Out of many American spring 2010 launches, MAC x Lilly Pulitzer was one of the remotely interesting one to me as the collection has two shades of interesting lip gloss: fuchsia and violet. Since I am anal, I decided to go check out the collection in person despite the freezing (not counting windchill) weather. A girl at YouTube mentioned one of her pet peeves that if she didn't check out the collection the first day it launches, she wouldn't check out the collection at all...I think I have the same issue.
The MAC in lillyland gives a pop of color that stands out from the rest. For face products, there is one eyeshadow trio, one bronzer and four cream blushes. Joie de Vivre (Good to be alive?) caught my attention right away with the catchy name (Don't use this translation on your test...) and the orange color, which has some pink tinge to keep it from being boring. Florida is also pretty with the deep rosy color, it's richer and less blue than Stila Convertible color in fuchsia. The color are all perfect for spring but I personally don't see the point buying those when I have Stila convertible colors (at least they are lip safe and have pretty mirrored compact!).
For the eyes there are two eyeliners and three paint pot cream shadow, I wonder what is the bloody point adding permanent items in a limited edition display...Anyway, let's get down to business, what I am there for: The Lip Gelee.
When I first saw the collection sneak peak, I thought this MAC lillyland lip gelee have similar texture like the ones from permanent line...Anyway, they all turned out to be super shimmery and shiny, the shimmers look so chunky that it would be mistaken for a glitter gloss. Frosty, shiny gloss tend to give me the amplified twin sausage effect so I decided that the MAC gloss is a safe skip after the first glance.
Even if the finish isn't frosty, the violet shade Shift to Pink is not as purple as I want it to be (So it's borderline Grandma Mauve) and the fuchsia one Preppy is not bright enough for my liking, since the color is more on the soft side, I might as well just go for the Amuse lip gloss (which has very similar texture and finish) and it costs $1 at the most. (Cherry Culture always give it out for free.)
The other two colors are not bad actually but I am just not very into shimmering tangerine or beige gloss for some random reasons.Anyway, the beige one actually has a pretty pretty pink sheen that makes it quite unique however it doesn't change the fact that it's a boring color.
Beside the gloss, I also managed to swatch some of those nail lacquers from the line. I don't want to do a full manicure at the counter (but the girl was so nice!) so they are one coat each. Coconut Ice is a cream peach, pretty much what I expect my ULTA runway to be (If it didn't turn out yellow). Steamy is a rosy blue pink that's bright yet wearable, it looks a lot like the nail color from last year Hello Kitty Collection. Dim the light is from the Warm and Cozy Collection, it's a pretty chocolate that I would not be willing to spend 12 bucks for.
Overall, there is nothing too interesting in this collection (you get kind of jaded when your collection is flooding your room) so I will save my money for the Lancome L'absolu rouge and maybe more Anna Sui.
P.S. This is actually my 500th post. And my 2nd year anniversary and Chopin's bicentennial is coming up next month! (There is no giveaway, just so you know...)
The MAC in lillyland gives a pop of color that stands out from the rest. For face products, there is one eyeshadow trio, one bronzer and four cream blushes. Joie de Vivre (Good to be alive?) caught my attention right away with the catchy name (Don't use this translation on your test...) and the orange color, which has some pink tinge to keep it from being boring. Florida is also pretty with the deep rosy color, it's richer and less blue than Stila Convertible color in fuchsia. The color are all perfect for spring but I personally don't see the point buying those when I have Stila convertible colors (at least they are lip safe and have pretty mirrored compact!).For the eyes there are two eyeliners and three paint pot cream shadow, I wonder what is the bloody point adding permanent items in a limited edition display...Anyway, let's get down to business, what I am there for: The Lip Gelee.
When I first saw the collection sneak peak, I thought this MAC lillyland lip gelee have similar texture like the ones from permanent line...Anyway, they all turned out to be super shimmery and shiny, the shimmers look so chunky that it would be mistaken for a glitter gloss. Frosty, shiny gloss tend to give me the amplified twin sausage effect so I decided that the MAC gloss is a safe skip after the first glance.Even if the finish isn't frosty, the violet shade Shift to Pink is not as purple as I want it to be (So it's borderline Grandma Mauve) and the fuchsia one Preppy is not bright enough for my liking, since the color is more on the soft side, I might as well just go for the Amuse lip gloss (which has very similar texture and finish) and it costs $1 at the most. (Cherry Culture always give it out for free.)
The other two colors are not bad actually but I am just not very into shimmering tangerine or beige gloss for some random reasons.Anyway, the beige one actually has a pretty pretty pink sheen that makes it quite unique however it doesn't change the fact that it's a boring color.
