Review: Aladdin Collection (MAC Cosmetics)

MAC Cosmetics has a talent for consistently killing me with every limited edition release – and their recent collaboration with Disney for the new Aladdin movie is no different! This post is actually a bit late because I’ve been so busy lately and not had time to write as often, but that’s given me the chance to really test out these products and gather my thoughts about it.

For this release, I was really lucky to have been invited to the pre-release event (which is why you would have seen me talk about these before they actually launched in Australia) – aside from testing out and playing with the products, we also got to watch a demonstration from their make up artist, which has really given me some good insight into the vision for this Aladdin collection.

This is a limited edition collection that was released one week ahead of the Aladdin movie (which came to cinemas May 23 and is so good, by the way). This collection is centred around Princess Jasmine and “features smoky metallic and desert shades that reflect Jasmine’s strong-willed beauty,” as well as some beautiful Agrabah inspired packaging.

Mac Cosmetics gifted me with the eyeshadow palette and one of the lip glasses to try out – which is actually good because it’s been a long time since I used a pressed shadow from their brand, and I have never used their lip glasses before either. Trying them out was definitely a whole new world for me (haha – okay, I’ll stop).

Now, let’s get into this review!

The Collection

The Aladdin collection has a pretty wide range of products, all in shades that somewhat reflect the style of make up in the actual movie. There are:

• Three lipglasses (Jewels on Jewels, Diamond in the Rough, and Magic Carpet Ride)
• A limited edition repackaged version of the Rose Pigment (which is a personal favourite of mine)
• Two powders (in Always One Jump Ahead, a highlighting shade, and Your Wish is My Command, a bronzer shade)
• Four lipsticks (Rajah, Princess Incognito, Whole New World and Friend Like Me)
• Crystal Glaze Gloss (in the shade Wish)
• Graphblack Technakohl Liner in limited edition packaging
• And, of course, the nine pan Princess Jasmine Eye Palette

Out of this whole collection, I have to say that the lipsticks really caught my eye. I feel like the shade range reflected the movie really well and, at the event, they also demonstrated how they could be used as eyeshadow bases and blushes – both to a really good effect! I actually wanted to pick up the Rajah lipstick but it sold out so quickly that I couldn’t find it anywhere.

The highlighting and bronzer are also really beautiful but I didn’t end up buying them because I have a total of 847 highlighters already, and I actually don’t bronze a lot. They are a really good addition to this collection though and, as mentioned, reflects well the subtle sun-kissed look that Naomi Scott had in the movie.

As I previously mention, I currently have the Princess Jasmine Palette and the lipglass in Jewels on Jewels, so let’s get into a review of those!

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Eyeshadow X 9 (Princess Jasmine) | AUD$65

Naturally, the most exciting part of this collection was bound to be the eye palette and this product serves as a really good centrepiece for the entire collection. Aside from having a beautiful design, it manages to both encapsulate the MAC Cosmetics style and perfectly reflect the movie make up.

I had read some comments from people who were confused about the shade range and felt that it should be more vibrant to suit the colours of the costuming (and maybe even the animated cartoon). However, as soon as I saw these colours applied, I knew that they were perfect. This collection is centred about Princess Jasmine and, in the movie, her make up sits between smokey and effortless. I’ll definitely include some references at the end for you.

I’ll definitely include some references at the end for you.

Getting back to the palette, the main description is as follows:

A limited-edition Eye Shadow palette in nine smoky metallic and desert shades, from lustrous gold to blackened plum to duochrome blue-green with red shimmer.

Shade Range

The Princess Jasmine eye palette looks to be cool toned at first but, once it’s actually used and applied, I find that it doesn’t lean too far on either end of the spectrum, which I appreciate because it works well with current trends. The actual shades are generally quite ‘safe’ and wearable, but the addition of these beautiful shimmers really helps to elevate the look.

The shades are as follows:

• No Ordinary Lamp: Light rose (Matte)
• Creative Copper: Peachy gold with gold shimmer (Lustre)
• Agrabah: Cool rose (Frost)
• Riffraff: Mauve (Matte)
• Rags to Riches: Pale gold frost (Frost)
• Live the Genie Life: Gunmetal silver (Frost)
• Princess Jasmine: Duochrome blue green w/ red undertone (Frost)
• Abu!: Plum with red pearl (VLXP)
• Shadowy Lady: Blackened plum (Matte)

Out of this palette, my favourite would definitely be Live the Genie Life which is described as a gunmetal silver. It’s a cool toned brown with a silver frost reflect, which gives it a very unique almost taupe-like look. This is my favourite sort of shade so, naturally, I really gravitate towards it.

I also like Princess Jasmine shade, which is essentially a pressed version of their blue-brown pigment (which is another of my favourite loose pigments from them). This is a very popular and well-known MAC duo-chrome and, while it isn’t too unique anymore, still fits in very well with the colour scheme.

Personal Experience

So it’s safe to say that I’m very happy with this MAC Cosmetics collaboration. Packaging side, I feel like they hit some very movie accurate notes with the shade range and product selection.

I feel like this is a very wearable and versatile little palette. You can create more light, casual looks with this but also smoke it up easily. It has a very ‘complete’ shade range from light mattes, to shimmers and deeper mattes and satins, so you don’t need to be reaching for any additional palettes or singles to make it work. The only thing is that this colour scheme is – as I mentioned – very neutral. It isn’t significantly different to anything else that is out there so if you are a big beauty fan, then you may already have something like this in your collection.

