, the mattene lipstick in Night Violet was one of my favorites and this I did purchase. It is a deep violet/mauve color that goes on quite dark. I lightened mine with dabs of Lancome's Juicy Tubes in Simmer that gave it a very purple look. Mixing it with other Juicy Tubes, especially one with a golden shimmer (whose name I don't have), gave it a lighter plum color. A light hand is needed if you want a softer look as this lipstick goes on very dark without much effort at all. Needless to say, this is one of my favorites. Pair it with Nightmoth MAC lipliner for an even more dramatic look!
Moving onto the pencil liner in Feline*. This product is a repromoted product and if I were you, I would get my hands on this black liner as soon as possible because it is sure to sell out. It is a lot like Stila's Kajol pencil in Black Onyx though I find that Stila's is creamier and easier to smudge than Feline. Feline goes on very dark however, a quality that I really appreciate in this pencil. Compare it to Smolder from MAC to see which is darker. Personally, Feline goes darker on me than Smolder. On the MAC artist who was helping me out, Smolder was darker on her hand so I suppose your skin complexion plays a pivotal role in distinguishing this. Once I'm out of my Stila pencil (which runs up to $24.00 as opposed to Feline which runs at max. $20.00 with taxes), my go-to eye pencil for almost every look will definitely be Feline.
I was less than thrilled with the idea of a Grease Paintstick when the collection was first being introduced. I didn't really see the point of it. Plus, I wasn't too thrilled with the fact that there is a very slight purple sparkle in the liner which you can barely see but it is there. I wanted a solid black crayon if I was going to fork up $20.00+ dollars for a product like this. It claims to be smudge-resistant and water-resistant which thankfully enough, it lives up to. I am definitely thrilled with the Grease Painstick and can definitely see myself using it for lining my upper and lower lashlines. Plus, it is versatile so it can be used as a dark base for the mineralized eyeshadows that you may purchase from this collection. Another great thing about this is that you can draw a solid line or smoke it out on your eye for a softer look. I have one Grease Paintstick already. I may consider getting a second back-up just in case! Kohl pencils and black liners are my staples for every look!
Turning to the lip glosses, I would steer clear of the black lipgloss unless there are a series of lipcolors that you wish to darken. On its own, it truly does look like decaying lips for lack of a better metaphor! Since I'm not a heavy lipstick user, I opted to avoid this, especially since dark mouths are a rarity in my repertoire of make-up looks. Blackfire, however, turned out to be pleasantly surprising as it gave my natural lipcolor a slightly darker feel to it without making it look gothic. This isn't a lipgloss for the spring/summer mind you but it certainly is at home during the fall/winter months. Bling Black didn't do much for my lips so I veered away from this one as well.
The Penultimate black liner seems to be a good investment as well though I did not purchase this. I prefer my Fluid Line in Blacktrack for now.
In any case, so there you have it. That's my review of Style Black! Stay tuned for my reviews of some of the MAC pigments from my haul along with swatches! :)
*It's actually from DSQUARED
Style Black takes a break from the colors of last year's fall/winter collection with nearly every product being black in color, black-toned or a very dark mauve color. Beginning with the limited edition mineralized eyeshadows, I have to say that I liked Young Punk and Blue Flame quite a bit. Gilt by Association was not one of my favorites nor did Cinderfella make the cut. The reasons why I liked Young Punk and Blue Flame, especially over a dark base (think Paint Pot Blackground or a black Cream Color Base from this collection), was because of their vibrancy and glitter. My partner in style (glamourgirl) suggested that Young Punk had a dupe in the permanent collection, namely Beautymarked. A MAC make-up artist said that Cinderfella and Blacktied were quite alike as well. But in my opinion, Young Punk differs from Beautymarked because the former has purple shimmer that is also far more vibrant than the duller red-plum glitter of Beautymarked. Similarly, Blacktied was a less exaggerated version of Cinderfella. Blue Flame and Gilt by Association do not have similar colors in the permanent collection. Personally, I felt that Gilt by Association went great as a crease color with Sumptuous Olive as a lid color. I still opted not to get these particular eyeshadows because of the fallout from the glitter.
Moving onto the creme lipsticks, I completely steered clear of the solid black lipstick as well as its version in the mattene style. However, the mattene lipstick in Night Violet was one of my favorites and this I did purchase. It is a deep violet/mauve color that goes on quite dark. I lightened mine with dabs of Lancome's Juicy Tubes in Simmer that gave it a very purple look. Mixing it with other Juicy Tubes, especially one with a golden shimmer (whose name I don't have), gave it a lighter plum color. A light hand is needed if you want a softer look as this lipstick goes on very dark without much effort at all. Needless to say, this is one of my favorites. Pair it with Nightmoth MAC lipliner for an even more dramatic look!
Moving onto the pencil liner in Feline*. This product is a repromoted product and if I were you, I would get my hands on this black liner as soon as possible because it is sure to sell out. It is a lot like Stila's Kajol pencil in Black Onyx though I find that Stila's is creamier and easier to smudge than Feline. Feline goes on very dark however, a quality that I really appreciate in this pencil. Compare it to Smolder from MAC to see which is darker. Personally, Feline goes darker on me than Smolder. On the MAC artist who was helping me out, Smolder was darker on her hand so I suppose your skin complexion plays a pivotal role in distinguishing this. Once I'm out of my Stila pencil (which runs up to $24.00 as opposed to Feline which runs at max. $20.00 with taxes), my go-to eye pencil for almost every look will definitely be Feline.
I was less than thrilled with the idea of a Grease Paintstick when the collection was first being introduced. I didn't really see the point of it. Plus, I wasn't too thrilled with the fact that there is a very slight purple sparkle in the liner which you can barely see but it is there. I wanted a solid black crayon if I was going to fork up $20.00+ dollars for a product like this. It claims to be smudge-resistant and water-resistant which thankfully enough, it lives up to. I am definitely thrilled with the Grease Painstick and can definitely see myself using it for lining my upper and lower lashlines. Plus, it is versatile so it can be used as a dark base for the mineralized eyeshadows that you may purchase from this collection. Another great thing about this is that you can draw a solid line or smoke it out on your eye for a softer look. I have one Grease Paintstick already. I may consider getting a second back-up just in case! Kohl pencils and black liners are my staples for every look!
Turning to the lip glosses, I would steer clear of the black lipgloss unless there are a series of lipcolors that you wish to darken. On its own, it truly does look like decaying lips for lack of a better metaphor! Since I'm not a heavy lipstick user, I opted to avoid this, especially since dark mouths are a rarity in my repertoire of make-up looks. Blackfire, however, turned out to be pleasantly surprising as it gave my natural lipcolor a slightly darker feel to it without making it look gothic. This isn't a lipgloss for the spring/summer mind you but it certainly is at home during the fall/winter months. Bling Black didn't do much for my lips so I veered away from this one as well.
The Penultimate black liner seems to be a good investment as well though I did not purchase this. I prefer my Fluid Line in Blacktrack for now.
In any case, so there you have it. That's my review of Style Black! Stay tuned for my reviews of some of the MAC pigments from my haul along with swatches! :)
*It's actually from DSQUARED
