RapidReviews: Makeup by Mario Master Crystal Reflectors
Like everyone else on instagram, I was super excited about Makeup by Mario. When makeup artists come up with tightly edited makeup lines, makeup lovers like myself know that there are bound to be some real gems in these collections. While I have yet to sample everything in the line (and I am slowly making my way through it), I wanted to add my quick two cents on Mario’s wonderful highlighters - the Master Crystal Reflectors - that to me, are real multipurpose workhorses. I bought two of the three shades available: Citrine and Bronzite.
L to R: Bronzite, Citrine
The Formula
So first, let’s talk about the formula. These are powder formulations but the texture is almost like an extremely thin, lightweight, silky, transclucent cream - and when I say cream, I actually mean a gel-cream hybrid situation. Again - these are powder formulas - and yet, they feel..different. If you just take your finger, rub it on the product and swatch it on your hand (or apply it on your cheekbone), they look like very sheer sparkly toppers. If I use a brush - especially a brush that disrupts the top layer a little, they apply less sheerly, and look less like a thin veil of glitter and more like a shiny,silky, shimmering cream on my skin. This made me think that these are probably quite buildable - so, let’s build. Using just my finger, if I keep swiping at the product and then my face, I tend to get the same effect as when I use a brush. On my cheekbones, this is a big, blingey highlight - I like those, but if you don’t, you may not like it on your cheekbones. But the formula feels very silky and looks great when applied on other parts of my body or on my eyes as a topper over eyeshadow or by itself. I’ve used it on eyeshadow-less eyes as a single swipe of sheer sparkle - in which case, the overall effect is a little like Bobbi Brown’s luxe shadows though the texture is much more fine and silky. I’ve also used it on my eyeshadow-less eyes built up - layer by layer - and it looks a little less sheer and a little more like liquid-y shine (even though it’s not a liquid!). Formula-wise, a very, very interesting product, this one.
The Colors
Citrine
This color is, in my opinion, a true gold. It is slightly warm-toned, but not too much - in fact, I might even call it a neutral gold that only slightly leans warm (at least on my skintone).
Bronzite
This color is definitely more complex than the Citrine. For me, it appears like a cool-toned bronzey-pink with a balance of gold and silver sparkles through it (maybe a few more silver bits than gold - hence slightly cool).
In natural light - facing a window: L to R: Citrine , Bronzite (heavily swatched), Citrine Bronzite (blended)
Indoors, under a lamp: L to R: Citrine , Bronzite (heavily swatched), Citrine Bronzite (blended)
Overall, in terms of first impressions, I find that they are unique in texture and in their balance of warm and cool tones (possibly as a result of mixing both gold and silver sparkles in each shade). The colors also seem to shift a tiny bit in different light situations. So far - I am loving using these! As I continue to play with them, I will keep you updated on my thoughts. I would also love to hear yours if you have tried these or are planning to try them.
