Review: MAC Cosmetics Magic of the Night Extra Dimension Skin Finish ‘Oh Darling’ & ‘Shaft of Gold’

Having missed out on the original release of MAC’s ‘Whisper of Gilt’ or any of the other extra dimension skinfinishes, I had no clue what to expect when I opened up my order of ‘Shaft of Gold’ and ‘Oh, Darling’.But when I tell you these are the brightest highlighters I have ever seen in person, I ain’t lyin’!

The best way I can describe my initial reaction to ‘Oh, Darling’ is sharing my first thought with you. “I’m going to look like I put gold foil on cheekbones,” I thought. These are both incredibly bright in the pan and heavy finger swatches make the product look like you just attached some foil to your fingertips. But my curiosity outweighed my nerves and I decided to test ‘Shaft of Gold’ on my face (brow highlight, tip of my nose, cheekbones) to see if the intensity could be blended for everyday wear.

It sure was bright, but definitely wearable in natural, indoor light. I imagine it would be much brighter in the direct sunlight, but with winter approaching, that means less direct sun and you need a highlight that can hold its own!I haven’t worn ‘Oh, Darling’ on my face yet, but I imagine it will blend into my skin in a similar fashion. Once I do a look with it, I’ll blog about it so be sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss it.

While these both are gorgeous, my favorite of the two is ‘Shaft of Gold’ because I feel like it was made for women of color. Its got a deeper, bronze undertone that will complement women with warm, neutral, or cool undertones by warming up the skin and giving a beautiful sun-kissed glow. If you can’t find ‘Shaft of Gold’, a GREAT alternative is Black Radiance Artisan Baked Bronzer in ‘Gingersnap’.  ‘Gingersnap’ is $6 and readily available at drugstores around the US.

If you were unable to get your hands on ‘Oh, Darling’, the shade is consistent with MAC ‘Whisper of Gilt’ and Estee Lauder ‘Heatwave’, both of which are now discontinued. But if you have either one in your stash, stick with those! One similar product I have is Wet ‘N Wild ‘Hollywood Boulevard’, which, again, is $6 and can be found at the drugstore. It isn’t as metallic as ‘Oh, Darling’, but you can still get your glow on! Also, I’ve seen comparisons to Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in ‘So Hollywood’ which is nearly as metallic as ‘Oh, Darling’ so you might want to check that out as well.

If you have any questions, or side-by-side comparison requests (that aren’t shown below), hit me in the comments!