Tuesday, July 27, 2010

M∙A∙C Stereo Rose Mineralize Skin Finish - Why the Fuss?

You would have thought M∙A∙C's Stereo Rose Mineralize Skin Finish was the last blusher on earth! It sold out faster than a comet streaking through the universe. The build-up to its introduction with the In the Groove Collection made a lot of women - myself included - order it the minute it was available. Of course, those who had pre-ordered it were the first to get their hands on it (not counting the bloggers and others who received Stereo Rose gratis). At the stores, if you hadn't pre-ordered, you were out of luck. The M∙A∙C store at Tysons had a line at the door when they opened the day In the Groove "went live." On M∙A∙C's Web site, where I ordered mine, Stereo Rose sold out in a few hours.

When I ordered, I got it - or I thought I had. My confirmation e-mail listed it. My order came without it. It was then that I started reviewing my e-mails and found that M∙A∙C had sent one telling me that it was backordered and that I would receive it in about two weeks. I didn't believe it. I was sure that was a nice way of saying, "You snooze, you lose. We'll apologize later." Turns out I was wrong. Last week, a box carrying Stereo Rose arrived on a Friday afternoon. I was amazed.

My first reaction when I saw it was that it was misnamed. It didn't appear to be rose. It looked coral. I looked at it for awhile, trying to decide whether to put it on eBay. Finally, I decided to try it, making it eligible only as a slightly used gift to one of my friends if I didn't like it. The verdict? I like it - it's pretty, but I just don't understand the fuss! Why was Stereo Rose so special? For that matter, other than its beauty with that pretty seahorse design, what attracted people to the Marine Life compact? The color of Marine Life was harshly coral - not an easy shade for many women to wear. I'm now convinced that the media and bloggers whip up a kind of M∙A∙C hysteria, creating demand that exceeds the supply of M∙A∙C's often limited-edition, here-today-gone-tomorrow introductions.

I really like Mineralize Skin Finish (and Mineralize Blush). The sheer, slightly shimmering ("sheen" is a good descriptor), and long-lasting color are great features. I have a few shades that are gorgeous. My favorite is Blonde (introduced early in 2009), a warm pink that warms my skin without too much peach. Stereo Rose is pretty; it's just a bit too peachy for my face. That doesn't mean it won't look fabulous on thousands of women. It's pretty. I just don't understand the fuss.

Here are some photos to show you two things: 1) how incredibly sheer Mineralize Skin Finish is, giving you control to build as much color as you desire, and 2) Stereo Rose compared to Blonde to give you a reference point so that you can see the peach/coral in the shade. Most of the bloggers who swatched Stereo Rose applied it very heavily - or wet. I applied it on my arm a bit heavier than I might have on my face, but not radically heavy. On my arm above, Blonde is on the left; Stereo Rose is on the right.

To the right are closer shots of each. Stereo Rose is above Blonde. Check out the heaviest application (brush dump, if you can see it) of Stereo Rose in the top right-hand corner of the photo where it's not blended well. Now, look at Blonde and see how much pink it carries.

Which should be named "rose"? Stereo Rose should have been named Stereo Coral, or Coral Crazy. How 'bout Coral Hysteria?

Anyhow, I was glad to get it. I'll use it, but probably not often. It's not the best shade for my fair, cool skin. I hope that my order didn't deprive someone who would look fabulous in it - someone who was dejected because she didn't get it. I feel a bit silly for joining the lemmings. Fortunately, it wasn't expensive. M∙A∙C's cosmetics are very reasonably priced. Next time, I'll remember the lessons that titles don't count and the hysteria may be just that - hysteria.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

8 comments:

Melissa W. said...

I really couldn't understand what was behind the Stereo Rose fuss either. It is perfectly lovely, but so are many other mineralize skinfinish shades. It hardly seemed worth the trouble to track it down. I'm not one to collect every MAC color though, some people like to do that.

Hope you are wonderful today! :)

Eileen said...

They call it "lemming" for a reason. Now, if people would just keep in mind the sight of those poor lemmings as they dash head first off the cliff, maybe there wouldn't be so many lovely ladies stuck with a product that, although highly coveted, just doesn't work well for them.

I get excited about new collections, too, but never to the point of the hysteria that surrounds some of the MAC releases. Personally, I think that MAC is behind most of it, and not because they have such an extraordinarily beautiful or unusual product. They've just got great marketing.

Clarisse said...

You sum up what I have often noticed as soon as Mac collections are issued: the fuss and madness of customers.... In France, women rush to the stores to buy them or to the website: the following day, most of the products are unavailable!!! I think it's part of MAC's marketing "religion" and I have simply decided to ignore the phenomenon completely: if some items are still available after one week, fine enough, if not, I don't care and turn to another brand...:-)

Resham said...

I am glad that this time around I didn't fell victim to the hype...I agree its a lovely color (wth all the swatches I have seen), but i don't think its UNIQUE enough for the hype/...
Maybe, there were not many similar colors back when this was released in the past, the first time...hence the hype...I ges..

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Melissa, Eileen, and Clarisse!

I've been working and away from my computer all day. Glad you weighed in!

I do feel sorry for those real lemmings. Apparently, nature tells them to do something that will hurt them! I wonder what it is with us "collectors"!

I can tell you that next time I'm adopting Clarisse's attitude - although I may shorten the duration a couple of days. :)

Charlestongirl said...

Agreed, Resham. This is the shade's second incarnation, but that makes the phenomenon all the more confusing for me.

Unknown said...

it looks very light on these photos but i am guessing it is because of the daylight? not sure what the fuss is either but many people will buy it just because it is MAC.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Anna, I think it's sheer, but not light in color. When I apply it on my cheeks, it really shows up - coral. :)