I have to admit that when the flyer for this collection arrived in the mail, I didn't really get the concept. And in all honesty, I still don't. That said, however, I did manage to pick up a few items that I absolutely love. It started with Added Goodness, one of the new fluidlines. It's a wonderful shade of muddy grey-taupe that looks excellent as a thick, flicked line with a neutral lid for a daytime look. After seeing some swatches online, I absolutely had to have it. (Confession? I bought a backup, too ;)
Top left - Wholesome Fluidline, bottom right - Added Goodness Fluidline Because by the time I got my act together to decide what I wanted my local MAC stores were sold out, I ordered online. So I figured might as well check out what else they've got.... and that's how Wholesome came about. I have Dipdown, which is a deep brown and goes on pretty dark, but definitely still brown. Wholesome is much darker - sort of like the difference between milk and dark chocolate. It looks nearly black, but goes on just a little bit warmer. So if you love winged liner but feel like you can't quite pull of opaque black - give this one a go!
L-R: Added Goodness and Wholesome FluidlinesThen (because you know how much I looooove a pink lipstick) I stumbled on Dish It Up. It really reminds me of Total Wow, which was a dark berry glaze that was sadly discontinued, but it's luster so it has more of a sheen to it. It's also a bit more on the pink side than the berry. I really like it for a daytime lip - it's got a pop of colour, but not too intense.
Lipstick in Dish It Up and Tendertone in Hot 'n' SaucyThe final product I picked up was one of the Tendertone lip glosses - Hot 'n' Saucy. It's a maraschino cherry red sheer lip gloss that goes on with just a hint of color and isn't at all sticky. Rather than the trademark MAC vanilla scent, this has a fruity scent, which is nice to start with, but it has an after-scent similar to MAC's potted lip conditioners, which is a bit ... something. Chemically? Medicated? I don't know how to describe it, but I find it a little offputting. So if you're sensitive to the lip conditioner scent, you may want to give this one a miss. Because it's sheer and thin, it feels great on the lips, but wears off relatively quickly. So bear that in mind - you'll need to bring it with you to re-apply. The other down side for me is that it's in the same containers as the paint pots - glass. So it's a little heavier and, if you're clumsy like I am, might make you a little nervous if you're touching up on the go.
L-R: Tendertone in Hot 'n' Saucy and lipstick in Dish It UpSo far my favourites, in case you can't tell, are the Added Goodness Fluidline - it's just so different from any other cream liner I have - and Dish It Up lipstick. Tendertone I'm glad I tried, but am still unsure about, and Wholesome I think is a great alternative to black, but definitely not a must-have if you're weighing up which items you'd like to get. This collection is selling out fast - so check out your local MAC (and online) before you miss your chance!
Ratings:
Packaging: 4/5 (I'd prefer that the Tendertone was in a plastic tub - I'm always dropping things!) Product quality: 5/5
Worth the price? Yes - particularly for the Fluidlines which last forever.
Would I purchase again? Yes for Dish It Up and Added Goodness, maybe for the other two.
Cruelty-Free? Yes - appears on PETA's Cruelty-Free list.Where to find it: MAC in store and online.
