MAC Snow Ball for Holiday 2017

I’m rounding up one of the prettiest holiday collections this year with the MAC Snow Ball Collection. Everything is limited-edition and some pieces are harder to find as there are a few retailer exclusives. By now some of the items have sold out online but you may want to check your local stores to see if you can find anything. The entire collection launched a few weeks ago but as this is a pretty hefty collection it’s taken me a while to swatch, test and review everything. I received a number of press samples but tracked down some items at my local Nordstrom and MAC store. There’s still a massive amount of sets and palettes not featured today so know if you’re into more bold shades, pinks, glitzy glitters etc. there are definitely some other options to pick from that you can still find easily. Featured today includes:

• Snow Ball Lipsticks in Warm Ice, Holiday Crush, I’m Glistening and Elle Belle
• Snow Ball Lip Bag in Nude
• Snow Ball Mini Lip Gloss Kit in Nude
• Face Powders in Happy Go Dazzling and Here Comes Joy
• Snow Ball Face Bag in Peach with Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Show Gold + 140S mini
• Snow Ball Eye Compact in Gold
• Extra Dimension Eyeshadows in Frostwinked, Delicate Drift, It’s Snowing, Stylishly Merry and Starry Starry Night
• Snow Ball Smoky Gold Eye Bag
• Brush Set

MAC Snow Ball Lips

First are some lip picks. I love the MAC holiday lip sets because they often have minis and are color-themed. Being the nude lip lover that I am I knew I had to get the Snow Ball Nude Lip Bag because it has one of the prettiest nude lipsticks!

There are six individual Snow Ball Lipsticks in the collection. It seems they’re sold out everywhere except MAC online. I have four which I purchased including:

• Warm Ice which is a metallic pale gold beige (similar to Gel)
• Holiday Crush is a metallic soft pink rose
• I’m Glistening is a metallic taupe grey mauve
• Elle Belle is one of the prettiest deep red creams

The Nude Lip Bag is my absolute favorite even if it seems dupe-able:

• Sending Love Cremesheen Lipstick is the one of the most perfect nude pink lipsticks I’ve ever seen
• Doubletime Pro Longwear Lip Pencil is permanent, it’s a toffee pink brown
• Iced Dream Lipglass is a sheer sparkly pink gloss

The Snow Ball Nude Mini Lip Gloss Kit has three mini glosses all exclusive to the set, I love all the colors and they wear very well:

• Below Freezing is a Cremesheen Glass formula with clear base with loads of pale pink sparkles
• Iced Over is a Metallic Vamplify formula in a metallic but very wearable beige shimmer
• Winter Warmer is a Cremesheen Glass formula which is a warm pink brown with a tiny bit of sheen

MAC Snow Ball Highlighters

For the face there are lots of highlighter options. I don’t even want to admit how many MAC highlighters I own because it’s a ridiculous amount. I’m always surprised they manage to make new ones because it seems like all the colors have to have been done already. There are two individual Face Powders in an Opalescent Finish. They’re called Happy Go Dazzling which is a pale beige gold and Here Comes Joy which is a peachy shimmer. Both are noticeable on the skin but in comparison to other highlighters they have a slightly stiffer texture which makes them sheerer and less metallic. I love these because they don’t look garish on the skin but have a soft diffused look.

There are also some sets called the Snow Ball Face Bag which are a MAC and Nordstrom exclusive. Nordstrom has two options, a Peach Face Bag with Show Gold Extra Dimension Skinfinish (duochrome pink peach with loads of sparkle) and the Gold Face Bag which has Whisper of Gilt (metallic gold). These come with a sequins bag and small 140S brush in a metallic handle.

I added a swatch of Whisper of Gilt that I have from older launches:

MAC Snow Ball Eye Makeup

There are a few palette options, I received a press sample of the Snow Ball Eye Compact in Gold. Palettes can be tricky especially if you don’t 100% love all the shades. This one performs well for a smoky eye look but two of the colors are very glittery with a lot of fallout unless you pat it on the lids.

For eye makeup all the single Extra Dimension Eye Shadows pretty much sold out the day they launched. I tracked them all down in stores and am not really sure why they sold out in record time. They are indeed super beautiful but very metallic. The texture is smooth and easy to apply. On the lids they are perfect party-wear shadows. Only Starry Starry Night, Delicate Drift and It’s Snowing are ones I feel like I could wear for regular everyday wear. The swatch photos don’t capture the metallic quality as well as I’d like but I hope they give you a good reference. Colors include:

• Frostwinked metallic white glitter frost
• Delicate Drift metallic soft pink glitter
• Stylishly Merry duochrome bronze pink glitter
• It’s Snowing shimmering silvery mauve
• Starry Starry Night shimmering deep charcoal with silver flecks

There’s an eye bag set called the Snow Ball Smoky Gold Eye Bag with a duo of Extra Dimension Shadows of Just Gleaming (champagne pink) and Snowdusk (shimmering taupe) with a Technakohl Eyeliner in Photogravure and In Extreme Lash Mascara in Black.

Last but not least is one of the brush sets which is the Snow Ball Brush Set Mini. It has three short-handled rose gold brushes in a brushed metallic handle finish including 421SE, 535SE and 560SE. I feel like I know my MAC brushes well but don’t remember seeing any of these numbers before. They perform really well for MAC brush sets – I often find the quality of the brush sets aren’t as good as the full size/individual brushes but these are really good for powders.

One last look below. Overall lots to explore and love in this holiday collection. I really think there is something for everyone. If you’re looking for something under the $50 price point for gifts I think any of the lip bags are great. I love the Snow Ball Nude Lip Bag for $39.50 and the Mini Lipstick Kits or Gloss Kits are $29.50 each. I would personally pass on the eyeshadow palettes as I don’t 100% love all the shades. The individual eyeshadows are stunning but are on the glitzy side which makes them a bit challenging for everyday wear if you need a conservative look.

You can find the MAC Snow Ball Collection online and in stores at MAC Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Ulta Beauty, Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. Everything is limited-edition and I’d definitely recommend you browse all the retailers as each store has something exclusive.

Press samples and purchased items featured. Press samples include the Face Powders, Mini Lip Gloss Kit, Eyeshadow Palette, Mini Brushes and Eye Bag Set.