So here's my plan: For all of the types of products I'm interested in from this collection (basically just the PLW e/l, MES, MB, and lip balms), I'm going to buy myself ONE for now. So one PLW e/l (Mountain Air, I'm looking at you!), one MB, one lip balm, and one MES. I'll wait to see if I get any gift cards for xmas and if I do, I'll use those to get anything else I want.
I think I like the Pure and Tender balm the best, so I'm going to start with that one and see if it's worth the $19.50 price tag. If it's amazing, I'll get a couple more. For the MES, I'm thinking Winter Pursuit for now...hopefully Fireside and Silver Birch if I get those gift cards and they don't sell out right away.
The MB is going to be the trickiest for me. I was in a rush the other day, but was able to do a quick hand swatch thanks to a sweetheart of a MA who let me do so. As I believe liba said in her stellar reviews, Amber Glow is VERY light. I was shocked. I'm an NC25, and it was so pale on my hand, I can't imagine using it as a blush. Maybe I could use it as a highlight, but WoG is still my #1 for that, so I really don't need it. The MA claimed it would work on me as a blush, but as much as I trust her, I just don't think it would give me the kind of color I like for my cheeks. I don't even like Well Dressed because I find it too light for me, and that at least has color to it! Alpine Bronze, on the other hand, I was surprised by. I thought it would be too brown for me, but based on the hand swatch, I think the caramel description MAC gave is pretty accurate. So I'm seriously considering abandoning Amber Glow and giving Alpine Bronze a try...I hope I don't regret it! It's always so hard to tell from hand swatches, but it's better than trying to figure it out just based on promo images I suppose. Seriously though, with all the MAC I've bought the past few months, I can't afford to be buying things I don't even like, lol. We'll see what happens!