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 Ravishing Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing 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 region of the collection, so it will only be available online for North American buyers. Ravishing is described as “mid-tone neutral peach.”

The lipgloss is a smidgen lighter and pinker compared to the lipstick, which has more orange in it and comes off brighter. The nail lacquer is just a bit more orange; it doesn’t have any coral or pink tones to it–just a barely-dusty orange. When the lipgloss is layered over the lipstick, the end result is a lightened medium orange with a hint of coral to it. You do have to be careful to apply this well, because the lighter gloss can look really obvious if it’s not blended well!

Ravishing Lipglass is a darkened coral-orange with soft white micro-shimmer. It has semi-opaque color coverage, and it does settle into lip lines a bit. NARS Happy Days is similar but a little dirtier. MAC Strange Potion is lighter, pinker. MAC Whoops! is darker. MAC Viva Glam Cyndi is a little brighter. (8.5, 9, 8.5, 8.5, 4, 4; B)

Ravishing Lipstick is a medium-dark coral-orange with a soft shimmer-sheen. It has a Cremesheen finish, and it is part of the permanent range. The color coverage is opaque. It has a slightly drier texture, so it does tug a bit when it is applied–it just doesn’t glide on effortlessly. Chanel La Ravissante is much darker, but it is in a similar vein. CoverGirl Rapture is a bit darker. (8, 10, 8.5, 8.5, 4, 4; B)

Ravishing Nail Lacquer is a medium orange with a subtle dustiness to it. It has a cream finish that applied opaque in two coats, though the initial coat was a smidgen streaky. MAC Morange is brighter, more intense, darker. Nails Inc. Porchester Place is very similar. Illamasqua Gamma is brighter, more vibrant. (9, 9, 9, 9, 4, 4; B+)

MAC Lipsticks are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Cremesheen finishes like Ravishing typically wear three to four hours on me, with this kind of color wearing about three and a half. I’m not a huge fan of the Cremesheen finish, because I find it drier, so it’s more difficult to apply evenly, and it is also drying over time. 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 Ravishing Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches B+
	This doesn't read "peach" on me; it's more orange, more orange-coral at best. It has strong, warm undertones, so I also wouldn't describe it as neutral! This set is just okay; none of the three products are top notch in quality.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 9.5/10 Texture 8.5/10 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!

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Ravishing Lipglass, Lipstick, Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing Lipglass layered over Ravishing Lipstick, Ravishing Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing Lipglass layered over Ravishing Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Ravishing Lipglass layered over Ravishing Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Ravishing Lipglass layered over Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Lipglass

MAC Ravishing Lipglass

MAC Ravishing Lipglass

MAC Ravishing Lipglass

MAC Ravishing Lipglass (Diffused Flash)

MAC Ravishing Lipglass (Studio Lighting)

MAC Ravishing Lipglass

MAC Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Lipstick (Diffused Flash)

MAC Ravishing Lipstick (Studio Lighting)

MAC Ravishing Lipstick

MAC Ravishing Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing Nail Lacquer

MAC Ravishing Nail Lacquer

5 Must-Have MAC Coral 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.

Crosswires lipstick is a creamy, pinky-coral shade with a touch of sheen. It has decent color pay off, as it is a cremesheen finish.

CB96 lipstick is a shimmery, frosty coral shade with lots of gold shimmer. This is definitely a very frosty lipstick, so I tend to use a gloss to help minimize some of the frostiness.

Vegas Volt lipstick is a bright, orangey-coral shade with lots of color pay off and a super creamy finish. This is definitely named well!

See two more!

Ravishing lipstick is a soft, peachy coral shade with lots of creaminess and pigmentation. It looks almost matte, with just a slight sheen to the finish.

See Sheer lipstick is a sheer, lightly coraled-pink. Despite having a lustre texture, it’s not overly sheer and does give some color to lips.

What are your favorite coral lipsticks?

Now, I better get my butt back to studying. My three-hour final starts at 1PM, and it is worth 100% of my grade! Wish me luck

P.S. – Somehow comments got disabled on this post, but they’re allowed now Sorry about that!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Azreal pigment (soft blue-aqua), Aquavert eyeshadow (soft aqua), Shimmermoss eyeshadow (teal), Electric Eel eyeshadow (bright blue), Freshwater eyeshadow (medium blue), Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow (green-gold), Prescriptives Blue Grotto liner (forest green-blue), Plushlash mascara (black)
• Cheeks: Enough Said blush (soft peach)
• Lips: Ravishing lipstick (coral-orange), Pink Grapefruit lipglass (coral-pink)
• Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Azreal = Blue + Frozen White; Aquavert = Tilt; Enough Said = bronzer, Pink Grapefruit = Lychee Luxe

Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Azreal pigment all over the lid as the base with the 249. On the inner lid, apply Aquavert eyeshadow using the 239. Apply Shimmermoss eyeshadow to the middle of the lid, then overlay partiall with Electric Eel eyeshadow. Darken the outer lid using Freshwater eyeshadow and drag into crease using the 239. Darken crease with Freshwater eyeshadow using the 239. Sweep Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Prescriptives’ Blue Grotto liner on lower lash line then smudge with Freshwater eyeshadow using the 219, and Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Enough Said blush using the 129. Apply Ravishing lipstick to lips, and then top with Pink Grapefruit lipglass for color and shine.

Check out more photos!

If you were using MAC’s Ravishing Lipstick?, what look would you create with it? What shadows would you use? What would you use on cheeks? Anything added to the lips?

Create a look using whatever you want, as long as you include today’s look book product! Feel free to share links to photos of your look(s) using it in the comments.