The M.A.C* attack of November continues as I launch straight into my make-up 101 on M.A.C lip Sticks! My last post on M.A.C Face Products gave an overall look at why people (myself included) love M.A.C and the current products I own and enjoy. In this post I'm talking about the product that M.A.C is probably best known for--Lipstick! Due to the complexity of this topic, I'm not getting into Lip liners, long wear lipsticks, or Lip glosses. We'd be here for hours! For now, you'll have to accept this post is just about those iconic black bullet shaped lipsticks (and some other lip products are mentioned in there as well). I hope this helps you out!
 |
| Photo byNanankkii. I will gladly remove if asked! She's a great blogger, check her out! |
M.A.C Lipstick Finishes:
In order to talk about the famous and most sought after lipsticks, you have to talk about the different formulas (aka "Finishes"). Compared to other brands of lipstick, they are all very long wearing, comfortable, pigmented, and everything you would want out of a lipstick.
Matte: As the title would say, Matte has no shimmer. Its mostly pigment so it lasts a long time and has a rich color. It is also probably the most drying.
Satin: It has a slight shimmer and is slightly more moisturizing. However, your color pay off is quite good.
Amplified: While very close to the Matte lipsticks in terms of color pay off, the Amplified finsihes are much less drying.
Amplified Creme: High color pay off but quite moisturizing and has a glossier finish. They do not wear as long and you have to be careful about the color bleeding a bit. However, they are very comfortable to wear!
Cremesheen: Creamy, glossy finish, and a shorter wear time. That being said, it is very popular because it comes in so many shades and is very mosisturizing (creme=moisture!)
Lustre: A glossier and more sheer formula. If you like more of a subtle lip look, head towards the Lustre. They also tend to have a bit of subtle shimmer.
Frost: High sparkle alert! Want more dazzle? This one is for you
Glaze: The sheerest of M.A.C lipstick formulas.
Color Reviews:
As you read the reviews below you can see that I don't have a million M.A.C lipsticks (yet!). While this might happen over time, I have really invested in the basics: 1) dark vampy color; 2) my lips but better; 3) classic red; 4) nude.
If you just are starting out I think these are great place to start!
Media-Satin
How much do I love Media** for the fall? Let me count the ways.
1) It is a deep red wine color that can really add edgy-ness to your look.
2) It is part of their permanent collection so never fear, it will always be around!
3) Paired with M.A.C's "Nightmoth" lip pencil (also permanent collection), you can get the same color as Rhianna's photo from her "RiRi Loves MAC" collection (featuring her "Talk That Talk" lipstick) for waaaay less that it is currently going for on Ebay. And yes, totally sold out limited edition. *le-sigh*. Nightmoth is a really dark almost brown color. With Media, they become that sexy Rhianna color below! Hooray!
Media is a gorgeous rich color but can be intimidating for beginners. To wear it (and other really dark/bold lipsticks, more advanced make-up techniques (such as use of lip liners, primers, and concealer around the edges) is really useful to make this color not feather around the edges and really make this look good. Let me know in the comments if you want a post with details on wearing bold lipsticks!
Vival Glam lipsticks are awesome because every cent of the selling price of of "Viva Glam"products are donated to the M·A·C AIDS Fund to support men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS. Very cool right? So is the pink packaging! I love "Viva Glam V" because it is a "my lips but better" color. It enhances my natural lip tones and adds a very subtle sparkle. It is one of those lipsticks you don't need a mirror to use. It is fairly moisturizing and is really just a beautiful hassle free lip color. I think it is a great starter color to get you used to wearing lipstick and looking gorgeous in seconds!
This is a limited "Divine Night" holiday collection lipstick. But any red you love in the cremesheen finish is a total must have! I'm a huge sucker for the black with gold packaging. So pretty! This color specifically is a true holiday and cheerful red. It is is not cool undertoned or overly warm/orangey. It is pretty much the most classic of bright reds that I can think of. If you ask your local M.A.C representative, I'm sure they can find you a similar color from their permanent collection. But if you can get your hands on this bright red, it will be a staple in your collection forever!
Velvet Teddy-Matte
The perfect nude for your skin tone. It's hard to find so I suggest going into your local M.A.C store. You want it to play down your lips but have enough color that you don't look like you are a sick zombie. The perfect nude (in my opinion) is matte because you are trying to down play your lips. Nude lips let you play up your blush and eyeshadow without looking like a clown. If you love smokey eyes, you should get familiar with your perfect nude lip color as well. If you want to make extra sure you don't over do the nude lip, a complementary matte lipgloss will add some shine to make them pop a little. I really like M.A.C's "Underage" lipglass on top of "Velvet Teddy".
Bonus review! While I will probably have a full post on wearing bold/bright/dark lipsticks, this review will also help you with that! The prep and prime glides on to clean lips and provides a bit of moisture. Then you apply your lipstick and then perfect your lines with a lip pencil. That bold lipstick is going nowhere until you start eating or drinking. And even then, if you do that carefully, touch ups will be very minimal. This stuff really works to help fill in and make your lips perfect before applying any lipstick. It totally works with your non-M.A.C lipsticks too! I have tried a lip primer product from E.L.F before and it simply was no comparison to this. The E.L.F one actually made my lipstick slip more!
Pricing: As far as pricing goes, your typical lipstick is going to run you $15 USD. This includes all of the standard finishes. If you are buying from a special or limited collection, you are looking at about $16.50 USD. $15 USD also buys you a standard lip pencil or lip glass. The prep and prime is totally worth the $16 USD. So as far as quality vs. price goes, I think it is excellent! While it's twice or more what a drugstore product costs, the jump in consistently great quality is pretty significant. While there are good drug store lipsticks, it is harder to find. Pick up a M.A.C lipstick and you will be completely satisfied. In contrast, Chanel and other designer brands have $50 lipsticks. I have no idea what those could do that M.A.C lipsticks couldn't. I can't say that I have bought any because I simply would rather have three M.A.C lipsticks than one designer.
I hope you liked this M.A.C Lipstick post and please think about subscribing to my blog! Thank you so much for reading!
Shine & Sparkle!
*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post. These are my honest feelings and opinions.
**Unless otherwise stated, photos of M.A.C products are copyright of M.A.C cosmetics. I will gladly take them down is asked or someone throws a hissy-fit.
No comments:
Post a Comment