Sorry if this post is redundant, but i got behind reading while out of town at my mom's funeral.
So, i got back in town Weds night. And Thurs. AM did NOT rush to my local MAC where a mob eager for Marilyn was waiting for the store to open. They only let people in 5 at a time because so many were out there. In about 45 min, they were sold out of all the lipsticks, blushes and powders, and most of the eye shadows. I arrived about 1-1/2 hours later and managed to get the LAST one of the only product i wanted, Preferred Blonde e/s.
But i DID get to see half of the beautifully packaged Holiday Collection.
I previously mentioned seeing a snap clutch that had red satiny material inside clear plastic with printed-on leopard spots on the outside and clear plastic with printed-on black lace on the inside. Well, it was red because it had RED lip products inside. Those who felt bad the pink ones weren't pink... well, lift up your spirits, because if the product is pink the satin is pink, too.
I saw all three brush sets, each in a similar leopard case with satin the color of the brushes -- ok, the duo-fibre are in a warm beige. In other words, the colors of the satiny fabric coordinate with what the clutch contains. For the lip sets -- pink, coral/orange, nude, or red -- the satin matches. And they can be used as little purses when the product is removed.
Plus there is a leopard spotted hanging make-up bag that rolls up for travel - i don't recall seeing it mentioned, and i'm coveting it.
THEN i saw the little upholstered poof boxes with the black plastic bows which are absolutely adorable!
The eye shadow combos are glorious! I was not at all interested when i saw the on-line photos. Big shrug. But seeing them in person, oh, how i wanted them all! The color combos are gorgeous! And many of the shadows have beautiful finishes that don't show in photos.
The lip-eye-face sets are beautifully designed. Open the large poofed clutch, and there's room for a few small things, and a hinged heavy black cover over the makeup products so they don't get munged. The inside of the protective cover is a fairly large mirror. Inside is a face powder and several eye shadows. AND the lip products are protected by a little easy-to-lift hinged cover, so the eye shadows won't contaminate them. Then, after you're done, the makeup section can be lifted out and the large clutch can be used as a purse - so keep the satin clean
There's a face set that in the photos has a large square of face powder to the left and a small black square to the right. When i saw it i thought the black square was eye liner or shadow. Nope. It's a MAC-tastic powder puff (for that old-fashioned glamourous way of powdering your nose). That set is in a re-usable clutch like the lip-eye-face set, with the same protective flap with a mirror. Both practical and luxurious.
The lip gloss sets and the pigment sets will be in a second set of releases, so they weren't in the shop. And they are what i REALLY wanted to see. So i'm on tenter hooks until they come in about a month.
I can confirm that each set in an upholstered box is beautiful and well-thought-out, and the packaging is fantastic. The leopard spotted packaging is not quite the same quality, but i think they're cute and practical - and probably a bit less expensive.
