Review: M·A·C Cosmetics x Guo Pei collection.

"China’s most esteemed haute couturier, Guo Pei, brings her legendary elegance to a colour collection inspired by her “garden of the soul”, merging vibrant jewel tones with rich neutrals, punctuated by deep graphite. Featured are eye shadow quads in deep blues and honeyed neutrals, Lipstick and Cremesheen Glass in creamy pinks and corals to bright reds and luscious nudes."

I've been known to exaggerate for dramatic effect now and then, but please believe me when I say that the Guo Pei x M·A·C Cosmetics collection has THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAKEUP PACKAGING OF ALL TIME. Inspired by the Chinese designer's gorgeous works of haute couture, this collection is M.A.C's super limited release for 2015. Ultimately, it means these pieces are gonna be a little pricey, but let me tell you now: these things are an investment! They're not only beautiful, high-quality cosmetics… they're also pretty much an art-piece on your dresser or in your makeup bag. Much to our delight, M.A.C sent us some of the collection to test out and now we're head over heels in LOVE.

Before I delve into just how amazing these cosmetics are, here's some visual evidence of the genius that is Guo Pei (a.k.a., two of my favourite looks she's produced, including Rihanna's 2015 Met Gala dress)…

Now that you're probably just as in love with Guo Pei as we are, here are our thoughts on her M·A·C collab...

'MORNING LIGHT' EYE SHADOW X4 - RRP $184 NZD
I'm going to kick this review off by discussing my absolute favourite piece from the collection, which comes in the form of an eyeshadow quad. 'Morning Light' features four stunning, highly-pigmented shades: 

'Sweet Vapours' (soft beige with duo chrome in a pearl lustre finish)

'Walking Dawn' (light/medium gold in a veluxe pearl finish)

'Amber Lights' (peachy brown with shimmer in a frosted finish)

'Earthy Scent' (blacked brown in a deluxe pearl finish)

'Amber Lights' is the highlight in this quad - it's so shimmery and metallic and I'm finding it's become a very common crease-colour in my eyeshadow game. 'Sweet Vapours' is also super pretty and sparkly, and this shade comes with a flower stamped into the pan. Too cute!

'RED WATER LILY' POWDER BLUSH - RRP $150 NZD
Perhaps the most pigmented blush I've ever encountered, 'Red Water Lily' is a surefire statement colour. It's a fierce mix between red and pink, meaning it looks good on a number of skin tones - but beware, it does take a lot of blending! When you get that down, it's actually a very flattering and versatile shade for cheeks. This blush, like the eyeshadow palette, comes in a gorgeous, satin-covered floral and gold case that you'll never want to put down.

'BRIGHT PINK BOUQUET' CREMESHEEN GLASS - RRP $71 NZD
If you're looking for something loaded with sparkles and shine, this lipgloss has you covered. 'Bright Pink Bouquet' is surprisingly pigmented for a lipgloss product, but to be fair, I'd say it's leaning more towards orange than it's pink namesake (M.A.C use the more accurate description of 'nude coral'). Nonetheless, this Cremesheen Glass is beautiful, and looks great paired with the some of the lipsticks in the collection. 

'ETHEREAL ORCHID' LIPSTICK - RRP $75 NZD
Perhaps the colour I would call 'Bright Pink Bouquet's twin sister, 'Ethereal Orchid' is a 'mid-tone dirty coral' shade in a lustre finish. This has quickly become my go-to casual lipstick because it looks good with everything. It's neutral enough to match with a number of outfits/makeup styles, but pigmented with a soft coral colour that packs enough punch to still matter. Long story short, I love, love, love this colour and cannot recommend it enough.

'ZENITH' LIPSTICK - RRP $75 NZD
The word 'zenith' refers to a high point, or a time when something has reached peak success. While this has nothing to do with lipstick directly, this cool word lends itself to a lip shade that is definitely at the height of the game. This light nude lustre colour is the perfect 'barely there' shade - but with added shine. To be fair, the colour of the lipstick (without swatching it first) is a little beguiling, but these days I'm learning the importance of neutral lipsticks, and this shade is very, very important.

The Guo Pei x M.A.C collection is available in NZ from Smith & Caughey's Queen Street only and stock is VERY limited, so get your hands on these babies quick!