MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC: Lipsticks

The collection features six limited edition shades of MAC Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.). These shades include: Dish It Up (berry pink), Innocence, Beware! (light yellow pink), Naughty Saute (bright pepto pink), Quick Sizzle (bright pink), Runaway Red (rich red-blue), and Watch Me Simmer (bright pink-orange).

• Dish It Up is a muted, medium-dark fuchsia-plum with semi-opaque color coverage and a natural sheen. It has a lustre finish, so it’s supposed to be semi-sheer and moisturizing. I don’t find the finish to be hydrating; I actually find it a bit drying. The color coverage is actually much more than anticipated based on the finish. MAC Plum Bright is much, much darker and less pink. MAC Hot Gossip is lighter and pinker. MAC Love Forever is brighter, pinker, bluer-based. MAC Something New was the most similar but still pinker and more vibrant.
• Innocence, Beware! is a pink-tinted pale, fleshy beige with subtle pink micro-shimmer and a natural sheen. It has a cremesheen finish and yields mostly opaque color coverage. MAC Naked Bliss is a few shades darker and less pink. Maybelline Born With It is a bit less pink. MAC Hue is less pink-toned.
• Naughty Saute is a vibrant blue-based light-medium pink with a good amount of sheen. It really does resemble Pepto Bismol. It has a cremesheen finish. It has a lot of glide and slip, so it doesn’t always apply evenly around the edges. MAC Viva Glam Gaga is much lighter. MAC All Styled Up is much lighter, less blue-toned. MAC Pink Friday is just as blue-based, but it’s lighter.
• Quick Sizzle is a bright blue-based fuchsia pink with opaque color coverage. It has a matte finish. It’s not one of the dry-type of mattes; it’s creamy and applies evenly without pulling at lips. Make Up For Ever #203 is slightly pinker, less blue-based. MAC Show Orchid is less pink, iridescent. Milani Rose Hip is slightly lighter. NARS Schiap looks about the same. MAC Candy Yum Yum is more magenta, less pink. OCC Pretty Boy is darker. MAC Rare Exotic is darker, pinker. MAC Pink Pigeon is more fuchsia.
• Runaway Red is a medium-dark blue-based red with a subtle fuchsia sheen. It’s mostly opaque on lips, but there is a hint of translucence. It has a satin finish. Make Up For Ever #48 and MAC Dark Side are browner. Guerlain Gwen is closer but not quite as dark. MAC Digna is similar but not as opaque.
• Watch Me Simmer is a vibrant coral that leans just a tinge pink but comes across as a truer coral. It has an amplified finish. MAC Ultra Darling is pinker and less vibrant. Wet ‘n’ Wild Hot Paris Pink is pinker. OCC Trollop is slightly pinker. Make Up For Ever #37 is a bit darker. Chanel Phoenix is a touch darker. Bite Beauty Rose is slightly more orange. MAC Full Speed is very similar. VS Be Mine is pinker.

MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented and tend to wear three to four hours on me on average.  Finishes like lustres tend to disappear within two hours, but I suspect the more opaque Dish It Up should get to around three hours.  Matte, satin, and amplified finishes tend to wear four to five hours, and some of the darker and more intense shades, like Quick Sizzle and Runaway Red, tend to last six hours or longer and typically stain the lips a little.

P.S. — If you’re worried about not being able to snag some of the lipsticks, because some have sold out on MAC’s website, the collection is still due to launch at other retailers, like Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc. as well as in-stores.

Where to Buy: Online at MAC, $14.50 each.

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MAC Dish It Up Lipstick

MAC Dish It Up Lipstick

MAC Dish It Up Lipstick

MAC Dish It Up Lipstick

MAC Innocence, Beware! Lipstick

MAC Innocence, Beware! Lipstick

MAC Innocence, Beware! Lipstick

MAC Innocence, Beware! Lipstick

MAC Naughty Saute Lipstick

MAC Naughty Saute Lipstick

MAC Naughty Saute Lipstick

MAC Naughty Saute Lipstick

MAC Quick Sizzle Lipstick

MAC Quick Sizzle Lipstick

MAC Quick Sizzle Lipstick

MAC Quick Sizzle Lipstick

MAC Runaway Red Lipstick

MAC Runaway Red Lipstick

MAC Runaway Red Lipstick

MAC Runaway Red Lipstick

MAC Watch Me Simmer Lipstick

MAC Watch Me Simmer Lipstick

MAC Watch Me Simmer Lipstick

MAC Watch Me Simmer Lipstick

MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC: Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush

MAC Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush ($20.00 for 0.19 oz.) is described as a “rich plum.” It’s a gorgeous darkened raspberry with a subtle cool undertone and natural sheen. Bobbi Brown Plum is somewhat similar but pinker and lighter. MAC Vintage Grape is darker, less pink.

Whether you want a really dramatic, intense cheek color or a softer, subtler hue of pink-berry, you can easily achieve both here. The product is incredibly pigmented, so a little will go a long way–use a stippling brush and/or a light hand when applying if you desire sheer to medium color coverage. I applied with light-medium application in mind so it would be easily seen in photos.

Cremeblend Blush has an interesting texture that’s creamy but slick; it’s not thick like a traditional cream blush; it almost feels like a gel or cheek stain in feel, but it applies and looks like a cream blush.  I wasn’t able to test the wear of this specific shade for wear, but I’ve tested five or six of the various shades in this formula, and I typically average seven hours of wear.

