MAC Tropical Taboo Collection (2013)

[LiliV]

My only definite is still Fever Isle but my maybes are Tropica and Adored, I would still like swatches of those. I've seen some of Adored but I'm still in the "eh" phase lol

 

[Naynadine]

If all of you had to pick your very favorite highlighter (non-pore minimizing ... liquid, powder or cream) that MAC has ever made, what would it be?

1. Lightscapade!

and
2. Play it Proper
3. Luna or Pearl CCB
are nice too.

And non MAC: Shiseido blush in High Beam White (every pale gal needs this!)

 

[ahoythere]

What highlighter from MAC has been your favorite so far?  Have you used the Luster Drops?  I haven't tried those yet.

Definitely Defined, lightscapade, Refined and Pink Rebel luster drops. But I'm reaching for DD the most often, it is fab for NW20 skin!

 

[bluelitzer]

ccb in pearl or luna...powder:superb extra dimension

Yes I agree. the cream color bases are my ultra favorite highlighter.

It made me not buy highlighters anymore and it bumped off all the rest of my highlighters that were in circulation.lol.
(my skin is on the dry side)
I use Pearl and Hush but more of the latter. My pores don't show with ccb's far away or up close.

 

[Audrey C]

If all of you had to pick your very favorite highlighter (non-pore minimizing ... liquid, powder or cream) that MAC has ever made, what would it be?

I'm in my mid-40s and have had oily skin since my teens. That means fine lines around the eyes and enlarged pores, no matter how carefully I take care of my skin. I don't like glitter, frosty or strong metallic finishes - they just aren't flattering. I've really only started wearing highlighters in the last year. I now wear one daily, but I use a light hand no matter what product I'm using. Some of my faves are (MAC and otherwise):

Office friendly:
Shell Pearl
Amber Glow MB
Benefit Watt's Up
NARS Nico
Dior Amber Diamond

Stronger sheen/glitter (apply with fan brush):
NARS Albatross
Definitely Defined
Light Year

High Sheen (used only occasionally and with caution):
Redhead
Stereo Rose

Highlighters I use as glowy blush:
Flower Fantasy Pearlmatte
Flatter Me Pearlmatte
NARS South Beach

 

[MACerette]

Just a quickie on the cremesheen glasses -

Fever Isle is BRIGHT. BUT it's very very close to last year's Star Quality. So much so, I decided to pass, since I still have BUs of Star Quality and haven't been wearing much gloss this year. The big difference is Fever Isle is much more opaque than Star Quality - it's got a subtle frost finish to it and the frosted bits go a long way towards making the color brighter, more opaque and not settle in lip lines. If you love Star Quality but wished it was more opaque, you are going to love Fever Isle. It's a teeeeeeeny bit redder than Star Quality too, but not by much.

Calypso Beat also has that frost finish but I don't know where they got the description as pink. It looks tan in the tube and when applied on my pigmented lips, it goes on this really nice peach. Just to be clear about the frost - these frosts don't look super frosty. You still have the typical c/s/g translucency, but there is this frosted under-layer that peeps through and gets rid of milkiness. I'd say this color is quite similar to Private Screening (which is an HG peachy nude for me) and also similar to the nude lip glass from Wonder Woman, but a little more peachy and less pink. Very flattering color and I'm getting a tube of it, because I know I will wear it a lot.

Narcissus and Japanese Spring are the same as ever, though Japanese Spring seemed maybe a little brighter this time around and less settling, which is a good thing.

Is it very very close to SQ or is it in between SQ and Astral?
If it is SQ material I'M IN!!!

 

[xasperadastra]

I need more swatcheees!!
But my list should be:

Sweet Samba
Simmer
Adored
Tropica?
159 brush if it's also good for pigmented blushes!

 

[RaymondKurzweil]

Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish. Been in love with it since last year!

I keep hearing Whisper of Gilt is THE highlighting skinfinish for WOC. It's the only thing sight unseen I seriously consider buying off of eBay...

 

[MACerette]

I am NC15, so no colour here, but out of the EDSF's WoG is still my fave. I have all of them except for Glorify. There is one used 3x up for sale in the European Swap and Sale.

 

[Lipstickdiva420]

So on to the eye shadows….

Mixed bag here, people. Be aware!

Some of these are much more glittery than others. The glittery ones aren't going to magically get un-glittery if you pick the right swirls, so if you like the color, you will have to live with the glitter. Not all of them are like this, at least and ALSO, I tested the glittery ones with the duo-fiber brush that's being re-promoted with the collection and that brush does help cut down on excess glitter and fallout really well - so well that I think I'm going to grab one to deal with my more glittery MES just in general.

My favorite from the shadows is Tropica. Not only is the color really lovely - sort of a purplish light blue with a pink cast and a very duo-chrome effect as the light hits it - but it's shimmery but not glittery. I don't have another MES with quite this color. It's a cool tone but has enough pink in it that it's very wearable even on me, who doesn't do well with every cool blue shadow by a long shot. It's going to look great with some purple liner.

