Hey lovelies,
Let me tell you about my love for Rocky Horror.
When I was 15, the group of friends I had weren't really friends. They were the kinds of girls who'd smile sweetly to your face while badmouthing you the second your back was turned. If you liked things they considered weird, you were made to feel like an oddball, as if you were more childish and immature than the rest of them and that your opinions surely couldn't mean jot. Naturally, I was considered very weird. They were the Mean Girls that cult film so accurately portrays and their two-faced ways still hurt ten years later.
But it was also around this time that I discovered two wonderful people and a film that was ridiculous, enthralling, scandalous and sexy. The two people were Laura and Gina, my beautiful friends, and the film was of course the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Suddenly I had these people in my life who embraced my weird and not only that - they liked the same things too! We'd dress up, binge on junk food, play makeovers and watch Rocky Horror on repeat, singing along all the while. We were so dedicated, we have watched Shock Treatment too. I still have a scrapbook of those times. Finding like-minded people was a revelation. I turned away from the mean girls and that miserable period and didn't look back. My friends and Rocky Horror taught me that it was okay to be you and love yourself. I no longer make any apology for my oddities :D
After high school ended, Rocky Horror, like the girls, remained my friend. I dragged Mike along to see it (he even dutifully dressed up!) and hung a fantastic painting of the characters Gina had made me on the wall of each house we rented. Now, post-children, film viewings have grown further apart but I still know all the songs by heart. So when MAC announced a Rocky Horror collection, I may have freaked out a little.
Just a little. And by a little, I mean I may have made some strange noises at Mike and announced that this collection was my Christmas present from him (I'm a demanding tart at times!) and then spent the following months interjecting 'MAC ROCKY HORROR IS GETTING CLOSER!' while bouncing up and down in the middle of completely unrelated conversations with him. Sometimes, Mike has the patience and wisdom of a saint. He never once questioned my sanity when I announced my intention to camp in our lounge to stalk the collection online and stayed up until 4AM before MAC announced they were pushing the online launch back a day. Or when I did the same thing the following night. Or when I called him at 9am the day after wailing that two of the shades I'd wanted had sold out because I'd fallen asleep at 5 and my alarm hadn't gone off at 7 when the collection finally launched. Okay, maybe he sniggered a little, but he wisely never openly questioned it.
I managed to get the missing two shades through a sweet lady in this group who picked them up from her local MAC store at retail prices when others were charging $40USD or more. A very big thanks to Mimi from Makeupwithdrawal for playing mule for me. She's not just an amazing blogger, she is a wonderful and kind friend too.
I realise this is rapidly becoming an Oscar acceptance speech, but guys, I am displaying these lipsticks on my shelf as proudly as I would any Oscar trophy. Oh hey, you want to see those lipsticks? Me too, in the words of Noel: 'Let do this!'
TL;DR: OMFG I LOVE ROCKY HORROR LET'S LOOK AT SOME SWATCHES KGO
PS. I piled on the lashes in a tribute to Magenta, I don't know if it works but it was fun to do :)
My crazy eyes may be a hint: I'm grinning like a cheshire cat behind this poster. Also, squeeeee this poster! The MAC girls very kindly gave it to me on a recent counter visit and I pretended to be all cool as I thanked them and carefully placed it in the pram but I was absolutely cackling maniacally with glee in my head.
Right, lipsticks, calm down.
The packaging for this collection couldn't be more perfect; those iconic red lips adorn both the lipstick boxes and tubes, while from the interior of the box peer the cult characters, rendered in black and white.
I particularly love how the interior printing on my Frank-N-Furter lines up perfectly with Frankie himself.
How many red lipsticks do you really need, you may ask? Well, you're asking the wrong gal because I need every red ever, but even those who are not red connoisseurs can see that there is a lot of variation to this collection's reds.
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Strange Journey
Strange Journey is a tomato red with orange leanings and a Matte finish. The texture is smooth and creamy, gliding across the lips with ease. It's on par with MAC's best Mattes - if you enjoy the finish of shades like Lady Danger and Russian Red, you'll like this. Strange Journey was the tiniest bit drying after five hours but lasted a full seven hours without feathering or migrating. It would have lasted longer, had I been able to resist the siren song of our local Chinese takeaway store but alas, I needed to nom. As it was, some colour still remained after the meal and a bath with my two splash-happy children!
A FOTD with Strange Journey
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Oblivion
Oblivion is the lone Amplified in this collection and is a true red with pink undertones. It's mostly opaque with a hint of translucency. The glossy finish fades to a matte after four hours and it wore altogether just over five hours. There was the tiniest bit of feathering on my lower lip after a few hours, but I really had to look for it, and there was no other migration to speak of. Oblivion is probably the most dupable of the collection, but I love it all the same!
***
Frank-N-Furter
Frank-N-Furter is a raspberry red Matte. I know some people expressed frustration that this wasn't a truer raspberry hue as MAC's description alluded to, but I really enjoy this version, I find it really flattering! The texture was smooth and lightly creamy as with many of MAC's Mattes and applied smoothly without tugging or pulling. Weartime was fantastic, clocking in at seven hours, though it clung on for another hour as more of a stain.
***
Sin
Sin is a deep burgundy with a Matte finish. It's a repromote from the permanent line I've had my eye on for ages, so when it came out in limited edition Rocky Horror packaging, I was alllll over that! (Why yes, I am a complete sucker for MAC's marketing strategies.) Sin is reasonably close to Diva, another MAC shade that I adore, just a bit darker. The texture is a touch drier than the standard Matte formula and tugged a little during application, though not as much as the Retro Mattes do. Despite the drier texture, the formula wasn't too drying overall, becoming minimally drying after three hours wear. Sin stubbornly clung on for seven hours without feathering or migrating.
What I liked:
- All of the shades had great colour pay off.
- Strange Journey, Oblivion and Frank-N-Furter had creamy textures that did not tug or pull.
- Everything wore upwards of five hours.
- Sin, Strange Journey and Frank-N-Furter did not feather or migrate.
What I didn't like:
- Some shades were a little drying (Frank-N-Furter and Sin after three hours, Strange Journey after five).
- Sin had a slightly drier texture than the others and tugged a little bit during application.
- Oblivion had very minor feathering on my lower lip after a few hours.
Where to buy:
- NZ MAC counters this week!
- Specktra.net Clearance Bin
- Ebay
- Facebook sales groups
- Glambot
- Amazon
- Storenvy
- Trade Me
Are you a Rocky Horror fan? Did you get anything from this collection? I'm headed to the Wellington launch event tonight and I'm so excited!
X
Lani
LOVE your swatches ♥ all four shades looks gorgeous on you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kay!
ReplyDeleteI really loved this post. I liked the whole intro, more than just the typical blogger 'i got a thing and it's nice' - you were sharing a really cool back story. The photos were beautiful, I love that corset backdrop too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lena, that means a lot :)
ReplyDeleteI used to wear corsets quite a bit, I thought using them as a backdrop for this collection was nicer than letting them languish in my closet!