MAC Ice Parade: Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette ($38.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a limited edition holiday compact that features six eyeshadows: Snowball (frost white), Illegal Cargo (pale lavender), Idol Eyes (silvered violet with gold), Warm & Smoky (medium purple), Howzat (slate), and Set to Dance (dark royal blue). The MAC Ice Parade Collection launches October 27th, 2011 in-stores.

• Snowball is a cool-toned white with a shimmery finish. It has a frost finish. The color payoff of this shade was lacking; it was sheer and didn’t apply smoothly. There are many other white eyeshadows that could work instead.
• Illegal Cargo is a medium-dark, smoky purple with really poor pigmentation and a dry, stiff texture. It has a frost finish. MAC Parfait Amour is more vibrant and pigmented. Estee Lauder Untamed Violet is closer in color but more pigmented.
• Idol Eyes is an ultra sheer smoky purple with chunky gold shimmer and silver flecks. It has a lustre finish and is part of the permanent range. MAC Parlor Smoke is similar in the base color but doesn’t have the gold sparkle. I don’t like Idol Eyes, because it’s sheer, chunky, and when worn, results in a ton of fall out.
• Warm & Smoky is a rich, vibrant violet purple with good color payoff and a smooth texture. It has a veluxe pearl finish. It has a redder undertone than MAC Parfait Amour. Urban Decay Frigid is similar. MAC Grape pigment might be comparable as well.
• Howzat is a purple-tinted gray with so-so pigmentation but a smoother texture. It has a satin finish and is a repromote. MAC Moody is darker, while NARS Delphes is lighter.
• Set to Dance is a deep purple-tinted burgundy-brown. It has a matte finish and is a repromote. I have no idea how it’s described as a “royal blue,” because I couldn’t detect any blue in it at all. It had good color payoff and was rather workable for a matte finish by MAC. MAC Celestial Black is similar in base color but has shimmer. MAC Beauty Marked is redder and warmer.

For the past few years, I’ve crossed my fingers that MAC has taken note of reviews and customer feedback on their holiday palettes and amped up the quality and pigmentation of the shades they include in their eyeshadow palettes. They stand to be such a good deal with fun, pretty colors that are fun to receive or to give. I know because I remember my first set of holiday palettes by MAC; they were fantastic. Some of my favorite shades came from them–they were often better than permanent variations!

Two of the six shades had decent to good color payoff, while the other four were sheerer, and often, textures were a miss–either dry or chunky (see individual shades for specifics!). MAC can–and should–do better.  It’s so painful for me to have paid $38.00 for this and have it be so lacking.

The packaging is all white with a “snowglobe” on the top of the compact. It will rain silver glitter (“snow”) if you shake and move the compact. I think it’s cute and fun, but I can’t help but point out that it makes the palette bulkier and harder to store (you can’t stack them).

The Glossover

	Cool Snowglobe D+
	I would skip this palette--you could buy two or three permanent shades from MAC or comparable brand for the price of this palette, but at least you would get high quality, high performing shades.
	Product 6/10 Pigmentation 5/10 Texture 7/10 Longevity 8.5/10 Application 3.5/5
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MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Snowball Eyeshadow

MAC Illegal Cargo Eyeshadow

MAC Idol Eyes Eyeshadow

MAC Warm & Smoky Eyeshadow

MAC Howzat Eyeshadow

MAC Set to Dance Eyeshadow

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette ($36.00) is a colorful palette with a slight cool tone running through it.

This palette includes six eyeshadows: Lady’s Prance (clay), Rolled Gold (gold), High Spirits (shimmered avocado), Vainglorious (metallic maroon), Set to Dance (dark royal blue), and Bows & Curtseys (metallic hunter green).

• Lady’s Prance is a dirty gray-beige. It has a matte finish, but it doesn’t look like 100% matte to me.   The pigmentation on this shade was really nice, as it went on solid without having to layer on a ton.  It’s a lighter version of Omega.
• Rolled Gold is a smooth antique gold with subtle green-gold flash.  It has a lustre finish, but it feels a lot smoother and integrated than other lustres.  Patina would be the closest in the permanent range, but it’s not that close.
• High Spirits is a medium grassy green with darker green shimmer.  It has a frost finish.  As pretty as this looked in the pan, it just didn’t swatch very intensely for me.   It’s like a darker version of Swimming–like a cross between Swimming and Humid.
• Vainglorious is reddened burgundy with soft sheen. It has a frost finish.  Now, this was originally released as part of Venomous Villains, but the one in this palette swatched on the sheer side.  I barely had to get any product when it was sold individually to get a really rich, pigmented swatch, but I felt like I had to work hard to get it to show up from this palette. What gives?  It’s pretty close to Star Violet.
• Set to Dance is a dark indigo blue. It has a matte finish, and it does suffer from some chalkiness and overall sheerness.   Naval (PRO) probably comes closest to this shade, but it’s bluer.
• Bows & Curtseys is a darkened green that leans quite gray-black. It has a satin finish.  For as dark as this shade looks in the pan, it swatched something awful.  I just could not get it to show–it reminded me of Deep Blue Green pigment, except, you know, with 10% of the pigmentation.

The palette contains 0.19 oz. worth of eyeshadow along with a tiny 213 brush, which means you’re paying $190/oz. In comparison, if you were to buy potted eyeshadows, MAC eyeshadows run at $290/oz. and pans run at $230/oz. These palettes do offer a little more bang for your buck than if you were to buy shades individually.

Despite loving how colorful this palette is upon first glance, the pigmentation leaves something to be desired.  There is just a lack of it in the majority of these shades (all but the gold and beige), and I really can’t understand why.  I had some textural issues with half the shades–Lady’s Prance and Rolled Gold have a lovely smooth texture, but Set to Dance and Bows & Curtseys had a much chalkier texture.  Overall, I’m not too keen on this palette.

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• Product: 23/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: It’s definitely a palette geared towards those who love to wear color, but the lack of pigmentation makes it more appropriate to those who prefer their color sheer!

AVAILABILITY: October 28th at MAC Stores/Counters

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MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Lady’s Prance, Rolled Gold, High Spirits; Bottom row: Vainglorious, Set to Dance, Bows & Curtseys

Top row: Lady’s Prance, Rolled Gold, High Spirits; Bottom row: Vainglorious, Set to Dance, Bows & Curtseys

Left to right, top to bottom:  High Spirits, Bows & Curtseys; Rolled Gold, Set to Dance; Lady’s Prance, Vainglorious

Lady’s Prance, Rolled Gold, High Spirits

Vainglorious, Set to Dance, Bows & Curtseys