Pat McGrath Labs Metalmorphosis 005 Kit Review, Swatches, and How to Use it!

I missed out on the last Pat McGrath Labs kit that came out, and I was okay with that. I’d talked myself into believing that I didn’t necessarily need a highlighter that magically turned you into the everything that dreams or made of. Of course, I regretted that decision immediately, and now I’m stuck with hoping that there will one day be a restock. So when I stumbled upon a video of the MetalMorphosis 005 Kit and witnessed everything that it could do I knew that couldn’t allow history to repeat itself. It had to be mine!

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Lucky for me I was able to pick up one of the “005 EVERYTHING” kits available on Pat McGrath’s website. I grabbed the EVERYTHING kit because I couldn’t decide which color I absolutely had to have and again I didn’t want be kicking myself for missing out. The Metalmorphosis 005 EVERYTHING KIT comes with all four shades of the pigments, brand new creams, Mehron mixing medium, and the dual-ended marker. The two things missing that you’ll probably need are a spatula of some sort to scoop out the pigment and a dropper. I was bummed to see that at least the spatula wasn’t included in this kit as it was previously included in the 001 Gold Kit, but fortunately for me, I had one on hand.

I decided to swatch both the pigment and the cream without a primer because I wanted to see how beautiful they were on their own without giving them a boost. The pigments are buttery soft and your finger just glides across the top. Since they’re in a solid shape there isn’t any fallout making them easier to use. You also don’t have to dig to get the amazing color payoff shown below. As you can see, the pigments are opaque and brilliant. When mixed with the mixing medium, that I talk a bit more about below you really see the pigments come to life in a jaw-dropping burst of color. 

What makes this kit different from previous kits is that now there is a cream accompaniment to the pigment. Pat McGrath describes the cream as having “mental, insane pigment.” To the touch, they are amazingly soft, and like the pigments, your finger glides across it like nobodies business. I was a bit disappointed they weren’t as opaque as the pigments, but appeared more sheer and muted. Again this is without primer.

 In each, the Gold, Bronze, and Copper are a bit on the warm side while the Silver is more icy blue.  I wear tested the pigments mixed with the mixing medium on my arm all day and they didn’t budge. I also added some gold pigment to my the line of my cat eye and it was still visible albeit not as vibrant when I went to take off my makeup later on that night.

Pigment

Cream

Mixed Pigment

As I mentioned earlier, this kit does not come with a metal spatula. It also doesn’t come with instructions on how to recreate those mystical videos as seen on the website and Pat McGrath’s Facebook page. I first assumed that you just put a little of the Mehron Mixing Medium on the brush, swiped it across the pigment and it would automatically create magic. If you watched my snaps (@being_Melody), you saw that definitely didn’t happen. I sat there confused for a second, but after testing a couple of hypotheses (my inner scientist came out), I realized that I needed to scoop out and crumble up the pigment to mix it properly with the mixing medium. The great thing about mixing the pigments with the mixing medium is that it makes them water resistant!

This is where I foresee a potential problem, not in the actual product itself but in the fact that by this being sold on Sephora several makeup enthusiasts are going to grab this and get frustrated by how it doesn’t automatically give you the same desired look as seen in the video.  The book that comes along with it only instructs you to “USE WITHOUT CAUTION.” I would hate for this product to get a bad review on Sephora just because people didn’t know how to use it. 

HOW TO USE THE PIGMENTS

So here’s how one would use the pigment and the medium together to create the beautiful magic as seen on the Pat McGrath Facebook page and unfortunately you’re going to have to deface your beautiful pigments. I know, I know, just trust me on this.

1. Scoop out a small amount of pigment as shown below.

2. Add a drop of Mehron Mixing Medium. It’s best to use a dropper for this as trying to pour it will result in you using more than you need.

3. Mix the mixing medium with pigment to create magic. The more mixing medium you add, the sheerer the final product will be. If you find you have too much medium, you can add more pigment. 

Overall Thoughts:

This is an amazing set, but it comes with a learning curve so beware and don’t get discouraged if you can’t get it at first. Remember, you don’t have to be a world-class makeup artist in order to use these. Let your imagination take off and surprise yourself. Start off small by using them as eyeshadow then work your way up to gilding the lips. I do wish the EVERYTHING kit came with a dropper and a metal spatula for easier use.

Do you NEED this kit? The answer is no. While they are amazing if you’re not a die-hard makeup artist into doing some amazing artistry I would settle for just purchasing the Mehron Mixing liquid, which can be found here on Amazon for only $10.95 and mix it with pigments you already own.

Seriously, though, these sets are not cheap and it would be a shame to spend that much money on a product you’d barely use. The Metalmorphosis 005 Everything Kit is $165 for all four shades while purchasing individual colors will set you back at just $60. In my opinion, if you’re planning on getting two colors you may as well splurge for the entire set. 

The Pat McGrath Labs MetalMorphosis 005 Kits will be available at Sephora and select Sephora stores starting November 22nd.