I've already mentioned that MAC has released three nine-pan eyeshadow palettes as part of their holiday collection, and the "Cool" iteration was the second to catch my eye.
But I won't be buying.
My thoughts about MAC and their limited edition collections can be found in my post about the Nutcracker Sweet Smoky Eye Compact.
The "Cool" palette, which to me looks the most "smoky" out of the three palettes, caught my attention because of the pink tones. I haven't always loved pink on me, but I think that's because the first pink palette I tried was the Urban Decay Naked 3:
This is probably one of my most disliked palettes I have ever owned. Every single look I did looked wrong, unflattering, or muddy, and I really hated all of the glittery fallout. I especially hated the first several shades. I liked Liar enough, but it wasn't that unique on me, and Nooner was the only shadow that I loved. I ended up using Nooner every time I touched this palette because it was the only shade that looked good on me.
I finally decided enough was enough with this palette a couple years ago and gave it away. But it was only later when my good friend told me that the Naked 3 is her all-time favorite palette and that her favorite shades are the first few that I hated that I realized why I didn't like the palette. My friend has fair, cool-toned skin and naturally reddish hair. She also has gorgeous huge dark brown eyes. Pinks look killer on her. My complexion is quite different. I have warm olive undertones and blue-green-gray eyes.
Because of this, I assumed for quite a while that pinks were best suited for people with cool skin tones and dark eyes in the way that bronzes and coppers look great on people with blue and green eyes. But the reality is that I just needed to find the pink colors that best suited me. And those were not in the Naked 3. Also, I just really don't like the formula of Urban Decay shadows.
I realized that the best way to make pinks work for me was to pair them with warm-toned shadows, including warm-toned pinks and mauves. Since I've discovered this, pink eyeshadow has really become a favorite of mine, and so when I see a palette full of pink shades, I get excited.
However, when I really evaluate the Cool palette by MAC, the colors are not at all exciting.
The first five shadows look like they would be practically indistinguishable on the lid as a light wash of color. The gray and black are absolutely nothing new and are included in pretty much every natural palette from Urban Decay's Naked to the Lorac Pro. That leaves the dark pink and brown, which are not exactly unique.
I especially don't need this palette because it looks like a toned-down, less interesting version of the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons:
Or the Tartelette in Bloom:
And less obviously but still in the same family as the Lorac Unzipped:
Swatches of the MAC Cool palette have left much to be desired and have also confirmed my suspicion that the first five colors would all look the same when applied. The pigmentation is also quite sheer, which is not something that I really enjoy, especially when there are a ton of better options available.
My thoughts about the Cool palette are the same as the Smoky palette from MAC. I don't think the quality of their permanent line translates into all of their limited edition palettes, especially when the pans are not the traditional round shape and size. $39.50 is too much for a nine-pan palette of inferior quality with a low quality brush. Again, I think the only reason to buy this palette would be if you like to collect MAC holiday palettes and you like the packaging. I don't personally collect makeup, so there is no reason for me to purchase this.
In a lot of ways I feel MAC can't keep up with the rest of the cosmetics industry. And that's an odd thing for me to say since MAC is incredibly successful and will likely remain successful. They have a solid customer base with their eyeshadows, foundations, and lipsticks. They are a brand that many people show loyalty. As I mentioned in my other MAC holiday eye palette post, MAC was the very first makeup I ever owned, and I learned how to apply makeup from a MAC artist. I am a part of that loyal customer base even though I don't shop there as exclusively as I used to.
But MAC also doesn't branch out all that often. They were way behind the liquid lipstick trend when they released their version of it, and it was poorly received with many complaints about patchiness and dryness. When highlighters came fully into focus, MAC didn't reformulate any of their Mineralize Skinfinishes to have a smoother formula with less chunky glitter. Eyeshadow palettes have been hot since the Naked palette was released over six years ago, and yet MAC has only recently started putting out premade palettes, and most of them have been limited edition. Added to that, MAC has moved from being cruelty-free to non-cruelty-free, which also feels like a step backward instead of forward.
Releasing a palette like the "Cool" palette with such bland colors that looks exactly like several others that have been on the market for years solidifies how "behind" MAC is with their releases. It also feels like MAC is having a bit of an identity crisis. For a while it seemed they didn't care what the current trends were, they were going to stick with what always worked for them. But lately, it seems they are trying to slightly change to go with the trends, but are just really behind and not coming out with much that's interesting or innovative.
Overall, the most interesting thing about the "Cool" palette is the dark pink shade, and there is absolutely no need to buy an entire "meh" quality palette for one shade. It reminds me of the days before iTunes when you would buy an entire CD because you liked one song. And you convinced yourself that you would like and listen to the other songs, but you never did. You just listened to the one song you bought the entire CD for. And I think that's what happens a lot with palettes, at least for me. I see that one awesome color that I want and decide that there are enough "good" colors for me to justify buying, or I bargain with myself and make promises that I have no intention of keeping that I will find ways to use the other colors or will experiment. No, I won't. I just want that one color. And in the case of this palette, that one color just isn't all that special. And I won't be buying.
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