MAC - Surf Baby Discussion

Swirlgirl

Well-known member
I still don't know what to do about My Paradise. Should I get it or shouldn't I?

I'm so on the fence about it too! I worry that it will be too orange for me, and goodness knows I don't NEED it, but will I be kicking myself if I pass it up??? Argh. Decisions.

My list is pretty manageable:
-Both pigment stacks
-Careblend Bronzer (not sure which one yet - the description of the "darker" one being a rosy brown appeals to me more, but as an NW 20, I'm not sure if it'll be too dark??) Can anyone weigh in on this?

On the Maybe list are:
-Sun Blonde e/s
-Surf USA e/s (these two e/s seem pretty unique, but not sure if I would get wear out of them)
-Swell baby e/s (I have A LOT of grey e/s already)
-Hibiscus l/s (I have both VG Cyndi and Toxic Tale and hardly wear either of those)
-Bust Out l/s (looks a little to close to Spitfire, which I have and love, but am not really in need of a another one)
-My Paradise (too orange? too gimicky/too much hype?)

Usually I am an online orderer - my counter is unfortunately not all that close, but I think I'll need to make the trip to check this collection out in person.
 

RayannaBanana

Well-known member
I'm so on the fence about it too! I worry that it will be too orange for me, and goodness knows I don't NEED it, but will I be kicking myself if I pass it up??? Argh. Decisions.

My list is pretty manageable:
-Both pigment stacks
-Careblend Bronzer (not sure which one yet - the description of the "darker" one being a rosy brown appeals to me more, but as an NW 20, I'm not sure if it'll be too dark??) Can anyone weigh in on this?

On the Maybe list are:
-Sun Blonde e/s
-Surf USA e/s (these two e/s seem pretty unique, but not sure if I would get wear out of them)
-Swell baby e/s (I have A LOT of grey e/s already)
-Hibiscus l/s (I have both VG Cyndi and Toxic Tale and hardly wear either of those)
-Bust Out l/s (looks a little to close to Spitfire, which I have and love, but am not really in need of a another one)
-My Paradise (too orange? too gimicky/too much hype?)

Usually I am an online orderer - my counter is unfortunately not all that close, but I think I'll need to make the trip to check this collection out in person.
I feel the same way! The only thing I can think of is wait until someone has one for swap.
 

xasperadastra

Well-known member
I'm so on the fence about it too! I worry that it will be too orange for me, and goodness knows I don't NEED it, but will I be kicking myself if I pass it up??? Argh. Decisions.

My list is pretty manageable:
-Both pigment stacks
-Careblend Bronzer (not sure which one yet - the description of the "darker" one being a rosy brown appeals to me more, but as an NW 20, I'm not sure if it'll be too dark??) Can anyone weigh in on this?

On the Maybe list are:
-Sun Blonde e/s
-Surf USA e/s (these two e/s seem pretty unique, but not sure if I would get wear out of them)
-Swell baby e/s (I have A LOT of grey e/s already)
-Hibiscus l/s (I have both VG Cyndi and Toxic Tale and hardly wear either of those)
-Bust Out l/s (looks a little to close to Spitfire, which I have and love, but am not really in need of a another one)
-My Paradise (too orange? too gimicky/too much hype?)

Usually I am an online orderer - my counter is unfortunately not all that close, but I think I'll need to make the trip to check this collection out in person.
I have bust out and Spitfire .. at first sight they seem similar!!! But tonight I've tried them over naked liner and are not the same at all! Spitfire turns a magenta pink, while Bust out it's more purple^^ I have pigmented lips and this makes turn red every color :( I should post a comparison picture
 

BeautyByLele

Well-known member
I am thinking about holding off on the careblend powders . . . . do you guys think the Careblend Pressed Powders will sell out fast ??? Im sure the eyeshadows, lipsticks, pigment stacks, & cheek powder will sell out fast
 

BeckyBenett

Well-known member
im excited that the launch party is on the 17th.. does that mean it will go up on the mac site around that time??

i want to order my SB stuff!
 

laylalovesmac

Well-known member
Welcome to team coral, layla!
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Thank ya!
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shontay07108

Well-known member
[quote name="BeautyByLele" url="/forum/thread/172561/mac-surf-baby-discussion/3000#post_2118772"] I am thinking about holding off on the careblend powders . . . . do you guys think the Careblend Pressed Powders will sell out fast ??? Im sure the eyeshadows, lipsticks, pigment stacks, & cheek powder will sell out fast
[/quote] I don't think so. The ones that are already out never set the world on fire. I think people are all about the shadows and lipsticks. Say goodbye to Hibiscus, Bust Out, Saffron and Surf USA.
 

