Here’s something I learned today: Chinese New Year doesn’t fall on the same date every year. It varies! — because it’s tied to the lunar calendar…but it does always fall between January 21st and February 20th. (I think.)
Interesting, isn’t it? This year’s date is January 28th.
So happy early Gung Hei Fat Choy! 🙂
Here’s something else you may find interesting: the MAC Chinese New Year collection arrives today, and the packaging is gorgeous! (The boxes also feel velvety). Minor quibble, but I wish that MAC had done something with the design on the product themselves.
Ooh! It’s the Year of the Rooster. Maybe they could have coupled it with that.
Remember Year of the Snake?? They did those incredible pans with the snake design?
Lots of old faves here
Most of the items in the 10-piece collection are re-promotes, like Russian Red Lipstick ($17, a MAC classic!), Fleur Power Blush ($23 and SO PIGMENTED), Rapidblack Penultimate Eyeliner ($21, and not my fave; the tip feels too stiff).
The Eye Shadow Palette X 9/Year of the Rooster ($32) has some of my all-time favorites, including Wedge, Honey Lust, Shale and Mulch.
It doesn’t take anything away from how good they are, but if you’re a MAC die-hard fan, there’s a good chance you’ve seen these colors before. You may even have them in your collection already.
Peach Blossom Lipstick is bloomin’ brilliant!
My favorite piece in the release is the $17 Peach Blossom Cremesheen. I don’t know if it’s L.E. or permanent, but it’s dang cool… Actually, cool-toned. It’s a moisturizing, medium coverage, super silky, cool-toned peachy nude in MAC’s shiny, slippery Cremesheen formula, and — hallelujah! — the peach color is dark enough to see on my lips. If most nude lip colors wash you out, or you just feel like they look weird on your lips, give this one a try.
The Year of the Rooster palette?
Eh, I wish everything here was exciting me as much as the boxes. There are some great colors here and old standby pieces that I really like, but most of them already live in the permanent line.
Also…yup, the palette shadows don’t appear to perform as well as MAC’s regular individual singles. At least I don’t think so. I’m wearing the New Year Wedge, Shale and Mulch in these pics, and I’ve worn those bad boys MANY times over the years, but I really had to pack these on. I even had to wet my brush to ramp up the intensity, which I don’t ever feel like I have to do when I use the regular full-size versions.
The final verdict
I love the idea of a Chinese New Year collection, and I think the boxes are beautiful, but with the exception of Peach Blossom Lipstick (which I LOVE), this release is a bit underwhelming for me. You can grab most of these pieces in the permanent line anyway.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
This Collection is beautiful but it is disheartening to see such a blatant display of [re]marketing. I understand MAC is in the business of making money but I can’t help but reminisce about how it originally catered to professional makeup artists and, in the beginning, paid more attention to products rather than constant reinvention, rebranding, and repackaging in order to create demand and attempt to remain relevant. 🙁
DISCLAIMER: I am super salty at the discontinuation of, among other great MAC products, Hyperreal Foundation.
Girl, I’m salty about Kid and Uninterrupted eyeshadows being discontinued. They were SUCH a good transition colors. WHY?!
Peach Blossom is permanent, I got it with Back 2 Mac empties once!
Oh, good to know! I’m glad that I can just roll up and grab it any time. Thanks, Rachel!
I am little disappointed that there are so many repromotes in this collection. Dangerous and Russian Red are beautiful lip colors though!
Hi Trecee,
Me too. New colors or special pans would’ve been nice! Russian Red is a MAC classic. Did you know they also make a Russian Red Lipglass?
I would have been all over the palette (for once), simply because it contains so many shadows from the permanent line I want anyway, but I have made the same experience you had: These MAC palette shadows just arent as good as the singles.
Looks like a very fun collection!
I’m always a sucker for lovely packaging so I agree 100% that some pan patterns would have been nice. If you know, pls remind me if the year of the Rooster is supposed to be lucky for Roosters. I am not one but I should brush up on my Chinese Zodiac knowledge. And my year is coming up relatively shortly. 🙂 Are you the Hare or Dragon? Bad memory is my sad reality lately!
Hi Kim,
If it is your year, then it’s supposed to be bad luck for you, regardless of what your zodiac sign is. Mine’s coming up in a couple of years, but I’m not too worried at all! I’ll make it a good year for myself!
I find it very upsetting that they didn’t make cool packaging for it with so many re-promotes.
Peach Blossom is the first peach lipstick I’ve ever seen that I think might actually look good on me — I’ve got to give it a try!