MAC Midnight Media Mattene + MAC Blackfire Glimmerglass
Pucker Up: Glitzy Midnight Media
Again, applying MAC’s Midnight Media Mattene does yield better results when used with a lip brush than straight outta the tube. (To reiterate: it’s important to know that distinction–you want to know just how much work you have to put in to get what you want out of a product.) Like Black Knight, this color took about five minutes to layer on to my satisfaction, but it never quite gave the color opaqueness I was after. It always looked a little faded.
Everything that can be said about Midnight Media, I already said in my Black as Knight post (which is right below this one, so I don’t want to just regurgitate it). It is necessary to point out that Midnight Media isn’t a true black lip color; it is near-black, but there is burgundy in it, which is noticeable.
I liked this combination better, because I felt like both products worked well together. The burgundy-ish tone from the mattene was emphasized and played up by the red shimmer in Blackfire. The glossiness of Blackfire helped to minimize some of the imperfections of the mattene alone. (Seriously, totally exfoliated my lips right before putting it on — why so clumpy?)
Bottom Line: Apply a thin layer of concealer or foundation (or MAC Lip Erase, which serves the same purpose) to lips. This helps to neutralize your natural lip color and make whatever you’re applying much more pigmented, but it also evens out the surface a little more and adds a dry layer. Midnight Media isn’t totally opaque, so the concealer base will help the color pop more. Use either a very dark or a clear lip liner all around the edges of the lips to help prevent the intense color from bleeding. Then, apply Midnight Media using a lip brush. Layer until satisfied. Be cautious when applying gloss, because the gloss tends to shift the color around in a slip-slide fashion.
See progression…
MAC Midnight Media Mattene
MAC Midnight Media Mattene + MAC Blackfire Glimmerglass
hm, i’m not sure how much i like this one… kind of reminds me of when i went through my ‘goth’ phase, and would look in the mirror after i ate, to see black lipstick half there, half not.
It’s definitely high maintenance, not something you could wear, eat, and forget about!
don’t like it. it just looks like you have soil on your lips.
LOL!
Its Ok i Like the lighter shades
Nothin’ wrong with that!
I wish the Mattene were actually *matte* – not that I really wear black lips or anything, just in principle, I was excited at the idea of a matte creamy black
This does look nearly wearable for a night out…
Aw! Some mattenes are, others are semi-matte (this one appears to be the latter).
Not of fan at all of black or purple lipstick but the gloss on…. O yes I would wear it lol
Yay!
i like it but it gives me the impression it doesn’t apply evenly.
It’s very hard to get it to apply evenly. I think a concealer a base would help, but it’ll probably not be 100% perfect.
nice one…but i don’t think i will ever wear this….infact i will never wear this..:)
Nothin’ wrong with that, Samaya! IMO, you have to wear what you are confident in wearing! Anything less will show!
It looks gorgeous on you, but I know I would hate it one me. lol
LOL! It’s interesting on me, but I’ve worn black before (YSL!), so maybe it’s not quite so shocking!
I have such small lips that I can’t ever wear any dark lipsticks or glosses so this is a no no for me
Aww
i the looks with the gloss… i know it might not suite a lot of ppl put for those of us with darker skin this is a great fall lip …. i’m def getting both items to recreate this look
I’m so glad this is something that’ll work for you!
This doesn’t look nice at all. Wonder how Night Violet + Blackfire would look together?
I’ll have to try it to tell you for sure, but I imagine it looking like Night Violet… but glossy and with tiny, tiny specks of shimmer. I don’t think it’d be a huge difference in color, more like finish.
Thanks Christine!
GORGEOUS!! I need to get both!
Glad ya liked it!
I have no idea when/where I would ever wear such a dark, high maintenance lipstick, but it is fabulous!
lol! Same here, Mica. Even if I had an occasion (e.g. going to a fancy restaurant), I’d be scared about how it’d look post-meal!
I would probably layer it with a more opaque base because Midnight Media is definitely too sheer. Sheer on sheer would really show the colour sinking into the lines of the lip, since neither Midnight Media and Blackfire are really buildable.
I agree!
this is much more wearable than the last look but it doesn’t justify me actually making a purchase. thanks for showcasing the products.
Yeah, I know what you mean, Lorna! I think if you just want to wear a black lip for Halloween, you’re better off just getting cheaper stuff!
I think it would look better with one of the cheap black lipsticks you can get for Halloween. They actually show up black black. This year, I’m buying a few then mixing some up in jars with some glitter. Jeez, thanks to this collection, I’m gonna have a whole ton of homemade black glittery stuff…yikes.
Haha, I know. I think MAC should have promoted Black Lip Mix with this launch instead.
i find this very sexy
now i need blackfire glimmerglass
lol! Thanks, Bernice!
I love the two together!
Yay!