Mac In Extra Dimension: Pictures & Swatches

Oh oh, I thought when the press release and product dropped from Mac for April's In Extra Dimension launch. It's a 13 strong (plus brushes) edit containing 10 eyeshadows and three Skinfinishes and I was pretty sure I'd seen that particular gleaming chrome-shine effect on the pans before.

Uhuh. I had: if you swooned for, missed out on or just plain missed Estee Lauder's Cyber Eyes collection or the fabulous pale Pure Colour Illuminating Powder Gelee from last Autumn's collection, both of which came in a unique tri-brid formula that can be properly used wet and dry, then sing hosannas - all the products in Mac's In Extra Dimension use exactly the same technology as far as my tests can ascertain.

Everything's limited and there are three Extra Dimension Skinfinishes in Whisper of Gilt (light soft white gold with shimmery sheen), Superb (soft peachy nude with multi-dimensional shimmer) and Glorify (copper with golden shimmer). Each will be €28.

I've gotten Superb from the brand ahead of the launch. This is the mid-shade of the trio and is fairly similar to Estee's first Pure Colour illuminating Powder Gelee from what I recall (there's a much darker one out now with the Teal Topaz collection, FYI).  With two brushes promoted in this collection, the split-fibre 128 and 234, they're clearly what Mac is recommending you use for application as they're pitching these as products to sculpt and gleamingly define as opposed to something for use as a highlighter on the high points of the face, or a light finishing powder.

So, if you do want to use it more in the way the Lauder products were intended and unless you want a really heavy basting of Robot from these sort of powders, I'd tend to go with a duo-fibre to avoid looking like bride of C3PO.

In terms of how the tri-brid formula works - yep, it's great. You can stick a dampened brush in here, pick up product and it has no effect on the integrity of the product, which means extra versatility.

And here're the swatches: these things are smooth, creamy and very pigmented.

That's not all to land - the 10 shadow shades are €20.50 and all are metallics excepting the black which is billed as a glow finish. Shades are Young Venus (pale white pink); Grand Galaxy (dirty mid-tone violet); Lunar (royal blue); Blue Orbit (light iridescent purple); Warm Thunder (dirty silver grey); Sweet Heat (bright peach champagne); Modern Pewter (dirty olive gold); Havana (dirty copper brown); Rich Core (dirty aubergine) and Dark Dare (charcoal black).

I haven't tried these yet or seen them myself but going on the Extra Dimension Skinfinish above and having tried and liked the Estee Lauder Cyber Eyes offerings a lot, I would imagine these are going to be well worth a look.

So - whaddya reckon? Interest piqued by Mac In Extra Dimension then?