Beach Blanket Babylon

MAC's To The Beach

I was able to visit my local MAC counter after a very cruel and harsh winter. The collection To The Beach was a breath of humid, slighty sticky summer air. There were hot oranges, deep teal oceanic blues, and toasty bronzes. I was there to look at Lazy Day lipstick. MAC reeled me in with the description of a "light dirty blue pink lustre". I am all about dirty pinks with a blue base. I decided passed on this lippie. It was a murky pink with decent pigment power. I just felt that it would be a repeat in my lipstick collection. I am trying to build a Mary Boone worthy lippie collection. I am looking for sheer red glosses and the perfect 1960's nude/apricot.

To The Beach is all about the Marine Life High-Light powder. Marine Life is very Chantecaille-like without the chalk factor. It is a shame that the shimmer overlay is not a constant in this power. Those first uses were just bliss. It was a pitch perfect shimmery coral pink.
Once the shimmer is gone, you are left with a fetching salmon pink shade. It is buildable and has great staying power.
Do not deify this product. It has nothing on MAC's Ripe Peach.
Now that is a powder worth altars, secret societies and high eBay prices.

A hidden gem in the collection is Easy Lounger lipglass. It is a whispery light pink with multi-dimensional naked shimmer. The shimmer fire is as fine as a pin prick. I can not describe it any better. My lips are pigmented so the pink cast is lost on me. It is like a clear white hot fire explosion...on the lips. It has become my summer staple. You must visit and test this beauty at your MAC counter.

The other lipglasses are pretty fabulous. Flurry of Fun is a sparkly peach with green shimmer specks. Splashing is a blue pink with gold fire. The lipglasses retail for $14.00($16.50 in CDN).


The lipsticks did not wow me but I appreciated the thought and care that went into the colors. They were useful summer lippies for every skin tone. Funbathing is a mid-tone bronzed plum. It was sheer but the plum pigment was rich and boozy. Thrills was a rose copper with gold pearl. I have so many rose bronzes that it is criminal. Beachbound is a frosty pale peach shade. The frost killed it for me. It looked beyond stunning on Jen, my favorite MAC SA. She looks like a California beach blonde...but she is actually from the frozen tundra of Ohio. She is a MAC Yoda and we discuss past and future collections. We spent 15 minutes gushing over what we think will be in the Disney Venomous Villains collection. She thinks they will bring back Queens Sin.

The lip pencils were exceptional. Life's A Breeze is a soft yet vibrant pink. This might sound perfectly ordinary. It is not. Try to find a good pink lip liner. It is difficult.

Temperature Rising is described as a "loudmouth orange". I expected a safety orange shade with a whole lot of obnoxiousness. Instead, it is a very ripe juicy orange. Wildly cool and flattering on just the right person. It looked amazing with Flurry of Fun lip glass.

The eye kohls were perfect for the humid summer months. Rosemary & Thyme is a olive gold with shimmer. Float On By is a dark turquoise. I am a sucker for teals, turquoises and aquamarine.

The eyeshadows are the most perfect shades for summer. Sand & Sun was a light peach matte. It was paired successfully with Firecracker. Firecracker is a mid-tone red orange. My MAC SA Kara wore this combination. It was the most wearable orange eye cocktail. Humid is a green with shimmer. Shimmermoss is a teal with some sass. I have always longed for this but felt like it was too close to my other MAC and Tony & Tina teal shades.

Shades from left to right: MAC Shimmermoss, Big T, Parrot and Float On By

Another of my shade weaknesses. Bitter greens.
Sweet & Punchy is a bright yellow green with some fire. Very close to Rated X. It has just a dab more yellow.

The bitter greens in this photograph from left to right: MAC's Rated X, Eyepopping, Sweet & Punchy and Sharp from the Tempting Quad.

When swatched and in full sun...they pretty much look the same with varying degrees of shimmer fire.

To The Beach's Bronze Body Oil mimics a golden beach tan with shimmer. It does not look ridiculous on the pale creatures of the world. It rubs in with ease. The body oil is not sticky or tacky. It feels moisturizing and quite nice. Bronze Body Oil leaves just a kiss of color and a sprinkling of shimmer dust. The shimmer does transfer to the hands and clothes. Shimmer haters have been warned. The body oil retails for $22.00($27 CDN).

To the Beach Cream Bronzers come in two shades. Weekend is a deep orange brown with soft pink pearl. Beach Bronze is golden glow with a soft glow finish. The cream bronzers retail for $25.00($30 CDN).

I mix Lustre Drops in with my foundations or skin tints for an extra pop of color. Pink Rebel is a blue pink with gold pearl. Sun Rush is a peachy bronze with gold pearl. The drops retail for $18.50($22.50 CDN).

Hipness is a powder blush in an slighty intense coral shade. Buildable with a skunk brush. Get Away Bronze is a mid-tone suntan frost. I did not pay attention to it. The blushes retail for $18.50($22 CDN)

The collection also has two nail lacquers. In the Buff is a muted taupe avocado. Scorcher is a creamy and bright coral red. Each MAC girl sported this shade as the manicure. It might be the most perfect toe color invented on this earth. The nail lacquers retail for $12.00($14.50 CDN).

There is a tote bag available at MAC stores only. It is decorated with a coral print with a rope handle. It retails for $49.50 and looks impressive in the MAC PR pictures.

There are two brushes featured in this collection that look lemming worthy.
130 short duo fibre is a short, round dual fibre with a flat head. It is ideal for creams, emulsions and various powder products. This retails for $38.00($45.50 CDN).

131 Duo Fibre Powder/Blush is a flat, tapered face brush that contains a combination of short,natural fibres and longer, fibre optic fibres ideal for light application(ears perk up!) and highlighting/shading with various face powders. Ideal for mineralize skinfinish powders. This lemming monster retails for $40.00($48 CDN).

Post your thoughts and hauls on the To the Beach collection in the comments.

Disclosure: Press sample of these products were provided by MAC cosmetics.