MAC Lightfully Cool sticks out – it had very space-themed product names, and it could have been SO SO much cooler and fuller.
— Christine
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Tarte for True Blood.
About the only product that even sort of made sense was the cheek stain. The packaging on the palette was fantastic, but the not only was the quality not there, but the colors made me question who the heck on the show wore them. I’m a huge Trubie but the the product was such a miss I couldn’t pull the trigger! It just could have been so much more if the colors had been more pigmented and bolder in color choices.
@gilded_lady The Tarte for True Blood collection seemed more like a selling point than the actual products used on the show. If it was truly based on the show, the colors would be either more intense or more subtle (depending on which character you’re looking at).
I agree with that and that’s where I think it went wrong. When I heard of the collection I was expecting colors that you’d see the two most stylish people on the show – Pam and Lafayette wearing. Granted, that was probably my mistake since Tarte has never really aimed for that kind of boldness, but that’s what I wanted/expected out of it thus leaving the collection a disappointment.
People are going to hate me, but – MAC Venomous Villains! I would have LOVED to have seen more effort in the packaging, like a shell compact, an imitation of Ursula’s lipstick, or wicked black and red lacquer hearts for the Evil Queen (a la the box she gives the hunter to put Snow White’s Heart in). It could have used some really WICKED packaging instead of the little stickers with the characters on them.
@Alison Cole I agree! I only like maleficent though, I would’ve picked cooler villains, with cooler packaging, it did like the packaging but I agree it could’ve been better!
@Alison Cole I agree, the stickers were underwhelming. Even being subtle and giving the plastic containers a different color or a pattern would have been better – but not as exciting as a shell compact of course.
@Alison Cole That would have been great to see in general. I’m a sucker for unique packaging. Although the screen technical is fine but actually shaping the packaging would have been a nice touch.
@Alison Cole i agree with this! they should have really run with the packaging!
@Alison Cole
Packaging like that would have been awesome! Could you imagine how much they’d hike up the price for things like that though? I do think they could put a bit more effort in. The crappy little stickers just scream ‘I can’t be bothered and I don’t care’
The one that sticks out in my mind, just because it was the most recent, is MAC Hey Sailor. Other than the nautical-inspired packaging (which in itself could have been better), not much about it really screamed *sailor*, to me. And while the quality wasn’t as terrible as other collections, it wasn’t good and I ended up passing on the entire collection. The way they marketed it I was expecting something pin-up inspired, 1930s/1940s era with a military-like tinge (thinking something along the lines of Christina Aguilera’s Candyman video). It was a good idea, but in my mind the execution wasn’t nearly as good as it could have been.
@nacacijin – you’re right. It could have been more Vargas girl/pin-up girl.
Maybe ” Semi-Precious Gems ” ?
While not an actual “collection”, I would redo all of the old Kat von D eyeshadow palettes; I would either do away completely with the cream shadows, or reformulate them. I actually bought the “Gypsy” palette for the gold cream color (Brass Knuckles), but although I didn’t use it right away, the cream shadow was dry when I pulled it out a couple of months later.
MAC Surf Baby – I absolutely love the packaging on that collection, but the colors were not those that would appeal to the surfing crowd or even tropical vacation (holiday) colors. The eyeshadows were too bright and/or shimmery and the lipglosses were too frosty. I love Hibiscus (most flattering color on me – love!), but I believed that color-wise that was the only thing they did right. I would have loved to see more surfer-girl friendly colors, such as natural and summer-friendly neutrals and nudes. Not frosty, but just softly shimmery – for both the eyeshadows and glosses. A product that they could have made – SPF powder (or bronzer); very beach friendly. Overall, I would have loved to have seen more flattering, neutral, natural-looking, and low-maintenance colors. Oh, and a re-launch of Hibiscus lipstick – I would still buy it, even without the cute packaging – it’s just that great of a color (a flattering low-key coral).
Easy. MAC Heatherette collection. Simply because back in 08 when it launched i was 15 years old playing around with my mothers lipstick, unaware of the amazing, but small, collection. The ad campaign was shot by David LaChapelle, was centred around the gorgeous Ms Amanda Lepore and, the products/packaging were simply fabulous. It bought us fleshpot, and even though the products were hyped to be super bright, a lot of them were quite subtle and looked pretty wearable. It wouldn’t make much sense to bring it back now but, a boy can dream can’t he? x
Most recently would be MAC x Beth Ditto. It could have been so rad! One that sticks out in my mind is last year’s Quite Cute collection from MAC. There were some stand out products in that launch and I love loved the color palette, but for a lot of the pieces the quality just was not there or I think the textures just didn’t suit the shades. Also I wish the Urban Decay Anniversary palette would have had some mattes. I can’t make a whole look with all those shimmers and their new mattes seem divine.
