My Picks from MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection, Swatches & Review, Extra Dimension Blush in Sea Me Hear Me, Lipstick in Goddess of The Sea, Eye Shadows Sea Worship, Fathoms Deep, Soul Serenade and Nail Polish Submerged

I have to admit, I was not waiting for this collection as many others. I just happen to stumble upon it during my usual counter visits last Friday. When I see a new collection, I am like a kid in a sweet shop, so I started trying the products out. I was really surprised by the quality since I think a few of the previous collections didn't deliver consistent quality across the board. Alluring Aquatic though seems to be a hit in all aspects, packaging, design, shade selection and quality. 

The packaging of this collection is really one of the prettiest I have seen for a long time. The water drops on a gorgeous turquoise metallic compacts are very pleasing to eye. I also love the fact that the same drops and colors are also placed on the boxes. 

Since I didn't have a wish list before, I started with safe choices for me, some purples, some gold and blush which had more pink than brown/orange. Here are my first picks, first because I couldn't help and get to the counter once more today and picked a few more products, which I will try to review later this week. 

The true stunner of the collection are in my opinion the eye shadows. I liked the metallic finish, which doesn't turn frosty but rather very complex with right amount of shimmer. Once applied on the eyes, they don't turn extra shimmery but they look rather like a foil finish nail polish for eyes, if that makes sense. They are all very pigmented and most of the shades (except Lorelei) are dark so go for them in case you like your eyes smokey. 

Sea Worship is a mid-toned gold with khaki undertones. It has the metallic finish of most of the eye shadows in this collection but the shimmer is more linear than some others. It doesn't make it less appealing though, I really like this shade and especially how it teams up with the other two I have picked.

Soul Serenade, can I start by saying that I love the name. The color is also almost as gorgeous, it is a deep eggplant with metallic finish and multi dimensional shimmer. It is for those of you who wouldn't like Fathom's Deep as it has more red in it.

Fathom's Deep is a true stunner. It was the first eye shadow which was sold out everywhere, so I had to run around a few counters to find a last one waiting for me. It is a deep purple with metallic finish and multi-colored shimmer. Once applied to the eyes, it does give a purple hue but does look rather natural. 

Here are all the eye shadow shades swatches from this collection. I took the photo with day light under shadow. The duo chrome, crazy dimension colors are Legendary Lure, Soul Serenade and Fathom's Deep. Today I went back to pick up Silver Sun and Lorelei too, which I will try to review later this week. First I was not very fond of Lorelei but I think it will look pretty as a natural makeup for strong lips.

Here is the eye makeup I wore today featuring Fathom's Deep and Sea Worship. As you see as much metallic and pigmented the colors are, they don't look scary once applied. The resulting effect is rather wearable and smokey.

I wanted a nice bronzy blush for the summer, but my last pick from Chanel (Canaille, reviewed here) is not working all that good on me. So I thought I give it a go with MAC Extra Dimension Blush Sea Me Hear Me. I liked the duo chromish effect of this one which is due to the very fine golden shimmer. It turned out this one is much easier to use for me since it leans more pink than Canaille, which is more orange.

Here are both of the blushes swatched. Seduced at the Sea is warmer and a little lighter. It has also more shimmer. 

There are also two Extra Dimension Bronzer at this collection. Today I went back to pick up Aphrodite's Shell which is a gorgeous bronzer with beige pink undertones. It is also very light so the ones with fair complexions will love it. I passed on Delphic since it is very orange/warm for me but I am sure it would look fabulous on a deeper complexion.

Here is the last piece I picked. After trying out all the lipsticks, I went for the purple one, how predictable, right? Anyway I tried this against a few Chanel lipsticks from Variations collection that I was eyeing. This one was more purple and others were more red or pink, so it won!

Siren Song and Pet Me Please both gave me concealed lip effect. Enchanted one and Mystical both looked very orange, although after seeing the swatches of Mystical, I wonder why. I know that usually MAC Collections have very strong lip focus but to me Alluring Aquatic is so successful at other parts (Eye Shadow, Bronzer, Blush) that skipping lipsticks and investing on other pieces wouldn't harm.

Here is me wearing Sea Me Hear Me on cheeks, Goddess of the Sea on lips, Sea Worship and Fathom's Deep on eyes. The collection seems uncoordinated at the first sight but once mixed and matched there are many beautiful combinations. 

I also picked up Nail Lacquer in Submerged and couldn't resist but ordered Shimmerfish afterwards. I will post about them after wearing them this week. I have never worn MAC nail polish before so I would like to test it properly. 

Final thoughts: A lovely collection from MAC which delivers a superb quality across the board. It must have been the biggest MAC haul in my life since I am not a loyal customer of the brand. I love the packaging and the names too, music, sea, water and turquoise, it couldn't get better.

Will you be picking up something from Alluring Aquatics?