R E V I E W | MAC x Selena Collection

I have been waiting on this collection for ages, ever since it was announced last year that MAC will be releasing a limited edition Selena Quintanilla collection. Selena is one of the biggest Mexican American Tejano musician, whose life was tragically cut short when she was shot to death by her best friend and fan club president after Selena and her family found out she was embezzling money from the club and Selena’s other businesses. Selena means a lot to a lot of people including myself. Aside her music and her amazing raw talent, her love for her fans, her humbleness, her realness and her kind heart is what made Selena so special. It’s what made her standout and made her so unique.

This is the only M.A.C collaboration I’ve been dying to get my hands on. I’m usually not too fussed about limited edition makeup or any kind of collaborations because let’s be honest makeup is makeup. How many different shades of red can you have really! It’s usually if I get it – great! If not eeh! But this I was definitely itching to get. The collaboration was made possible by one dedicated fan (Patty Rodriguez) who started a petition about two years ago to get M.A.C to create this line and thank God everything went according to plan. M.A.C worked with Suzette (Selena’s older sister) to make this dream a reality. She said in a statement released by the brand that she wanted this line to be about Selena personally, what she wore both on and off stage.

From Left to Right: Fotos y Recuerdos, No Me Queda Mas, Selena

The collaboration was launched online on October 1st in the US and on October 6th worldwide (online and in selected M.A.C stores). I was more than 20,000 miles away from the UK on the day it launched and I still managed to get my hands on them. I didn't get the entire collection because that would have cost me an arm and a leg, so instead I only purchased the products I really wanted. The entire collection consists of 3 lipstick shades, 1 lip gloss, 5 eyeshadow shades (3 mattes and 2 shimmery shades), 1 Contour/Highlight Duo, a Face brush, a Mascara and an Eyeliner. I love how they named the products after her most popular songs, especially the Spanish ones.

From Left to Right: Como La Flor, Dreaming of You, Amor Prohibido

~ THE LIPS/ LOS LABIOS ~

“Con unas ansias locas quiero verete hoy. Espero ese momento en que escuche tu voz…” No I don’t speak Spanish but there’s no Selena song I cannot sing. I had no idea if Amor Prohibido (Glaze finish) was going to suit me and I honestly didn’t care. I just wanted this lipstick for the name and nothing else. Amor Prohibido is my favourite Selena song of all time. So it made perfect sense (to me) to have this in my collection and honestly I do not regret it. It’s a beautiful nude - a pinkish, mid toned brown that will suit all skin tones.

Amor Prohibido (Transilation: Forbidden Love) | £17

Lipstick packaging

The next shade was one of Selena’s most popular/memorable song. This song always makes me cry. She was known for her classic bold red lips and this colour definitely embodies the Selena we knew and loved on stage. She was the reason I fell in love with red lipstick at a very young age. All I wanted to be was Selena. I wanted to look and sing and dance like Selena. I remember when I bought my first lipstick from M.A.C at 18, I knew it had to be something red, bold and matte. This fortunately/unfortunately (depends on your preference) isn't matte. Como La Flor is a Cherry Red colour with an Amplified finish. It has specs of glitter in it which makes this colour one of a kind. I have nothing like this in my lipstick collection, so really happy I got this. All three lipsticks are very thick and super pigmented so you do not need a lip liner. Just one coat will do just fine.

Como La Flor (Translation: Like a Flower) | £17

Dreaming of You (Matte finish) is my favourite colour out of the three. I have worn it every time I've been out since I got it. This is a deep wine/brown colour, perfect for the Autumn/Winter season. This shade has a striking resemblance to Diva also by M.A.C. I have to say the formula on these lipsticks is slightly better than their existing line. The matte shades aren't drying at all. Dreaming of you compared to Diva is more on the softer side. It doesn't dry up your lips after a long wear; it applies very smoothly, comes off very easy and doesn't stain your lips. All the lipsticks stay in place and do not slide off which is a definite bonus. Nobody wants to walk around with lipstick on his or her teeth. That's not sexy!

Dreaming of You | £17

From Left to Right: Amor Prohibido, Dreaming of You, Como La Flor

I don’t own any lip-glosses from M.A.C so for my first; Bidi Bidi Bom Bom was definitely a great buy. It feels amazing on the lips, very soft, not at all tacky or sticky. It’s a nude gloss with lots and lots of silver, sparkly glitter. It really makes your lips pop and standout. Definitely in love with this.

Bidi Bidi Bom Bom | £16.50

~ THE EYES/LOS OJOS ~

One of Selena’s favourite colours was purple so it made perfect sense that at one of her eyeshadow shades was purple and was named after her. Out of the 5 eyeshadow shades from the collection, I picked up 3 - 1 matte - deep brown, No Me Queda Mas and two shimmers - deep pearly violet, Selena and warm pink, Fotos y Recuerdos. The formula on all the shadows is brilliant! They're very soft, very pigmented and blend like a dream. 

No Me Queda Mas (Translation: I Have Nothing Left) | £16

Fotos y Receurdos (Translation: Pictures & Memories) | £16

The only one I struggled with the most was Fotos y Recuerdos. This didn't seem to have the same formulation as the other two. This was grittier and had a bit of fall out. It isn't as pigmented as Selena either so you really have to pack on a lot of the colour. But aside that, it really is a beautiful colour. It's a very subtle pink so great for people that aren't into vibrant colours on the lid.

Selena | £16

From Top to Bottom: Fotos y Recuerdos, No Me Queda Mas, Selena

~ TECHNO CUMBIA POWDER BLUSH DUO ~

This I was very sceptical about in the beginning. The pictures and initial reviews/videos I watched on this duo palette really didn’t impress me. The contour shade looked too light for my skin tone so I was initially put off but thank God I went ahead and bought it anyway. This shade is perfect for every skin tone, Trust Me! It has a slight orange undertone and it’s perfect for an everyday makeup look. If you have a darker complexion like myself and you're looking for something more dramatic, then this probably won’t be the best but it’s great for an everyday wear. The pink shade is supposed to be a highlighter but I think it’s best used as a light peachy, blush. Again perfect for everyday wear. I won't say it's my favourite blush but it certainly does the job.

From Top to Bottom: Contour shade, Highlight/Blush shade

Techno Cumbia | £24

Duo palette packaging

Wearing No Me Queda Mas and Fotos y Recuerdos on the lid, Techno Cumbia Contour and blush on the cheeks and Dreaming of You on the Lips

The collection is now SOLD OUT but M.A.C is planning on releasing another batch sometime early 2017. I’m not sure if this will only be available in the states or worldwide so keep an eye out if you’re interested and I’ll put an update on this post when I find out. So be sure to check back. All in all, I love everything about the entire collection, both as a massive Selena fan and also as a regular makeup buyer. The formula on all the products was great and the packaging was very simple, elegant and beautiful. I like that the used her favourite colour and her signature on the packaging. I also like that it's quiet different to all the other M.A.C collaborations with other celebrities. It makes hers standout.

So I hope you liked this review. I know I'm a little late and there are tons of reviews out there already on this collection but I would have kicked myself in the ass if I didn't post my views on it. I’m back from all my holidays now, moving houses and everything else in between so I’m completely freed up until Christmas to post more often and regularly. So if you’re not already SUBSCRIBED to the blog or following me on my social media, please don’t forget to. It means a lot when you do. I’m on both instagram and twitter. Also add me on snapchat (sily_silz) because I post first look of all my new purchases on there.

As always I love you for stopping by xxx