Hello everyone!

Back in the olden days when children still played with dolls instead of getting hooked on mobile games, toys such as Polly Pockets, Furbies and Barbie dolls – basically those that would be sneered upon by kids today – thrived. Anyone who owned these heavily-advertised toys were the envy of everyone else. But I had never understood the immense popularity of Troll dolls among my peers. I don’t know about you but their wrinkled face, bulbous nose and bulging glass eyes were hardly ever adorable to me. In fact, they terrified me so much because they look like a meeker version of the evil Gremlins (the Trolls actually look a lot better in cartoons). Walking down the aisle filled with Troll dolls at Toys “R” Us would feel like being stared down by a hundred of miniature Chucky dolls and it never failed to give me the creeps!

As the years went by, children born in my generation grew out of toys and for a long while, the Troll dolls became passé and overshadowed by trendier ones, so much so that I hadn’t seen them for more than a decade. I was glad to have buried the thoughts of these creepy dolls in the farthest part of my mind. I reckoned it was finally the end of the Trolls, but how silly of me to even fathom that thought..

Apparently, some meanies decided it was a fantastic idea to bring one of my biggest nightmares back in the form of my favourite makeup brand (evil, evil, evil..). In conjunction with the release of the Trolls movie by DreamWorks Animation, M.A.C introduced a lineup of makeup products in August inspired by the vibrant and wild rainbow hair of the dolls. It was the least unlikely collaboration (I mean, seriously, makeup inspired by dolls – and creepy ones, to say the least – like, what the heck who would think of that?!) but arguably very expected of M.A.C who is known for their unusual partnerships (remember The Simpsons and the controversial Miley Cyrus?).

The colours of the boxes make them visually appealing and the lipstick tube itself is in bubblegum orange with the Troll artwork occupying a considerable amount of space on it. Despite not being a fan of Trolls at all, I would totally buy something from this collection just to admire the packaging. The packaging design ticks all the right boxes for me but I can’t say the same for the actual product, though..

#1 Dance Off, Pants Off

Dance Off, Pants Off is described as a frosted hot pink with a Frost finish. Given my not-so-positive past experience with Frost lipsticks, I had half-expected this to be another excessively shimmery party shade that I would just chuck aside after this review but, lo and behold, it turned out to have pretty decent wearability! I had to do a double take at type of finish on the bottom label to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. The microshimmers in this shade are too subtle to give as much of the icy foiled effect as other Frost lipsticks I have. Rather, I feel that this lipstick leans more towards the Satin end of the M.A.C lipstick finish spectrum and applies very smoothly and evenly. It lends a moisturising opaque layer of colour and leaves behind a lighter flush of fuchsia when it fades. There’s really nothing much to dislike about this shade!

#2 Midnight Troll

Midnight Troll is described as a rich blue with Matte finish. As with most M.A.C matte lipsticks, this shade has a rather drying formula (but doesn’t give a flat, dry finish) so it tends to tug slightly at the lips upon application and leave an inconsistent texture with tiny gaps here and there. The colour is intensely pigmented and does not budge but my lips felt increasingly parched over time (lip lines start to become more obvious for me) with this shade on. It also does not feel tacky so in a way it is also less prone to transfer as compared to other lipsticks here.

#3 Sushi Kiss

Sushi Kiss is an existing shade in the permanent line but this time, in a more fun and attractive packaging that costs only a dollar more. Described as a mid-tone coral cream with Satin finish, the colour reminds me of salmon flesh (or rather, salmon nigiri since clearly, the name of the lipstick is Japanese-inspired XD ) but instead of getting an application as smooth and clean-cut as when I slide my knife into my cooked salmon, it pulls the lips a little and leaves a streaky texture like the marbling of fat in raw salmon. Moreover, it accents flaws and dryness of non-exfoliated lips. That’s not what I would expect from Satin lipsticks..

The product settles into the lip lines as well and it requires extra effort to remove. How annoying! Also, I don’t know if I am imagining things but this shade makes my lower lip appear a lot plumper than it should too. I was so self-conscious about my smile (see how awkward my expression is in the pictures above) the whole time because the lipstick felt like bricks weighing down my lips.

#4 Can’t Be Tamed

Can’t Be Tamed is described as a sheer lime yellow with Cremesheen finish and hold up… is this lipstick meant to be used alongside other shades? Because it is HORRENDOUS on its own. Just who in the right mind would have okayed such poor quality product? This lipstick is a complete mess and I don’t even know where to begin.

As a lipstick, it has failed its basic purpose of adding balance to the overall look – the colour payoff is incredibly patchy and the terribly uneven consistency does absolutely nothing to enhance one’s appearance. Any drugstore lipstick would be able to a better job than this. The only good I can see out of this is, perhaps, its hydrating factor. Other than that, it is tacky and its staying power is not even strong enough to qualify it as a tint. Why Cremesheen of all finishes? It could have performed better as a Matte. How long will it take for M.A.C to realise that we don’t need anymore of sheer and poorly-pigmented light-coloured lipsticks?! 😡

Needless to say, this is my worst purchase from this collection and I feel foolish for paying full price for this trash. #shouldhavewaited #onlyUSD7freakin20now #argh

While it is interesting that M.A.C kept to the theme of the collection by matching the shades to the crazy hues of the funky-haired dolls, customers ultimately look for practicality over novelty especially for perishable products like cosmetics. In terms of product quality, sadly probably only half of lipsticks in this collection make the cut. Most would agree too judging from the relatively muted interest in this collection and how heavily discounted the unsold lipsticks are now online (I’ve honestly never seen M.A.C lipsticks selling for that cheap on their official website before). Geez, so much for tying up with the Good Luck Trolls.. guess they weren’t lucky enough to bring in the bucks for M.A.C, eh?

What are your views on this collection? Chime in below!

Thanks for reading!

M.A.C X Good Luck Trolls is still available online in limited choices with a reduced pricing of US$7.20 per lipstick. The whole collection is still available at some parts of the world, including australia.