I think it was MAC’s Barbie Loves MAC. At least, that is one of the few times I can distinctly remember waiting in line for the store to open (to get the doll), which is not something I do very often, haha!
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MAC Alluring Aquatic – the colors and the packaging were fabulous, and I had just started getting back into so I was really excited for the whole collection.
Two that happened within a few months of eachother, one of which was drugstore! Maybelline had a purple themed fall collection they came out with, Mercedes Benz something or other, it had a DEAD-ON dupe for MAC Heroine called Lavender Voltage which I still wear, plus I bought half of that collection! A few months afterwards, UD dropped Naked 3. And I was all set to buy it, it looked so beautiful in reviews! However, I was talked out of buying it by a Sephora SA, my own daughter. She instead sold me on Lorac Unzipped, saying how it was more suited to my coloring. Needless to say, Lorac Unzipped, while NOT what I went across town to Sephora to get, is a favorite palette of mine to this day!
The beginning of my mid-HE makeup addiction!
Lorac Unzipped is probably my fave palette for summer, and to pair with bold lips. I also ordered Lorac Unzipped Gold during the last Ulta Platinum point perk sale, should have it this week
Because of you, I just ordered that Maybelline Lavendar Voltage on Ebay.
Probably the MAC Guo Pei collection – loved they used a top notch Asian designer, the packaging was unique and beautiful, and the eye shadow quads, though pricey as hell, were top notch. For a smoky blue eye, Night Sky is the best kit I’ve found. And Morning Light was the first time I tried warm orange and yellow colors on my eyes. I thought I would look terrible, but boy was I wrong, my eyes looked like turning autumn leaves.
Mac Cult of Cherry, also Blonde, Brunette, Redhead. I still have pieces from those collections that I’ve never used! I buy extras of things I like, then forget about them or get bored. With those launches the colors were unique & I’ve never found anything like them. Pink Clash Lipglass from Lure was also unique-wish they would repromote these collections instead of the boring colors that look like everything else.
Oh man, I honestly can’t remember!
I was very excited for MAC’s Giambattista Valli collection. I saw the press image and swatches months before it came out and I immediately fell in love with Eugenie, the darkest lipstick in the collection. At the time, I didn’t know that MAC has different release dates for Europe/Int, so I went looking for it in July.. only to find out it launched here in September!
I was still able to purchase it, but I decided to keep track on upcoming collections/launches from MAC and other brands. Since then, I never missed out on something I wanted.
I can’t say I have cared all that much about any launch ever. Except now. I think I will cue up for the Naked Ultimate Basics palette. I’ve never owned a Naked palette, and this may be time to take the leap.
In general, launches or collections don’t really excite me – I’ve never purchased an entire collection. But I think the one that interested me the most was MAC’s A Tartan Tale. And when I saw the Extra Dimension shadows being made permanent – that got my pulse racing (and my wallet trembling!).
I haven’t been into makeup for that long, so mine is fairly recent – Naked 3. Ironically, I hardly use it! It tends to go a little muddy and ruddy on my skin.
MAC Alluring Aquatics!
The new Hourglass Surreal Light holiday palette. I’m just glad it won’t be available here. So pretty!
Even though I’ve always loved makeup I didn’t start really following it at all in terms of collections until my mid to late 20’s. Guerlain Russian Doll was the first one I remember well enough to have it stick with me!
MAC Rocky Horror followed closely by Shu Uemura Karl Lagerfeld (Choupette)…although the newest MAC x Star Trek) is pretty close (happily already ordered a number of pieces that arrive Thursday or Friday I think).
Back in high school I worked at the mall at a shoe store, and I and my co-workers would always spend our lunch breaks at the MAC counter. This was around the time of the first Viva Glam with RuPaul launch and before there were new MAC collections and collabs every season!
So the first launch that ever got me gaga was MAC lip glass, back when it only came in a tube and only came in clear. I had to have my hands (and lips) on it immediately – and I remember how my hair, straws and nearly everything else would get embarrasingly stuck to my lips all the time, it was soooo tacky-sticky! MAC also had a vinyl gloss you could put on your eyes to transform any shadow into a glossy, sticky look that would become a complete creasy mess after a few hours. But there was NOTHING out there like it, I wore it all the time, and I haven’t seen any other company try to make an eyelid gloss again, LOL.
Oh how I loved the MAC Hello Kitty collection. I truly wish I could turn back the hands of time and grab more items from that one.
I wasn’t into makeup much back then and didn’t get anything at all even though I love Hello Kitty. Still kicking myself!!
Oh yes. I lived in Hamburg When it came out and the Mac Store was Full of hello kitty decoration. But I did not collect Mac at that time. So I was absolutely not interested. 🙁
Hello Kitty is my all time favorite Mac collection too!!
I have a ton of pieces from it, and most of the colors have never been done again! Which is such a shame.
I agree! It’s quite surprising they haven’t repromoted many of the shades. I believe Most Popular was re released, but I missed it (still kicking myself)! I’d love to repurchase at least 3 of the lip colours from this collection alone.
Either the Alice and Wonderland UD palette or the Venomous Villians collection. I think the UD palette was released first.
