Temptalia

MAC Fashion Sets: Lipstick Review Round-up

Christine — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:00:09 +0000

MAC Russian Red Lipglass over Lipstick; Nail Lacquer

MAC Fashion Sets: Lipstick Review Round-up

In the collection, the lipsticks, on average, were the strongest product. The quality of MAC’s lipstick range is definitely there, particularly with their core, permanent shades. The permanent shades are often overlooked because of the neverending onslaught of limited edition shades coming out each month (and sometimes each week!). Many of these shades have been around for several years and have proven to be bestselling shades for the brand for good reason. I would recommend the lipstick over the matching lipgloss and nail lacquer for every single shade (which is not to say I recommend every single lipstick, period).

These shades did the best when it came to pigmentation. They’re rich, pigmented, and pretty much opaque across the board, with some being totally and utterly opaque and others being nearly opaque. When it comes to the overall quality and claims, these do well, but some finishes are more drying than others. I don’t find MAC to have moisturizing lipsticks, but for the most part, they are not drying either. Lustres and cremesheen finishes are the most drying for me, while mattes and satins can be slightly drying depending on the individual shade. Frosts are neither drying nor hydrating in my experience.

Generally, lighter shades (think Angel, Myth, Snob, etc.) will not wear as long or as well as richer, deeper shades (think Girl About Town, Rebel, Russian Red, etc.), as those deeper shades (combined with their finish) lead to six hour wear as a result of staining–and staining may be good or bad depending on your preference. Lighter shades typically wear three to four hours with deeper shades lasting four to six hours–and this is based on experience of over a hundred MAC lipsticks over the years. I’m pretty sure it’s way more than that, but I’m not going to guarantee it.

The best shades were: Girl About Town, Morange, and Russian Red (all As). Good but not great shades were: Peachstock, Please Me, Rebel, and Spice. The most under-performing shades were: Myth and Razzledazzler.

Availability: Based on the information I have received from MAC, the distribution of these shades is regional. I cannot confirm the extent of non-regional shades being available online for your region (e.g. whether all of these will be available on the UK website). I can confirm only that for North America, all shades are available for purchase online. Only the North America-specific shades will be available in-stores on May 3rd, 2012. Select Macy’s will also carry Latin America & Middle East region-specific shades.

North America: Chestnut, Girl About Town, Myth, Rebel, Russian Red, Snob, Spice; Chestnut and Spice are limited edition–the rest are permanent
Asia Pacific: Angel, Morange, Impassioned, Peachstock, Ravishing, Razzledazzler, Saint Germain; Peachstock is permanent at PRO stores only, Razzledazzler is permanent in Asia only–the rest are permanent
Europe & Africa: Impassioned, Morange, Myth, Rebel, Russian Red, Saint Germain, Spice; Spice is limited edition
Latin America & Middle East: Girl About Town, Impassioned, Morange, Pink Nouveau, Please Me, Russian Red, Snob; all shades are permanent

Reviews, Photos, Swatches

The Glossover

	MAC Fashion Sets: Lipstick Review Round-up A-
	The quality of MAC's lipstick range is definitely there, particularly with their core, permanent shades. The permanent shades are often overlooked because of the neverending onslaught of limited edition shades coming out each month (and sometimes each week!).
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 8.5/10 Application 4/5

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Please note that the photos included in this post are for summary purposes only–there are four additional photos for each lipstick shade that have been excluded in this post but are available in the set’s original post: two product photos, one lip swatch (diffused flash), and one lip swatch (studio lighting). All links to the individual posts have been provided above.

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Angel Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Lipstick

MAC Girl About Town Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Morange Lipstick

MAC Myth Lipstick

MAC Peachstock Lipstick

MAC Pink Nouveau Lipstick

MAC Please Me Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Razzledazzler Lipstick

MAC Rebel Lipstick

MAC Russian Red Lipstick

MAC Saint Germain Lipstick

MAC Snob Lipstick

MAC Spice Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:00:09 +0000

MAC Chestnut Nail Lacquer, Lipglass, Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Chestnut Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) was inspired by the top-selling lip liner, along with a Lipglass ($14.50 for 0.17 fl. oz.) and Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) to complement. This shade is part of the North American portion of the collection, so it will be available at all locations and online. All three shades are limited edition. Chestnut is described as “rich chocolate brown.”

When the two lip products are layered, the result is a rich, glossy chocolate brown with strong red undertones. The color coverage is mostly opaque, but there’s a hint of translucency. The nail lacquer is deeper, browner, and because it’s so opaque, the red undertones are less noticeable, but the shades are fairly close together–you’ll just see the effect that texture and opacity have on the end result more here.

Chestnut Lipglass is a red-toned brown with semi-opaque color coverage. It does settle into lip lines a bit, and because it is such a dark color, the unevenness is more noticeable. Admittedly, I haven’t come across too many rich brown glosses, so the closest I could think of was MAC A Different Groove, which is much sheerer and less red-toned. (8, 9, 8, 8.5, 3.5, 4; B-)

Chestnut Lipstick is a warm chocolate brown with red undertones (but subtler than the gloss). It has a satin finish. It applies mostly opaque. MAC Seeds of Desire is more burgundy. CoverGirl Enamor is redder. NYX Very Berry is a bit lighter. MAC Film Noir is pretty close, perhaps a touch less red-toned. MAC Underworld is lighter and redder. (9, 9, 9, 9, 4, 4; B+)

Chestnut Nail Lacquer is a luxurious, deep chocolate brown with a cream finish. It’s opaque in two coats. The consistency wasn’t too thick or too thin, and it applied evenly and fluidly without trouble. Rescue Beauty Lounge Au Chocolat is darker and more burgundy. Barielle Unraveled Rust is very close, perhaps a touch darker. MAC Dim the Lights is also very close. (10, 10, 10, 9, 5, 4; A)

MAC Lipsticks are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Satin finishes like Chestnut typically wear four to six hours on me, with deeper shades like this one wearing closer to six hours. This particular finish is not particularly moisturizing, but I don’t find it drying either. MAC Lipglasses are also vanilla-scented but taste-free. They are very sticky and have a thick, borderline-goopy consistency. If you prefer gel-like, cushion-y glosses that feel lightweight on, I don’t recommend MAC Lipglass. Because of the tackier texture, MAC Lipglasses do tend to wear a full four hours on me, with some of the darker shades lasting up to six hours (with mostly the color lingering at that point).

The Glossover

	MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches B+
	Don't be afraid of brown lip color! It can be very dramatic and rich. Done right, and it isn't a dated look at all. The rich red undertones of Chestnut help to underscore that this is a brown with feeling.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 8.5/10 Application 4/5

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See more photos & swatches!

MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Chestnut Lipglass layered over Chestnut Lipstick, Chestnut Nail Lacquer

MAC Chestnut Lipglass layered over Chestnut Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Chestnut Lipglass layered over Chestnut Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Chestnut Lipglass layered over Chestnut Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Lipglass

MAC Chestnut Lipglass (Diffused Flash)

MAC Chestnut Lipglass (Studio Lighting)

MAC Chestnut Lipglass

MAC Chestnut Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Chestnut Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Chestnut Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Nail Lacquer

Temptalia

MAC Fashion Sets: Lipstick Review Round-up

MAC Fashion Sets: Lipstick Review Round-up

Reviews, Photos, Swatches

The Glossover

MAC Fashion Sets: Lipstick Review Round-up

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

The Glossover

MAC Chestnut Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

Longevity

Application

See more photos & swatches!