Purchased by me/Contains affiliate links
MAC's 2015 Bao Bao Wan collection first appeared rather quietly in July of the previous year, when the four lipsticks and beauty powder from the collection briefly appeared on the MAC website as an apparent glitch. They were snaffled up quickly by those with quick trigger fingers but no one knew what collection they came from or whether the colours would be back until many months later, when Bao Bao Wan was at last announced. The 'mystery collection' release had originally come in MAC's standard black packaging, but the final form is what you see in these pictures: dark, umber brown rubberized packaging with teal green shimmer giving it an overall frosted glass look. Bao Bao Wan's signature and the MAC logo are printed across the lower half of the tubes in gold, further enhancing the luxe feel.
Bao Bao Wan herself is a designer of fine jewellery and a socialite hailing from Beijing, China. Her MAC collection took inspiration from the fine metals and jewels she works with and was filled with rich tones and glistening finishes. Besides the lipsticks I have to show you today, there was a shimmery beauty powder (Summer Opal), a Veluxe Pearlfusion eyeshadow palette (Bao Bao's Jewels) and three nail polishes, all in pearl finishes (Kashmir Blue, Imperial Green and Sunset Tourmaline). I still hope to get my hands on the beauty powder and eyeshadow palette one day!
Formula overview:
Of the four lipsticks in this collection, three were mattes while Romantic Breakdown was the lone lustre. MAC's mattes are one of my favourite formulas and these three were very true to form: super pigmented and velvety in texture. Lustres can be a little more hit or miss, sometimes being drying, but I didn't have any issues with Romantic Breakdown. MAC lipsticks have a vanilla scent.
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Romantic Breakdown
Romantic Breakdown is described as a 'sheer nude' in a Lustre finish. As nudes go, I suppose it isn't the most unique and is most comparable to Shy Girl in the permanent range, although less orange. Nevertheless, it's a lipstick I really like for a slightly lighter nude option than I often reach for, and it's more forgiving than options like Japanese Maple and Hue. It wore for four hours on me and wasn't drying.
Forbidden Sunrise
Forbidden Sunrise is described as a 'creamy orange' with a Matte finish. I absolutely love this shade of orange, I hope MAC repromote it some day! It was mostly gone after five hours wear and was minimally drying.
Burmese Kiss
Burmese Kiss is described as a 'bright coral pink' with a Matte finish. I'm a total sucker for MAC's corals and can be counted on to snap them up regardless of how many potential dupes I own, but even I'll admit that there are likely dupes for Burmese Kiss. Previous LE shades Party Parrot and Toxic Tale are both close (and probably close enough for those aren't quite as fiendish about hoarding coral lipsticks). It wore for five hours on me and wasn't drying, though it did stain.
Lavender Jade
Lavender Jade is described as a 'dirty mauve with gold pearl' in a Matte finish. I'm really only able to detect any hint of pearl when I look very closely at the lipstick in the tube, it doesn't translate in application for me at all. Regardless, it's a gorgeous colour and if you're a fan of purple you'll be pleased to hear that Lavender Jade was added to MAC's permanent range a while ago! When I tested for wear, it lasted for five hours on me and wasn't drying.
What I liked:
- Great colour pay off
- Most shades weren't drying
- Gorgeous packaging
- Wear time was between four and five hours.
What I didn't like:
- Forbidden Sunrise was minimally drying
Did you get anything from this collection while it was available?
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