MAC Winter Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit Review, Photos, Swatches
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Ice Parade: Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit ($59.50) includes a palette with four eyeshadows and blush, along with a metallic, silver bag that also holds a lipstick, lipglass, and three miniature-sized brushes. MAC describes the shades, officially, as: Phloof! (frosted off white), Brun (muted blackish-brown), Quarry (soft muted plum-brown), Dance in the Dark (black-brown), Mocha (soft plum pink), Hot Gossip (mid-tone pinky plum), and Emancipation (light pink). The brushes included are the 129SE, 266SE, and 275SE. The eyeshadows weigh 0.22 oz. while the blush weighs 0.18 oz. (basically, everything is full-sized).
- Phloof! is a pinked beige with a frosted finish; it has good color payoff and a smooth, soft texture. It has a frost finish and is part of the permanent range.
- Brun is a dark, cool-toned brown with a hint of gray and a subtle sheen in its finish. The pigmentation is nice and the texture is soft overall. It has a satin finish and is part of the permanent range.
- Quarry is a rosy mauve with a matte finish. It’s a bit dry and almost powdery with so-so color payoff. It has a matte finish and is part of the permanent range.
- Dance in the Dark is a purple-tinted brown-black with a satin finish. The color payoff is below average, and the texture is stiff and dry, which contributes to the uneven color application. Wet ‘n’ Wild We’re Blasting Off is very similar but more pigmented.
- Mocha is a brightened pink plum with a matte finish. It has a matte finish and is part of the permanent range. The color payoff is really nice, and I swear, this seems more vibrant than the permanent version (but I don’t currently own the permanent version to compare).
- Hot Gossip is a plum-tinted pink with a frosted finish and mostly opaque color coverage. It has a cremesheen finish and is part of the permanent range.
- Emancipation is a pink-beige with soft white shimmer that yields semi-opaque color coverage. It’s a milkier-looking gloss, so it does have a tendency to settle into lip lines. It is a repromote. It’s similar to Feelign Dreamy, Runway Fave, and Bare Nesceessities.
Of all of the holiday offerings, the Fabulously Festive Face Kits are the best bang-for-your-buck item and tend to be higher quality overall (maybe that has something to do with the inclusion of mostly permanent products?). Between the eyeshadows, blush, and lip products, you more than get what you spend back, so the subpar brushes are a bonus.
I did not and refuse to purchase any brush kits (for confirmation as to why, see Dusty’s review), but the brushes included in the Face Kits are disappointing. I found both the blush and eye brushes to be scratchy and lacked the density and precise shape of their full-sized counterparts. I had a ton of shedding and dye bleeding with the 129SE (and the full-sized 129 is one of the scratchier MAC brushes, so imagine this one!).
The Glossover
The Fabulously Festive Face Kits are the star products from the holiday collection, because the quality is there overall and as a bonus, they're a good value!
See more photos & swatches!
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Cool Fabulously Festive Face Kit
MAC Phloof! Eyeshadow
MAC Brun Eyeshadow
MAC Quarry Eyeshadow
MAC Dance in the Dark Eyeshadow
MAC Mocha Blush
MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick
MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick
MAC Hot Gossip Lipstick
MAC Emancipation Lipglass
MAC Emancipation Lipglass
MAC Emancipation Lipglass
Product & Review FAQ
Where can I purchase it? How much is it?
MAC Cosmetics, October 27th, $59.50.
Is it limited edition?
Yes.
Any dupes?
See individual shade dupes for limited edition shades.
hot gossip really does look gorgeous on you! i was *so* happy to snag this set when i did...brushes aside, the color selections were pretty easy to work with and the cost breakdown was pretty awesome, too.
I love the look of Hot Gossip lipstick!
im NC25 now this or the other kit?
Whichever one you like best!
Is there any reason why Emancipation is a COMPLETELY different color from its Wonder Woman release? Not a color I'm interested in anyway, but I find it so strange and irritating and a color is passed off as something it's not. MAC shouldn't use the same name for two entirely different products. Has anyone else noticed?
I NOTICED AS WELL!! I could not agree with you more!
I own the permanent Mocha blush and mine is not that vibrant at all. I also own Fleur Power (another pink matte) and this new Mocha is swatching quite similar to that instead! haha Bad quality control at MAC?
hi christine, can you do a picture of the lipgloss layered on top of the lipstick for us? since the gloss is so light, i'd prob only use it layered on the lipstick.
No, sorry - I'm done testing and reviewing MAC's holiday collection. These are all the swatches I planned to post. I think all in all, I did over a dozen swatches for just these kits/sets - if I started doing combinations, my lips would fall off! :) I just can't do it all - so sorry!
No biggie! I completely understand. I'm already very grateful that you do so many swatches. Just thought I'd ask, since it never hurts to. :)
Thanks for understanding! :)
wait i didnt see this at my mac counter today where do i get this mac exclusive?
MAC stores :)
hmm, I wont be buying these kits either just because the permanent shades dont match the ones sold individually. I don't own quarry or brun, and this would be a good deal if the quality was the same but it seems to me that the single shadows are different and better. I don't trust mac anymore...
