Spring Collection Review - MAC's "Shop Mac Cook Mac Collection"

Shop Mac Cook Mac eyeshadow quads packaging

Hi Everyone :)

First review on this blog and I thought this collection is really suitable because I would say it's one of the best that MAC has come out with in the last couple of years. Unfortunately many things did sell out quite quickly (I'll talk more about the specific products below), but you may very well be able to snag these either with re-stocking on the MAC's website (www.maccosmetics.com) or if you have a CCO aka Cosmetics Company Outlet near you. Another thing is that MAC often re-promotes well-received products in future collections. This collection is full of vivid color that will be great not only for spring but into the summer as well. This collection also marks one of the first collection in the past couple of years that has really good eyeshadow quads in my opinion. Although they are a good value, often MAC's quads that come out with collections are sub-par quality. Shop Mac Cook Mac was definitely an exception and I'm excited to have these for the coming seasons (if it ever stops raining/snowing here in Vancouver...)

Eyeshadow Quads:

Shop & Drop
(Colors from right to left/top to bottom: Sugar Snack, Hypnotizing, Power Boosted, Shop & Drop)

Out of the two quads that I purchased, I really thought the "Shop & Drop" quad would be my favorite, but it really wasn't. It is still quite a beautiful quad with a good balance of colors which I can see will easily meld into different combinations of eye looks, including ones that involve all 4 colors. However, it's definitely more of a night-time/going out kind of color palette (making it less useful for us neutral girls on an everyday basis), and the shade in "Sugar Snack" really leaves something to be desired for a highlight or lighter all over lid color.

With the exception of "Hypnotizing", I would say that the other shades in this quad were quite dupable but as I mentioned, it's a good value to have them in one palette like this and they do suggest many different combinations for eye-looks.) "Hypnotizing" is a repromote from a collection back in 2010 I believe, but I missed out on it that first time. It's a very interesting mixture of what I would say is pewter, antique gold, and lavender.

Conclusion: I like this quad, I really do. It's just not super special and I'll probably use it more rarely than other shadows I have. If you don't already have a good collection of purple eyeshadows, this is a good place to start though. For me, "Hypnotizing" makes it worth it.

Call Me Bubbles
(Colors from right to left/top to bottom: Call Me Bubbles, Fresh Daily, Full of Flavor, Brash)

The "Call Me Bubbles" quad is really something. It's special and something that I see really workable for everyday use. That might seem strange since I claim to be more into neutrals, but shades such as the one in this quad are ones that I get really excited for. They are great shades for warming up any look, whether it be smokey or extremely neutral. Shades like "Fresh Daily" and "Full of Flavor" are great blending-out colors that will provide a color pop to an average look.

Unlike "Shop & Drop", I'm really not sure which shade is my favorite in this one. Maybe I favor "Full of Flavor" a little bit because of it's matte finish, which is not a great finish from MAC but it does make it great for blending out other colors. But in general, I instantly know where I will be able to use this quad and can see myself grabbing for it often in the warmer months. A great go-to for any beach/BBQ type parties that you might go to.

Conclusion: Love it! I would recommend this out of the 3 quads that came out in this collection. I also have a post coming up with a look, inspired by this collection's adverts, using this quad (oh, and it's rather editorial-esque.)

Lip Products:

Tendertone Packaging


Hush, Hush Tendertone

Purring Tendertone

I decided I would go ahead and review the two tendertones together because for the most part, tendertones are a lip balm with incredibly sheer color. "Hush, Hush" gives a beautiful peachy-golden sheen and to me, if Rubenesque paint pot were a tendertone, this would be it. Purring is a sheer tangerine but on my pigmented lips, it basically is clear and gives a very slight orange hue. Both paint pots smell amazing! I've heard descriptions of the smell as a "strawberry-kiwi" scent; I don't know about that but I do know it's a fruity scent. I wish MAC would make tendertones permanent, these are definitely products that I would use daily but because they're limited edition, I feel like I have to savour them more.

Conclusion: I love tendertones! I now know what all the hype was about; the smell is great, the texture is great, and I find it to be a pretty effective lip balm. Next time I'm in the states and pass a CCO, I'm for sure going to be looking out for these.

Woo Me

The kissable lipcolours were released in a collection with more shades last year. "Woo Me" was also a part of that collection and appeared to be the most favored by people who purchased from that collection. So when this was re-promoted with Shop Mac Cook Mac, I went ahead and included it in my order. Honestly, I don't understand the hype. It's not incredibly creamy and you really need to work with it upon application so that it applies smoothly and doesn't settle into fine lines too much. The pinky nude color reminds me of Tom Ford's Blush Nude lipstick and I've even worn them together but I prefer the creamy texture of the TF lipstick.

Conclusion: This was probably the only product from this collection (from my purchase) that I wasn't too thrilled about. I like the long and sleek packaging and it is a great color, but the formula itself leaves something to be desired. However, I should mention that I've heard that the texture of these appears to have changed relative to the originally released kissable lipcolours, but I don't know this for sure since I didn't purchase from that collection.

Watch Me Simmer

Finally we come to "Watch Me Simmer" lipstick. This was probably the quickest product to sell out from this collection - my MAC counter only got 3 of them in and I'm just glad I was able to put one on hold at the beginning of the day (of release) in order to be able to pick it up after work. "Watch Me Simmer" is a bright (almost neon) coral with an amplified finish. The pigmentation is amazing as well. But I should mention, you should really be prepared for all the attention to be on your lips when wearing this lip color. Later on I will be posting a look using the "Call Me Bubbles" quad with this lipstick and as you will see, a really dramatic and rather editorial type look is what you will get. On average, I would suggest wearing this with a really nude eye look, if not just plain black liner and nothing else.

Conclusion: This is a really beautiful lipstick and is really good quality. I'm not sure how practical it really is for most because it's not something I would personally consider an everyday color, but maybe I'll change my mind when my tan is back for the spring/summer seasons. I do recommend it although I know that it's basically sold out everywhere at this point.