To be honest, I think the only reason that I like this summer collection is because of the packaging. It’s a “print” that is found throughout my home decor. (Think Thomaspaul creepy sealife prints found on pillows, etc. and antique sealife prints). The motifs are the ones featured on the model’s ill-fitting swimsuit. The colors aren’t anything new. In fact, many are the same colors MAC has all year but in snazzy summer packaging.
The collection describes itself as such: “The seaside has a kind of golden, sexy alchemy we’re all drawn to. This collection encapsulates it with the most soothing, sultry shades of summertime. A safe way to bronze, beautify, and get colour that looks sun-kissed. Close your eyes, and go To The Beach!” This is true. What would a summer collection be without bronzers and golden tones?After seeing this collection on-line, I ran to the local MAC store.
EYES: There are 5 Eyeshadows. Each are packaged in an adorable avocado fruit green with a seashell “stamped” on a see-thru window. Sand & Sun is a matte peach that is perfect for making the lids of the peaches n’cream complexions appear even. Firecracker is a shimmery reddish shade that looks much better mixed with colors than worn alone. Sweet & Punchy is a lovely chartreuse shimmer. Shimmermoss is an aqua shimmer that mixes beautifully with gold. Humid is a shimmery, deep green that makes a great smoky eye or liner. All the colors are nice but I already own Shimmermoss and Humid. I was tempted by Sweet & Punchy but I can get a similar effect with Bitter. Each retail for $14.50. There are 2 Eye Kohls that have a coral motif that matches the color of the kohl. There is Rosemary & Thyme, a medium olive shimmmer, and Float On By, a deep turquoise. Both are nice but I already own similar colors. Rosemary & Thyme would look stunning on brown-eyed redheads. The pencils retail for $14.50.
LIPS: There are 4 Lipsticks in an orange case with a seashell “stamp”. Beachbound is a neutral light shimmery peach. Lazy Day is an “everyday” dusty pink. Thrills is a rose with gold shimmer. Funbathing is a California Red Plum with bronze shimmer. I love the packaging of the lipsticks but I didn’t fall in love with any of the colors. Funbathing is nice but I didn’t love it. I think it would be a nice “plum” for deeper complexions and olive complexions. Lipsticks retail for $14. There are 3 Tinted Lipglass with an orange top and an adorable seahorse “stamp”. Colors include Easy Lounger (pale pink shimmer), Flurry of Fun (neutral peach shimmer), and Splashing (blue-ish mauve with shimmer, makes teeth appear whiter). I like the packaging but didn’t fall in love with any of the colors. These retail for $14. There are 2 Lip Pencils. The packaging matches the Eye Kohl. There is Life’s A Breeze, neutral pink, and Temperature Rising, a bright orange. I see myself using something like Temperature Rising throughout the summer but I already have an orange lip liner that I love by NYX. These go for $13.
FACE: There are 2 Powder Blushes in a “super-sized” packaging that looks like the eye shadows. Hipness is a peach shimmer and Get-Away Bronze, a medium tan. Neither of these blushes did anything for me. Hipness wasn’t “bold” enough. These retail for $18.50. There’s a beautiful High-Light Powder but it lacks the adorable sea-life motif that I love about this collection. The powder is Marine Life and it is a swirl of pearl, bronze, peach and coral. There is a cute embossed sea horse on the powder. This of course disappears with a tap of a brush. It goes for $26. There are 2 Creme Bronzers (shell “stamp”) in Beach Bronze, a golden bronze, and Weekend, an “orangey” bronze. These are nice but I wouldn’t get much use out of them in the summer. I would do better by choosing a darker foundation for summer. These retail for $25. There are 2 shades of Bronzing Powder. The powder is packaged in an orange compact with a coral motif. I love this and this is the product that I almost purchased. Shades include Golden, a warm tan, and Refined Gold, a tan with gold shimmers. I didn’t buy one of these because the colors are available all year and I love my NARS Bronzer. There are 2 Lustre Drops. This pearly cream can be worn alone or mixed with otehr products for the face and body. There is Pink Rebel, a cool shimmery pink that works nicely with pale skin tones. This shade adds “light” without being the muddy bronze that many light skins can’t wear. Sun Rush is a flattering peachy bronze shimmer. These versatile “drops” retail for $18.50.
NAILS & BODY: There are 2 Nail Lacquers. I love In The Buff. This is a taupey, muddy olive. It’s a really strange shade but this is the freakish weird olive shade that I become when I tan. I wonder if they could make a foundation powder in this shade? The other colors is Scorcher. This is a coral red. It’s pretty but so many other brands offer colors just like this one, so it isn’t special like In The Buff. These polishes retail for $12. There is a nice Body Oil. It is an oil in a pump bottle that is infused with golden tan shimmers. I imagine that this product would look amazing on legs. I wanted to buy it but a little voice reminded me that I already have the NARS oil that is almost like this and the NARS smells better. This retails for $22.
So, I didn’t leave with any of these products. It isn’t that I didn’t like any of these items or the packaging. It’s just that since I’m a cosmetic addict, I already have so many colors like these. I promised myself years ago that I wouldn’t drag an item into my collection just because of packaging alone. I don’t always live up to my promise but I have matured and put my priorities in line. So, my collection does not have any To The Beach products because I’m being reasonable and I realize I already have these colors. This is the downside to owning one of everything. The colors are summery and predictable: bronze, coral, and turquoise. This isn’t anything new so it makes sense that my collection would include these summer staples. This collection is available at MAC’s website but you’ll have better luck visiting your local MAC store or counter because the website has sold out of most products. See that packaging “got” many beauty/cosmetic addicts 🙂