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

• 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

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
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

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 Angel Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Lipstick

MAC Chestnut Lipstick

MAC Girl About Town Lipstick

MAC Girl About Town Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Morange Lipstick

MAC Morange Lipstick

MAC Myth Lipstick

MAC Myth Lipstick

MAC Peachstock Lipstick

MAC Peachstock Lipstick

MAC Pink Nouveau Lipstick

MAC Pink Nouveau Lipstick

MAC Please Me Lipstick

MAC Please Me Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Razzledazzler Lipstick

MAC Razzledazzler Lipstick

MAC Rebel Lipstick

MAC Rebel Lipstick

MAC Russian Red Lipstick

MAC Russian Red Lipstick

MAC Saint Germain Lipstick

MAC Saint Germain Lipstick

MAC Snob Lipstick

MAC Snob Lipstick

MAC Spice Lipstick

MAC Spice Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) has been such a top-seller that it has now inspired a Lipglass ($14.50 for 0.17 fl. oz.) and Nail Lacquer ($16.00 for 0.34 fl. oz.) to complement it. This shade is part of the Asia Pacific, Europe/Africa, and Latin America/Middle East portions of the collection, so it will only be available online for North America buyers. Impassioned is described as “bright warm pink.”

When the lipgloss is layered over the lipstick, the result is a deepened, vibrant pink-red with a hint of silver micro-shimmer. The combined color is totally opaque and the two products work well together without causing any unevenness or bunching up. The nail polish doesn’t match the lipstick or lipgloss at all; they’re different animals, really. Sure, they’re both warm-toned, but the nail lacquer is nearly orange! You can see it in the swatches as well as the product photos; the bottle of polish looks much more orange compared to the vibrant pink (with more like a hint of orange/coral) gloss and lipstick.

Impassioned Lipglass is a bright pink-red with subtle warm undertones. It applies pretty opaque on lips, and it doesn’t settle too much into lip lines. The strong, opaque color helps to minimize the appearance of what settling there is. MAC Scandelicious is blue-based. MAC Gimme That is slightly pinker and has fuchsia shimmer. Illamasqua Follow is a bit redder. (9, 10, 9, 9, 4.5, 4; A)

Impassioned Lipstick is a nearly neon pink-red with a hint of coral warmth. It has an amplified creme finish. It yields opaque color coverage, and it has a fairly creamy consistency that enables a good glide of color to spread evenly across the lips during application. MAC Moxie is a bit pinker. MAC Party Parrot is less pink, more coral. OCC QUeen is redder, darker. Guerlain Gigi is darker. NARS Funny Face is less coral.  The lipstick is part of the permanent range. (9.5, 10, 8.5, 10, 4.5, 4; A)

Impassioned Nail Lacquer is a rich orange-coral that leans and looks more orange than it does coral, but in certain lighting or at particular angles, there is more coral color coming forth. It’s opaque in two coats, and while the initial coat had some streaking, the second coat covered most of it pretty well. Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want to Have Fun is just a touch more orange. Illamasqua Lament is a little more coral. SpaRitual Love & Happiness is darker, more orange. (9, 9, 9, 9, 4, 4; B+)

MAC Lipsticks are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Amplified creme finishes like Impassioned 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, though Impassioned has a slightly drier texture compared to other shades in the range. 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).

Note: I am reviewing each “set” together. After I’ve reviewed all sixteen sets, I will do round-ups for each product type (so all lipsticks together) to deliver an overall Glossover rating. This rating is more indicative of the product type, as the rating that follows this post is an average across three totally different types of products. You can also see the individual scores listed after each product, which are listed in the same order as they are in the Glossover.

The Glossover

	MAC Impassioned Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches A-
	Impassioned is a really bright, fun color to wear--very appropriate for the upcoming summer season! I'm bummed that the nail lacquer is not much of a match to the lipstick and gloss; it's even a bit too warm and orange to really complement well.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9.5/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 9.5/10 Application 4.5/5
	Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Impassioned Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Lipglass layered over Impassioned Lipstick, Impassioned Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Lipglass layered over Impassioned Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Impassioned Lipglass layered over Impassioned Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Impassioned Lipglass layered over Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipglass

MAC Impassioned Lipglass

MAC Impassioned Lipglass

MAC Impassioned Lipglass

MAC Impassioned Lipglass (Diffused Flash)

MAC Impassioned Lipglass (Studio Lighting)

MAC Impassioned Lipglass

MAC Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Impassioned Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Impassioned Lipstick

MAC Impassioned Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Nail Lacquer

MAC Impassioned Nail Lacquer

5 Must-Have MAC Hot Pink Lipsticks

About the Temptalia Must-Haves Series

A series of posts showcasing must-have products from MAC Cosmetics’ permanent line of products. Selections are based on quality, universality, uniqueness amongst the line, and the like. Limited edition shades are deliberately excluded to make buying easier. Readers’ comments act as a supplement to these lists of their favorites and must-haves. You can find the entire series here.

Lustering lipstick is a sheer, glossy hot pink. I feel like it runs cocoler, with bluer undertones, so it may be too cool for some warmer complexions.

Girl About Town lipstick is a creamy, opaque hot pink. To me this is one of the overall must-have lipsticks, period.

Impassioned lipstick is a bright hot pink that runs a little warmer, a little more orange-red tone to it. It has a super creamy finish, and it is ultra pigmented.

See two more…

Speak Louder lipstick is a bright, clean pink with blue undertones. It has a creamy, low-sheen finish with good color pay off.

Chatterbox lipstick is a creamy, opaque bright pink with reddish undertones. It’s a warmer pink, which is always a nice change of pace.

What are your favorite hot pink lipsticks?