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Are limited edition products inferior in quality compared to permanent products?


Are limited edition products inferior in quality compared to permanent products? Or are they the same? Better?

Overall, I think they’re the same. I think a few limited edition products also happen to be gimmicky, in which case, the quality can suffer.

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16 Comments

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Dominique Avatar

I totally agree with you, it was really ugly but even my M.A.C store here was schocked at this ! They said no one wanted to buy from it !

Mietta Reynolds Avatar

Ohhhh yesss. Last year I bought the MAC Christmas special with the set of short brushes.I desperately wanted the stippling brushes and this set had two!! I couldn’t believe my luck! One brush cots $85AUD and the whole little set was $115. The large stippling brush shed sooooo much it was awful. Funnily enough the others have always been ok! I just don’t know what happened to the large one!

Dominique Avatar

To my mind, it’s the same. Some LE collections are very pretty, so are permanent products. It depends on the artistic director’s inspiration I think, even if money is at stake for all makeup brands. Sometimes summer collections are a bit inferior to others ( I am thinking of Chanel for example ), because the 3 following collections are just gorgeous. M.A.C has a lot of LE collections, some are great, others are bad. It’s the same with M.A.C permanent lipsticks, some are really stunning and others have nothing special.

Kiss & Make-up Avatar

Hmm, I don’t think so. Not better. But not worse either. And I hope not! 😉 I own a few limited-edition items and I never noticed anything off about them. I got the limited-edition Collect-OR Touche Eclat pen. It’s soooooooooo gorgeous, definitel a keeper, even if I run out of product.

Sarah Avatar

I usually think they are the same but recently Chanel proved me wrong by their “Blue Illusion Collection”. Both of the cream eye shadows, especially apparition didn’t have the quality of the permanent shades of illusion d’ombres. I was so upset.

Mariella Avatar

Sometimes, sadly they are. MAC LE/special edition brushes are the most glaring example. But I’ve had a few LE shadows that have been disappointing and I’ve even had LE versions of permanent items that are really crummy. The most glaring example for me is the Dame blush that was in the Hark the Heraldry blush palette. I constantly have to scrape up the surface of it with my fingernail or a very rough, stiff brush to get ANY product to transfer to my brush and then to my cheeks. This is definitely NOT the case with the Dame blush in the permanent line.

Danielle Avatar

It depends. Overall, my experience with limited edition is that they are about the same in quality. Mac has come out with some pretty nice limited edition lipsticks. But I agree with Christine, many LE do tend to be gimmicky. Also, a lot of brands hike up the price just because the packaging is different. But you are essentially getting the same product.

lily Avatar

Sometimes. I have a Dior palette thats wayyy lower in quality then the single shadows/smaller palettes. But sometimes they are BETTER. All of the newer limited edition formulas of Benefit Creasless Cream Shadows are creamier and better than the older formulas.

Dinitchka Avatar

I don’t believe the LE make-up itself is but speaking from a hardcore cosmetic Nordies Anniversary sale shopper … The brushes are. I find MAC brushes (Lord don’t strike me down) are inferior. I try to skip the LE brush sets because they always seem to have some sort of issue the regular line does not.

Aelita Avatar

Agree, LE Could be inferior, I think some of them surly are. I honestly don’t understand the hype about LEs:) I’d prefer ti buy a trusted permanent product with great reviews.
I think permanent likes are the best, LE and seasonal stuff not so much, duty free and travel sets are inferior in most cases:)

stacey Avatar

Contrary, I think that the limited editions are of better quality. I am not referring to those MAC small size brushes. I am also referring to those products which have special colors for that season in addition to their existing permanent line. When it is a special limited edition for a design, they dont make so much of the item and I find them to be of better quality. I always like to buy the product whether it is makeup or clothing when it first comes out, because it is the best quality such as Juicy couture when it first came or or a Chanel pressed powder for that season only.

Kafka Avatar

It depends. Every line and every company can have a few duds in a collection from time to time. Unless the L/E product is by It-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named…. Then, the probability that it’s atrocious almost across the board rises to about 65%, imo. (I’m trying to be nice. It’s probably more like 85%.) It’s an inevitable side effect of putting out a new L/E collection seemingly every 2 weeks. (Christ, they’re like Voldemort in just coming back and back, and BACK.) I particularly loved the one a few months ago where they had a text messaging competition about Archie & Veronica. *sniff*

K Avatar

Sadly, i caved into temptation and purchased the MAC x Julie Verhoeven brush set because it was sooo beautiful i just HAD to have it. I was excited about it until i actually started using it..on the first (and subsequent two) washes, i had hairs shedding. It even shed on my face when i was applying my liquid foundation. So as beautiful as it is…i couldn’t help but feel i wasted my money ($110 in Singapore).

So yes, i feel some LE products CAN be gimmicky and of lower quality. SO DISAPPOINTED, MAC!!

etaoin Avatar

Beth Ditto, anyone?

Not trying to make a sweeping generality based on that one collection, but I do think it’s indicative of the quality discrepancies that crop up with a lot of LE’s, imo.

-e-

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