MAC Cosmetics Dame Edna Collection Review
OVERALL, Dame Edna’s lipsticks stand out the most for me, because they are ultra-pigmented and extremely creamy in texture. They almost have a matte-look, but because of their sheen, not quite so. The lipglasses are not as pigmented as the lipsticks, but on the other hand, they complement the lipsticks well. The eye trios disappointed me, mostly because I felt that too many of the shadows had a chalky texture, which I just can’t jive with. Another downside to this launch is the fact that MAC has, yet again, used stickers on their packaging. On the eyeshadow trios, the stickers are covered with plastic/something so they shouldn’t come off (at least not easily), but everything else is just a flat sticker. It’s nothing special, and you can certainly peel it off if you desire. The high-light powders, while pretty to look at, are not nearly as special once you get past the shimmer overspray–I felt duped with these; it reminded me of lipsticks that had a gold overspray and then regular lipstick underneath. The collection is definitely worth a look or two, but I wouldn’t say you have to rush out on the 26th–not worth skipping out on your holidays and festivities and family fun yet!
Individual reviews of the products…
Wisteria Eye Trio
- Wisteria is a pretty medium blue, not quite as bright as it looks in the pan. It has average pay off, but it is buildable enough that over a base, so it should give you the color you see in the pan. It’s a little chalky, but it’s not so much that it puts me off.
- Divine Night is yet another kind of chalky black that’s not really super-intense-wow-black. You have to really get a few passes of it to get a richer black color. It reminds me of Mont Black from Chill, which just came out. I wasn’t ready to see it again!
- Fineshine is a bright shimmery silver shade, kind of like Electra, but brighter. It’s a nice color to brighten up a gray/silver smoky eye.
Royal Tour Eye Trio
- Royal Tour is a light purply-pink shade–it’s like a pinker version of lavender. It’s matte/satin (I don’t remember exactly), but it doesn’t have any shimmer in it.
- Dame’s Desire is a nice medium purple with a little bit of fuchsia tone to it that has a nice sheen to its finish. It reminds me of Stars ‘n Rockets, but not as intense (or as fuchsia).
- Climate Blue is a rich purple-blue shade. It came out with Cool Heat, during this past summer, so it is a repromote. It has a chalky texture, so it’s not my favorite just because of that.
Lipstick
- Kanga Rouge is a deep matte red, but it is very creamy and has a nice subtle sheen.
- Coral Polyp is an intense creamy coral-orange-red shade. It’s not an easy color to just wear, because it is very bold and dramatic.
- Gladiola is a fuchsia-toned purple, and it again, has an essentially matte finish with the same creamy texture as the other two lipsticks. It reminds me a little of Up the Amp lipstick.
Lipglass
- Splendid is a very shimmery/glittery coral color–it’s very similar to Possum Nose Pink, though it’s a little paler. I would also say it probably has better color pay off on the lips.
- Hot Frost is the medium pink-based lipglass with lots of multi-colored shimmer. It’s pretty, but when I put it on my lips, I didn’t notice a huge difference–I really wanted to like this one.
- Possum Nose Pink is a brighter coral shade with pink and multicolored shimmer in it. It goes on fairly sheer from when I swatched it on my lipss. It’s kind of like a pink-based Pink Grapefruit or less shimmery Lychee Luxe.
High-Light Powder
- What a Dame! is a peachy-bige shade that’s pretty much matte after you get the top layer of shimmer/spray-on sheen off. It reminds me of previous beauty powders (I think maybe from Fafi or Heatherette). It feels a little more pigmented, but these were pretty heavy swatches so I’m not 100% sure.
- Spectacle is a pretty pale pink shade. The thing with the high-light powders is that the sheen/shimmer is just an overspray. It doesn’t actually penetrate the product. The actual product is flat or matte and feels very powdery. This shade reminded me a lot of Alpha Girl.
Nail Lacquer
- Varicose Violet is a purpler version of Stars ‘n Rockets, but in nail lacquer form. I like it, and i do think it’s a rather pretty shade with its blue-shimmer. It doesn’t apply as pigmented as I like for my polish, but with three thin coats, you can get there.
- Asiatique is a deep cream red shade with a lot of natural shine to the polish afterwards (the swatch for it doesn’t have any top coat), which is nice.
