So I got to see everything and buy it and take it home!
I tried everything, although I didn't buy everything. The supplies were quite limited in the store, so even though there were a few I was really thinking about, I decided to get the must-haves and try them at home and let it all grow on me, rather than going hog wild right up front.
So the gloss tints… This is a really nice formula!!! It feels and looks like a cremesheen glass - some are a little more opaque than others, but for the most part, they are all like the most opaque c/s/g or even the very opaque standard lipglasses. Unlike standard lipglass, the formula isn't sticky. It's also less tacky than the original clicky pen formula. It feels most like csg, but also less sticky and much more moisturizing. Also unlike pigmented csgs, the colors DON'T settle into the lip lines or feather along the edges of the lips, which is fantastic! Finally, unlike all the other MAC lipglasses, you can blot these down to remove the glossy surface but not disturb the actual color!! This operates the way the Mineralize Lip Balms do, so you can control the amount of shine, but without making the color patchy. Unlike the MLBs, the colors are much much more opaque. For anyone who was wishing there were some opaque and bright MLBs, here you go! This product is for you!! Also like the MLBs, these are extremely gentle and hydrating, even after blotting and wearing for a while. Not drying in the least and actually quite moisturizing feeling, even though they're not billed as being moisture balms. They are in my opinion well worth the $20 price tag. They feel more like how I'd expect some of the $$$ glosses from Dior or YSL would be.
The bright colors are the nicest ones in this collection. While the softer colors also behave very very well on the lips, they don't really look as original and they tend to be a bit sheerer than the brightest ones. This is the only reason I held back on not getting more right then and there, but I am definitely considering going back for a few more, now that I've had the chance to wear them all day.
I bought Glorious Intent, Blushing Berry and Kiss Kiss. One thing to note is these colors allegedly react to your skin's Ph, so it's quite likely the colors aren't going to look the same on everyone equally. I'm NC15, just like Angel Bunny, but they sure look quite different on my lips than they do in her swatches.
Glorious Intent is the deepest color, on me a very good year-round plum with a reddish purple cast. It's a very very stylish color, the same sort of reddish magenta like we saw with Strong Woman and we're seeing in the Retro Matte swatches of Fixed on Drama - there are varying levels of purple in these colors, but there's always this reddish magenta plum thing going on. Very flattering and not super vampy. Really beautiful blotted down. Actually, all the colors are
gorgeous blotted down
Blushing Berry looks like a straight, flat out blue red with plenty of va va voom. It's very similar to the red lipglass from Hey Sailor, but not thick and sludgy looking. This is going to be my most easy to wear and comfortable opaque red gloss for sure, since my other ones tend to feel much heavier on my lips than other colors in the same gloss formulas. I'm thinking about a BU, especially for the stain.
Kiss Kiss looks like a pinker and warmer Impassioned on me. It doesn't look like peach at all - I have no idea where that description even comes from. It honestly looks like Astral csg looks in the tube, as brilliantly bright. Of course Astral doesn't look as nice and bright on the lips, but Kiss Kiss does! Some of the other colors in this collection are very reminiscent of the Heavenly Creatures csgs too, so if you loved those in the tubes but wished they'd looked as bright on the lips, you should check these out.
I also was very tempted by Bubble Gum, which is quite like Fashion Scoop, just a touch warmer. Fashion Scoop is definitely one of my most favorite csgs, but unlike it, Bubble Gum doesn't settle in the lip lines AT ALL. I passed on it in the store because I've still got FS and some other similar glosses. It's not exactly the most unique color. I am probably going to go back and get it anyways, though, because the texture is superior.
Simply Wow was the same feeling in the store - it was a little sheerer than some of the other ones and looked close to Narcissus, but maybe a little pinker, brighter and not as unique - it reminded me of Playtime lipstick from Quite Cute, with a bit less pink. It's another one I think I will go back for, though, because if it changes how it looks in daylight, the way the other ones I bought did, it's going to be nicer than I originally judged. Also when I was in the store, I had Exotic Ember blush on, and that is a really strong color that pretty much clashed with a lot of these softer shades. Honestly many of these shades are more spring-like and/or are going to be extra-flattering when you don't have a tan going on. Pale NWs are going to have field day with these colors, but they're not hard to wear if you're deeper or warmer - just will have to consider what blush you have on in combination, I'd think.
I didn't pounce all over Gwi-Yo-Mi and K-Wow because they were very pink. Again, I was NOT wearing the right blush for sure, plus I haven't been feeling pink lately. I'm going to reconsider Gwi-Mi-Yo, though for all the same reasons as Kiss Kiss - reminded me of Galaxy Rose's tube color. It will be a color I will be able to get more use out of later this year. It was excellently bright on the lips. So was K-Wow, but that was probably too cool in combination with how pale it is for me and my red lips and middle age hehe. Younger gals will love it.
I can't recall if I tried Heart & Seoul and didn't care for it, or if I accidentally didn't try it. One of the MAs I know there, who is a very pale NW, said it was one of the ones she loved best, so that's something to consider. If you're trying any of these in person, don't be wearing some dark brown blush or major bronzing powder and you'll get a better idea! My bad!
All in all, this is a stealth product if there ever was one. A little "what's the big deal?" on first perusal, but with use, quite excellent and superior to many of MAC's other gloss formulas. Oh and FYI, you don't have to click the clicky pens five jillion times to get them started like the last batch, which is a real relief - that was super annoying with the old ones. If you like the idea of a two-in-one product you can wear as a wetly shiny gloss or a soft, moist, but not glossy, stain and are OK with straight forward colors instead of mega-high fashion colors, or require a really gentle, hydrating product that's not harsh on the lips, you're going to feel like you have spent your money well with these! Here's hoping this isn't one of those one shot collections where we will never see these products again, because I could seriously give up on cremesheen glasses in exchange for this formula, which is saying a lot.
I'll post about the sheen supremes in another post.
I fancy pleasurefruit and sweet grenadine.
