Hey ladies!
As promised, another MAC review within the day (technically it isn’t anymore as it’s past midnight here. But meh).
Love the metallic brown theme
Before I begin, let’s have a show of hands: who has heard of Bao Bao Wan (or 万宝宝, literally means ten thousands of treasure in English. Destined to be filthy rich, I see 😮 ) prior to this launch? Unless you have a keen interest in fine jewelry or the mega-rich in China, you most probably wouldn’t have known of her existence.
But clearly when it comes to MAC collaborations, the limelight is not shone on the celebrity’s status but on the products that are released with the global cosmetics giant instead. People are more interested in what the collaboration has to offer. And through her Limited Edition MAC line, not only do we know that Bao Bao Wan is a “high-society darling, artist, pop philosopher, muse and jewellery designer” and also “one of China’s most renowned style stars”, we also noticed that Wan really looks like Dr Georgia Lee loves bright, close-to-neon colours. Just look at those lipsticks. Those shades are seriously to die for. *drools*
How gorgeous!
Even the names of the lipsticks sound more artsy fartsy than usual
This collection is awesome because out of the 4 lipsticks released, 3 are MATTE. Yipee!
Official swatch
My swatch
Products from this collection are “outfitted in velvety brown packaging featuring burnished metal, embellished with her signature”. She must be really something to be able to do that. Even Lorde, who had a makeup line with MAC last year, didn’t have such privilege!
Sleek packaging that exudes radiance charm and elegance
Fortunately, this collection isn’t as massive as Cinderella as it only has a Jewels Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow, the 4 lipsticks featured here, 1 iridescent pressed powder and 3 studio nail lacquers (in Kashmir Blue, Imperial Green and Sunset Tourmaline). If I remember correctly, both Bao Bao Wan and Cinderella were originally slated to be released on the same day (crazy, I know) but somehow plans got changed and this launch was postponed to early March. On behalf of thousands of poor makeup fanatics, thank you for being kind to our wallets, MAC. *teary eyed*
The lipsticks, being so vibrant and out of the ordinary, didn’t seem to be wearable and flattering on me at first glance until I wore them! Two shades particularly surprised me because I never knew I would look good in bright colours.
Burmese Kiss is a bright coral pink with Matte finish (US$17.50)
I love everything about Burmese Kiss – the texture and pigmentation especially. It glides on my lips really well and gives me the impression that it can stay on my lips for hours! Yay, finally a vibrant lipstick that I can wear without feeling out of place and having to touch up every now and then. But wait, haven’t I seen this shade before somewhere?
Burmese Kiss is a 99% dupe for Toxic Tale
Why do this to me? 😦 Oh well, I just gotta convince myself that Toxic Tale (from Maleficent and Red, Red, Red collections) is slightly, perhaps by a mere 1%, darker than Burmese Kiss.
Forbidden Sunrise is a creamy orange with Matte finish (US$17.50)
My second favourite shade from this collection, this a really pretty orange with yellow and red undertones that really lights up my face. It’s something I would be apprehensive about at first, but hooked onto it after that. I see myself wearing it very often to work 😀 Like Burmese Kiss, the texture and pigmentation are spot on. I had no problems filling in my lips entirely with this. No unsightly lines spotted either!
Forbidden Sunrise is a pretty unusual colour. Hence, it’s a worthy buy! 🙂
Moving on to Lavender Jade, the most sought-after shade from this collection which sold out first on site. Now, this is tricky because my camera couldn’t seem to capture its true colour. A quick search on Google also revealed that I’m not the only one facing this problem, so allow me to put my Photoshop skills into action.
Lavender Jade is a dirty mauve with gold pearl with Matte finish (US$17.50). The colour of the bullet (just for this picture) has been adjusted to approximate its true colour.
The colour in real life is definitely darker than this.
Bao Bao Wan wears this shade on the publicity poster for this collection and I felt that it looked really pretty on her. Of course, expectation does not always translate into reality. The cool-toned purple kinda washes me out and needless to say, I think I look terrible in this shade. However, this shade isn’t all bad because it also has great consistency like the two shades above. Its opacity offers great coverage as well.
The purple family
Romantic Breakdown is a sheer nude with Lustre finish (US$17.50)
Pardon the poor quality
Seriously, what’s with MAC and their obsession with sheer nude lipsticks that do absolutely nothing to the lips? And is it necessary for every collection to have at least one such useless shade? *grumbles on* Don’t be fooled by the sweet nude colour of the bullet. Romantic Breakdown, just like the two disappointing lipstick shades from the Cinderella collection, proves to be another money waster. The colour doesn’t show at all on my lips because of the lack of opacity. I understand that MAC lipsticks with Lustre finish are designed to be sheer, but this is ridiculously sheer to the extent that I can barely see anything. What’s the point of putting on lipstick then? 👿
Grrr.. I’m so tired of lamenting. I should just boycott all nude shades in Lustre finish altogether.
Comparison with other nude shades that are actually visible
Alright, that’s all for this review! What have you got?
Hope you guys enjoyed this review! I have one more coming up, but first let me get some rest. It’s almost 5am here and I have to be up later for work. The sacrifices I make for my blog 😐
Thanks for reading!
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