Next best is Bossa Blue, but this one can be a little fussy. Trying to swirl the two colors together didn't work very well. The brown in this one is quite matte, surprisingly. There isn't any shimmer in it at all. We haven't seen this texture in an MES for a long while. The blue is more shimmery, but not glittery, and is a very rich blue with a touch of teal. Swirling them together though, the two colors don't mix well and it goes on patchy and hard to blend. You'll do best to find one where there's mostly a blue side and a brown side so that you can avoid most swirling. The brown is a rather unusual brown - sort of flat and cool, but very flattering. It's not going to show up on the darkest skin, though the blue ought to just fine. I'd say the brown is closest to Twilight Falls, but it doesn't have any shimmer in it.

Third place for me goes to Time to Tango. The description is a little deceptive. It's sort of a dusky cornflower blue/purple with burnished pewter veining. This pewter color is NOT cool - it looks like a very pale bronze or khaki gold, not silver. Applied dry, it looks quite similar to Tropica, but somewhat darker and warmer, due to the pewter. The only thing is - this one has glitter in the pewter bits. I found that applying with the duo fiber brush helped keep the glitter under control and I didn't have fall-out - maybe just one glitter piece or two max. It's a dreamy, subtle color when swirled together - just what the MES does best, so I really like it, but your mileage may vary if you don't like glitter in your MES at all.

Other people may really love Carribean, but here's the thing. MAC's been putting out variations of this shade in collection after collection of MES. This one is the LEAST glittery and sparkly of them all - it's very smooth with a satin sheen. So, it's tempting, but I personally am not going to allow myself to get it, because I have tons of In The Sun and Quartz Fusion and just can't justify a purchase, even if this is the smoothest version out there. I don't mind the glitter, though, so it's easier for me to be satisfied with what I already have. For other people who love this shade but hate the glitter, you're going to want to give Carribean a look.

The same thing goes for Cha-Cha-Cha. We've gotten this color in multiple collections but this time, the chartreuse color is extra pigmented, even applied dry and the deep blue comes nice and separate in chunks so that you aren't forced to swirl them together, so yes, new and improved, but it is the exact same color we have seen before in Jade's Fortune and Water. I'm passing, but if you love that bright chartreuse color and love MES, you will be happier with this one than the previous versions by a lot.

Dare To Bare we've also seen a bunch of times. It's cream! It goes on very smoothly and the one I tried only had a tiny touch of glitter. It's a high quality MES, but I bet everyone has something like this already.

One thing to note: All these MES work really well dry - I didn't even bother to use Fix+ with any of them and got plenty of pigmentation on all of them. Using them wet might make a few of them more opaque, but most of them are fine the way they are dry and might even run into problems if applied wet and get streaky or clumpy - I don't think that brown in Bossa Blue could handle too much moisture when applied, for example, but it's plenty pigmented on its own. Cha-Cha-Cha is quite bright applied totally dry without a base, but you could get it very dense with a little extra effort too.

Think I will keep tropica on my list as planned.

My new l

narcissus
ablaze bu pencil
heroine bu pencil
tropica
gold deposit
287 brush (maybe)

 

[purplevines]

I'm considering getting Adored, but that's the only thing at this point and I'm toooo lazy to get up and wait outside for an msf I will never use up lol...I may need to just ignore this thread (or try to...)

 

[Richelle83]

Now I feel like I should have bough WOG. It didn't really get my attention either time it came out. Uh oh lol

 

[miss0annette]

Interesting. I just did a mac chat to ask about the release date and this is what she said.

 

[JenniBee73]

Interesting. I just did a mac chat to ask about the release date and this is what she said.

Hmm...very interesting indeed. It gives me a sliver of hope. However that little disclaimer makes me nervous lol

 

[miss0annette]

Hmm...very interesting indeed. It gives me a sliver of hope. However that little disclaimer makes me nervous lol

Lol Yes I thought the same thing! I prefer it comes out in July. I'll have plenty of birthday gift cards to use for it. Haha

 

[MaitaiFluff]

Interesting. I just did a mac chat to ask about the release date and this is what she said.

I wonder why it's releasing so late online. Isn't it normally up online a full week before the store launch?

 

[Lipstickdiva420]

i doesn't even sound right to release in store on independence day?

 

[ladyarwen]

i doesn't even sound right to release in store on independence day?

I feel it makes perfect sense IMO. Many companies and stores have 4th of July sales to entice more people to shop on that day. Releasing a new collection would definitely bring in the MAC faithful.

 

[Lipstickdiva420]

I feel it makes perfect sense IMO. Many companies and stores have 4th of July sales to entice more people to shop on that day. Releasing a new collection would definitely bring in the MAC faithful.

Oh yeah you're right there is a lot of sales that day lol. I don't shop that day so maybe that's why it didn't make sense to me.

 

[Debbs]

WooYoo, it is in! No testers are yet made but it is at my local Macy's counter. I may be able to view and hopefully swatch on either Tues or Fri. The associate told me July 4th however promised to check to see if her mgr recvd any emails advising alternate date. A week does make a huge financial difference!