Sassy Review: MAC for Iris Apfel make-up collection

If we’re talking Sassy girls, they probably don’t come much sassier than Iris Apfel. Businesswoman, interior designer and fashion icon extraordinaire, Apfel is still going strong and sassy in her nineties! So the question isn’t so much why is MAC doing a collaboration with her… but rather, why did it take so long?!

Apfel is a true fashionista (probably before the term even got coined!) and her indomitable sense of style has definitely come across in this make-up collection… shrinking violets look away now! Forget spring pastels and sheers… this range is BRIGHT.

There’s an avian theme to the names of most of the items (Apfel’s biography was named ‘Rare Bird Of Fashion’) and the vivid and vibrant colours wouldn’t look out of place ruffling amongst a parrot’s feathers.

After dipping my toes… or should that be lips… in braver waters by experimenting with the bright pink from Bobbi Brown’s Neon & Nudes collection, I was more than ready for the blowsy brights of this set of lippies!

I tried the atomic spiky orange of Morange and was pleasantly surprised by how wearable and flattering it was; you could easily swipe it on lightly for a softer coral tint, or go all out! What was especially brilliant about Morange was the subtle sheen it had, meaning that despite its highly pigmented nature (and wear for this baby was over six hours!), it looked pretty and glossy rather than chalky and matte.

It’s been a long time since I tried a MAC nail polish (Cher2 is my second home after all) – but after I tried Toco Toucan, I had to wonder why! The formula on this vivid fuchsia was close to perfect… super-smooth, super-glossy and opaque in one coat. This blue-based colour-saturated hot pink totally deserves to become a staple in my nail polish bag (or should that be trunk?!) and lasted a good week sans chipping.

The final trick up MAC and Apfel’s sleeve was a stunning turquoise eye shadow, Robin’s Egg (seen in the promo picture at the top). Regular readers of my blog will know I’m a sucker for turquoise nail polishes (I own about ten by now and I’m probably the only one that can tell much difference between them), so you’ll probably be unsurprised to learn that I’m a sucker for turquoise just about everywhere else too… though hold off on the turquoise blush for now, thanks!

Matte eye shadows aren’t really my thing but the sheer vibrancy of Robin’s Egg quickly sucked me into its truly teal depths! It’s soft and light to apply – you’ll need to build it up to get a really strong teal, but the good side is that you can easily blend it out for a more subtle look – and I think it looks awesome with brown eyes, as it really makes them come alive. Then again, I have brown eyes and love turquoise too much for my own good, so am probably biased!

Fans of the bold, bright and sassy look no further. MAC for Iris Apfel’s make-up collection has totally kicked off my Year of the Dragon with a bang… and a crash, kapow and wallop too!

The MAC for Iris Apfel collection is available at MAC counters now. See here for all locations in Hong Kong.