MAC Vera: Plushglasses

The collection features four limited edition (and one permanent) shades of MAC Plushglass ($19.50 for 0.14 fl. oz.). These include: Butterfly Dream (mid-tone violet with blue pearl), Confetti (bright orange coral with soft pearl), Fashion Fanatic (creamy pale pink), On a Holiday (bright pink with blue pearl), and Pretty Plush (extra soft pink with white pearl).

• Butterfly Dream is a sheer pinked lilac with silver, teal, and purple shimmer. It looks like a lot of other pink-tinged glosses that go on sheer.
• Confetti is a sheer warm peach with pale white shimmer. MAC Rich & Witty looks a lot like it, just with an opaque base.
• Fashion Fanatic is a sheer, pale milky pink with white shimmer. These glosses are all fairly similar to this shade: MAC Fresh Air, Bobbi Brown Pastel, MAC Going Casual, and MAC Right Image.
• On a Holiday is a sheer medium pink with fuchsia and blue shimmer. MAC Fabulous Fun is more pigmented. Benefit Back to the Fuchsia is similar but more pigmented. MAC Electro Lush is similar in color but the shimmer is different.
• Pretty Plush is mostly clear gloss with lots of pale gold shimmer. This shade is permanent. It looks like a ton of sheer glosses with shimmer.

I can’t wear the Plushglass formula. It’s a brutal product for me to swatch, let alone do a wear test for, because my lips simply cannot handle it. I haven’t done a wear test for these in many years, and you won’t see me doing one any time soon. Even just doing the five lip swatches was difficult to endure; I swear, the stinging factor of the Plushglasses gets higher with each release! My lips get splotchy, swollen (but not in the cute, pouty way), and if I wear these for too long, eventual peeling and bleeding. Today was a little reminiscent of the first time I tried any lip plumper, and it was DuWop’s Lip Venom. I remember being in my first apartment freaking out going, “Is it supposed to be like my lips are on fire or should I remove this?!?!”

Plushglass is non-sticky, fairly thin, and sheer. The formula is supposed to deliver sheer color with a high-gloss finish, feel comfortable to wear, while moisturizing, soothing, and visibly plumping lips. I can attest that these are non-sticky, feel thin (like Cremesheen Glasses), and deliver sheer color. They are vanilla-scented, but it is a different scent compared to the rest of MAC’s lip products; it is extremely sweet and food-like. It’s cloying and lingers. I haven’t worn these for a wear test in a long time, so it’s hard to say just how long-wearing and whether or not the formula is moisturizing. It’s definitely not soothing on me!

Since I feel like I really can’t make an accurate assessment of the product on two major factors for the rating, I’m just not issuing a rating.  I suspect that wear will be a little below average given how sheer, thin, and non-sticky the formula is, based on the hundreds of lipglosses I’ve tested over the past five years.  I know that on my lips, given that the end result is peeling, bleeding lips, hydration is probably not happening.  But realistically, my reaction is just that, and it’s certainly a more extreme one.  I mentioned it on Twitter earlier today, and several others commiserated with me, having experienced something similar with these, but since they’ve been on the market for years, I imagine the majority doesn’t have that reaction to them!

See more photos & swatches!

Butterfly Dream, Confetti, Fashion Fanatic, On a Holiday, Pretty Plush

m>Butterfly Dream, Confetti, Fashion Fanatic, On a Holiday, Pretty Plush

MAC Butterfly Dream Plushglass

MAC Butterfly Dream Plushglass

MAC Butterfly Dream Plushglass

MAC Confetti Plushglass

MAC Confetti Plushglass

MAC Confetti Plushglass

MAC Fashion Fanatic Plushglass

MAC Fashion Fanatic Plushglass

MAC Fashion Fanatic Plushglass

MAC On a Holiday Plushglass

MAC On a Holiday Plushglass

MAC On a Holiday Plushglass

MAC Pretty Plush Plushglass

MAC Pretty Plush Plushglass

MAC Pretty Plush Plushglass