(from www.nypost.com)
The Fari for MAC collection might have a bright and funky image with its fair share of vibrant colors. But, there are some very wearable shades and several bright-looking items that are not too difficult to work with. Even though the packaging is obviously targeted at a young audience, I feel that many shades have a more universal appeal.
Here are my favorites from the Fafi for MAC collection:
(Clock-wise from upper right:Powder Blush in Hipness & Fashion Frenzy,
Lipstick in Fun ‘n’ Sexy & Strawbaby,
and Lipglass in Totally It)
My favorite items by far are the two blushers (Powder Blush in Fashion Frenzy & Hipness). Fashion Frenzy, my preferred one out of the two, has the kind of cool pink shade that I know would suit me. But because it is on the vibrant side and the blush is very pigmented, I do have to be very light-handed with it. (I also like the turquoise Fafi logo on the lid against the pink blusher.) Hipness initially appeared to be a peachy shade that might not suit me, but I was pleasantly surprised by its wearability as it turned more pink after a few hours’ wear. Both blushers have a fair lasting power.
Totally It is my favorite Lipglass from this collection. It is a bright pink with cherry pink and purple shimmer. Even though two of the other Lipglasses, Cult Fave and Sugar Trance, have more wearable shades, the shimmer is too frosty for my liking. On my lips, one sheer layer of Totally It actually looks relatively natural and this is how I’d wear it most of the time. With a second layer, the brightness of the pink really intensifies. Apart from the lovely pink and purple shimmer, I also enjoy the lasting shine.
The Lipstick in Strawbaby is a very wearable warm-rose with some delicate blue-green shimmer and should suit most skin-tones. On the other hand, Fun ‘n’ Sexy is a similar bright pink to the Totally It Lipglass with purple and bright pink shimmer.
I think the wearability of many items in the Fafi for MAC collection also appeals to some younger customers that have just started to experiment with makeup and want something easy to use. The Fafi Eyes palette in #1 is a very basic palette that would suit a beginner in makeup, and it actually reminds me of Chanel’s 4-color eyeshadow palette in Influences, which is one of the first eye palettes I bought. (The actual shades and finishes do vary, but the concepts are similar.)
(left: MAC Fafi Eyes #1;right: Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow in Influences)
Despite MAC Paint Pots‘ rich colors and long-lasting quality, I am not really a fan of them. The colors are difficult to blend and none of the finishes featured in the Fafi for MAC collection (cream, satin, and frost) looks optimally flattering. This is a bit of a shame, because Rollickin’ and Girl Friendly could have potentially been shades I’d constantly reach for. (Rollickin’ is a turquoise with pale gold shimmer, which is better than the distracting yellow and green shimmer commonly seen in turquoise eyeshadows. Girl Friendly is a dusty rose-petal pink that is subtly elegant.)
Overall, the Fafi for MAC collection offers something for most people, from eye-catching lip shades to subdue neutrals for eyes. I still find it hard to like most of the packaging and the Fafinettes, but the two lovely blushers (which, for me personally, pleasantly don’t feature the Fafinettes) will potentially be very active members in my blusher family.
Related Posts:
MAC for A-Mei Collection
(perfectly in tune with her heritage)
Alexander McQueen for MAC Eyeshadow in Haunting
(loving this turquoise)
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Heya! Love your blog!
I’ve always liked Macs eyeshadows. They tend to stay on the whole day and don’t leave a nasty color line in the eyelid that other’s do!
Btw, do you think you could do a post on whitening products? Considering asian cosmetics have so many of them, a lot of us westerners would be interested to know more about them and what they do. :) (especially Anna Suis whitening fluids and such!)
Hi there,
Thank you for reading my blog!
From the MAC eyeshadows I have tried, the color is indeed quite long-lasting, so I definitely agree with you there.
Thank you very much for bringing up whitening products. It is true that most major Japanese brands have a whitening range. Also, many western brands have whitening ranges that are mostly only sold in Asia.
I have now scheduled a post on a very general overview of whitening products next Thursday (March 6th), so please come back later! :)
But, just very briefly and in the most general sense, many whitening products incorporate melanin inhibitors and exfoliating agents. The exfoliating agents help remove the old skin cells and the skin surface will look smoother and therefore brighter/ more luminous (and “whiter”). In Japanese cosmetics, “whitening” and “brightening” (in terms of combating dullness) are two facets of the same skincare concept, so whitening products usually feature various ingredients to supposedly serve these two purposes.
More next week. Do let me know if you have any other question after the post is up. :)
Thank you for posting your comment! :)
hello you!
*hugs*
Great review on MAC fafi! I meant to comment yesterday but I sadly rushed through the review as I was busy at work. But I’ve properly read it now. Very nice!
I loved the blushes myself. They were a highlight for me in the collection!
We had discussed it but did you get any of the beauty powders? If so did you like them? Curious!