Where to Buy: Online now MAC, $20

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MAC Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush

MAC Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush

MAC Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush

MAC Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush

MAC Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush

MAC Restores Dazzle! Cremeblend Blush

MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC: Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush ($20.00 for 0.19 oz.) is described as a “bright orange.” It’s a medium-dark orange with a natural sheen. It looks lighter in the pan, but after you swipe the first layer off, it looks a bit darker (truer to the swatch). Make Up For Ever #12 is similar but a little more tangerine. Make Up For Ever #5 is redder and darker.

This shade has plenty of color payoff, so you do not need much product to get a pop of color on the cheeks. I find it’s easier to build up the color than it is to blend it out. It’s blendable, but it’s only so blendable. I recommend using a stippling brush or a light hand when applying. I went with a medium application of color so you could see it in photos and get a better grasp of what the color looks like on skin, but it can be more both more intensely as well as more subtly.

Cremeblend Blush has an interesting texture that’s creamy but slick; it’s not thick like a traditional cream blush; it almost feels like a gel or cheek stain in feel, but it applies and looks like a cream blush. Like Florida, I also re-tested the wear of Optimistic Orange earlier this week (since it’s a repromote), and it wore for seven hours before it began to fade.

Where to Buy: MAC, $20

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MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Optimistic Orange Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush ($20.00 for 0.19 oz.) is described as a “bright coral” on the press release, but between you and me, that’s completely wrong. When it was originally launched in MAC in Lillyland, it was described as a “bright fuchsia,” which is so much more accurate. It is a brightened, light-medium fuchsia pink with strong blue undertones. MAC Overdyed is similar but slightly darker. MAC Amazon Princess is also very similar, perhaps a touch less pink. MAC Her Blooming Cheek has a bit more of a sheen but the color comes close.

Unlike the permanent range of Cremeblend Blushes, this is a much more intense color, so while those neutral shades were easy to use and impossible to overdo, I recommend a light hand and/or a stippling brush with this shade! It’s intensely pigmented, so a little goes a long way–use less than you think you’d need. It’s easier to build up the color than it is to tamp down the intensity once it’s applied.

Cremeblend Blush has an interesting texture that’s creamy but slick; it’s not thick like a traditional cream blush; it almost feels like a gel or cheek stain in feel, but it applies and looks like a cream blush. Once applied, it has a natural sheen but no shimmer. I re-tested the wear of Florida earlier this week, and it wore for seven hours before it began to fade.

Where to Buy: MAC, $20

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MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Florida Cremeblend Blush

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliners

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliners ($15.00 for 0.04 oz.) are being repromoted with the MAC Vera Collection. I received confirmation from MAC HQ this morning that these will be permanent going forward (just these shades).  All seven shades available with this collection have been released previously. These shades include: Black Line (black with gold pearl), Black Swan (black with pearl), Designer Purple (iridescent violet), Industrial (periwinkle grey), Lord It Up (bronze with pearl), Petrol Blue (deep navy with pearl), and Undercurrent (teal with pearl).

• Black Line is a dark brown-based black with dirty gold shimmer. It has good color payoff in a single stroke. It’s similar to Shiseido Black Sand.
• Black Swan is a blue-based black with silver-blue shimmer. It has good color payoff in a single stroke. I don’t know of a dupe for this one.
• Designer Purple is a brightened violet purple with violet and silver shimmer. This shade had some of the chunkier sparkle. It has good color payoff in one pass. MAC Rich Purple was the closest dupe I could think of, but it’s darker, less violet. Urban Decay Delinquent is similar but not as bright.
• Industrial is a gray-casted blue with hints of brown. It’s an interesting color, and I found it difficuolt to describe. The color payoff is so-so in one pass, and even layering, it doesn’t build as well as the other shades. I couldn’t think of a dupe.
• Lord It Up is a warm bronze brown with gold-bronze shimmer. It has good color payoff in one stroke. It’s similar to Urban Decay Corrupt.
• Petrol Blue is a dark navy blue with sapphire shimmer. It has decent to good color payoff in a single pass but layers nicely. It’s similar, but brighter, than toki doki Skeletro. Make Up For Ever #3L is similar but not as intense.
• Undercurrent is a blue-based teal with green-gold and teal shimmer. It has good color payoff in a single pass. Urban Decay Junkie is nearly identical.

The best part about Pearlglides is their intensity; they’re deep, dark, and look rich once applied. Some perform better in a single stroke than others, though you’ll get the best results if you go back and forth (just once, so it’s like two passes in total). The texture is very soft and creamy, so they glide effortlessly across the lash line and never tug or pull.

These wear around eight hours on me, and luckily, since these were repromoted, I was able to re-test these against the newer rating system in the past week. I tested out the wear of Black Line, Industrial, Lord It Up, and Undercurrent on the lower lash line. I’m not sure if these are water line safe, but my instinct is that they’re likely not, because of the high shimmer content in all of the shades.

Where to Buy: MAC, $15

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Black Line, Black Swan, Designer Purple, Industrial, Lord It Up, Petrol Blue, Undercurrent

Black Line, Black Swan, Designer Purple, Industrial

Industrial, Lord It Up, Petrol Blue, Undercurrent/em>

Black Line, Black Swan, Designer Purple, Industrial, Lord It Up, Petrol Blue, Undercurrent

MAC Black Line Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

MAC Black Swan Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

MAC Designer Purple Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

MAC Industrial Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

MAC Lord It Up Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

MAC Undercurrent Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

Feel free to elaborate on your answer in the comment section!

Thanks to Michelle for today’s poll!