MAC - Surf, Baby! - Small Haul

I finally managed to get to a local MAC counter to check out the rest of the Surf, Baby! collection. I came away with the two eye shadows I wanted to look at, Surf USA & Swell Baby, and one of the Suntints lip balms.

I wasn't overly taken with the other shadow colours. I already have Saffron, Short Shorts wasn't on the display stand & Sun Blonde had the unfortunate effect of looking like a yellow bruise on my skin when I swatched it. I was, however, really taken with My Paradise Cheek Powder. I didn't pick it up, which is something I'll probably come to regret since it was a really nice peach shade.

Swell Baby

Swell Baby is a mid-tone grey in a Satin finish. I've found with MAC's Satin shadows that some look quite matte whilst others have a small amount of shimmer to them. Swell Baby falls into the latter category. The shimmer is quite subtle, so those that aren't overly keen on the Frost finishes may like this.
Tone-wise, Swell Baby isn't a blue-grey, it's more of a silvery grey, it would work well with more neutral shades as well as bright colours. It's well pigmented, applies easy & blends well.

Swell Baby, UD Revolver, Scene, Silver Ring

Shadows were swatched dry, straight on to bare skin. I thought I'd have at least one grey that was similar, if not a complete dupe. To my surprise, none were exactly right. In reality, Silver Ring is the closest as far as the base shade goes, but it's much more shimmery, which leads to a more silvered appearance.

Surf USA

Pretty, vivid teal shade in a Frost finish. Although it is a Frost, I didn't find it to be quite as shiny as some other Frosts. Surf USA definitely leans more to the greener side of teal. As with Swell Baby, I found Surf USA to apply well, blend easily & have good pigmentation.

Surf USA, Sugarpill Darling, Gulf Stream, Shimmermoss, Waternymph

As far as the base shade goes, Sugarpill's Chromalust in Darling is the closest match to Surf USA, but Darling is a lot more shimmery (one of my favourite Chromalusts!). Gulf Stream & Waternymph were similar, with Waternymph having more shimmer. 

Suntints - Pink Tinge

I had three tubes of Suntints last time they were released & fell in love with them. I only picked up a tube of Pink Tinge this time, but may well go back for more. The texture is not unlike that of a thicker lip gloss, rather than a lip balm. It does also give a shiny look. I find these moisturise quite well & because of the thick consistency, they stay on for quite some time.

Pink Tinge

Rather than apply these to lips for picture purposes, I swatched Pink Tinge on my wrist. This is mainly because, on my lips, no colour really shows up. It's a very, very subtle soft pink shade that won't make much of a difference to those with fairly pigmented lips. However, I get the Suntints for their moisturising abilities, not the colour.

I like the bits & bobs I've picked up from this collection. The shadows, in particular, are of a better quality than some from previous collections.