O wow the color of that lipstick is pretty, I want it!
The blush and lipstick are really pretty. Thankfully they are part of the permanent collection. Is it wrong that I love the cool festive kit more when I'm warm-toned? :-p
Ewe, those brush handles look cheapy
The handles are awesome! :P It's the top of them I don't like much haha
I really like how this isn't *so* cool that warm skin tones will still be able to rock it!
Hi Christine, I read about another face kit: Exclusive festive frost face kit. Have your heard about this one? I'm so looking forward to seeing swatches because this kit looks so appealing to me :) Thanks so much! Best, Kris
I love it!
Actually I like this. I really do but not that much to buy it.
I will definitely get Hot Gossip, but seeing that it's permanent, thankfully I don't need to get the whole kit because the rest is a bit meh.
I wish Hot Gossip looked that color on me. Even in my tube, it looks like a brownish pink, I hate it.
Brown pink? That is so weird!
I actually have a lot of items that look very pretty in online swatches but looked a horrid brown on me and in the container, Hot Gossip, Aristo Cat, Courting Lilac and Lightly Ripe lipsticks, On A Mission Blush, etc...at first I thought maybe my skintone was doing something to them until I looked at the actual product in good lighting and it still looked brown. So Idk what causes it...maybe I get bad batches.
that's so lovely!
Mocha Blush kinf of reminds me of my Pinkr blush from La Femme when worn. It's so gorgeous I'm glad Mocha is from MAC's permament line.
Does the top of the pallette have the snowglobe like the eyeshadow palettes? Sorry if you said that in the description, I only read skimmed it to find out if they were all permenant. I can't believe you get all this stuff with this kit! I love it(:
Yes!
Definitely a must have for me then(: I was so disappointed that the pallettes with the six eyeshadows in them were pretty crappy because I wanted the snowglobe lol :P even though nobody else really loved the snowglobe top.. but these face kits are really pretty nice! I am also kind of thinking about getting the sultry lip bag.. It kind of looked brown on me haha but I like it with my hair (which is rare because I accidentally died it red haha but now it's washing out a bit so it's this weird reddy brown)
How can Hot Gossip be a frost? I have it and it's a cremesheen. Is there now 2 l/s with the same name?! (Does not look the same.)
That's what the press release said!
I'm wearing Mocha blush today from the permanent range and it looks nothing like your swatch! While your swatch is quite red and vibrant, mine seems a deeper shade and more muted. Thanks for your reviews. I'm not in love with what I've seen of the holiday collection and am quite disappointed! Sad. I usually look forward to this release every year!
Ive just dug out my pan of Mocha blush and mine looks nothing like that swatch! Mine is much more muted and more brownish/plum tones rather than the bright pink in Christine's swatch. Wonder why it's so different. I much prefer the colour of my old pan x
I checked it out at the store today. It is much less red than the swatch. Which is good haha I'm way too light to wear that dark of a color! Mocha will look amazing with those eyeshadows(:
Agreed, I prefer the colour in the pan that I have. It's my fav blush so don't like that it's being misrepresented!
the lipstick is niiice!
This looks really good!!! I might just pick it up!!! I just wish the brushes were of better quality.
The brushes really caught my eye! I want to one them but they look kind of cheap :(
the brushes look CHINA made...than wat isnt china made? hahaha
Hot Gossip looks so much better on you than it does on me. I returned it and got Craving which I like so much more. I've been to 2 Mac counters in my area and it seems like they are short on lipstick. They were out of Sweetie and Syrup which were the 2 colours that I wanted to check out. Thanks for the review. This reminds me of one of Clinique's offerings.
humm i love the palette, its really yummy, but to me those sparkly brushes look cheap to me..
Haha yeah they do look pretty bad but even without them you get like double what you pay for (:
I was considering getting this kit because quarry and brun are two of my go-to colors for and everyday eye, and so I thought this would be a good set to be able to throw in my suitcase for travel. However, it looks like the quality is off - my quarry is not at all powdery and is crazy-pigmented. And it is disappointing to see that the one LE e/s is a dud! And seriously? What the what is up with the brushes? That 129 literally looks like something from the dollar store in your photos!
Ew I agree with you about the 129 haha
After the disappointing reviews of the Ice Parade eyeshadow palettes yesterday I am to happy to see this one paying off(even if most of the colours are permenant), fingers crossed the Warm Fabulously Festive kit will be as good! Adding this one to my swatch list :). Thanks.
OMG this is gorgeous!! I like everything except the lipglass lol I wonder how much this will cost in Italy... mmm probably around 60 euros? I think I've found my perfect Christmas gift :)
I'm disappointed to see that there are so many permanent shades in all of these palettes. I was hoping the Sultry eye would be good but I basically have all of those shades and the one I don't have seems not to be worth it. I don't see much imagination in this collection.
Hmm! I'm confused. The Hot Gossip in the permanent line is a Cremesheen finish. I wonder what happened.
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