BeautyByLele

Well-known member
Im def getting Hibiscus, Saffron, Surf USA
I don't think so. The ones that are already out never set the world on fire. I think people are all about the shadows and lipsticks. Say goodbye to Hibiscus, Bust Out, Saffron and Surf USA.

My Must-haves :
Hibiscus
Saffron
Surf USA
Sun Blonde
Strange Potion

Maybes
Swell Baby
Naturally Eccentric
Girl on Board
Surf the Ocean
Good Luvin
 

liba

Well-known member
I don't wanna see anyone do a kick ass look with this pigment stack because then I'd have to kick myself in the face.
I'm back now....pigment stacks....ok.....I have to discuss these with a caveat - my store only got 3 of each color in. There was some sort of shipping issue and all the stores in town got only a small percentage of what they were originally assigned. I have no idea if this is nationwide or what, but as I've said before, the store I go to is the highest volume MAC store in L.A. - even the Pro store in West Hollywood is probably only going to get one stack each. Because of all of this total weirdness, I was able to see the stacks, but not test them out (understandably).

The pigments in each stack don't have identical textures. The pigments in Summer Stash are more uniform than in Surf the Ocean - especially the light colors looks very smooth. The 2 lighter colors are a little too close together in shade and tone, even if they're very soft and pretty. The purple and brown were head turners, but honestly I've got colors that aren't totally different than these and especially the brown one ought to have something similar coming out in the Semi Precious collection, with more ease of use. Temptalia's swatches are very accurate colorwise for this set.

Her colors don't look accurate for Surf the Ocean, though (at least displayed on my laptop). She's got the contrast cranked up too high, so the petrol blue looks super dark, the silver looks darker and the seafoam looks too dark and more bluish in her shots. The gold is the closest one but is also darker and browner by a little bit. Too much contrast and too much blue in the color balance. This set is GORGEOUS, but the textures are more varied. The seafoam green is like the light lavender in last year's pink set, that's to say chunky and probably on the sheerer side, but hey you know me, that's actually the color I absolutely use the most from that set so I'm not bothered (I scoop a little out, then chop it up on the back of the plastic lid insert until smooth, before applying). The dark blue isn't quite as smooth as you think it might have been, but it's lovely and not just a plain old navy blue by any means. The gold and silver have the most similar textures and look quite smooth, but they're both pretty bright and not very complex - Christine's pictures make them look a touch more sophisticated than they appear in person. Still, if you don't have a really great silver and gold pigment, these are far from the most tacky, basic baby versions of those colors.

All in all, even though the unique colors in Surf the Ocean are more unique than any of the colors in Summer Stash, overall the Summer Stash colors are a bit more sophisticated and "adult" when considered as a set. This and the more constant texture of SS are the main things you might ponder over if you only want to pick one set. I was going to get them both, but now I'm thinking I really would only use Surf the Ocean, so that'll probably be the only one I go for, but then again I currently don't have a really metallic silver or gold right now (used to but they were so old I tossed them for hygiene).

'Dunno if anything here is much help, but seriously beware - I hate to be a panic-monger, but there's a good chance these pigments are either going to be mega-limited at stores but perhaps more available online, or it's just going to be a huge clusterf**k everywhere.
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EngineerBarbie

Well-known member
I got a call last week from my usual MA at the Mac Store and she got me booked for a slot during their Surf Baby event (5/25 - 5/27). She said that since she knew I liked pigments that I would LOVE (yes, she emphasized that) this collection. I'm trying not to go for the pigments but just to cover my ass I may order it online, then try it in store and if I don't like it return it. I've got some empties to B2M for Vegas Volt anyway so it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

I've changed my list a little so now my definites are:
Strange Potion
Krazy Kahuna
Surf USA
Sun Blonde
Saffron

As Christine has reported how nice these shadows are (esp. since Saffron is a satin and historically I do not like satins) I think I can live with getting these three.
 

