New this month from MAC, is a collection all about long-wearing makeup. The MAC Office Hours Collection for Fall 2012 contains eyeshadows, blushes and lip glosses, some of which are limited edition and others will be joining the permanent line.  The collection is meant to take you from your morning coffee to after-work cocktails without fading. Check out the full line-up here.

At first glance, the collection is lovely! The colors, textures and concept- who wouldn’t want their makeup to look flawless from morning to night?  However in reality, the collection is a little more complicated than that- being quite hit or miss for me (mostly dependant on the shade selection).  I’ve seen mixed reviews on these products, however I can only review based on the shades that I have- so keep that in mind!

MAC Office Hours Collection for Fall 2012

Pro Longwear Blush

The collection features 8 shades of the new MAC Pro Longwear Blush ($23.50 USD / $28 CAD), all of which are joining the permanent line.  MAC claims these blushes will last for 8 hours on the cheeks without fading.  The texture is really silky, however the pigmentation varied greatly between the two shades I’ve been trying out; Rosy Outlook (a pale, yellow-pink) and Whole Lotta Love (a bright, mid-tone cool pink).

Rosy Outlook was very chalky and barely had any pigmentation… really it didn’t look like much on my skin, however Whole Lotta Love is absolutely gorgeous! It’s extremely pigmented, so you have to apply it with a very light hand. I really love this blush a lot- it reminds me of my favorite shade, Fleur Power… it also was the only one that was still visible on my cheeks in the evening.

RATING: A (Whole Lotta Love) & C- (Rosy Outlook)

MAC Pro Longwear Blushes in Rosy Outlook (left) & Whole Lotta Love (right)

Note the size (regular blush size)

MAC Pro Longwear Blush in Rosy Outlook

MAC Pro Longwear Blush in Whole Lotta Love

Swatches (L-R) Rosy Outlook (heavy & soft) & Whole Lotta Love (heavy & soft)

Pro Longwear Eye Shadow

The MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadow ($21 USD / $25 CAD) isn’t a new formulation, but these 9 shades are new to this collection.  A few of them are limited edition (Ever Ivory, Endless Passion & More Amour), but the two that I have are joining the permanent line.  The texture is very similar to the blushes, silky and finely milled.

I’ve been testing Mauveless, a dark, dirty mauve as well as Linger Softly, a light, frosted blue. Once again, similar to the blushes, these two shades vary greatly in quality.  Mauveless had fairly good color payoff for being a matte texture and stayed on a the majority of the day without a primer (however I would definitely recommend using a primer before any eyeshadow).  Linger Softly was very different- it went on very patchy, chalky and the pigmentation wasn’t very good at all (especially for having a frost texture).

Both shades were a little more difficult to blend on the eye than regular MAC eyeshadows… it’s hard to describe, I just found that I really had to spend a lot of time blending in the crease and getting rid of harsh lines.  Overall, I’m just not in love with these enough to commit to such a huge pot of eyeshadow, and especially at the price they are. Not really a fan.

RATING: B+ (Mauveless) & D (Linger Softly)

MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadows in Mauveless (left) & Linger Softly (right)

Note the size (same as MAC Cream Color Bases)

Size comparison (Regular Eye Shadow on left, Pro Longwear Eye Shadow on right)

MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in Mauveless

MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in Linger Softly

MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadow Swatches; Mauveless (left) & Linger Softly (right)

Pro Longwear Lipglass

Just when you thought MAC Lipglasses couldn’t get any stickier… they launch this new formula. The MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass ($19.50 USD / $22.50 CAD) claims to last six hours… and honestly, it probably does, but it’s just so thick, goopy, sticky and heavy I just couldn’t keep it on that long to find out.  Now I don’t want that to come off as negative, it truly is a subjective opinion- I know there are some people out there that love sticky lip glosses, and they will probably love these too… but I just couldn’t keep them on.

These glosses are in the same sized tube as the MAC Cremesheen Glasses (the total opposite of these in terms of stickiness, by the way) and to my disappointment, they don’t have the classic MAC vanilla scent. I really can’t put my finger on what the scent is… it does smell a bit like vanilla, but there’s something else in there and it just doesn’t sit well with me.

I’ve been trying out two of the 8 shades, Forever Rose a gorgeous mid-tone rosy pink, and Everlasting Nude, a mid-tone caramel nude shade.

The one thing I do love about these lip glosses are the applicators! They feature a flattened doe-foot applicator, which happens to be my favorite applicator type.  I find that it applies the product with precision, yet also with flexibility (almost like a precise brush).  The formula though, is so thick, it feels like you’re putting honey on your lips. It actually took me about 2 minutes to apply this gloss, because it was so thick!

Having said all of that, it really does look pretty on the lips. They are super glossy and incredibly pigmented… so if you’re alright with the texture, then go for it!

RATING: C+ (Personal opinion… if you like thick glosses, you will like them)

MAC Pro Longwear Lipglasses in Forever Rose (left) & Everlasting Nude (right)

Flattened doe-foot applicators

Note the size (Same as MAC Cremesheen Glass)

Size comparison (Regular Lipglass on top, Pro Longwear Lipglass on bottom)

MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass Swatches; Forever Rose (left) & Everlasting Nude (right)

Wearing MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in Forever Rose

Wearing MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in Everlasting Nude

Wearing MAC Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in Mauveless, MAC Pro Longwear Blush in Whole Lotta Love & MAC Pro Longwear Lipglass in Forever Rose (Click here to see more photos)

Summary

• Price: $23.50 USD / $28 CAD for 0.21oz / 6g (Pro Longwear Blush), $21 USD / $25 CAD for 0.11oz / 3g (Pro Longwear Eye Shadow) & $19.50 USD / $22.50 CAD for 0.62oz / 1.92g (Pro Longwear Lipglass)
• Availability: MAC
• Selection: See the entire collection here
• Overall: This collection is quite hit-or-miss, not just between the products, but within the shade ranges of each product.  The Pro Longwear Blushes look beautiful and feel super silky- however look for good pigmentation. Whole Lotta Love is fantastic. The Pro Longwear Eye Shadows are pretty chalky and just not up to par- I wouldn’t recommend them. The Pro Longwear Lipglasses are the stickiest and thickest gloss I’ve ever worn! I really dislike the feel and scent of them, but I’m in love with the pigmentation and the applicator. If you can deal with the texture, you’ll love these.
• Rating: C+ (For the collection as a whole, individual products rated above)