MAC Formal Black 2006 vs MAC Antiquitease 2007

The Muse loves you.

Since she loves you so much she decided that it would be a very good idea to haul out all of last year's MAC Formal Black and do the comparison work for you!

Go on tell me how great I am, don't be modest!

Here's the lowdown my pretties. If you skipped out on MAC Formal Black last year or you're a new MAC addict, this year's holiday collection is all about you however, if you're an avid collector, your color stories are up to date, and you're just a general makeup whore (like the Muse) that would mean this collection is somewhat of a snore.

Currently my wish list is leaning towards the eye palettes and everything else seems like I can do without it!

Without further babble from me here's the scoop on MAC's Holiday Collection this year!

The best place to start is the palettes last year we had 4 palettes just like this year. Those consisted of Smokey Eyes, Intense Eyes, Warm Eyes, and Cool Eyes. This year Metallic Eyes has replaced Intense Eyes.

MAC Formal Black Cool Eyes Palette

Click here to view the Antiquitease Cool Eyes Palette
Overall, the palette appears very similar to last year's Formal Black Cool Eyes Palette aside from a few colors that look different! I still have to see this year's palette to in person to decide but this sadly might turn into a non buy for me!

MAC Formal Black Smokey Eye Palette

This almost appears identical to MAC's Antiquitease Smokey Eye palette! Click here to see the palette and compare for yourself!

MAC Formal Black Intense Eyes Palette

I loved this palette last year and I love it to this day and it appears this wasn't duplicated in anyway this year but it's been replaced with the Metallic Eye Palette which I am definately adding to my list to get as I've seen photos of it and it's very nice! Again, I have to see it in person myself but I'd say the Metallic Eye Palette is one to nab for sure! See it here.

MAC Formal Black Warm Eyes Palette

This year's warm eyes palette appears a bit different but some colors seem similar so I'll have to see at my counter tomorrow how much unlike they are!

The eye palettes are always on my list because it's a nice bit of product for the price at $36 USD plus this year's design is simply stunning however if the colors are the same I can count them off my list! Looking forward to seeing these in person tomorrow!

I didn't purchase any holiday lip palettes last year and I rarely do because they are just too messy for me however I did purchase the Viva Glam lip palette simply to donate my money to a good cause. Last year we were gifted with six shades in a palette and I believe the price was $48 USD (don't quote me on that). This year they are offering two palettes at $22.50 USD each with three shades per palette. That price is for the Viva Glam lip palettes not the regular holiday palettes.

If I recall correctly the lip palettes were the same price last year as the eyeshadow palettes where this year it's less product for a bit more considering if you purchase two that would be $45 USD for six shades in two palettes when last year it was $36 USD for six shades in one palette. If I'm wrong do comment! I'm pretty sure that was the cost per palette last year!

MAC Formal Black Viva Glam Palette

I never touched my palette from last year! *blush*

I've broken down the Curiousitease sets for you so you can see what you're getting, color wise, in each set. These are a complete waste of cash for me since I have all the colors and if you're an avid pigment user, a collector, or just a general makeup junkie chances are you have all the colors already as well! However, if you're new to MAC or just missed out on certain items this is a great time to nab a deal! $29.50 USD gets you 5 vials of pigment and if you're familiar with pigment you know these will last AGES and AGES so a little goes a long way! A nice little bang for your buck!

The Cool Set of Curiousitease Pigments includes:
Helium
Softwash Grey
Naval Blue
Forest Green
Reflects Blue Glitter

I just realized how splendidly all these colors go together when I set them out next to each other so thanks MAC!

The Muse does not own Forest Green (I thought I did but I guess I don't! Unless it's playing Hide and Seek with me at the moment).

Naval Blue, Softwash Grey, Helium, Reflects Blue Glitter


MAC is offering a warm collection of pigments as well which is also $29.50 USD and includes five pigment vials.

