Admit it… Part of the joy of make-up is packaging. It may sound stupid, but how much better is it when your new lippie looks seriously gorgeous in the case, let alone before you even get to the business of putting it on?! Well, packaging fiends delight because MAC’s Hey Sailor Collection looks a-ma-zing!
Every single item, from lipsticks to bronzers to nail polish, comes emblazoned in the cutest, more adorable navy stripes – absolutely perfect for nailing that nautically nice look this summer. If you’re anything like me, you may have a hard job even parting with the cardboard cases!
Just looking at the pictures will tell you that all this stuff will sit absolutely beautifully on your dressing table or whipped out of your make-up bag. But how about the products themselves?
This being a summer collection, I have to start with the Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder ($250). I approached this, in the shade Sun Dipped, with caution – we all know I have the complexion of someone auditioning to be in the Twilight movies – but dusted over your entire face sparingly, this does give just the right amount of healthy sun-kissed glow. The powder is finely-milled, soft and feather-light i.e. exactly what you want for summer.
I followed this with one of the Powder Blushes ($255) in Launch Away!, a really pretty peachy-pink. This looks gorgeous on pale complexions (even those that have been heated up with a bit of bronzer!) and again, I was impressed with the fine light texture and smooth pigmentation. The Hey Sailor collection even comes with its own 167SH Face Blender Brush ($315); even as a relative brush novice, this soft goat-hair number feels absolutely lovely to apply face products with, was pretty easy for me to get my head around and makes application a breeze.
But the really fun stuff are the lippies and eye shadows. I tried two eye shadows ($150) – Jaunty, a taupe-beige, and Feeling Fresh, a vibrant green (shown above with Launch Away blush on the right). For me, Jaunty was a little less pigmented than I would have liked but the colour, a shimmery sand, is absolutely destined to become a make-up staple. It would work well on all complexions, in all seasons and with all outfits – a true multi-tasker! Feeling Fresh, meanwhile, is simply gorgeous and if you like bold make-up, this should be right up your street.
For the look above, I used Launch Away as a blush, Jaunty all over my eye and blended it into Feeling Fresh (it’s a yellow-leaning green so works really well with gold colours). For that nautical touch, I paired it with a navy blue eyeliner from the earlier Vera Collection (there is a navy eyeliner released with Hey Sailor too, in case you need one). The lipstick is Salute! ($150), a neutral tangerine that looks a lot better in photos than it did in real-life on me! It’s not my colour but is super-creamy and lasts ages – ideal if you’re planning on rocking Adele-esque 60s inspired nude lips this season. [Red Racer and a Breton striped top might be a better choice to truly rock a nautical inspired look!]
I also tried Blessedly Rich Lipglass ($150), a gorgeous glowing copper colour. As ever, MAC’s lip glosses impress with their non-sticky moisturising feel and this one was SO pigmented; it would look amazing with a metallic summer glow look. However, I was less enamoured with the Suntints SPF 20 Lip Balms ($135) – I was hoping these would be like the similar tinted SPF Tendertone lip balms from the Shop Cook collection – but these felt watery and not moisturising, and didn’t boast much colour or shine either.
If you’re still swept away with the stunning packaging, MAC has even made a matching make-up for you to house all your new goodies! So now’s the time to go overboard with Hey Sailor; trust me, these will sell out, so anchors away girls!
The MAC Shop Cook Collection is available at all MAC counters now. See here for all MAC locations in Hong Kong.