Update: Members of the Sims and beauty community have weighed in following the launch of The Sims 4 and MAC Cosmetics eyeshadow palette - and it's not good.
As we mentioned in our original story, the eyeshadow palette is just a rebranding of an existing MAC Cosmetics palette called Solar Glow Times Nine but in a cardboard Sims-themed box. The names of the eyeshadows are even the same as the original palette - and Simmers aren't happy with lazy collaboration.
Popular Sims YouTuber Deligracy took to Twitter to call the palette "sad" and say "EA should be cautious about these kinds of marketing decisions as it is so transparent how careless it is." Twitch partner negaoryx responded with "I can't believe they didn't even do the bare minimum of trying to change the names...just a bad look all around."
Twitter was flooded with Simmers expressing their distaste and offering suggestions for what the palette could have been, including one with all Simlish eyeshadow names, or one with a Bella Goth red. There was even the quite obvious suggestion that the palette should have featured colors from the in-game MAC collaboration.
Even members of the beauty community were perplexed by the palette. Skincare YouTuber James Welsh tweeted "Now I know I don’t know anything about makeup but, MAC launch The Sims palette...and this is all they could come up with?!" Eeesh.
Original story:
Simmers and beauty gurus take note - The Sims 4 and MAC Cosmetics have just launched a limited-edition eyeshadow palette.
While the collaboration may initially seem like a bizarre one, this isn't the first time EA and MAC have worked together - The Sims 4 got a free base game update last year that included 12 makeup looks designed by MAC's director of makeup artistry Romero Jennings. The looks include four eye shadow designs, two eyeliners, two blushes, and four lipsticks all in a variety of MAC-inspired hues (although I'm unsure if my personal favorite lip color, Cyber, is available).
The limited-edition palette, called "MAC Starring the Sims," features nine shadows in various shades of neutral. It comes in a blue cardboard box with The Sims logo emblazoned on it, although the palette itself is devoid of any Sims branding. The name of the shadows don't reference The Sims 4 at all either (although there's a color called Quarry and a quarry in The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle - this is a stretch). And in fact, this is an existing MAC Cosmetics palette called Solar Glow Times Nine - just in a blue, The Sims-themed cardboard box. Check out the palette here.
I'd have loved a palette that actually speaks to The Sims 4 and its vibrant community, with a green the color of a plumbob and loads of chunky glitter. However, I will say that this palette is very versatile for all skin tones, and that may be what EA and MAC were looking to achieve considering The Sims 4's latest attempts to rectify its skin tone issues. The Sims 4 GM Lyndsay Pearson did say in a press release that "The Sims and MAC share the same values when it comes to self-expression and celebrating the diversity of our community, and we hope this palette empowers people of all ages, all races and all genders to create unique makeup looks that define their own rules of beauty." As we previously reported, The Sims 4 released a highly anticipated update this past December that added 100 new skin tones, skin tone sliders, and makeup sliders that better adjust designs for darker skin tones.
Where does everyone's favorite life sim go from here? Check out SimGuruGraham on the future of The Sims 4.
