Temptalia

Video Review: MAC Tartan Tale – Pigments & Nail Lacquer Sets

Christine — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 19:16:01 +0000

Video review of MAC’s Tartan Tale Pigments + Nail Lacquer Sets!

Video Review: MAC Tartan Tale – Pigments & Nail Lacquer Sets

We split up the review for Chapter 2 into two to make each one more manageable — yay or nay? We’re currently considering keeping to this format for future reviews that start going past 10 minutes and filming based on product type (e.g. part one is just lip products).

Video Review: MAC Tartan Tale – Lipglass Sets

Christine — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 11:00:34 +0000

Video review of MAC’s Tartan Tale Lipglass Sets!

Video Review: MAC Tartan Tale – Lipglass Sets

For those who prefer their reviews in audio form

MAC Tartan Tale: Chapter 2 Overall Review & Roundup

Christine — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:00:06 +0000

MAC Tartan Tale: Chapter 2 Overall Review & Roundup

Of all of MAC’s holiday offerings, I do like their miniaturized sets the best, because I find them to be on par with full-size products.

The pigment sets are definitely the most value-oriented set, and I think the holiday sets are an opportunity to try out a variety of pigment shades without laying down $19.50 for a full-size pigment. Pigments can be really hard to use up in their entirety, so the smaller vials are perfect–and still more than enough for most! I would just caution you that each set does include either a few permanent or repromoted shades.

I’m not as gung-ho with the lipglass sets, but I do like that they included a lot of new shades in each of them, rather than the same repromotes each holiday season. The sets are a little more economical than buying full-size lipglasses (on a per ounce basis), but I like that you get to try five shades for the price of two. Lipglasses have a lot of variability; some are more pigmented, some are creamy, some are frosty.

The only item I did not like much was the nail lacquer set, because the shades themselves were a little finicky. I found two of the shades had a tendency to be streaky, and four of the five needed a full three coats for opaque color coverage. Though the shade selection did not affect the overall score of the set, I think it’s worth noting that none of the shades are groundbreaking–and MAC has done some interesting shades in the past.

Reviews, Photos, Swatches

Temptalia’s Recommendations

Must-haves: Pigment Sets

Nice-to-haves: Lipglass Sets

Skip: Nail Lacquer Set

Don’t forget to Check your stash for…

FROZEN DREAM (repromote), ELECTRO LUSH (repromote), MIMMY (repromote), REFLECTS BRONZE (permanent), GOLD MODE (repromote), GILDED GREEN (repromote), REFLECTS PEARL (permanent), SILVER FOG (permanent at PRO), SOFTWASH GREY (repromote), MAUVEMENT (repromote), REFLECTS BLACKENED RED (repromote), NAKED (permanent), BLUE BROWN (permanent), DARK SOUL (permanent), NOCTURNELLE (repromote), ASIATIQUE (repromote), BEYOND JEALOUS (repromote).

Recommendations by Skin Tone

Please note that this section is merely suggesting shades that would complement a particular skin tone better than other shades, but these lists are meant to be rather exhaustive of the entire collection; it’s not reflective of must-haves for your skin tone. When it comes to cooler/warmer skin tones, these are products that lean noticeably cool/warm and therefore complement the corresponding skin tone better (but it does not mean you can’t wear a warmer product if you’re cooler!).

Light, Medium, Dark Skin Tones: I think all of the sets would work equally well across the range of skin tones.

Best Picks for Cooler Skin Tones: Sassy Pink, Cool Thrillseekers, Smoky Thrillseekers
Best Picks for Warmer Skin Tones: Sassy Coral, Sassy Neutral, Warm Thrillseekers

What are you loving? What are you looking forward to?

MAC 5 Naughty Little Vices Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches (Tartan Tale)

Christine — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 11:00:17 +0000

Nail Lacquer: Asiatique, Beyond Jealous, Nocturnelle, Vice is Nice, Vintage Vamp

MAC Tartan Tale: 5 Naughty Little Vices Nail Lacquer

This year, MAC has created a miniature set of nail lacquers, which includes two new (and exclusive) shades as well as three repromotes. The set itself is limited edition.

This includes: Asiatique (creamy classic red), Beyond Jealous (blackened blue green), Nocturnelle (black-as-night black), Vice is Nice (classic metallic gold), and Vintage Vamp (deep black wine).

Asiatique is a bright, cherry red cream. It applied opaque in two coats, and it went rather smoothly–not streaky at all. This is a repromote.
Beyond Jealous is a green-teal tinged black cream. This applied rather streakily; I needed three coats to get an even, smooth look. I think three coats was necessary just to achieve total opacity, too. This looks rather black regardless of the lighting, though. This is a repromote.
Nocturnelle is a dark black cream. Three coats. It’s come out a few times before.
Vice is Nice is a shimmering lightened gold with soft yellow tones. The finish looks like a metallic frost to me. It did need a full three coats to get an opaque result, and you can see some brush strokes. It is golder than China Glaze Midnight Kiss.
Vintage Vamp is a deep burgundy-red cream. Like several of the other shades, I did need three coats for this, and the first two layers applied on the streakier side.

Each vial contains 2.5g/0.09 oz., while a full-size polish contains 0.34 oz. There is a total of 0.45 oz. worth of polish in the set, which is just under a polish and a half worth of product. MAC’s Nail Lacquer retails for $38.24/oz., while this set works out to be $56.67/oz. I would expect a bit more given the price tag.

