Beauty, Blush, Face, Haul, Highlight/Bronzer, Makeup, Mid-Range Brands, Swatches

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! MAC hasn’t exactly wowed me too much during holiday for the last couple years but this year I was all in. MAC really came through with the Nutcracker Sweet Collection! The packaging is beautiful and the colors are perfect for the season. I just couldn’t help myself.

I went from, “I’m just getting this compact I don’t really need.”

Then soon to, “Okay I could use a few more things from this collection.”

The star of the show, hands down, was the Copper Face Compact. The Copper  Face Compact has a fuchsia pink and magenta candy stripe design that resembles a pretty box of cookies. When you open it, you’re greeted with 2 gingerbread cookie-esque powders. One, is the famed Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish. It’s a soft yellow gold with multidimensional shimmer and a very finely milled, silky smooth highlighter that looks amazing on all skin tones. The other, is Pleasure Model Extra Dimension Blush, a rust orange with a hint of brown and shimmer.

Both shades look beautiful on pretty much anyone but really shine through on medium to deep skin tones. Whisper of Gilt gives you just the perfect golden glow that can look soft and natural (with a sheer layer) or dewy and intense (layered on). Whisper of Gilt is the kind of highlighter that you can use all by itself to strobe. When built up, Whisper of Gilt can literally make your face look like you’re dripping in gold. It’s amazing if you’re into that kinda thing. If you want to keep it natural, you’ll probably want to use a very light hand because the almost creamy formula deposits a lot of pigment in one sweep.

Whisper of Gilt has been majorly hyped up over the years on social media and it kinda makes sense. Whisper of Gilt isn’t the most unique highlighter in terms of color but the effect is what really sets it apart. Whisper of Gilt gives you this magical gold highlight that makes you look like a doll. A smooth, shiny porcelain doll. I love it for that! Not gonna lie, some days I love a crazy intense glow that makes me look like I bathe in gold. It’s my guilty pleasure and why I love Whisper of Gilt so much. It looks absolutely beautiful no matter how you wear it as it doesn’t really emphasize pores or the texture of skin and it lasts very nicely too. Whisper of Gilt glows on and on for a little over 8 hours before I notice some slight signs of fading. So it’s perfect for everyday wear with a light hand, of course, and also perfect for a night out when you want to let loose and shine a little more.

The Nutcracker Sweet Copper Face Compact also comes equipped with a subtle everyday blush, Pleasure Model. Pleasure Model is the perfect blush for deeper skin tones as it looks very natural and gives brown skin a warm flush that looks as if you’ve just been kissed on the cheeks. Pleasure Model also has a soft, almost creamy texture that glides onto the skin and practically melts into your cheeks for a seamless satin finish. I love that I can wear Pleasure Model no matter how I’m feeling or what I’m wearing. Whether I’m rocking a smoky eye or just keeping it simple with just a cat eye Pleasure Model fits right in every time. That’s my kinda blush. I don’t always plan out my eye looks. Sometimes I just grab a palette and let it flow. It’s nice to have a blush on hand that goes with anything and wears like a dream. Pleasure Model also holds strong for around 8 hours before it begins to fade. Not too shabby at all.

If you’re feeling a sense of deja vu right now it’s probably because Whisper of Gilt and Pleasure Model aren’t new kids on the block. Both Whisper of Gilt and Pleasure Model have been released before. Whisper of Gilt first appeared in the Glamour Daze Collection from holiday 2012. Whisper of Gilt was a huge hit then and has managed to remain a big deal 4 years later. Pleasure Model was also a hot commodity when it released in the Magnetic Nude Collection around this time in 2013. I fell in love with how easy it was to wear and how beautiful it looked on my brown skin. I had a good feeling about both Whisper of Gilt and Pleasure Model so I scooped them up years ago. And again this year in Nutcracker Sweet.

In case you wondering, the new versions in the Copper Face Compact are very similar to the originals. The original versions of Whisper of Gilt and Pleasure Model are a bit more pigmented with the new formulations being a little more sheer. But not by much. The original Whisper of Gilt is also a little lighter than the Copper Face Compact version. The difference isn’t super noticeable when applied but I do prefer the Copper Face Compact Whisper of Gilt because it’s slightly warmer so it looks a little better on brown skin when layered on. When it comes to Pleasure Model, the biggest difference seems to be that the original is much more pigmented. The Copper Face Compact version is also a little less orange but it’s not very noticeable when applied at all. If you missed either Whisper of Gilt or Pleasure Model this would be a good time to get your hands on them. Hopefully, MAC has another restock soon so you can snag it if you haven’t already.

Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish and Pleasure Model Extra Dimension Blush

Original Whisper of Gilt (top) and Copper Face Compact Whisper of Gilt (bottom)

Original Pleasure Model (top) and Copper Face Compact Pleasure Model (bottom)

Here I am rocking the MAC Nutrcacker Sweet Copper Face Compact