Mary Kay At Play 2015 Collection | Review & Swatches

As a girl who could quite happily sport nude lips and all-black outfits for 365 days of the year, you can imagine the heart palpitations I experienced when I heard that bright makeup was making a serious comeback this summer. However, I’m a strong advocate for trying new things (except for stupid things, like ever going back to my natural hair colour)(whatever that may be), so agreed to review some of US brand Mary Kay’s new At Play collection.

The Mary Kay At Play collection for summer 2015 features plenty of vibrant new releases to tempt even the most neutral Nancys among us into getting more experimental with colour. With plenty of dual-purpose products, they’re also perfect for packing for your holiday. So, what did I try?

Mary Kay At Play Cheek and Lip Tint* (£8)

First up we have one of these multi-tasking tints, which are designed to be used to add a ‘flattering flush’ to both cheeks and lips, and come in a creamy wind-up stick formula. The shade I was given is Peach Pop, but I would say it’s actually more of a strong coral colour in the stick. It’s a bit intimidating on first swatch (this is me, after all) but it blends out really easily and leaves more of a soft, peachy wash of colour. On the lips, this goes on as a kind of stain and so feels very light and wearable. It could probably be built up if you were to use a lip brush, but I like the subtle look you can get from just dabbing it on with your finger. I probably wouldn’t use this regularly on my lips because I’m more of a gloss girl (please excuse me, I still live in the past) but as a blusher this could easily sneak into my everyday routine.

Mary Kay At Play Shadow & Liner* (£9)

I went through a phase when I was younger of experimenting with coloured eyeliners and mascaras, and I am talking light green glittery eyeliner and pink – yes PINK – mascara. I don’t even know why I did that; I didn’t grow up in the 80s, and I don’t even think it was remotely cool at the time. Anyway, I thought my days of coloured eyes were definitely behind me, but now Benefit have bought out the coloured They’re Real range and it seems that brights on the eyes are something I need to get used to again. This dual-end product from Mary Kay is perfect for creating a cohesive, colourful eye makeup look as the two shades complement each other without being exactly the same. The liner is a deep violet, while the shadow is a metallic lilac/silver. Again, the powder is very blendable and so you can apply this is as strongly or as subtly as you like.

Mary Kay At Play Triple Layer Tinted Balm* (£6)

Tinted balms can be a little hit and miss for me, as sometimes the formula is so sheer that you actually can’t tell any difference between various shades. The Mary Kay Tinted Balm, however, delivers quite a strong wash of colour. I was given the shade In the Plum, which I would say is actually perfect for an autumn/winter look (when I tend to need more help from balms anyway) so I’ll be putting mine away until I fancy vamping it up.

Overall I’m really pleasantly surprised by the wearability of the Mary Kay At Play products despite their strong colour and pigmentaton. The formulas all seem easy to work with and can be blended out, so if you’re a bit of a colour novice like me then you can really make the look as subtle as you like. If you fancy trying them yourself, then you can buy Mary Kay in the UK from the official website.

Have any of you tried Mary Kay makeup? What do you think of bold colours?

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