MAC Tropical Taboo Collection (2013)

[VeronikaJ]

[COLOR=800080]^^ THIS[/COLOR]

Just received our shipment of it this week, the #159 is $35

 

[liba]

So, the blushes are also a little bit different and offbeat on first look too.

Exotic Ember: OK this is a very deceptive color. It might seem like the no-brainer color for the darker skinned folks out there but beware. My MA was telling me he tried it out on a couple of darker skins and it went ashy and while I was there checking everything out, one of the MAs who I love stopped to take a look too - she's very dark, probably NW50, and it went ashy on her too. The orange part has got a white base hiding in it and it's just a problematic shade. Meanwhile on my NC15 skin, it looked awesome - like everything I wanted Earthshine to be on me but wasn't. It was a warm brown with an orange almost-duochrome effect and really accentuated my bone structure. Earthshine, by contrast, looked muddy on me, just dirty looking and flat in comparison. The finish on these blushes are a little more satin than the ones from Apres Chic, which didn't appear glittery but in certain lights were quite sparkly unless you buffed them in a bit. These new ones will be less sparkly, but they do have a noticeable sheen and will still get a little sparkly in direct sunlight. I don't find this a problem, because it does result in a radiant effect, but for the sparkle-o-phobes out there, it's something to be aware of.

So to talk more about the sheen - you really can get a two-tone effect with all of these blushes. With Simmer, when you swirl it all together, the color showed quite berry on me. It's not like Ring of Saturn, which is much browner, even though it sort of looks like it. Anyhow, it looked like a berry color, but when the light hit it, you would see this pale apricot highlight that was magnificent. I love Simmer - it looks like the most normal of all the blushes but when worn, it's the most unusual. I'm not sure how this is going to translate on darker skins, but my guess is it's going to be fine, and not so ashy. It's less shimmery than Exotic Ember by a bit.

Sweet Samba is gorgeous too. It's better to swirl this one together, as the pink was a bit stiff on its own, but mingled with the beige, the texture became really smooth, buttery and blendable. If you have Hot Nights, you could consider skipping Sweet Samba, but SS does have that beautiful MB quality of melding with your bare skin in this lovely transparent way. It almost looks like a cheek tint or stain, rather than being a powder product. There are cool, white sheeny shimmers in the beige on this one, so for very dark skin, you might need to swirl hunt for one without too much brown. For pale and medium skin tones, the brown is a great addition to the hot pink, so I for one am going to look for one with plenty of beige. It softens the pink in just the right way and you get a bit of the beige as a highlight sheen when the light hits it, just like Simmer and Exotic Ember, to a lesser extent.

All the blushes look even nicer with the MSFs on top, since the MSFs sort of unite the very noticeable two-tone quality of the blushes under a single roof, so to speak. Just don't put those darn MSFs all over the whole cheek or they will overwhelm the less metallic blushes.

Let's put it this way - when I first tried everything on, I was ready to skip it ALL. But after a few hours of playing and experimenting, I got the drift of what was going on and am now getting all the blushes and MSFs. I still think these will be for the summer and early fall only, but unlike last year's collection, you don't need a tan to really rock everything. I didn't let myself get tanned this year and yet everything in this collection looks great.

 

[BriarRose]

OK so a little more wrap-up on the MSFs before going on the blushes. Adored is going to be amazing on asian skin tones, and fair NC skin. It might be good for counteracting redness in a fair NW skin too, but the paler shade in it has an almost khaki beige element so there's green and yellow to it that could also seem a bit dull for some NW. The coral provides the sheen color and is very cute and adorable. Rio is very pink and is going to be good for the most people I think. Lust is more subtle but with this metallic thing going on, I don't know if anyone who loves subtle makeup is going to think of it as subtle enough. None of these are what I'd personally want to use as a blush, due to the extreme metallic thing - all of these MSFs go on dry the way the old MSFs would apply with Fix+. I hope I'm not making the MSFs sound too scary. I like extreme makeup looks and am really open to new ideas and even I was scratching my head a bit at first, but after wearing Adored for the rest of the day and getting to see it in full sun and sunset and indoor nighttime light, my final verdict is it's GORGEOUS and I am past the initial shock of the finish. If you're going to try these on at a store, try and check them in natural light or just figure that however extreme they may look in the florescent lights of a MAC counter, they're going to look much more flattering out in the daylight by far. Don't be afraid!!!!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, liba. I always enjoy your posts! Do you think Rio would work on my very cool NW5 self? I had thought it would be too dark due to the brown. Little concerned about Adored, based on the comment you made about yellow. Yellow undertones, 9/10, are not my friend at all. Lust sounds amazing to me though! I may be lonely in this, but metallic doesn't scare me off. Aside from some dry skin issues on my forehead and more visible pores on my nose, I am really fortunate in the skin department. So I feel okay trying all kinds of powders and cream products.

 

[MACina]

Liba, thank you very,very much for sharing your thoughts

 

[Yazmin]

Thank you so much, Liba, for your insights.

