MAC Objects Of Affection

Today I want to show you something I'm very excited about. While I was in Tallinn in November, I picked up a bunch of pigments at the MAC counter from one of their holiday collections, Objects of Affection. I've been wearing nude/pink eyeshadows a lot lately, so when I saw this set of pink and rose hued loose pigments and glitter in person, I was sold.
Way late with this review as the collection is no longer available, I wanted to present them to you anyway, because just look at them pretties.




First things first: packaging. The Objects of Affection come in a jewelry box-like case, with a design similar to the packaging of the Keepsakes collection. The glittery lid has a beautiful Victorian cameo brooch; the box itself - and even the pigment bottles if you look closely - is decorated with faux pearl garland.

Inside the case are four loose pigments and one glitter, all in the pink and rose colour category. Pigments are loose powders that can be applied as eyeshadow or highlighter, or you can even mix them with a liquid to create your custom eyeliner, blush or lipstick colour (click *here* and *here* for more options on how to use pigments). As you can see the five products I have here are all shimmery. From left to right, MAC describes them as following:
Whisper Pink: soft beigy pink with pearlized pigments
Tan: muted pinky brown bronze
Rose: rose with copper sparkle
Reigning Riches (glitter): soft copper
Heritage Rouge: dirty brown plum



This is my first time working with loose pigments and yes, I've made a mess of my bathroom shelf a few times. But as they say: practice makes perfect. Even though my application of these pigments is nowhere near perfect, I've learned what works easiest for me. Being careful is key with these. I find the best way is to pour some of the product on a paper tissue and pick it up with an eyeshadow brush. It took me a long time to get used to them (maybe that explains why this review is so late? Or maybe I've just been a lazy blogger). What I do for a wearable daytime look is apply a skin-coloured eyeshadow over a layer of Paint Pot as a base. Then I define the crease using a matte dusty rose shade. Finally I spray some Fix+ onto a flat eyeshadow brush and pack the loose pigment in 'Tan' - my favourite! - onto my eyelids. The fixing spray really helps the intensity of the colour. With a fluffy blending brush I carefully diffuse the edges without moving the pigment around on the lids. Using a bronze pigment instead of my usual shimmery eyeshadow adds that extra something that makes my eyes the focus of attention, while still keeping the look wearable. Another way to wear the pigments in this set is create a smokey eye with 'Rose' as a pop of colour or 'Heritage Rouge' in the outer corner of the eyes. I still need to practice on blending, but once I've got that mastered I'm sure I will wear these more often. 'Whisper Pink' is my highlighter option of this set. Applied to the inner corner of the eyes or the cheekbones it is beautiful. The only one from this set I haven't used is the glitter. The reason for that is personal preference- I'm just not that fond of glitter. 'Reigning Riches' is an amazing colour, though, so I will have to try it soon.

Learning how to wear loose pigments has given me a whole lot of ideas. I can't wait to experiment with these in looks or using them to create a special finish to lipstick. I will definitely keep you posted on Twitter if I've tried something cool.