Is Splendid the same from one of the past holiday collection?
Yes!
thank you for this review. i saw the collection at a mac store a week ago and i felt the same about the packaging and the high light powders. i thought it was just me who noticed the overspray, very disappointed with that.
No problem, Victoria! Ugh, totally feel duped by the overspray. Yuck.
The overspray was sooo disappointing.. the pink one’s overspray was ridiculously pretty.. then underneath is just blah.
Terribly so, ugh 🙁
Christine, is Possom Pink anything like Shine Manish, the coral lipglass that came out with that?
No, not at all! Shine Manish is like WHOA, orange!! and neither of the lipglasses are like that.
Hi! Im eyeing the lipsticks esp with ur review tt it’s pigmented. It’ll be a present for my mom who’s been asking me to buy an orange based red lippy. Cant wait!
Yes, they’re DEFINITELY pigmented 🙂
Hi Christine! Thank you for the swatches, they look very nice especially the red and the purply pink. Also thank you for the reviews because i was thinking whether it was worth it to buy the purple trio.
Merry Christmas!!!! 🙂
My pleasure, Abby! 🙂 I’m always happy to help! Happy holidays!
I really love the color of the lipsticks. I have never tried MAC lipstick, but they make me want to.
Which one calls to you most, Rio?
Kanga Rouge. I love how thick and bright the red is.
It is a very creamy red for sure! And so pigmented!
I already have Fineshine and Climate Blue, do you think the trios are still worth getting? Or are the other colors easily dupable? Mainly Wisteria, Royal Tour and Dame’s Desire. Whether the dupes be perm or LE.
Maybe Wisteria = Clear Sky Blue + Aquadisiac? Royal Tour is similar to Stars ‘n Rockets. Dame’s Desire is like Pen ‘n Pink + Beautiful Iris?
Hmm, the only one of those that I have is Stars and Rockets. So I think I may still get them. At least the Wisteria trio anyway. That color is so pretty. I think I’ll eventually get Varicose Violet too. Although I’m not sure I wanna spend $11 for a nail polish. I rarely paint my nails, but the idea of Stars and Rockets in nail polish form makes me drool a bit. Hoping to see some looks with the eyeshadows soon, that’s what always ends up being the deciding factor for me. And dang my post is long, lol.
The nail polish is definitely more purple than Stars ‘n Rockets, just FYI – it has a lot of the same tones and shimmer though!
I agree with your review, Christine. The lipsticks were definitely the stand out products of this collection for me.. I like Wisteria shadow, but not enough to buy it along with 2 other average colours. I cannot contain my excitement for Coral Polyp and Gladiola!!! (I think I might buy 2 of each) 😀 😀
I really can’t get over the overspray OR the sticker bit 🙁
I think I commented on an earlier Dame Edna preview post, wondering if these were indeed stickers… I was in MAC yesterday and loudly sighed “I KNEW they’d just be stickers.” LOL The artist looked at me and I tried to explain to my poor boyfriend – whom I dragged in – that there was word they would be raised plastic (part of the cap etc.)
Oh and P.S. They were already peeling off the barely used/touched testers.
Yes, the stickers are on all the products *except* the eyeshadow trios, which does have the raised plastic feel!
I want to pick some of this up solely because I LOVE Dame Edna… but the eye shadow trios hold zero appeal to me as do the powders, so I’m limited to lips. Kanga Rouge is a definite purchase and I like all of the lipglasses but I’ll have to wait and see them in person. I was also planning on getting Coral Polyp but I’m not sure I’m crazy enough to go for that bold of a color so I might save a few dollars there.
I really wish I could just buy an empty eye shadow package and fill it with my own colors! I want the ridiculous packaging more than anything else.
I’m glad you love the actual icon of the launch, Cody 🙂 You’re one of the few I’ve seen mention you’re a fan!
thanks for the review…i think i’ll just pick up the splendid l/g…that one light purple color in the shadowy lady quad is chalky and i really don’t want to buy palettes with the same chalky consistency…:(
No problem, Paola! 🙂 I hate chalky eyeshadows, too — and unfortunately, they abound in this launch.
If you get to pick just one of the trio what would it be?
Royal Tour!