When YSL did that Star Wars collaboration back when the Phantom Menace came out… I’m only 33 but I’ve been into makeup for a LOOOONNGGG time!
Oh, wait, I lied. I also owned all the makeup L’Oreal (or was it Revlon?) launched in collaboration with Titanic (1998?).
I also recall begging my mother for an Estee Lauder patriotic lipstick and eyeshadow collection that came out possibly for July 4th. The eyeshadow palette was the American flag and the lipstick was a red with a star-shaped white core. I was just a little kid, though, and my mom said no. I’ll never forget!
Mac Alluring Aquatic… and that it sold out so quickly left me really disheartened, having gone to the store that morning to pick up the shades I had wanted only to have them all be sold out. I did manage to snag one lipstick and a lipglass just for the packaging, but I hardly use them.
Several of the eyeshadows from that collection, including Sea Worship and Legendary Lure, are now permanent, if you’re still hankering for a few of those!
NARS X Andy Warhol… I’ve never been so excited for a collection, since I love NARS, and have been a Warhol fan since I was a kid (as well as a fan of many of the “players” of that scene). Conversely, I’ve also never been so disappointed in a collection… I ended up with the only piece that interested me, which was the eyeshadow trio from a set, that I got from a trusted seller on eBay for a really good price. I had planned/saved in anticipation of getting several pieces, but “quality” aside, nothing interested me…
Exactly: I thought the collection a match made in makeup heaven in what turned out to be an incredibly disappointing release for me as well.
Oh man haha. MAC Hipnotique in 2004 was a really big one for me. There are probably several more collections from that year that hold a place in my heart, but I think that was the first one. 🙂
Oh that is an LE I have never heard of.
I am not much for whole collections launches, especially those made up of limited edition products. But the first one and also most recent for me was the 100 UD Vice lipsticks launch; it got my attention because I was in market for new lipsticks and it comprised permanent products.
Not to mention they packed in a little more and lowered the price to a little less!
That got me all excited too, but it wasn’t my first so I didn’t name it. Thought about it though. That kid in a candy store feeling with 100 shades to choose from!
I was so geeked for Rihanna ❤️ MAC collection! I was at the store super early for the first release.
When Natasha Denona came to Beautylish I ordered RIGHT away. I was so excited and have to say the products have lived up to the hype! The eye shadow quint #2, nude blush duo #15 and Glow Stick Highlighter in Light are my favorite takeaways! The current red Chanel collection is calling my name now….
Some of Estee Lauder’s Fall-Winter and Bronze Goddess collections of past years. Especially liked the Tom Ford collab with EL a few years ago.
More recently, the Charlotte Tilbury line, though I have yet to own any of it.
Not a launch per se, but I always get excited when a new Sephora Favorites curated set comes out, especially the holiday ones. They make great gifts that appear to cost more than they do. That being said, if anyone has a Bronze Bares All one from this summer (with the Laguna bronzer) and you don’t love it, I will love it for you. I’m still kicking myself!
They are on Ebay. This was the best price I found for Buy it Now, but there are some auctions too with lower prices.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sephora-Favorites-BRONZE-Bares-ALL-New-SOLD-OUT-neutral-bronzers-/322235995651?hash=item4b06c31603:g:JFMAAOSw65FXs2xD
I have to agree with you Christine I was really excited for MAC Barbie (although I think I only got a lip gloss) and then I was super excited for MAC Hello Kitty as well!!!!
I cannot remember because I am always so excited. But I Never stood in Front of a Shop before it was Open because of a LE. I think for Mac Barbie and Heatherette I would have done that, but I did not collect Mac at that Time. I also have no pro Store near my home so the really Special LE collections do not come to my Mac store.
I dont remember my first but i remember my last! Just today 23 August 2016 with the launch of Anastasia Beverly Hills in France! (Yes only now!!) 🙂
This is a difficult question to answer. I have never not gotten an item I was interested and have definitely never stood in line for a product release before – but I don’t wear MAC and that seems to be the recurring theme for that trend. I always look forward to Cle de Peau’s winter releases – typically a coffret, a few special lip colors and a face product of some kind. I always buy the full collection of these and do my pre-order super early so I always get things. I’m always watching for new Chantecaille released, especially their give-back editions like the new lions palette. While I’ve skipped one or two over the years, I have most of these animal/environment collabs. Colors are always unique and I like their focus on contributing back and raising awareness. Like most other I assume, we all watch and wait for Tom Ford collections. I missed out on some things in the early years before I understood the eye aesthetic he was going for and how the glitter shadows were intended to be used. I’ve learned to keep an eye out for upcoming collections and then go through my regular MUAs to ensure I get them as soon as they’re available.
It’s totally boring, but I was really excited when bareMinerals launched at Sephora, and I didn’t have to mail order any more. Plus, they added the Fair Original Foundation shade, which was a better match for me than Light. At the time, before face primers, it was the only thing that would stay on my super-oily skin and not oxidize.
Hi Rachel!