I really don’t like the paint pots either they just require to much tugging and blend like rubbish for me but jeez they have such a cult following. All I’ve heard from my readers is how much they love love love the paint pots! I just can’t like them.
I was very happy to read your short conversation with anonymous about whitening agents. I look forward to reading about this PJ! I use a whitening agent myself, it’s surprisingly not japanese =)
Anyway rather long comment my love!
Hugs!
I’ve tried out Rollickin’ in the store and it seems to be more of an “aqua pop” colour to me, similar to Dior’s Eye Show Pop Aquadelic, than turquoise. I look forward to your post on whitening products.
Hi The Muse,
You are very welcome!
For me the blushers are the highlight as well. A very girlie cool pink and a wearable peach that is not overly orange.
I have the pressed powder in Belightful. I think the shimmering particles are a little too large for my liking and I didn’t really test it on my face.
As for Paint Pots, I tried to use some of them as eyeliners, but, in most cases, they still didn’t work. Even though the colors are intense enough to be used as eyeliners, the finish is still not flattering most of the time.
I will say more about whitening products in Japanese cosmetics brands next Thursday, so do have a look then!
Thank you for dropping by again! :)
Hi Ebontien,
I tend to use turquoise to describe shades that have a fair amount of both blue and green in them. (I have seen some people describe what I see as warm blues as turquoise, which I don’t normally do.)
But in the case of Rollickin’, I wouldn’t say it is an aqua because it is predominantly green. For me, I’d think of aqua as a warm blue (that is predominantly blue). I’d describe Rollickin’ as a warm green with a very slight aqua undertone. (I would describe Dior’s Aquadelic very similarly in terms of how blue/green it is, but it is obviously a little lighter.)
Having said that, even different turquoise stones can have very different colorations…
Also, blues, greens, and blue-greens seem to be the kinds of colors that can look quite different under different natural/artificial lighting conditions. I have also come across excepts of studies which show that people can have quite different thresholds as to when a blue is getting green enough to not be perceived as a blue anymore (and vice versa).
This is all very interesting, and colors have always been extremely fascinating to me…as I am sure they are to you as well!
Do please come back to my post on whitening products next week.
Thank you for posting your comment again! :)
hey love
I think you had mentioned in an email you tried the beauty powders and it just slipped my mind but when you mentioned the large chunky glitter I recalled our conversation!
You know me I’m a glitter/shimmer addict!
using the pp’s as a liner is difficult I’ve tried as well. I do fine drawing a harsh line and smudging makes it look somewhat ok but it doesn’t work completely well!
i’ve used mine as bases for pigments but I still am not completely in love with them.
It amazes me so many people adore these!
I look forward to thursday’s entry!
Hi The Muse,
I agree with on Paint Pots as eyeliners. It somewhat works, but not very well.
I was actually thinking about using them as bases as well. But, seeing them more or less dry up completely right after application, I didn’t think they would work as bases…
So I am definitely with you on the Paint Pots…
Thank you for dropping by again! :)
hey again
They definately dry up super duper fast but they stick long enough to apply pigments over. If you have piggies or loose base shadows, minerals, etc..these will make a good base.
But i concur..not my fav of the mac line!
aw you know I love dropping by here :)
Even if I’m not commenting I’m def reading ;)
Hi The Muse,
I see. I will try using them as bases later on to see how well they work.
Thank you for sharing your experiences again. It is always great to see your comments here! :)
hi pj! you were dead on with the chanel quad being similar.
i’m a recent paint pot convert and i’m am one of those that are in love! for all the cons you gave i think i’m able to work with them. i used to hate them as i tried them on their own.. just a bunch of creaminess sitting on my lid and they creased under my shadows. however, my ever faithful UD primer potion saved the day. now i can use any of the paint pots for a desired look! just wanted to share as they are my new obsession and the fafi paint pots have been favs! laying low, girl friendly, cash flow and my forever friend perky…
talk to you soon!
Hi Yummy411,
Good to hear from you again! :)
It appears that I have the opposite issues. Paint Pots (worn alone) don’t crease on my eyes at all. There was once when I wore one of the shades for more than 12 hours, and it looked like I had just put it on. This I am impressed with, as they are probably some of the most long-lasting eye colors I have ever tried.
However, the texture is very dry and it goes on looking very dry and chalky (drier than almost all the powder eyeshadows I have). This is mainly what I meant by the finish being less than flattering on me. Also, because they dry up so quickly, it is nearly impossible to blend them and to fade out the edges.
While I can understand why people like them due to their rich and opaque pigment, which is great for intense eye makeup looks, as well as their superb lasting power (both commendable merits), I find them difficult to apply and the finish happens to look unflattering on me.
It is a bit of a shame, since a couple of the colors do look nice.
Thank you for posting your thoughts again! :)