MAC Graphic Garden

Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is right around the corner (July 17 – August 2), and that means that most beauty brands will be selling items from their permanent collections, repackaged or regrouped into special sets. Because MAC has a special relationship with Nordstrom, they create a collection for Nordstrom’s anniversary every year — this year it’s Graphic Garden. (In Canada, Nordstrom-exclusive items are sold at The Bay.)

Graphic Garden includes:

• Two 6-color eyeshadow palettes with lenticular cases (the lid shifts from one image to another as you tilt it). I think these were originally going to sell for $38, but the Nordstrom display unit definitely says $35 (woo!). All of these shades are new and limited edition, but they do look like MAC shades we’ve seen before, so don’t panic. A 213 SE brush is included in each palette.



• Two “Lip Bags,” small, zipped cosmetics bags containing two lipsticks and a lipglass. These were originally slated to be $34.50, but the display says $35.
• Two brush sets, each $49.50. “Define and Blend” contains short-handled versions of the 129 blush brush, the 190 foundation brush, the 252 eyeshadow brush, the 219 pencil brush, and the 209 eyeliner brush. Click here to see what those look like. The “Shape and Perfect” set contains short-handled versions of the 187 skunk brush, the 168 angled blush brush, the 275 angled eyeshadow brush, the 212 flat liner (or tightlining brush), and the 194 concealer brush. Click here to see what those look like.
• Three “Look Box” sets (1… cut a hole in a box). These are mostly permanent items grouped into all-in-one kits, sold for $59.50. Each box also contains a face chart with instructions for recreating the look:
  • Sun Siren: Bronze (pressed bronzing powder), Shroom eyeshadow, Amber Lights eyeshadow, Get Rich Quick Dazzleglass, Zoomlash mascara, and a 181 SE mini kabuki brush.
  • Seductress: Belightful iridescent powder, Naked Lunch eyeshadow, Knight Divine eyeshadow, Bare Slimshine, Zoomlash mascara, and a 181 SE mini kabuki brush.
  • Sweet Tease: Shell Beauty Powder (repromoted from Sundressing), Gleam eyeshadow, Mulch eyeshadow, Love Nectar Lustreglass, Zoomlash mascara, and a 181 SE mini kabuki brush.

The only problem with swatching these so early is that my counter had the tester palettes, but no actual compacts, and no indication of which shades were which. I thought all the textures were pretty nice, except the last two shades of Fresh Cut seemed weaker on pigment.

In no particular order, the Graphic Garden palette contains Social Climber (VP), Botanical Blue (Frost), Straight Hedge (VP), Wild Wisteria (Lustre), Linear Lilac (VP), and Graphic Garden (Velvet).

The Fresh Cut palette contains Floral Inc. (Frost), Sun Shy (Lustre), Fresh Cut (VP), Poppy Noir (Velvet), Bloomcycle (VP), and Part Peony (Lustre).

I thought Summer Crop looked pretty swatched on my arm, but I knew it was going to be more or less invisible on my lips.

MAC Graphic Garden: Summer Crop, Baby Blooms, Semi-Annual, Semi Annual, Garden Bed, Soft Illusion, Spiceflower, Baby Bloom