Disclaimer: The products featured were provided for review.
"Magnetic" and "ionized" are not terms we commonly associate with eyeshadows, but the new
MAC Spellbinder Shadow ($30 CAD) is about to change all that. Loose shadows ionized with a magnetic charge, the Spellbinder mesmerizes with its ripple-like pattern that retains shape and dimension. Confused? Befuddled? Read on to learn all about these and see some swatches.......
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| MAC Spellbinder Shadow |
Packaging:
Hands down the most fascinating and innovative eyeshadow in the recent years, the MAC Spellbinder consists of ionized loose shadow housed in a matte black glass jar. The product appears to have been pressed with a ripple design but upon closer inspection, it's actually a pattern created by the magnetically charged pigments. I don't know exactly how the technology works but I suspect that the jar has a magnet on the bottom which in turn causes the pigments to align themselves in a certain way to create the ripple pattern. Because the shadow is magnetized, it retains its shape so you no matter how you push or shove its surface, very little fall-out results and the ripple pattern remains.
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| MAC Spellbinder Shadow in "Mysterious Influence" |
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| MAC Spellbinder Shadow in "Gravity's Pull" |
Below is a video I posted on Instagram of the Spellbinder Shadow in action. As you can see in the video, this thing is truly one of a kind:
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| MAC Spellbinder Shadow in "Mysterious Influence" |
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| MAC Spellbinder Shadow in "Mysterious Influence" |
Formulation:
The benefit of the "magnetic" loose shadow is that it doesn't fall out and end up everywhere so it's relatively mess-free. Interestingly, once out of the jar, the powder behaves more like a pressed shadow than a loose powder, adhering fairly well to the skin but it's nowhere as "clingy" as MAC promised. Both shades here are very pigmented but they don't have that creamy, buttery texture that I would have liked.
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Gravity's Pull" is a dusty purple shimmer while "
Mysterious Influence" is a mossy green shimmer. Neither shades have a very dark base so for a really intense pop of color I would recommend using them over a cream shadow. Overall the Spellbinder Shadows definitely wowed me in terms of packaging and presentation. The formulation is nice as well but if you prefer really creamy and buttery shadows then these may feel a bit dry.
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| MAC Spellbinder Shadow in "Gravity's Pull" & "Mysterious Influence" |
Availability:
MAC Spellbinder is available starting October 20th in stores and
online.
