Review: MAC Brunette, Blonde, Redhead Collection
By marlena • Jan 10th, 2009 • Category: Articles & Reviews, ReviewsI’ve been looking forward to this collection for awhile- especially after I saw the previous pictures , but…. my mind changed some after I saw the collection in person. Here’s my two cents!
Eyeshadows:
- Henna- a complete dupe of Sumptuous Olive
- Knight- very similar to Knight Divine but without the blue undertones
- French Cuff- beautiful color similar to Mythology but is very flaky in texture! bleh.
- Femme Fi- beautiful light shimmery color, but a repeat from the Neo Sci Fi Collection
- Pincurl- too pale and an odd color- it is similar to Vex
- Flip- a pale golden color similar to Goldmine
- Deep Shade- my favorite from this group- it’s a beautiful purple based blue color!
- Top Knot- chalky feeling and just a blah dark purple black color
- 100 Strokes- a plumy brown color similar to Twinks. It is a pretty shade that can be very versatile
My eyeshadow picks from this collection: Deep Shade, Knight, and 100 Strokes
Lipsticks:
- Chignon- a really pretty purpleish color- seems unique but is somewhat dark
- B-Babe- a frosty blue pink- perfect for the “Girls Next Door” type lips if you don’t mind the frost
- Marquise D’- a versatile peachy pink color that is great for a daytime look!
- What a Do- not too unique of a color, but still a pretty pink for the daytime
- All’s Fair- a pink color that has purple undertones- this one is my favorite!
- Blow Dry- a pretty pink color, but is too similar to many other lipsticks and doesn’t have the greatest color payoff
My picks for lipsticks: Chignon, B-Babe, and All’s Fair
Lipglosses:
- Soft Wave- a tan color that is perfect for toning down those bright lipsticks or adding warmth to any cool toned lipstick
- Strawberry Blonde- a fairly unique warm pink color- my favorite!
- Live and Dye- a pretty pink gloss, but too similar to many others I have…
- Quick Tease- the gloss version of Chignon lipstick- really pretty purple color!
- Peroxide- boring.
- Red Devil- would look ok on warm skin tones, but was too orange looking for me
My picks for lipglosses: Soft Wave, Strawberry Blonde, and Quick Tease
Skinfinishes:
- Brunette- a gorgeous bronzed, copper look- is great for medium to dark skin tones
- Blonde- a nice shimmery pink color great as a blush
- Redhead- a shimmery peach color- similar to NARS Orgasm but more shimmery and sheer. This would be the most versatile one for all skin tones…
Brushes:
- 165 Brush- not a necessary brush, but great for getting in those hard to get places like under the eyes, around the nose, or even to highlight the cheekbones
- 214 Brush- my new must have brush! This is much better to use as a smudging brush under the lower lashes. It doesnt give as thick of a smudged look like the 219 does.
- 226 Brush- a great brush for defining the crease- especially for those with smaller lids. Another of my new favorites
I know we’re all saving up for the Hello Kitty collection, so…. if I had to pick a few things, here’s what I would get:
- Deep Shade e/s
- B-Babe lipstick
- Strawberry Blonde lipgloss
- Redhead Skinfinish
- 226 Brush
Happy shopping everyone!!
i was disappointed in this collection. i got the 226 and french cuff.. the pics online hyped us up so much and the swatches were alllllllllll wrong to the true color in person.
Your review of this collection really agrees with everyone else’s. My husband got mad at me for spending a lot of money on the FF sale so I can’t get any BBR, so I’m happy nobody seems to be in love with it LOL.
I REALLY appreciate your swatches and review. Your swatches are clean and easy to see, plus your reviews are to the point and not overly descriptive or generic! Thanks so much… and for the You Tube video. Your makeup there is beautiful. Keep up the good work girl! Take care : >
Does anyone know when the Hello Kitty collection is coming out??
Thank you for a very thorough and informative review - it is very helpful
Junelady
Although it is a lovely collection I only picked up all the MSFs and pincurl (b/c I love vex) as well as Live and Dye l/g. I would love to get B-babe, but I am worried about the frost/shimmer. Still thinking on Marquis D’ and B-babe, Do you all think Marquis D’ is too similar to shades like Bare slimshine?
Great Review and look Marlena!
You did a stunning job with applying your redhead MSF, it makes me want a back up!!
Thank you so much for this review! I was having a hard time deciding what to get and you supported what I was thinking. Thanks
Great pictures! Thanks Marlena;)
Hello Kitty collections contest out around valentine’s day feb 13 or 14th.. not sure.
Great review!