Given some of the application issues and the overall uniqueness of the colors (low), I don’t know if this would be the best introduction to MAC’s nail lacquers or even a great deal. MAC has done some really interesting shades, but this set does not include those. A black, red, and dark red cream just feel too standard. There’s no reason to settle for streakier, less pigmented formulas at this price point when competitors in this price range do it better. Just from the quality issues I had, it’s not a must-have based on my experience.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 24/30
Value: 7/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: The formula on these is just so-so; the majority needed three coats, and a couple had streaky application.

AVAILABILITY: MAC

See more photos & swatches!

Nail Lacquer: Asiatique, Beyond Jealous, Nocturnelle, Vice is Nice, Vintage Vamp

MAC Asiatique Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)

MAC Asiatique Nail Lacquer (Flash)

MAC Beyond Jealous Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)

MAC Beyond Jealous Nail Lacquer (Flash)

MAC Nocturnelle Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)

MAC Nocturnelle Nail Lacquer (Flash)

MAC Vice is Nice Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)

MAC Vice is Nice Nail Lacquer (Flash)

MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer (Natural Light)

MAC Vintage Vamp Nail Lacquer (Flash)

MAC Tartan Tale: Comparison Swatches

Christine — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:44:47 +0000

Florida vs. Her Blooming Cheek vs. Full Fuchsia

MAC Tartan Tale: Comparison Swatches

Here are some comparison swatches for obvious and/or most requested dupes.

Her Blooming Cheek: The best dupe would be Azalea, which I don’t own so I’m not able to swatch it. Full Fuchsia is noticeably different in undertone, while Florida is similar but is a touch more purple.
My Highland Honey: Utterly Game is a touch darker, Peaches a touch darker as well — but they’re both similar, especially when worn. Melba is too dark.
Deepest Wish: A little browner than Media, but very similar to Kittenish.
Cut-a-Caper: It’s quite similar to discontinued Funshine, and it’s a little less orange and sheerer than Jazzed.
Courting Lilac: Similar to Aristocat, but the latter has more berry to it, while the former is definitely lilac.
The Faerie Glen: It’s a sheerer, slightly lighter version of Cherish; not like Freckletone at all.
Radiant Jewels: It looks exactly like Creme Allure.

See more swatches!

Utterly Game vs. My Highland Honey vs. Melba vs. Peaches

Media vs. Deepest Wish vs. Kittenish

Funshine vs. Cut-a-Caper vs. Jazzed

Courting Lilac vs. Bubblegum vs. Aristocat

Freckletone vs. The Faerie Glen vs. Cherish

Radiant Jewels vs. Creme Allure

MAC Sassy Pink Lassies Lipglass Set Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:15:17 +0000

Lipglasses: Electro Lush, Fab Fun, Frozen Dream, Sassy Lassy, The Wee Coquette

MAC Tartan Tale Chapter 2: Sassy Pink Lassies Lipglass Set

This year, MAC has released three different miniature lipglass sets. Each set contains five limited edition shades of lipglass, each containing 0.08 oz. of product. Like the other sets from Chapter 2, they are housed in a metal tin that features the tartan pattern on the outside. They also have a plastic insert to keep the glosses standing up evenly within the tin, but it can be easily removed for more storage. Each set retails for $29.50.

Lipglasses are sheer to opaque in color, but they have a tackier, stickier texture. They are supposed to be vanilla-scented, but I did find a couple throughout the sets that smelled like plastic. These have the same sponge-tipped applicators that full-sized lipglasses have, but it seems less spongy and less gloss is pulled through on each pass (not necessarily a bad thing there!).

This set includes: Electro Lush (medium mauve), Fab Fun (pale crystal pink), Frozen Dream (medium pink rose), Sassy Lassy (bright pink fuchsia), and The Wee Coquette (naked neutral pink).

Electro Lush is a creamy medium-pink with a little plum to it and white micro-shimmer. This is a repromote from Flashtronic (2007). I can’t think of a great dupe in the permanent line for this one.
Fab Fun is a sheer, milky pink gloss base with large flecks of silvery-white shimmer and glitter. It looks a lot like Morning Glory (Lustreglass) or even Like Venus (Dazzleglass).
Frozen Dream is a semi-sheer, cool-toned lilac pink with lots of pale pink and white shimmer. This is a repromote from Chill (2008). It’s not quite as pale as Cultured, but they are similar.
Sassy Lassy is an opaque, creamy fuchsia that pulls very blue. It also has subtle pale pink shimmer. It’s a lot bluer and cooler-toned than Pink Poodle.
The Wee Coquette is a cool-toned, white-beige with soft white shimmer. It’s very milky, and it does settle into liplines. It’s a lot like Fleshpot lipstick in lipglass form. It’s so pale it makes my lips look a little purple.

A normal lipglass contains 0.17 oz. of product and retails for $14.50. In this set, you’ll receive 0.40 oz. worth of lipglass for $29.50. This works out to be $85.29/oz. for an individual [full-sized] lipglass and $73.75/oz. for the lipglass set. It’s also worth pointing out that for the price of two full-sized shades, you’ll have five shades to choose from. If you’re someone who doesn’t stick with one gloss long enough to finish, the sets will be more worthwhile for you.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

Product: 27/30
Value: 9/10
Ease of Use: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: I like the way these colors look together; it’s a good variation on pink, though they all lean rather cool-toned.

AVAILABILITY: MAC Cosmetics (November 4th/11th — check your local store for availability)

See more photos & swatches!

Lipglasses: Electro Lush, Fab Fun, Frozen Dream, Sassy Lassy, The Wee Coquette

MAC Electro Lush Lipglass

MAC Fab Fun Lipglass

MAC Frozen Dream Lipglass

MAC Sassy Lassy Lipglass

MAC The Wee Coquette Lipglass