Thanks!! I like your site its very informative & helpful.
& you! Omg! Thanks for replying.
Thanks, Barbs 🙂 So glad I could help!
Is Coral Polyp like Rozz Revival from the Originals collection?
No, much more pigmented, less red, too. (Of course, some people had Rozz Revival look really orange on them, though!)
Alright! I know I said that I wouldn’t buy anything from this collection but now, after having seen the swatches of the lippies, I will def reconsider! I am a sucker for reds so I will prob get the Kanga Red and maybe even Coral Polyp (although that name gives me the shivers… Honestly, that has to be the WORST EVER name for a beauty product! That & Varicose!). I already have a bright orange from MakeUp Forever which I LOVE!!! I love the fact that you say they are really pigmented and creamy. Those are the best qualities of a good lipstick to me 🙂
The lipsticks are really the highlight of the launch, just because they are rich, creamy, and SO pigmented. Of course, if you don’t wear these colors, it’s easy to pass despite the pros!
Hey Christine!
This post has nothing to do with the Dame Edna collection but wanted to wish you, your family and Mellan a very Merry Christmas! I also wanted to say that I had ordered a hard cover copy of your Temptalia looks’ book and received last week. It’s great! I usually would print out the looks I liked anyways. Now, it makes it more organized. The paper is glossy and the pics are, as always, flawless. There are already several looks that I know I will be doing! Keep them coming…:-)
hi christine! I was wondering, how would you compare the lippies kanga-rouge with red she said? in terms of the shade of red 🙂 thanks!! merry christmas!!
Creamier, more pigmented. It also has less of the lustre sheen/softness and more of the feeling of a matte lipstick. The shade of red is definitely similar from what I recall (and I went back to look at my swatch of Red She Said), though Kanga-Rouge has less pink in it and more blue.
I ordered Gladiola lipstick, Splendid and Hot Frost lip gloss and Varicose Violet nail polish. Nothing else really struck me as “wow” in this collection though.
I’d love to see lipswatches 🙂
They’re up now!
How similar is possum nose pink to lychee luxe? I am trying to save money for BBR!
Hi Caroline,
They are not exactly the same, but I don’t think it’s a must-have. Get Red Devil from BBR instead, very pretty and in the same family.
gladiola was released YEARS ago, like possibly 10 years! ive been wanting it forever. i love them for this!
Really? Wow!
Thank you for information!!!, you have saved my wallet a little:), I’m a big fan of powders, I was going to buy those two!
No problem, Victoria!
I know that a lot of people seem disappointed by the highlight powders, but as a super fair girl I’m excited to try them and I quite like the fact they are matte.
Really sucks that the packaging is cheap… considering the price you pay for MAC, you’d expect them to produce something stunning~
Hey NJ! I’m glad you’re excited to try them, though. For me, it’s about being duped–if I had always known they were going to be matte powders, I wouldn’t have been expecting a shimmer-based highlighter, you know? I’m not personally a fan, just because I do find them too powdery for me (and also too light for my skin tone), but the overspray thing is killin’ me.
hey Christine i was just woundering if the packaging was a sticker or was it like heatherette? and what were you saying about the powder overspray??
The glasses are all stickers on the products EXCEPT on the eyeshadow trios, where it is coated in plastic and feels like it’s “part” of the product. The highlight powders are sprayed with a shimmer layer, but the shimmer doesn’t go all the way through.
is there any known dupes for ‘Gladiola’
i missed my chance to get this great shade!
I think PRO has a shade or two that would work – Full Fuchsia or Show Orchid.
Hi hon! Thanks for the review! I went out and bought Kanga Rouge, and I ADORE IT! Best red ever, I adore blue-based reds that aren’t too shiny, and this one is perfect.
My concern … I am a uni student, so I can’t afford to go out and buy a bunch of the kangarouge tubes to stock up for when this limited edition collection has run it’s course. When I’m finished (probably in about a year, lol) this tube and no longer have the option of Kanga-Rouge, can you suggest another blue-based creamy red from MAC that may work for me? Thanks!!!! 🙂
J.
No problem, Jane! 🙂
Russian Red is a blue-based red, very classic, though it’s not going to be as creamy. I think Classic Dame mattene may be blue-based as well, but it’s creamy 🙂