MAC Cosmetics – Barbie Loves MAC Review

Hey ladies & gents! I got back from the Barbie Loves MAC unveiling event a couple of hours ago, and I thought I’d share my thoughts on the event as well as the launch (my usual long-winded review is here!).

They had velvet ropes, security, and people letting you in/out. Each person received a pink piece of paper so you could indicate what products you wanted and the quantity. They had “runners,” which were MAs who would go and get the products you listed on your sheet while you waited at the cashier. There were many MAs at the event, and everybody was decked out in Barbie-wear from pink shoes to hot pink bras to men in Barbie-drag. They had a DJ spinning in the corner of the store, as well. There were a ridiculous amount of people in the event, so hearing/talking was basically impossible with the noise of customers & the DJ/music. I didn’t stay long because although flattering, I kept having customers come up to me asking for help, thinking I worked there. Several of the MAs asked me what store I worked at, and I had to tell them I’m nowhere close to working for MAC, LOL! It was quite flattering, as I said, but sort of frustrating when I was trying to shop! I met a couple of LJers, so hey girls 🙂 As I was leaving, it was adorable – three young girls (maybe 12-14) came up to me and asked if I did my own makeup. I told them yes, I did, and they said it was so pretty and they loved it. So all in all, it’s a good thing I wore the look I posted yesterday because it got me a ton of compliments! BTW, I totally ate a Barbie Loves MAC sugar cookie (which didn’t taste so hot, sorry MAC! stick to cosmetics, not cooking!), but I got you all a picture of it before I ate half. I thought about keeping it and selling it, but eww, gross.

BARBIE LOVES MAC REVIEW
Eyeshadows
Magic Dust: This color reminded me a lot of Gold Dusk pigment (and also the white-yellow shadow launched in one of the Raquel quads), so I was quite disappointed with it. The texture of all the shadows were nice, and they all seem to have decent payoff.

Whistle: This seemed like a pinker version of Pink Opal, and quite similar to Rite of Spring eyeshadow, released with Danse. It does have a great texture, though, which helps with the color payoff.

Playful: A soft, pastel pink that looks like a very pink coral to me. I could see this working well for many complexions, compared to MAC’s penchant for launching more frosty-pale pinks.

Springtime Skipper: A gorgeous green that is cooler rather than warmer; you might say it has a bit of minty color in it, but it still is quite green with a touch of warmth. It seems similar to Swimming eyeshadow, but with a better texture and color payoff.

Beautyburst: This color seems so odd amongst the other five shadows, because it is almost matte in texture, but I do love the warmth of this chocolate brown color. It is quite smooth and versatile if you enjoy browns.

Mothbrown: I bought Moth Brown when it was released with Madame B., and I hated it. I thought it was such an ugly color, and after seeing Moth Brown again, I can say that it is definitely a lovely shade. It is almost like a dirty silver–a silver with some rustic brown thrown in it for dimension.

Overall, the eyeshadows were all lovely colors, but the best part about them was that they had real color payoff. The second best feature was how smooth and workable each one felt when I swatched them on my hand. I only bought Springtime Skipper, but I was certainly tempted by Playful, Beautyburst, and Mothbrown.

Lipsticks
Style It Up: A lovely nude with a touch of pink that has enough color in it to work well lightly, but it is also buildable.

Real Doll: A cute little pink lipstick that is quite sheer and a bit too pale for me.

Modern Ms.: A deeper brown-red color, but the color payoff isn’t intense, so it makes it more wearable. It did remind me a bit of Sundressing lipstick, except more in the red family than plum.

Sweet & Single: An incredibly sheer pale pink lipstick that was next to impossible to get a good swatch of because of its sheerness. I found this the worst of the lipsticks because it was terribly sheer and wouldn’t do anything if I put it on my lips.

Rocking Chick: This is probably the most hyped up lipstick of the collection, but while it is definitely a gorgeous bright pink, it is not original. In the swatch photo, the top half of the Rocking Chick swatch is Rocking Chick, while the bottom half is Fashionably Fuchsia. Rocking Chick might be a touch sheerer, but they look the same in color.

Overall, the lipsticks seemed lackluster compared to what I expected from the collection. I didn’t realize how similar Rocking Chick was going to be compared to Fashionably Fuchsia, so I was thoroughly disappointed by that. I expected to be buying that lipstick for sure! I found all but Modern Ms. and Rocking Chick to have very sheer textures, which makes it easy to move on from the lipsticks because sheer just doesn’t cut it. You only need a handful of sheer lipsticks! Because I don’t have too many nude lipsticks, I did purchase Style It Up.

Lipglass
Sweetness: It appears MAC must release one lipglass that looks like every other sheer white-pink-nude shade they’ve launched before. It is a good item to purchase if you do not have a similar color at home yet, but it will add a nice shimmer and sheen without altering the color of the lipstick beneath it.

Fashion Pack: A sheer coral-pink with shimmer that looks awfully pretty, but it doesn’t stand out. Cute, but MAC makes tons of cute glosses.

Happening Gal: I thought this was an interesting lipglass, although it reminded me of Glamoursun lipglass… This would look lovely on top of Modern Ms., and I would say that this is the most original lipglass out of the four.

Malibu Barbie: I did like the shade of pink in this lipglass, but it reminded me a lot of Sweetie Cake lipglass. I think Sweetie Cake lipglass might be sheerer than Malibu Barbie, but the colors are quite similar.

Overall, the lipglasses were a touch disappointing, because the two standouts ended up not being so thrilling. Happening Gal is one I might reconsider if it really doesn’t look similar to Glamoursun, but I think I can pass on Malibu Barbie.

Liquidlast liner & Nail polishes
Visionaire: It is a true frosty pale pink, so if it that is what you’re looking for, MAC has the solution, but I just didn’t think I’d get any use out of it.

Steamy: This is the perfect Barbie hot pink nail polish; I thought it was lovely, and if I didn’t wear more nude/neutral shades on my nails, I would have definitely snatched this up!

Toast of the Town: I personally thought this was kind of ugly, but I don’t think I’ve ever been a fan of brown nails either. This seemed more watered down compared to Steamy.

Blushes
Don’t Be Shy: A pretty cool baby pink that has a good amount of color payoff, especially on lighter skintones. It isn’t too shimmery either, which is nice; I’m not sure how well this is going to look on darker complexions, but I purchased it at the insistence of an MA, so we shall see how that goes.

Fab: A much darker brown with a touch of red-warmth, but I find it is probably too dark for me to wear as a blush very often. Nice, but not something I see myself using frequently. I think this might be awesome for darker skintones, though.

Beauty Powders
Pearl Sunshine: I thought this was gorgeous, although it does look a bit like Melon pigment! The texture and lightness of beauty powders do distinguish it from being similar to Melon pigment. Plus, I think the shimmer in Pearl Sunshine is significantly less compared to Melon pigment.

Pearl Blossom: This is a pinker beauty powder, which reminds me of Pretty Baby beauty powder (Diana Ross collection), and I could see it working as a nice highlighter for several people.

OVERALL I thought the Barbie Loves MAC collection was a good launch with something to offer everybody, but I didn’t end up buying nearly as much as I had thought I would. I feel pretty good on the items I passed on, and I know that I will be purchasing one or two on Tuesday when I go to the Macy’s counter, namely Pearl Sunshine beauty powder.

If you wanted to see exactly how the imprint looks, click
here.