My excitement for the 159 has increased. I'm going to use the brush with Earthshine to see if that changes my mind about keeping that one. Can't wait to get Rio and Simmer!

 

[liba]

I may be lonely in this, but metallic doesn't scare me off. Aside from some dry skin issues on my forehead and more visible pores on my nose, I am really fortunate in the skin department. So I feel okay trying all kinds of powders and cream products.

The brown in Rio is kind of transparent and invisible on the skin. The brown in Lust actually comes through a little more on the skin and affects the overall color - it's more mixed into the swirls, though, which might be why. Neither of these darkened my skin at all. The only thing that came through was the metallic highlight and that was primarily when the light would hit it. I think Rio will work best on your skin tone, as Lust has a bit "dirtier" color, while Rio is a clearer pink, but Rio and Lust are very related. I probably don't need both, but I'm probably going to snag both.

 

[SavannahLovely]

Thank you so much for all your reviews, Liba! I greatly greatly appreciate the enormous detail. It makes me feel more confident in what I want pre-swatches haha Thoughts on Minight Mambo? That was the product I was most excited about, but now I'm worried I'll be too sheer :/

 

[BriarRose]

The brown in Rio is kind of transparent and invisible on the skin. The brown in Lust actually comes through a little more on the skin and affects the overall color - it's more mixed into the swirls, though, which might be why. Neither of these darkened my skin at all. The only thing that came through was the metallic highlight and that was primarily when the light would hit it. I think Rio will work best on your skin tone, as Lust has a bit "dirtier" color, while Rio is a clearer pink, but Rio and Lust are very related. I probably don't need both, but I'm probably going to snag both. 

Thank you so much! That helps a lot in terms of me visualizing what they will look like on me. Rio sounds like a must buy for me. I may put the other two on hold too on release morning and see how they look. Especially since I will be hauling little to none in the MES department, no blushes, and only one CSG and one maybe lipstick. That is a tiny haul for me for the mineralized collection!

 

[MACina]

...I didn' t expect Lust to be brown (and kinda dirty) at all!

The brown in Rio is kind of transparent and invisible on the skin. The brown in Lust actually comes through a little more on the skin and affects the overall color - it's more mixed into the swirls, though, which might be why. Neither of these darkened my skin at all. The only thing that came through was the metallic highlight and that was primarily when the light would hit it. I think Rio will work best on your skin tone, as Lust has a bit "dirtier" color, while Rio is a clearer pink, but Rio and Lust are very related. I probably don't need both, but I'm probably going to snag both.

 

[BriarRose]

:shock: ...I didn' t expect Lust to be brown (and kinda dirty) at all!

I know! That's surprising and disappointing to me. I'm hoping it just might work on me anyway, seeing as that was the one I wanted from the time I first saw the color story. If not, at least Rio should be fine.

 

[MACina]

It really is....

But, nevertheless, Lust is still on my list and I hope that it won' t look too brown or dirty on me.

I'm hoping it just might work on me anyway, seeing as that was the one I wanted from the time I first saw the color story. If not, at least Rio should be fine.

 

[Debbs]

Thank you , Liba! It's 430am and I am tuned in. So well put together. Eagerly awaiting more . Really appreciated and one of the highlights of these collections

 

[Ashleybubbles83]

Thanks Liba! Money saved so far. Just need to hear about Midnight Mambo and ill be set!

 

[Naynadine]

Thanks so much for your review, Liba!

Right now I want:

Adored 2x
Lust
Rio
Simmer
Exotic Ember
159

That list might still change a bit.

It shouldn't, since you're everything but a butt face

You're way too cute to slap diaper rash cream on your face.

Aww, thanks!

 

[KMQE716]

Thanks for the review Liba as usually the chocolate bunnies get the short end of the mineralized stick...*cries* but it's ok bc my spidey senses told me that those prob was not going to work for me lol. I'll prob just be getting liners n narcissus n calling it a day

 

[Corally]

Thank you so much Liba! :bouquet: Definitely Adored and Simmer now and maybe Exotic Ember and Rio.

 

[pinkpaint]

Thanks for the review, Liba! This collection is a skip for me now. Not a fan of white/silvery pearl. And Rio doesn't sound as bronze as I wanted. More to spend on Riri, though.

 

[Copperhead]

I need a Rio swatch. It's really been the only thing I've been anticipating on getting from this collection. I wonder if some of the Rio's are a bit more bronze than others. We know how MSF's usually are. Sometimes some have more of one color than they do of the other.

 

[VAL4M]

Thanks liba for the reviews .... but what is the difference between brushes 187 or 130 to 159??? If someone can explain I will really appreciated it.
Thanks

 

[valkolak]

Thanks, Liba! I'm a little turned off by the metallic thing but I'm gonna bust out Semi-Precious Crystal Pink or w/e again and experiment. I think I still want all of the le msfs and simmer.