This is in addition to this post. Now that [I think] I’ve bought everything I wanted from Fafi, I can talk more about the collection as a whole. Overall, I was most impressed by the lipsticks. Despite the fact that they were glaze and lustre finishes, I thought they were pigmented pretty nicely and the colors were beautiful. I’ve never been so impressed by the lipsticks in a collection before. Since I started getting into M·A·C about three years ago (slowly, but surely), in my opinion, Fafi ranks up there with one of the better collections.
If you just want to see pictures, scroll down. If you want to wait, then read on. :)
What I purchased (refer to the “glossary” link on the sidebar for unfamiliar terms):
- Flash-N-Dash, Fun ‘N’ Sexy, and Utterly Frivolous l/s*
- Cult Fave and Sugar Trance l/g
- Cash Flow and Perky pp
- Hipness and Fashion Frenzy* blushes
- all three dolls (Monoka, Eriko, and Ermine)
Note: * indicates that the product is already sold out on the US website
Review:
The website’s swatches do not do these colors justice and they are so off! I highly recommend going to a store to check this collection out, if you can, before buying.
PACKAGING - people have a problem that they used stickers, but it’s not that big of a deal to me. You can always remove them!
LIPSTICKS - as I’ve previously mentioned, the lipsticks really stood out to me. I liked most of them, but I felt that Not So Innocent would be way too sheer on my lips [as they already have a slight pigmentation to them]. I didn’t think it was worth buying. High Top is a very pretty color and does kind of remind me of Club eyeshadow, but because of its glaze finish, I didn’t think it would show up on me. Also, for some reason, I thought I might end up looking goth or looking like I have a bruised lip. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, but I have to take into account what would work on me in the end over how nice a color is, you know? Strawbaby was a pretty nude color and the name even sounds pretty, but I already had a similar shade of lipstick. It was between that or Utterly Frivolous [which is a very nude pink color] and in the end, the latter won. Flash-N-Dash was a pretty red/coral lipstick and I needed something brighter than the lip stuff I currently have, so this was an easy choice. Fun ‘N’ Sexy is a bright pink color, yet sheer, which I love and I am so glad I bought it before it was sold out [on the site].
LIPGLASSES - I knew I wanted Cult Fave immediately and judging by how it sold out on my first attempt at buying it (thankfully, I live near many stores), it probably became somewhat of a, well, cult fave. It is such a pretty color, something I don’t have. It’s a pretty cotton candy pink. Sugar Trance didn’t catch my eye at first [and at second], but I was at the mall yesterday and stopped by M·A·C at Nordstrom, and I looked at it again. It wasn’t as sheer as I initially thought. It was a very light, innocent pastel pink color, so I decided to get it. I don’t have very many pink-toned lip glosses anyway, so it worked out. Totally It is also another beautiful color, kind of like the lipglass version of Fun ‘N’ Sexy. It’s bright pink with shimmer; however, I have Standing Ovation lipglass, which is also a bright pink [but without shimmer], so I passed on it. Who knows, I may end up getting it later on, though. Finally, Squeeze It is a plum-colored lipglass, but I am not a fan of plum colors on my lips, so I passed on it.
QUADS - If I were to pick one, I would easily choose Fafi Eyes 2 for the sole reason that Fafi Eyes 1 has two permanent colors included (Vanilla and Pink Venus); however, if you didn’t have those colors, then that would be another story, as they are both great colors to have. As people have mentioned, both quads are perfect for the upcoming spring and summer seasons. I just felt that colors weren’t too original and not pigmented enough for me (I’m a girl who loves my bright colors). There were some colors in Fafi Eyes 2 that I really liked though, You’re Fresh (the green) and Shockwave (the coral), but they weren’t enough reasons to get me to purchase the quad.