Not boring at all 🙂 You cannot imagine how quickly I ran to the store to check it out when BECCA became available here 😉
😀 😀 😀
This release from MAC netted my first purchases of high-end cosmetics, thus beginning my archive of makeup. I purchased the Pearl Blossom beauty powder (which got dropped and I have unsuccessfully ever replaced) as well as two lipsticks and five shadows – I still remember their names, and BeautyBurst and Whistle often find their way into my routine. Mothbrown is probably a staple of my collection, I have never found a dupe for it. Rocking Chick and Modern Ms are still used frequently as well. I had Magic Dust too and I loved it, but it exploded when I dropped it one day, and I’ve replaced it with Dazzlelight, although it’s not -as- good.
mac moonbathe in 2007…before that i had only ever seen collections upon/after release….moonbathe i was anticipating and even though i showed up at the counter pretty soon after the launch, i still managed to miss some hot ticket items! you live and you learn! 🙂
The Urban Decay Oz collection came out soon after I became obsessed with makeup and I remember thinking the Glinda palette was so beautiful and perfect. I bought it in-store the day it came out and I wore it probably five times max. I ended up selling it. I feel like learning to avoid the temptation of special or limited releases was a hard lesson for me to learn.
We don’t have big makeup launches in Australia – then or now. But I remember being really excited over the Estee Lauder’s Blue Dahlia quint – in shades of blue and teal. It was so different from anything else I had seen before. I was lucky enough to get it (the last one) on my birthday too.
Until recently my makeup addiction was under control and I was not cyber stalking my favorite brands/bloggers on social media LOL! My first was the UD Gwen Stefani release. The eye shadows and lipsticks are my jam all day long. Only disappointment was the blush palette. I picked up the Hourglass Photo Editor Palette last Christmas and the Gwen blush palette just didn’t compare. Plus the one shade was way to orange for my skin tone so I returned it.
I remember going nuts over the whole Ultima II ‘The Nakeds’ line – I bought nearly the whole thing, which is not something I do often either!
I’m not entirely sure, though I’m sure it was a MAC one.
I’m only 20, and only really started following collections and such this last year. So I would say the TF sweet peach palette and the jaclyn hill x becca face palette really got me excited… Although if I really think about it, the first time I NEEDED something was this february, the Zac Posen x MAC collection.. specifically the lipstick Dangerously Red. I had to have that. And when I lost it drunk at the bar one night, I HAD to ask my boyfriend to replace it for me by ordering one online since it was sold out in store. Forever grateful for that one. Its THE perfect bright pink, by my favourite designer and my favourite makeup brand. And I have refrained from buying anything similar, I want to keep that piece unique.
Oh, I was really waiting for the MAC Osbourne collection to come out. I was stalking my MAC for weeks (cause we get the collections waay later than the US does) to get the Jolly Good duo and a lippie (which I did not end up getting, cause non of the colors suited me well enough). Did not disappoint at all, would have bought a blush and something else if it was not for the budget. I keep the duo unfinished for the memories 🙂 The only thing I did not like (and generally do not like about those duos) is that there is no divider between the products. Messy.
I would say MAC Cinderella collection. In hindsight I wish I would have bought several of each item seeing what they are selling for online.
Tom Ford summer palette 2015!
Oh wow, I’m sure it was something I saw in Teen Magazine back in the early 80s! There were some kind of eyeshadow palettes shaped like painter’s palettes, but I don’t remember what they were called.
Max Factor’s launch of the Maxi line was pretty exciting to my junior high self too. For those who don’t know, it was a line intended for teens, to bring the Max Factor label to the youngsters. They had these skinny eyeshadow pans that were longer, so the applicator was next to the shadow instead of beneath it. It was designed to fit neatly into the back pocket of your jeans, and stick out just a bit for easy grabbing, like a back pocket comb.
That’s a tough one, because my experience with launches is limited. Before Temptalia (which for me was maybe … 4 years ago?), I didn’t know about launches in advance, and so never waited with anticipation. Since then … hmm. The Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipsticks? Maybe. Maybe not, since I still haven’t bought one. I don’t know. I like makeup, but I can’t say I’ve gotten “really excited” for something in particular, except maybe VERY recently, the Viseart Orange/Violet blush palette, but that might just be the eye candy effect, which I’m prone to getting over if I wait long enough. I think I was very strongly curious and hopeful for the UD Spectrum palette, and … another one like it that I can’t remember anymore (KVD?), but again, never got either of then. I kind of WANT to be super-excited about a launch, but I might be a touch jaded. 🙁
MAC Give me Liberty of London. I had just fallen in love with makeup a year or two prior to this release. I was 18 at the time and never really had any mid to high end makeup. The lipstick Ever Hip just stood out to me. I could not wait for it to be released! 6 years later and I still have the tube it came in!
Too Faced Sweet Peach. I was at Ulta the moment they opened. It came out on my birthday which was cool, but I admit I was a little stressed until I actually got my hands on it. I bought a backup I liked it so much.
The CoverGirl Star Wars collection. I gave it a week or two after it released to be in stock in my area then went to four different drugstores looking for it. After being unsuccessful, I called the company amd asked when it would be launched in Canada. It was then I found out it was a US promotion only 🙁