MAC A Fantasy Of Flowers : Spring 2014 Collection

Today's post is going to be dedicated entirely to the brand new limited edition collection from Mac cosmetics or at least a slice that I have managed to get my lucky paws on! This collection is said to be inspired by Spring and I will tell you now that the pieces are absolutely gorgeous and make me so excited that we are now approaching the transitional stage from winter makeup to fresh new spring looks. 

 

MAC describes this collection as "A dream world bursting with brilliant blooms of colour. A stunning bouquet of shades draws you in with hypnotic movement as a magical fantasy emerges glowing with a floral essence." - Link.

 

When I found out about the Fantasy of Flowers collection at the start of the year I knew this was going to be something I would like. I thoroughly researched all the releases that were going to be gracing our Mac stores from reviews online. I had my eye on four things in particular and was lucky enough to get them ordered as soon as they had become available online - I wasn't prepared to rely on buying them from my local Mac counter which is usually always sold out of these limited edition collections! You can imagine my excitement yesterday morning when the postman rang my doorbell and handed me a jet black box full of brand new Mac makeup.

 

The products I am going to be talking about in this post are the Mineralize blush in Azalea in the Afternoon, the Minerealize skin finish in Stereo Rose and the two lipsticks Heavenly Hybrid and Dreaming Dahlia, I've also included some swatches for you. Though limited edition the original packing reamins with the traditional classic black we all know and love, however it may have been nice to see something a little different for such a pretty collection. I would like to own some fancy limited edition packaging as Mac have had some really quirky ones over the years, maybe one day! However its not all about the packaging, and so onto product number one... 



 

 

 

 Recently I have been obsessing over Mac's blushes after buying my first one not so long ago. Blushes are quickly catching up with my love for lipstick which is definitely saying something trust me! Therefore it goes without saying that when I learnt about the new blushes in the Fantasy of Flowers collection I was keen to get one for myself. The collection introduced two new blushes: Azalea in the Afternoon and Petal Power neither of which have been released in previous collections as far as my knowledge can tell you. I looked at swatches online and decided on Azalea in the Afternoon as I thought that Petal Power looked a little similar to Nars Orgasm which I own in a blush/bronzer duo so I thought I would get something different.

 

Due to being a mineralized formula this blush is unlike a normal powder blush. I really like the look that these mineralized blushes give to your skin as they manage to create a very pretty natural flush to your cheeks. When I swatched this blush for the first time I was amazed by how soft this is - you can almost see from the image above how its just like velvet, so so beautiful! This blush gave my cheeks the prettiest light flush of colour, very dainty and feminine for the spring months. When blended out 

this creates a subtle look, however it still manages to leave an impact as it reveals a lovely frosty finish to your cheeks. Azalea in the Afternoon is definitely not an in-your-face kind of blush, making it quite versatile in my opinion and great for day to day use. I know that I'm going to be reaching for this tonnes in the upcoming months.

 

 

 

Ah Stereo Rose. Yes. I had read lots on this highly lusted over Mac product, another thing I knew I wanted for my collection. This is supposedly a repromoted item as it has been released in several collections before this one. Every time Stereo Rose is released it seems to cause new speculations and rumours. I say 'supposedly' because this has been scrutinized by those who know their Mac products and Stereo Rose is said to be different each time it is rereleased in a new collection. I have never owned this before, I don't own any limited edition items from Mac so the opinions I am giving on this are based purely on this version I have and not any sort of comparison.

 

Similarly to Azalea in the Afternoon this swatches on the fingers oh so smoothly. Don't be intimidated by the intense peachy colour in the pan as it actually produces the loveliest coral shade which is going to look amazing as a highlighter come summer time. I'm a big fan of anything that has hints of coral as I find it so flattering. Because of the coral shades in this skinfinish it is a multi fuctional product, great for highlighting those cheek bones or used even as a blush as its so easily adaptable. I really can't wait to have a good play around with this product. I know that for some Stereo Rose may be a disappointment as apparently this is far less pigmented than previous releases but I think that makes it more workable. I am really happy that I managed to get this to add to my Mac collection and would definitely say that its worth the hype as it is a pretty unique product. 

 

Below are swatches of both products taken in natural day light.



 

  

Next up is of course lipsticks. I'm not going to lie here people, I am a sucker for Mac lipstick. This is a fact I can't or won't deny. I love my Mac lipsticks and was especially excited to see the arrival of six new ones to their spring line. I'm not going to list each one but will leave Temptalia's Link if you're interested to see them all. First thing I should say is that I think that for some, this line of lipstick will be a bit of an anticlimax, purely because of the lustre finish each lipstick has. Lustre finishes aren't exactly the most popular type of Mac lipstick as not everyone likes the sheer look and the colour pay off is not as exceptional as other types from Mac. And what I mean from that in simple terms is the colour you see in the bullet is not a reflection of how it comes out on your lips. I

personally really like lustre lipsticks, as I find them one of the easiest to wear, they are nice and creamy and generally think the way they look is pretty.

 

 

Heavenly Hybrid looked right up my street from the moment I saw it, however I am slightly surprised to see such a berry toned shade in a spring collection?! Anyone else think that? Although personally I really like lipsticks with purple undertones, a flattering colour for a wide range of skin tones. Heavenly Hybrid is a perfect shade to move us from Winter into Spring as although it has hints of berry tones there is still something fresh about it, its not got that vampy feel like say Plumful by Mac. This lipstick will be great all year round something that cannot be said for every shade of lipstick, for example the next lipstick I'm going to talk about I would only ever wear in Spring/Summer because of its vibrance.

 

Dreaming Dahlia now this was the lipstick I hankered after most as coral colours are one of my absolute favourites to wear. From looking at this picture above anyone who knows their Mac products might be thinking that this is a dupe for Morange? Yes in bullet this looks very similar to one of my all time favourite Mac lipsticks Morange but obviously the lustre finish makes them stark opposites. This has been described as a coral with hints of red which from the swatch I did I think you could agree describes Dreaming Dahlia fairly accurately. Due to the finish this does not provide a fully opaque coverage, on saying that you can build this colour up. At first this will look somewhat transparent but you can definitely add more to the lips to increase coverage. This is lipstick is going to be a perfect one in a few months down the line and I can just imagine how this will look with sun kissed skin and a bit of Stereo Rose to highlight your cheeks, stunning!

 

 

 Below are swatches of both products taken in natural day light.

 

So there you have a handful of picks from the new Fantasy of Flowers collection by Mac Cosmetics. My overall thoughts on the items I have picked up is that they are a beautiful addition to have for the spring months so I know they will definitely get well used and loved. Plus I don't know about you but there's definitely something a little bit special about finally own some limited edition products... So if you're a makeup collector I have no doubt that something will tickle your fancy from Mac's new dreamy releases!

 

What do you think of Mac's new Fantasy of Flowers collection? Do you own any limited edition makeup items?