MAC Cine-Matics: Nordie's Exclusive Shadow Duos

I promised these pics about a week ago, but as usual I got side tracked by "real" life and photo editing was pushed aside (I may have also discovered Pinterest. Obsessed.) Anywho.... MAC Cine-Matics is a collection of 8 different shadow duos. They come in these amazing black cases which I'm in serious lust with. They have magnetic lids, so they close with this super satisfying click and can stack with each other without falling all over the place.

While I'm not typically a bright shadow girl, I found the more vibrant hues to be my favorites while the more typical neutrals seemed a bit... blah to me. I have 6 of the 8 duos and they aren't all what they appear to be on the Nordie's website.

The duos are currently only at Nordie's for their sale, but I believe are going into wider release in August. Karla Sugar has more info on what is being released where and when. Her swatches are very vibrant and uniform, I could not get the shadows to do this no matter how hard I tried using dry shadow (wet shadow, yes, but not with dry). I typically swatch using q-tips onto my arm (I used to use brushes or a fingertip, but I found colors were getting too muddled), and I rub them across my arm 4-5 times to apply the color. Rarely do I apply more color, I try to stop about when I reach the amount I think someone would apply typically. So, Karla's pics are really pretty and might give a better look at some of the colors, but mine likely will give you a better idea of how pigmented some of the shades are when used.

Read on to see swatch pics (tip: click each pic below to enlarge for a closer look).


Double Feature 2: Bright Lime (VP)/Frosty Deep Grey (F).
Yes, you are likely to only use the bright lime as an occasional accent color, but this duo is really a must-buy because of that grey. While Nordie's listed it as a frost, I think the finish really is a bit closer to faint shimmer. It is well pigmented and when paired with a black shadow as a liner and then smudged out... quick and easy smokey eye.



Double Feature 3: Midtone Teal (M)/Deep Chocolate (S).
The teal is really pretty, though obviously not an every day, wear everywhere color. The shimmer in the deep chocolate is pretty subtle, if nothing else this is beautiful as an eyeliner.



Double Feature 4: Deep Forest Green (VP)/Midtone Ochre Brown (M).
The pic of the duo is really more accurate for the green, which in person is just insanely beautiful. Well pigmented, a great forest green that leans toward blue. Seriously, to die for. Too bad I'm so cool toned that it won't work well on me. The Ochre Brown isn't quite that orange, the swatch pic is much more accurate than the duo pic.



Double Feature 5: Pale Frosty Peach (F)/Dark Brown with Green Pearl (F).
I was a bit disappointed in this duo. I was hoping that the peach would be a bit darker and more pigmented, but on my skin it simply disappears (really, I did swatch it in that pic, you just can't see it). I think it's just one of those flukes, it just seems to pretty much perfectly match me. It does seem to be decently pigmented, the color is pretty exact in the duo shot above.

The dark brown is the real scene stealer here. The inset picture is the best shot I could get of the green pearl shimmer, which is absolutely amazing. It isn't visible in all lights, though it is generally there (note that I couldn't quite get it on a swatch pic, but the background brown is accurate in the swatch, which was more important to me for sharing).



Double Feature 6: Light Grey Taupe (M)/Midtone Bronze (VP).
If you are warmed toned you will want to grab this duo and never let go. I think the bronze could be used in combination with pretty much any brown color for an amazing look every day and you'd never get tired of it. Simply beautiful. I'm saving mine for my mom, she's gonna love it.



Double Feature 8: Midtone Orange (F)/Deep Navy (S).

MAC Cine-Matics: These are currently a Nordie's exclusive, I believe that they are going into a wider release in early August.


F= Frost
M= Matte
S= Shimmer
VP= Veluxe Pearl