The Warm Set of Curiousitease Pigments includes:
Lilywhite
Dazzleray
Copper Sparkle
Sunpepper
Reflects Gold Glitter

Again, thanks MAC! These go pretty well together ;) I never realized how nicely Dazzleray and Lilywhite look together !

Lilywhite, Dazzleray, Sunpepper, Copper Sparkle, Reflects Gold Glitter


This year, in keeping with the theme of mini eye pencils (see my Urban Decay Mini 24/7 Eyeliner blog entry), MAC bundled together 5 mini softsparkle pencils. Again, such a great deal, $29.50 USD for all 5 pencils. I have all the softsparkle pencils but if I didn't this would most definately be on my wish list! If you have none of these eyeliner pencils I highly recommend nabbing this smart collection!

The Curiousitease Softsparkle Eyeliner Set Includes:
Nightsky
Peacocky
Iris Accents
Reflecto
Goldenair

Peacocky, Reflecto, Nightsky, Iris Accents, Goldenair


MAC Formal Black Lipgloss Dress Sets


The above picture is the lipglosses that were included with the Dress Sets last year. This year the colors are far different from what I've seen in photos. Keep in mind the glosses included with these set are mini versions so don't expect to get 5 full size glosses

Brush sets are another snore for me as I have a majority of the brushes! If you happen to have all these brushes too and are loving the case they come in, like the Muse, I highly recommend skipping on purchasing just because you're convincing yourself you could use the brushes (but really you're just wanting the bag).

The good news for weird, diseased people like ourselves is we can safely skip buying the brush bags and go ahead and score JUST the bag on E-bay!

Now if you happen to not have many good brushes in your collection this is a good chance to nab some great brushes at a super great price! If you break down the cost per a brush set it comes to about $9.60 per a brush! That's a steep savings on brushes! Brush Sets are $48 usd per set and the special edition Heirloom collection is $45.

The Muse has broken down each set so you can see what you'll be getting should you purchase the sets!

Face Brush Set


The face brush set includes (as pictured from left to right) 194 (useless brush in my opinion), 190, 168, and 187. This set is a bit tricky because it includes the 194 which in my humblest opinion is garbage and useless. So that means you'll be taking 3 brushes and dividing by the $48 price tag which comes out to $16 per a brush! Purchase the lot separately in full size and it'll run you a nice hefty $200 or so!

It's worth mentioning that I hear high debates about the quality of the brushes in these sets. I've heard they aren't as good as the larger size, they shed, and so on and so fourth. I personally own larger and smaller sizes of MAC brushes and I've never experienced any problems with the smaller sizes! I even LIKE the smaller sizes better! Easy storage, portable, clean up as good as the large size, and take less space in my makeup bag! So if you're wondering if the mini sizes are any better or worst than the full size I would say it's about the same quality as the larger size brushes. MAC makes some outstanding brushes whether they be mini or large size!

Basic Brush Set


The basic brush set includes (as pictured from top to bottom) the 266, 219, 229, 129, and (not pictured) 316.

Eye Brush Set


The eye brush set includes (pictured from left to right) the 252, 212, 275, 217, and 209.

If you're in high debate what would be the best brush set to lay your money on I'd say it would be the eye set or the face brush set!

As for the Heirloom Brush Set that appears to have the same brushes as the basic brush set but in special clothing so if you're yearning the basic brush set why not get the Heirloom Set and save yourself $3!

Heirloom Brush Set $45 USD


That's all for my comparisons to this year's collection and last year's :)

I hope it's helped you decide what will be a hit for you and what will be a miss!

The only thing I didn't cover were Antiquitease Finery which are the lipstick sets. I did purchase lipsticks from last year but can't recall the colors so I am unable to do the comparisons for you! I will say Coral Lips and Tan Lips look very similar to colors I got last year!

Happy Shopping tomorrow and don't forget to comment and let the Muse know what you got! She's all ears!