MAC Tartan Tale Collection (Colour): Overall, Round-up, & Recommendations

OVERALL, Tartan Tale doesn’t do it for me.  The eyeshadows look really cool, and they have a lovely soft and smooth texture, but they just seem so muted when you apply them.  Glamora Castle and Semi-Precious were the best of the six, while the other shades felt more appropriate as soft, springy pastel kind of shades.

I don’t like the value of Dazzleglass Cremes, and this batch of five tends to run rather sheer and they start to all look like the next when worn on the lips, and there were too many that were similar to permanent or recently released shades–a few also looked just like Dazzleglass and lacked the “creme” part.   Sheer is great, but seeing it over and over within the same collection is redundant.

My favorites are all of the Pearlglide Eyeliners, though three of them are repromotes–all worth a peek if you don’t yet have them! It’s just such a rich, pigmented formula that glides on like butter and still wears long, I can never pass these up.  I also really enjoyed the pigments that came out with the launch, because I felt like they had depth and stood out amongst past and present pigment releases.  Both nail lacquers were stunning on, but the brushes on both were a bit thick, so I’m not sure if there was a manufacturing defect there or not.

Much of this launch felt decent to good but only some items were really great.  On the flip side, I didn’t feel like anything here was really lacking in quality to merit a skip.

Temptalia’s Recommendations

Must-haves: Pearlglide Eyeliners (pick your poison!), Style Clan Nail Lacquer, Pigments

Nice-to-haves: Sly as a Fox Nail Lacquer, Gone Romancin’ Dazzleglass Creme, Courting Lilac Lipstick, Glamora Castle Eyeshadow, Semi-Precious Eyeshadow

Skip:  Nothing is terrible, most things just lie in the middle

Skip if…

• Skip MY HIGHLAND HONEY if you have UTTERLY GAME; they’re pretty similar–Utterly Game is a touch coral.
• Skip LIGHTLY PRANCING if you have BARE NECESSITY; it doesn’t have as much gold shimmer, but it’s pretty close in color.
• Skip SOFT DAZZLE if you have MOTH TO FLAME; they look incredibly similar when worn.
• Skip RADIANT JEWELS if you have CREME ALLURE; it’s a touch darker but similar enough.
• Skip DEEPEST WISH if you have KITTENISH or MEDIA; it’s just a blotchy version of both of those.
• Skip SEMI-PRECIOUS if you have HEPCAT or PLUM DRESSING; they are all very close to each other.
• Skip HER BLOOMING CHEEK if you have AZALEA; Azalea is PRO but incredibly close.

Don’t forget to Check your stash for…

LATER (repromote), SOFT DAZZLE (repromote), FULL FUCHSIA (permanent at PRO).

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!).

Pearlglide Liners: I recommend all shades for all skin tones.  Seriously.

• Best Picks for Lighter Skin Tones: My Highland Honey Blush, Style Clan Nail Lacquer, The Family Crest Pigment, Moonlight Night Pigment, Soft Dazzle Dazzleglass Creme, Gone Romancin’ Dazzleglass Creme, Courtly Lilac Lipstick, Deepest Wish Lipstick, The Faerie Glen Lipstick, Glamora Castle Eyeshadow, A Wish Come True Eyeshadow, Semi-Precious Eyeshadow
• Best Picks for Medium Skin Tones: Sly as a Fox Nail Lacquer, Style Clan Nail Lacquer, The Family Crest Pigment, Later Pigment, Moonlight Night Pigment, Passing Fancy Dazzleglass Creme, Courtly Lilac Lipstick, Cut-a-Caper Lipstick, The Faerie Glen Lipstick, Glamora Castle Eyeshadow, Enviably Fun Eyeshadow, Semi-Precious Eyeshadow
• Best Picks for Darker Skin Tones: Her Blooming Cheek Blush, My Highland Honey Blush, Style Clan Nail Lacquer, Later Pigment, Moonlight Night Pigment, Radiant Jewels Dazzleglass Creme, Deepest Wish Lipstick, Full Fuchsia Lipstick, Glamora Castle Eyeshadow, Semi-Precious Eyeshadow
• Best Picks for Cooler Skin Tones: Sly as a Fox Nail Lacquer, The Family Crest Pigment, Later Pigment, Moonlight Night Pigment, Gone Romancin’ Dazzleglass Creme, Radiant Jewels Dazzleglass Creme, Courtly Lilac Lipstick, Deepest Wish Lipstick, The Faerie Glen Lipstick, Glamora Castle Eyeshadow, A Wish Come True Eyeshadow, Semi-Precious Eyeshadow
• Best Picks for Warmer Skin Tones: Sly as a Fox Nail Lacquer, Style Clan Nail Lacquer, Moonlight Night Pigment, Passing Fancy Dazzleglass Creme, Soft Dazzle Dazzleglass Creme, Lightly Prancing Dazzleglass Creme, Cut-a-Caper Lipstick, Enviably Fun Eyeshadow, Follow Your Fantasy Eyeshadow, Golden Crown Eyeshadow

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