Beside the gloss, I also managed to swatch some of those nail lacquers from the line. I don't want to do a full manicure at the counter (but the girl was so nice!) so they are one coat each. Coconut Ice is a cream peach, pretty much what I expect my ULTA runway to be (If it didn't turn out yellow). Steamy is a rosy blue pink that's bright yet wearable, it looks a lot like the nail color from last year Hello Kitty Collection. Dim the light is from the Warm and Cozy Collection, it's a pretty chocolate that I would not be willing to spend 12 bucks for.Overall, there is nothing too interesting in this collection (you get kind of jaded when your collection is flooding your room) so I will save my money for the Lancome L'absolu rouge and maybe more Anna Sui.
P.S. This is actually my 500th post. And my 2nd year anniversary and Chopin's bicentennial is coming up next month! (There is no giveaway, just so you know...)
You might think me very stupid for asking you this, but what is a horn comb? Let me draw you a picture as to how dry our prairie province gets in minus 28 degree weather (and this is not even the coldest we'll get for the season!) ...I use to pocket Bounce sheets so that when I have a static attack while changing at the mall, I can calm it down with a swipe of Bounce. But anyway, I didn't expect the Anna Sui brush to do anything more than look perfectly lovely against the backdrop of my messy room (which it does, with a vengeance). By the way, you seemed more knowledgeable than me about Anna Sui so I went through your old Anna Sui posts and I can't help but read some cynicism towards your attitude toward the brand despite loving the marketing and despite the accessories. I'm entering an Anna Sui phase right now and am contemplating buying the entire lineup (or at least what's available in my region) but feel the same way--that the cosmetics are just mediocre at best. I am lemming the folding table mirror pretty hard though. Would you recommend this?? Or is it a little stupid that when in use, the prettiest side is eating dirt?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the long comment, but a lot of money is on the edge for this brand at the moment and there are few reviews on the web on Anna Sui XD
Tammy:
ReplyDeleteYou don't really need to explain,I am from Canada (I am fairly far down south in US right now but it is 9 degree below zero at the moment...). To answer your first question: Horn comb is just comb made of ox horn (it's pretty common in China, Vietnam for what I know)I have posted about them if you want to have a look.
As of Anna Sui, it's not that the products are horrible. (I was sort of used to American kind of color pay off and went a bit unhappy about the sheerness of their eyeshadow.) The blusher has really nice texture but I bought a very awkward color that just refuses to cooperate with my skin tone. There are a few gimmick products but overall I like their mirror, blush, rouge G and lengthening mascara a lot.
As of Anna Sui mirror. Beside the hand mirror, the small rose compact, butterfly and bigger rose mirror all stands so I don't know what you are talking about. If you are talking about the black butterfly one, it is indeed the most popular out of all Anna Sui tools in cosme.net (kind of like Makeup Alley in Japanese)and it's one of the most well-rated tools out of all as well...So I guess you are not wasting your money buying one of those. There are gold (LE), White with lilac sheen, purple (duty free exclusive) but I think the black one are the prettiest of all not to mention they are also very durable. I do like the black butterfly one (I only have the white one as the moment) but I personally like the double sided rose compact mirror better as it more practical (one side has magnification) the symmetry is prettier and round mirror is less prone to breaking geometrically speaking. I still have a few Anna Sui products to review but overall, I personally like the accessories a lot better than the products that I put on my face.
This was the first MAC collection in ages that actually excited me, but after seeing the swatches online, I'm a bit disappointed. Nothing really stands out to me. The only thing I like are the blushes, but I already have too many so I'm not sure I'm gonna get them when the collection will be released here.
ReplyDeleteWhat brushes are those in the display?
ReplyDeleteGrats on post #500! Woot!
ReplyDeleteI sort of like the look of the lip gelees, but I think they would bad on lips. I'm sort of interested in the bronzer, but I think it's the flower pattern more than the actual product :/
Gio:The blushes are actually pretty cute so they are worth getting as long as the price is not too inflated.
ReplyDeleteGS:They are 168 (slanted one) and 239 (eyeshadow) and both from the permanent line...
Pixie: The flower pattern is actually prettier than the blush itself, but the pan is pretty big so it might look cool or whatever...
I really like the look of Coconut Ice and Steamy. Congrats on your 500th post and anniversary!
ReplyDeleteLady Rara:
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure you can get some dupe from OPI for those colors, they are not really that special. Anyway, MAC seems to have a grayish blue LE polish out in March, the bottle and the color are both quite pretty.