February 14, 2012

MAC Vera Crushed Metallic Pigment Strawberry Patch Butterfly Patch Review & Swatches

Ooo the MAC Vera Crushed Metallic Pigments are dazzling darlin’! So incredibly vibrant, so beautiful, and oh my god such a mess to use.

Ha…but I guess we have to make some sacrifices for gorgeous pigments eh?

Jump!

MAC has introduced three color variations in their stacked Crushed Metallic Pigments with this collection. I have two of those here and recently ordered the third color selection, Aloha, as it was the one I wanted most, love those sunny shades!

These are incredibly pigmented but they are a complete mess to work with. I actually like them a lot and expressed my love in a few reviews in the past. These run flakier than MAC’s average pigment, if you’ve worked with shades like Kitschmas you’ll understand the texture. I find they are extra chunky but the pigmentation is truly incredible here and the colors are just so vibrant and pretty. But you do need some serious skills to apply. I personally make a mess every time I use them. Obviously, it’s fall out everywhere plus they have a bit of a cakey feel if you don’t blend them out fully so you end up with a heavier shadow on lids rather than a lightweight, barely there feel.

All of these colors run on the cooler side outside of Aloha which is the exception and happens to my favorite of the three (I’ll swatch it when it arrives, I ordered online). I thought the colors were gorgeous particularly the ones in Strawberry Patch.

Butterfly Patch

(Swatched Left to Right: Rain Drop, Butterfly Party, Desert Cloud, and Moss Garden)

(Moss Garden)

(Butterfly Party)

(Rain Drop)

(Desert Cloud)

(Swatched Left to Right: Star Crystal, Rose Light, Moon Rose, Strawberry Patch)

(Strawberry Patch)

(Moon Rose)

(Rose Light)

The packaging contains considerably less product than a single pigment purchase but believe me you’ll never be able to use them up so the smaller size is not a major issue. The design is stackable so you can stack all four jars into a single unit if you desire. This also makes them a bit more travel friendly.

If you can overlook their faults they are a brilliant eyeshadow in their own right but they take some work to enjoy fully.

Do you love Crushed Metallic Pigments?

Or are they simply too much of a mess to work with for you?

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • coco

    What is the best way to apply these? …pat or using a wet brush? …I bought one years ago and used it only once after not really getting the hang of it. These are gorgeous, but I don’t wanna buy something that I will just keep in my drawer. 🙁 .*these should come with instructions! haha 😀

  • Cosmetics Aficionado

    I bought Butterfly Party, and they are indeed not easy to work with. They are not for beginners, but if you are willing to work with them they are unique and pretty.

  • Doanne

    I really love the Aloha stack i think it’s the prettiest out of all the stacks released

  • kiwikiwidragon

    I really don’t like loose products, I make an exception for setting powder. When you peel those stickers off the top, they are stuck so hard the powder flies everywhere. They have to remain upright or the powder goes everywhere, even just opening the container. Lord help you if you drop the container, closed it just gets on the inside and you can tamp it down. If it’s open, well, then….you are screwed. I pass on loose product whenever i can.

  • kimkats

    Dumb question – do they have individual lids too, or are they only stackable? Never had one of the lil pigment towers so iz ignerent… 🙂

    • the Muse

      um it’s two units, two caps. You can remove the caps and stack as a single unit otherwise you have to stack as two as all four don’t have lids. Does that make sense? 🙂

      • kimkats

        Got it! Thanks Muse.

        Am waiting for you to get the last of the 3 sets – that one sounds like it might be nice for me!

  • Majick

    These look to be the same texture as some BE (extra shiny?, metallic?) I can’t remember but the texture looks to be about the same. those puppies were really hard to work with, so much so that I think I swatched them and put them in the drawer to be covetted at a later date. (nope, date never came). 🙂

    I have to say the colors here are just beautiful! Thankfully, I don’t need them. I do look forward to your swatches of the warm set you purchased. Thanks Muse.

  • Lulubelle

    I think they might have too much shimmer for me. I’ve also gotten away from using loose powder eye shadows, much to the dismay of my Bare Escentuals collection. I’m sure I’ll come back to the eventually.

  • Kemisha

    For some reason these remind me of NYX’s Chrome Shadow Pigments just on how they look. I am itching to try one so that I can compare. What do you think?

  • Marie

    I got the blue ones because I’m addicted to MAC teal shades! I wanted to get the pinks too but I got 2 of the similar type of pigments from the holiday collection and the one they released a few springs ago. But OMG I just LOVE these!!!

    I’m one of those people who are super into pigments over pressed shadows lol.

  • Ruthless

    I own one pigment set from when they first came out and it’s just too much work. I can’t be bothered with loose shadows anymore just too much mess.