I’m not sure if I can comment twice but… the collections launched in the last year or two (not all of them) but quite a lot of them seemed kind of rushed. Like not very thought out. I’d rather have 8 or so amazing collections in a year than 40 collections, with some good products in each. The Beth Ditto collection had potential but fell short of expectations… your review said it all really. The Daphne Guinness collection could’ve been awesome too – that blush ombre in Vintage Grape (Even thought it was a re-release) was magnefique. x
MAC Venomous Villains! The packaging itself should have been so much prettier than simply putting a picture of the movies on it. Why didn’t they use the sketchy ones of the ads?They could’ve done a mineralize eyeshadow that looked like the poisoned apple for the Evil Queen and a mirror. Or anything that looked like a rose with thorns (e.g. in a blush) for Maleficient, thus fake lashes with feathers. A white laquer with black glitter would have been cool for Cruella. And I personally would change Facilier with Ursula – a violet/lilac blush would have been great. And lipsticks with tentacles in it.
This collection had so much potential but MAC wasted it and did a design that any drugstore brand could have made!
I remember you Christina reviewing the MAC Miss Piggy collection, and it looked every bit as last minute as she said it did. I’d have given Miss Piggy a few bright lipsticks, definitely a red, a pink and a coral, a very pink blush, a purple eyeshadow, a lime green one (Kermit), and reformulated the pink one they did put out so it actually worked. Plus put the character on the pink (obviously) packaging. It could have been a cute collection for people who like really in-your-face bright colours.
MAC really missed the mark with the Miss Piggy collection. MAC should have given it more thought and planning. It could have been just as popular as their Venomous Villans or Hello Kitty collections. Remember how big theBalm Muppets pallete was? People would have absolutely loved it.
Estee Lauder’s Mad Men – 2 products? Seriously? MAC’s 2011 Christmas collection: packaging for the sets = eewww! It was supposed to be a snow globe on some, but others just had a round thing. What was the round thing supposed to be? MAC’s Big Bounce, MetalX and Beth Ditto (shade sticks and polka dot powder): one bad product is enough to hurt your rep, but 4? Make more collections like MAC Me Over – Outre’ and Carbonized were innovative and fun!
My very first thought when seeing the question: MAC for Rodarte, without a doubt.
MAC Hey, Sailor! definitely. The colors just didn’t make any sense to me. I understood the red lipstick for the whole pin up theme, the navy eye pencil and shadow, sure… but the random green? And peach? The collection just didn’t feel cohesive, and that’s why I think it flopped for a lot of people. They tried to tie in too many different things–nautical themes, pinup themes, and then they tried to throw in your usual summer colors like coral and gold. The collection felt neither nautical, nor summery for me.
MAC’s Beth Ditto, just because I’ve seen so much unified hate for it all over the Internet — I can’t believe MAC would release it like they did. That’s amazing to me. After that, I’d say MAC’s Hey, Sailor! collection. It just didn’t wow me, and I think it had a lot of potential.
i personally love the hello kitty and lady gaga collections the best!
Maybe it’s recent so it’s in my mind, but the one that leaps out to me is MAC’s Beth Ditto collection. I feel like Beth Ditto deserved better – I love the idea of it, and I don’t care what anybody says, her “I could care less what people think of me as long as I am happy in my own skin” attitude is really inspirational to me. I would have been ALL OVER what the collection was originally described as: a range of multi-tasking products (more bang for your buck!) with a vibrant, funky color palette. The polka-dot theme was a cute idea, too, and I love the sentiment behind “You’re Perfect Already” – can we have more of that, please? The execution of the collection was just awful, though. If they had done a palette or two instead of that horrid spotted compact (eyeshadows and finishing powders could have co-existed beautifully, then, and maybe give us a bright blush or two!), reformulated the shadow sticks so they were actually functional, and maybe skipped out on the nail polishes in order to focus on making the make-up products better, I would have adored it.
Pretty much every MAC launch in the last couple of years. Beth Ditto, Big Bounce, Miss Piggy, Art of Powder to name a few. They all could have been so good and instead they were a bit underwhelming to put it politely
Beth ditto, too fabulous, iris apfel… Lots really lol
Miss Piggy and Beth Ditto for sure!! Both were HUGE disappointments and those women deserved better! Also the Tarte True Blood collection was lacking, not horrible, but could’ve been better also.
I think Miss Piggy was awful, she gets one awful pink eye shadow? come one!. Beth Ditto’s totally sucked and did no represent her at all! What about her says brown with blue polka dots? shakes head. Hey, Sailor had great lipsticks but thats it. The highlighter in that collection was gross. i feel like MAC has kinda lost their punch, they aren’t doing anything exciting or cohesive collections. I don’t get it. I miss collections like Heatherette and Cult of CHerry where I wanted everything and it all mixed and matched. I think it would be , cool if they did a collection revolving around their perfume turquatic or a cool nail launch with crackle, glitter and super unique colors. I want to see a truly summer collection with colors and textures people actually want to wear in the summer! I just expect more out of MAC.