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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" vs. Sephora Formula X "Legend" |
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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" |
Imma just go ahead and quote myself from when I featured "Formidable!" in one of my Rocky Horror manicures a few weeks back:
" M.A.C. "Formidable!" is a raisin brownish-purple shot through with prismatic micro glass-fleck shimmers that flash celestial aqua, though sometimes yield edges of magenta. In the bottle it also teases hot gold, but that spectrum doesn't come through on the nail. The wicked plum base frozen over with shimmer like fractured ice really is a formidable thing; formidably beautiful, that is. It was originally released as part of some Villains Collection a while back. I think I used three coats for this? "
Yes, Marisa, you did use three coats. Very good.
M.A.C. calls "Formidable!" a pearl finish, which I find so odd. Then again, they also call their lilac foil "Girl Trouble" a pearl, and idk, the imprecision just irks me. Surely they know that these are distinct finishes with their own classification and proud history within nail polishology?? I guess they make their own rules. Just so the rest of us are clear, in M.A.C. land, "pearl" = some kind of shimmery something or other.
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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" |
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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" |
As for how "Formidable!" compares to "Legend", well, they're not at all the same but conceptually they're in the same boat. "Legend" is rather more brown-based, a dark chocolate base filled with fuchsia, russet, lavender, and deep sky blue micro glass-fleck shimmers, which have very subtle golden edges. While this similar color range in "Formidable!" turns mostly aqua on the nail, the shimmers in "Legend" represent primarily pink in practice. Like I say, "Legend" starts out brown and "Formidable!" plum, but as the tones deepen they actually read as nearly the same, which is a bit strange. "Legend" is a bit patchier and needed four coats, three if you're careful maybe, while "Formidable!" took three.
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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" // Sephora Formula X "Legend" |
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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" [middle + pinky] // Sephora Formula X "Legend" [index + ring] |
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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" [middle + pinky] // Sephora Formula X "Legend" [index + ring] |
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| M.A.C. "Formidable!" // Sephora Formula X "Legend" |
I bring up this comparison now because "Legend" is now $2.99!! Especially considering as how it used to be $12.50, and is comparable with the $12 "Formidable!", I'd say that it would be an adequate substitute, if not an absolute replacement, for the never-on-sale M.A.C. polish. Frankly, if I had to play favorites, I'd say I prefer "Formidable!" for its formula and hue, but "Legend" is also very beautiful (and if you need the validation, the finish does render differently enough that you could feel okay about owning both... I mean, $2.99!!!). At some points in this process I was like, am I crazy? Why did I think that these were alike at all? But at moments they totally are, and finally, just sitting here by my desk as I write this, the angle I needed to prove it presented itself!
Ha-ha! There IS a method to the madness!
Though the Sephora VIB sale has come and gone, there are some fabulous deals to be had for you Formula X lovers out there! One of the girls at my local Sephora, knowing how silly I am about polish, actually pulled out the sale bin early for me and I of course snatched up all Formula X and Nails Inc. polishes in sight! The Cut: Spring 2014 was in there, and the entire line of The Shifters should now be $2.99 in stores!! In fact, Legend has been ringing up as such for several weeks now... Sales are always better in store than online for Sephora, so if possible head over and see if you can't get your polished little paws on some of these gems!! :D
On the other hand, if "Formidable!" is the *shade of your heart*, clearance sales be damned, you can find it at M.A.C. Cosmetics!
Happy sale-ing!!
Love,
Marisa + Sprinklepuff
*I see you, Fantasy Nerd. May you always find water and shade. (Wheel of Time, anyone??)
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