liba

Well-known member
Thanks liba! I'd love to hear your thoughts about My Paradise...
My Paradise - this is very sheer, but it's also very pigmented so you can definitely get a strong color effect without looking like you have thick clown cheeks. Very easy to apply without overdoing (I'm NC15). It's sort of a brick orange, that has a brighter, redder cast in bright sunlight. Definitely a color that looks better with bronzer or on medium or darker skin tones, but only due to the brick orange factor, not the brightness. The overspray is certainly very glittery, but it feels pretty adhesive and I've worn it all day without finding glitter bits hither and thither. It doesn't really read glittery on the face, there's a subtle touch of that but it's mostly a sheeny, subtly sparkly frost - even this is very subtle too - you'll never see frost or sparkle or even sheen indoors, only outdoors in strong light. I've been wearing it about 8 hours now and it's only been starting to fade in the past hour/hour and a half. If you want to keep it absolutely perfect, consider this more like 6 hour wear than 8 hour wear (my skin's on the dry side and I wasn't wearing any foundation or primer, but did have serum and moisturizer and put careblend powder on top).

The color itself isn't so unique, unfortunately. The brick orange is different than other MAC blushes, but Nars, well yeah you could get this or already have it. The texture is the nicest part, plus the ease of application. For a pale gal like me, I'm not really feeling like this is the ultimate orange I would have wanted. To tell the truth, I think I could get something that will look pretty much the same on my face with a blend of Stereo Rose and Utterly Game MB from Fabulous Felines. One thing - that overspray is thick, it won't be going anywhere fast, unless you are grinding your brush into the pan like you're trying to grind corn for tortillas. If you are pale and don't want to wear bronzer, this color also might seem a tad too yellow-orange for some tastes - it's the brownish-brick cast to the color. I'm trying to go easy on this collection due to the mineralize one coming up, so I'm being picky here for sure. If you get more excited by texture than color, you are going to find this one pretty interesting, but it's going to be best with a tan.
 

liba

Well-known member
Anyone know if the gilded white liner will actually last on the waterline? If not, then I really have no use for it.

I didn't try it on my waterline, but it's thick and creamy and isn't sheer at all (it's heavier on the beige-white than the gilding) - so maybe it'll be pretty good!
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luvlydee

Well-known member
Wow i just noticed all of the eyeshadows start with the letter s lol. Anyways my list has still been strong and has not change. I was going to put the bronzing stick in there but i decided to just get nars since i like that brand better (even though i have more mac stuff) So my list is still : Hibiscus Swell baby Refined golden
 

shontay07108

Well-known member
[quote name="luvlydee" url="/forum/thread/172561/mac-surf-baby-discussion/3000#post_2118800"]Wow i just noticed all of the eyeshadows start with the letter s lol. Anyways my list has still been strong and has not change. I was going to put the bronzing stick in there but i decided to just get nars since i like that brand better (even though i have more mac stuff) So my list is still : Hibiscus Swell baby Refined golden[/quote] Good call. Nars Multiples are great. Palm Beach is especially amazing. So... Hibiscus Sun Blonde I keep playing with the idea of other stuff, but I'm not feeling it enough. I need to be picky so, just the two things I feel I desperately need. I've decided that after this collection, I am going on an eyeshadow no-buy. I have so many that I can't even figure out what to wear. How is that possible?
 

Curly1908

Well-known member
But I can tell something else, that the staying power of the nailpolishes is the old bad standard of MAC according to my co-blogger who has worn Ocean Dip the last couple of days. The Quite Cute polishes where better, but these are the regular MAC (IMO poor) quality. Which in this case means that they chip easily.
That's disappointing. I hate MAC's polish formula. Those of you who like Ocean Dip and would like something similar should try Sephora OPI's "Ocean Love Potion". While not identical, the colors are definitely in the same family, and the formula is divine.

 

sailordom

Well-known member
A release party on the 17th? A clue! I'll definitely be stalking the MAC site on that day and the day after. XD
As I recall, the in-store release parties happen well in advance of the online release -- as in, a week earlier. I believe both the VV and TTB launch parties last year were almost exactly one week before the online release (which was the Monday/Tuesday before the regular in-store release).

The collection launch date is May 26, so a release party date of March 17 fits that pattern perfectly. I'm guessing the online release will be either the afternoon/night of May 23 or May 24.
 
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