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The Sims 4 meets MAC Cosmetics – Hit or Miss?

Sims 4 recently had a free update roll out across the PC, Mac and console versions of the game. This update included a massive overhaul to the inventory system, firefighter NPCs, the return of repossession services when you have outstanding bills and collaboration with MAC Cosmetics. 

Sam asked me to jump back onto the blog to tell you a little more about this makeup collaboration and the in-game items that came with it. I feel now is as good a time as any to express that I personally do not support MAC Cosmetics as their products are not cruelty-free. 

The Collaboration:

Sims 4 Create A Sim in-game menu with MAC Cosmetic items

The Sims have done brand collaborations in the past;
H&M and IKEA (Sims 2),
Katy Perry and Diesel (Sims 3)
and the Moschino collaboration that was released last year for Sims 4. 

Sims 4 sims with MAC collaboration applied (xbox one)

Sims history lesson aside, this is the first time The Sims have collaborated with a makeup cosmetics brand to create in-game cosmetics. Twelve new items have been added under the makeup category in Create A Sim for users to make use of to style their sims (eyeliners, eyeshadows, cheeks and lips). The styles were created with the help of MAC Director of Makeup Artistry, Romero Jennings. 

You can find a detailed look at each addition and their various swatches here. 

The Makeup:

The collection adds looks that work better on darker sims than the existing content in-game. This is something that has been lacking from the game for far too long. However, these looks don’t really translate the same way on more masculine features. You’d think between a game that has been promoting equality for the past 20 years, and a makeup brand that has an ethos “based off of All Ages, All Races, All Genders, and encourages powerful use of your imagination” that they would have included some more fluid looks. 

sims 4 masculine make up mac cosmetics collab fail

Personally, there are very few styles in this collection I will actually end up using on my sims, and my game is forever cursed with very scary looking townies with RNG looks. Many simmers share the same sentiments commenting that they will rather stick to their custom content than use the MAC creations. 

I tried to pair some of the swatches together to showcase some of the looks possible with this collaboration. Opinion? Most of the matte lipsticks are great, some of the eye shadows can work and the cheeks are alright. But the eyeliners? I only really like how they turn out on occult sims (Aliens, mermaids etc). 

Sims 4 MAC Collaboration townie and alien
Left: A not-so-scary-looking RNG townie. Right: Alien sim with similar make up (Aliens are part of the Get To Work expansion pack).

Final Thoughts:

My bigger issue with this content update is with the promotional posts versus what they actually look like in-game. They’re nowhere near as smooth and should probably have been advertised with a “results may vary” disclaimer. 

Maybe The Sims can take the feedback from this launch and focus on what the community actually wants to see added into the game. We shouldn’t have to beg for something as basic as more skin tone options, please. Fingers crossed for more collaborations with brands going forward to hopefully add more content into the game that truly promotes diversity. 

Screenshots captured on The Sims 4 Console (Xbox One X).

There has been a mod created to hide these options from CAS should you wish to not have them in your game. (Mods are currently not supported on console) 

 

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