MAC Dazzlesphere! Berry Ornament Review

I love shimmer. Everyone who knows me and knows I love makeup recognizes this fundamental need I have. It can sometimes turn into a problem because makeup, like everything else in life, costs money.

And I am cheap.

Sometimes, to torture myself, I wander into MAC or Sephora or Inglot and play with the gorgeous colours I find in there. I'd been dreaming about these fantastically pretty pigments for a while, waiting for a makeup artist friend of mine to come to MAC with me so I could get a discount. Sadly it never happened, so I took it upon myself to purchase them on a whim.
The whole "limited edition" thing really did give me a sense of urgency and I felt like I would be losing something if I left them there.

I hate how the cosmetic industry has that hold on me.

Awesomely shiny spherical packaging

Hello, Dazzlesphere Berry Ornament!!!                           

Here is what MAC has to say about this product:

DAZZLESHPERE! BERRY ORNAMENT X 4: Adding spice to our couture-future ornament: two shades of Roasted Chestnut and Spicy Smoke. Add Pearl and Rose Light to this mini-set of four stackable Crush Metals and see how brilliant your looks can be. Gift yourself! Limited edition.

To start off, these are extremely well pigmented. The shimmer itself is more prominent than the undertone of each colour itself, but applied wet, these look almost like glitter and the colour becomes more vibrant.

Urban Decay’s primer potion is my go-to primer, but I knew that these would need something more binding to stick to because they are very loose and sparkles just flew everywhere. I tried using my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil inStrawberry Milk on top of UDPP to get the product to stick, but it caked up when I brushed it on because my skin would fold ever so slightly, and this created gaps in the application. It looked better when I packed it on, but foiling the pigment worked best for a smoother texture on my lids.

 I love the colours in this pigment stack! They are warm-toned berry shades, hence the name, and I find them versatile.

Pearl on top, Rose Light on the bottom

blah blah blah 6 grams

Pearl

Rose Light

Spicy Smoke on top, Roasted Chestnut on the bottom

yadda yadda crushed metallic pigment

Spicy Smoke is redder and not as dark in real life

Roasted Chestnut is more bronze in real life

 Here are some swatches:

Pearl, Rose Light swatched dry

Spicy Smoke, Roasted Chestnut swatched dry

 

Crooked lid

The packaging does not feel very sturdy. Like my Lise Watier pigment in Folie Blanche, the clear plastic feels brittle, like it might crack easily. Folie Blanche certainly did. Also, it is not exactly easy to screw the lid back on without pigment spilling out. I had to unscrew and re-screw it on very gently and precisely to it didn’t have a gap for potential spillage. Folie Blanche also has this problem.
I’m also not sure how I feel about the top jar acting as a lid for the bottom jar. Being extremely clumsy, I tend to drop lids as I unscrew them because I often do my makeup in a hurry. It is obviously not good for the “lid” to fall if it contains 6 grams of product I paid around 40$ for.

I know it seems like I have a lot more complaints than compliments about this product, but I must remember to focus on qualities that are more important to me. In a loose eyeshadow, I mainly look for great pigmentation and a decent amount of product for my money. I bought these for 38$ and some change, plus tax. Divided by 4 pigments, they cost me less than 10$ each, which is more than I can say for my Sugarpill Chromalusts, which retail for 12$ each for only 4grams of shadow.
Plus shipping.

So overall, I do really like these. It just takes a teensy bit of experimenting to make them work, and I’m sure it would be different for everybody. Wetting my brush happened to work best for me when using it. Plus, the shimmer is sooooo pretty!!!!! They also sell a blue-themed stack, a purple one, and various lip products in spheres.

I like you

These retail for 32.50 on MAC’s website and in MAC stores, but I paid around 38.50 plus tax because I live in Canada.
Please send all requests to lizziehanley94@yahoo.ca