Formula wise, it has been a long time since I last used a MAC Cosmetics eyeshadow (excluding their loose pigments) so I really went into this completely fresh. I find that these need a slightly tacky primer underneath – without it the pigmentation is quite average – and shimmers are best used with either a dense synthetic brush or with your fingers. Aside from that, the shadows are easy to blend and have little-to-no fall out, even from the more shimmery shades. They also wear well throughout the day with no creasing (provided there is a primer used).

Here’s the verdict!

SO WHAT IS IT?

A nine pan neutral eyeshadow palette inspired by desert and smoke

RATINGS

• PRICE POINT | 3/5
• PACKAGING | 5/5
• PIGMENTATION | 3/5
• SHADE RANGE | 4/5
• BLENDABILITY | 5/5

OVERALL RATING? 8/10

THOUGHTS? As my first re-introduction to MAC Cosmetics eyeshadows, I think that this was okay! To be honest, I feel like there are better formulas out there but I can work with this. This palette also costs more than their usual 9 pan palettes (which are AUD$59), which I guess is because of the licensing fee but I would have preferred to keep them at the same price point.

But all of that being said, this palette is great in all other aspects – I like the packaging (which is also quite sleek and easy to travel with), the shade range is good, and the formula is also easy to blend.

I feel like the Princess Jasmine would be well suited for someone who is after a versatile neutral palette and who is used to using primers in their make up routine (as we all should be). Skills wise, I feel like it could be used by all skill levels.

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Lipglass (Jewels on Jewels) | AUD$37

The next one that I tried out is their Lipglass in the shade Jewels on Jewels – I am pretty glad that they gave me this one because the other two shades wouldn’t have suited me! Although I don’t use lip glosses much, and in particular don’t like using anything shimmery on my lips, I was still pretty keen to try this one out because I liked the shade and have heard a lot of good things about them.

So the Jewels on Jewels shade is described as a warm pink with gold shimmer. It comes in the limited edition Aladdin packaging and claims to be versatile enough to create either a high-shine, glass finish or a more subtle sheen. It is formulated to be used both alone or on top of other lipsticks or pencils, and also contains Jojoba Oil to condition the lips.

Packaging

As previously mentioned, all of the Aladdin Collection comes in limited edition packaging that is “inspired by the rich patterns and vibrant hues of Agrabah.” For this Lipglass, the product comes in a purple unit carton with intricate gold foil detailing that has a very beautifully decadent feel. This design if carried on to the tube which is clear (so you can properly see the shade inside) but also has the same intricate pattern and a gold lid. The actual quality of the packaging is really nice too, with the lid clicking shut very firmly. It feels appropriately high end even while using the Disney branding.

This is common practice for almost all of the MAC Cosmetics limited edition collections, but I personally love that they keep all of their standard packaging shapes – that is, the lipsticks always have the iconic bullet case, and the lipglasses too. They generally only change the material, colour and pattern of it. I love this because I do own a lot of their products (especially the lipsticks) and I love that their all sit well together even though the colours aren’t necessarily the same.

Personal Experience

First off, this product has a nice doe foot applicator – I don’t know if it’s the same for all of them but I assume so. It’s a good size where it isn’t too large or too thin (which I feel like is becoming an issue with many glosses) so I’m apple to get a very accurate application.

The finish of this gloss is very smooth and absolutely non-gritty on the lips. It lasts relatively well too and won’t fade unless you’re eating or drinking. The fade is quite natural though and doesn’t leave any awkward staining or drying of the lips. It’s easy to reapply. It also has a decent semi-sheer pigmentation which gives a flattering soft colour to the lips and can be easily layered on top of other colours without affecting the shade too much.

That all being said, the Lipglass is quite sticky and people who don’t like this about glosses would want to stay away from this formula. For myself though, I don’t mind this tackiness since I almost expect it from glosses anyway and I also find that these formulas tend to last better on the lips.

So, here’s the verdict!

SO WHAT IS IT?

A smooth, non-gritty shimmering high-shine lip gloss

RATINGS

• PRICE POINT | 2/5
• PACKAGING | 5/5
• PIGMENTATION | 5/5
• TEXTURE | 4/5
• LONGEVITY | 4/5
• COMFORT | 4/5

OVERALL RATING? 8/10

THOUGHTS? A lot of people had told me good things about the MAC Cosmetics lipglasses before and I had swatched quite a few of them that I liked too. However, the main thing that had always deterred me was the price; they actually cost more than the lipstick bullets and I really don’t think that’s necessary.

However, if that isn’t an issue for you, then this is a really nice formula. It’s sticky as you would expect, but it’s smooth and comfortable on the lips.

The Jewels on Jewels shade in this collection is – in my opinion – definitely the most flattering one in this collection and it’s totally my style. I love that it isn’t overly pink and that the gold shimmer is quite subtle too. It works well applied alone but isn’t too pigmented to be used over other colours too – which is my personal preference since I like more opacity to my lip colours.

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And that’s my super belated review on the MAC Cosmetics Aladdin collaboration! Most of this is actually sold out already but I feel like they gave me a good idea of the formulas for their eyeshadows and the lipglasses – both which are relatively new to me. Let me know if you had picked up anything from the Aladdin collection! I’m still smacking myself for missing out on Rahjah so I will now learn to be quicker with these limited releases – I just didn’t think it would go that fast!

And to end this off, here’s a few shots of Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine in the Aladdin movie!