I had been in the MAC store to replenish some items on Tuesday, but this collection wasn’t in the store yet. I had to make another trip yesterday to return an item - and I got to check out Brunette, Blonde, and Redhead. I absolultely agree with your picks! I picked up 100 Strokes, Flip, Femme Fi (I missed Neo Sci Fi) and Strawberry Blonde (but of course I buy almost all lipcolors and glosses in any variation of this shade ?)
? Rox
THE HELLO KITTY COLLECTION COMES OUT FEB 10TH ON WEBSITE AND FEB 12TH IN STORES
MARLENA U ROCK I LOVE WHAT U DO!!!!!!!!
Thanks alot for the swatches and your opinion Marlena. Its just what i wanted
marlena,Thank you so much for this review,its very helpful.u r so sweet and Rockin’ as ALWAYS!
Thanks for your review! I am probably going to pass on this collectionl…finally saw it today IRL and wasn’t super impressed as I have a lot of dupes already. BUT I might get that 226 brush.
Definitely also interested in the Strawberry Blonde lipglass! Thanks for the review and swatches.
The 214 brush is quite like the Smudger brush in the Kat Von D brush set available at Sephora.
I just got back from MAC. I agree Marlena, the All’s Fair lipstick was my favorite too. It was actually my favorite thing from the whole collection. I also got Henna e/s and What a Do lipstick and the 165 brush for contouring.
wow. I love this collection. Your video with the redhead colors was awesome! Thankssss
After looking at the MAC site and this swatch, am I the only one who thinks the MAC site “swatch” of Strawberry Blonde is totally off?
Hey I really enjoy your tutorials on youtube. But, I would like more looks for daytime. Less flashy.
i just pre ordered my stuff from the hello kitty collection.. omg it is so cute. the girl also told me that in march they are coming out with another collection called kitty couture i saw the lip glosses and they have rhinestone charms hanging off the ends and the powder cases are shiny with hello kitty made out of rhinestones!!!
I was so looking forward to this collection, but after seeing your pictures and reading your thoughts (as well as those of several others) I don’t think I am going to be getting anything. All the colors I was interested in look so ordinary. Thanks for the great reviews though Marlena - ya saved me some money. Maybe the Hello Kitty collection will be better. =)
hi! i was wondering whether u would recommend knight divine or knight? i don’t have either and i can’t decide which one to get…i swatched them both in the store but i’m still not sure…thanks
Hi Marlena, I love all of your reviews and your videos. You are very inspiring
I am learning a lot from you. anyway… about the collection… I am really in LOVE with the BBR collection. I wonder if it is because I started as a makeup (MAC) adict recently. I did not had a lot of those color. But anyway, I picked u all of the Mineralized Skin finishes. The Brunette one is very intense for my skin tone (NC-30), how ever when i apply it lighly it does look super nice on me. Also picked up the 226 brush and love it. Very useful for quick makeup in the morning. As far as lipsticks i got “What a Do!” and “B-Babe”. I am obssesed with both of them. L/G I got “Soft Wave”, super nice. Eye Shadows I got Flip (GOURGOUS), 100-Strokes and Henna. I agree with Marlena that Henna is a duplicate of Sumptuous Olive, but i did not had it. I feel i spent way too much in this collection (oopsss 
), but I am enjoy it a lot. Also, does anybody know how you can pre-order for hello kitty? Thanks for reading my review! xoxoxoxo
I bought the Henna, French Cuff, and Femme Fi. I also really liked Shadowy Lady but I found it to be very similar to Vixen by Too Faced, which I have. Same story with Flip, which I thought was similar to Half Baked by Urban Decay.
I should have skipped the French Cuff. I liked it in the store but the texture is off and I find that other colors really over-power it.
I did not like this at ALL!!!!!!!!
I am not a huge makeup expert but when I went to the store nothing about the colors made me go wow!! even after swatching them I’ve seen a couple reviews for the hello Kitty and I c some stuff I may want also keep up the good work learning alot from you (I’m still in the beginner stages)
heeey
so ill keep it short and sweet but when i use my pencil eyeliner it seems to like drip down the side of my eye and also when i put my pencil eyeliner inside of my eyelid and it goes away like it disappears from my eye soon after i put it on.
helppp !!
I agree with your review too..my step-mom, who is helping me get a start on my hopeful makeup artist career, sent me the brunette colors. I do like the colors, they’re still gorgeous, they just aren’t as fabulous as I was expecting; however I do LOVE MAC! and Marlena, you’re fabulous! This site and your tutorials are a big help when I get stuck for ideas!
Thanks for this review. I’ve been toying with the idea of buying the blonde skinfinish and this sealed it :).
So i don’t know if it’s just my monitor, but I swatched my Flashtrack shadow, and it looks a lot like your swatch of Deep Shade. Haha I keep scrolling back up to compare, but from where I’m sitting they looks pretttttty close.