MAC Vibe Tribe Call of The Canyon Quad

Review and Swatches

 Seeing the promotional editorials for MAC's summer 2016 collection, Vibe Tribe, really inspired me as I loved the colours and culture it represented and despite the cultural appropriation issues and bad press, I was itching to shop the full collection. Upon release I was a little disappointed with the collection and only ended up purchasing the Call of the Canyon eye shadow quad (I did really like the look of the bronzers, but I have far too many already and have no room for more!).

The palette is neutral in tone apart from the mandarin shade and they are really blendable and the colour is easily buildable. I will say, however that the pigmentation isn't fantastic on the gold shade (Fools Gold - Frost), but it does create a really pretty finish on the eye.

(Left to right: Call of the Canyon, Fool's Gold, Thunderbolt, Summer Sun)

(Top to bottom: Summer Sun, Thunderbolt, Fool's Gold, Call of the Canyon)

 

Shade breakdown:

 

Call of the Canyon (Veluxe Pearl): Off-white, pearly shimmer with no glitter. Beautifully highlights the inner corners, brow bone and cupids bow, but starts to fade after around 2 hours even when used over a base.

 

Fool's Gold (Frost): Shimmery, sandy gold. Perfect amount of pigmentation for a subtle, almost sun kissed, golden sheen to the eye. No problems with creasing or fading throughout the day.

 

Thunderbolt (Lustre): Charcoal grey with gold shimmer. Good pigmentation for a lustre finish, no fading or creasing and is great for giving summer-y smoky look to the eye.

 

Summer Sun (Frost): Coral mandarin with a golden sheen (like an orange-based version of Nars Orgasm blush). Good pigmentation, no problems with fading or creasing and looks great used on its own as a wash of colour all over the eye as part of a bronzed look.

 

 

Overall I like this quad. It's not perfect and is probably a little expensive for what it actually provides, but I would still have purchased it knowing what I do from trying it out.

I have better highlight shades in my collection than the palettes namesake 'Call of the Canyon', but at the same time I don't have anything that is similar and I do still quite like it even though the longevity is disappointing. This palette will definitely be getting a lot of use over the summer.

 

 

-EF

Makeup Revolution Radiance Palette vs Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

 I initially bought the travel size Ambient Lighting Powder due to the massive hype that surrounded this innovative product and I didn't fancy paying nearly £40 for the full size if it turned out not that great (the travel size isn't that cheap either at around £17 for 1.4g).

My initial impression upon first applying it was that it did create a nice finish on the skin but nothing worth noting and I think even that could have been a placebo effect as when I applied it to one half of my face and asked a friend to guess which one... she guessed the opposite side. I tried it out with different brushes but none made that much of a difference, however I will say that the application was a best using a mid-density brush.

(Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Travel Size: Dim Light)

A few months later I noticed that Makeup Revolution, famed for its high quality and low cost, had brought out a 'dupe' for the Ambient Lighting Powder called the Radiance Palette. So I did a little bit of research and found that a lot of people actually preferred the Radiance Palette to its pricier counterpart and for £8 it was worth a shot.

(Makeup Revolution Radiance Palette: 1st shade)

 

It's so obvious that this palette is meant to be a less expensive alternative to the Ambient Lighting Palette and although I can only vouch for the Dim Light shade, I personally think that it would be a waste of money to buy the Hourglass powder if you can get your hands on this. The MUR powders give an incredible 'lit-from-within' look to the skin that the Hourglass one just doesn't do and you can see from the swatches that the Hourglass powder is nearly matte compared to the soft glow that the MUR one provides.

(Left: MUR Radiance Palette first shade, Right: Hourglass)

To summarise, in my opinion, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (available here) does give a nice, soft finish to the skin, but not to the extent the marketing and hype would lead you to believe. Whereas the Makeup Revolution Radiance Palette (available here) is incredible finely milled and gives a very lifted and illuminated - but not shiny - finish to the skin.

 

 

- EF