PAINT POTS - They were what I was most excited about upon hearing this collection was going to come out because I love paint pots and these colors looked promising. Ironically, in the end, I only bought two of the six paint pots. Perky is a salmon pink color and stood out amongst the other pink, which was Girl Friendly, a more mauve-pink color. Layin’ Low was more of a beige-brown; it was really “blah” to me. Cash Flow is a gold-green color, which was very pretty. If you liked Pure Ore from the Metal-X collection, but was not a fan of its texture, you will probably like Cash Flow. Rollickin’, it’s been said, is reminiscent of Aquadisiac eyeshadow, but I think it looks more like Shimmermoss. It is pretty and not like Otherworldly from the McQueen Collection. It has more of a shimmer to it, while Otherworldly was more matte. However, as pretty as it was, I couldn’t justify buying it when I have both Aquadisiac and Shimmermoss eyeshadows, Otherworldly pp, and Delft pp (a dark teal). I went back to check it out three times and kept coming back to the same conclusion. Waste not, want not. Nice Vice, like Rollickin’, was a pp which I had a vacillating opinion on. I was excited about it because, hey, a purple paint pot! Everyone kept talking about how nice it was (I mean, it’s even sold out on the website), but I couldn’t see why. Sure, it has shimmer. It looked boring and blah on my hand. It was more wine-colored, very dark.
FLUIDLINE - buy it if you don’t already have it. Blacktrack is a must-have color.
EYE KOHLS - I’m not a fan of kohl pencils, so I passed on these [for now]. They’re ophthalmologist-tested, though, so they should be fine on the waterline, although I have a feeling they’ll smudge.
ZOOM LASH - I didn’t buy this. I don’t need another mascara when Plush Lash is making me very happy.
POWDER BLUSHES - Both are gorgeous! Fashion Frenzy (sold out on the website) is a clean bubblegum pink, while Hipness is a nice bright coral.
IRIDESCENT POWDERS/PRESSED - They make a good highlight and a blush, if you could get it to work as the latter (I can’t because it just doesn’t show up on my skin, like MSFs). I have Belightful already (since it’s permanent), which impressed me when the MA put it on me a while ago, but I’ve barely used it because it is just too shimmery for me, as were the other two colors. Verve-Acious and Sassed-Up are very pretty colors, though, so if you don’t mind the shimmer, you would probably like IPPs. Belightful and Verve-Acious are kind of similar, but I liked the latter more.
NAIL LACQUERS - Girls Will Be Girls is a peachy-pink color with gold shimmer, really pretty. Boom! is a dark pink-purple with a bit of pink shimmer, also very pretty.
THE REST - I did not purchase any brushes because I have enough brushes as of now. I also don’t need make-up bags or a tote. I bought the dolls because they’re adorable, but I passed on the scarf (which is more like a bandanna than a scarf) and the shirt because I knew I would probably never wear them and I didn’t like how the dolls looked in them.
Pictures of my most recent haul and other stuff. Most of the product pictures were taken with natural light, no flash (unless otherwise noted).
I got this letter in the mail (front)
Back
Close-up
Close-up
Close-up
Close-up
Close-up
Front of the invitation
Back of the invitation
Background on Fafi and the invitation
Some little cut-outs of the products
Close-up
Close-up
The Fafi bag (it’s so cute!)
Ermine
Eriko (I think she’s the cutest one from the bag design)
Monoka
They give you this paper/checklist to give to the MAs
Front of the fold-out they give you with your purchase
Back
Inside
Close-up
It has a little DVD (cute design, but the content was kind of pointless)
The fold-out is actually a poster :)
Design on the lipsticks
All of my Fafi haul
Lipglasses: Cult Fave and Sugar Trance
Design on the lipglasses
Lipsticks: Utterly Frivolous, Flash-N-Dash, and Fun ‘N’ Sexy
Perky paint pot (artificial light)
Perky paint pot again
Cash Flow paint pot (artificial light, before I nicked it)
Cash Flow paint pot again
Blushes: Hipness and Fashion Frenzy
Hipness blush (it’s actually a little brighter in real life)
Fashion Frenzy blush
The Fafinettes
Ermine
Eriko (she looks like an alien, but I like the color of her dress)
Monoka (the cutest in doll design, IMO)
Close-up of the stand
I also bought non-Fafi stuff…
Viva Glam VI SE (Special Edition) lipglass, which is super pretty
Bare Study paint pot (it’s slightly more pink in real life)
Soft Ochre paint pot (it’s slightly more yellow in real life, also brighter)
M·A·C haul for February
