MAC Best of Me, Influentially It, Sweet, No Sugar Powder Kiss Lipsticks Reviews & Swatches
Best of Me
MAC Best of Me Powder Kiss Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.10 oz.) is a pale beige with subtle,w arm undertones and a semi-matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation that covered my lips somewhat evenly, but it did not adhere well to the inner area of my lips. The color sank into my lip lines noticeably within a minute of application, and this worsened over the two and a half hours the color stayed on for. It had a smooth, slightly emollient consistency that never dragged on my lips, but I just couldn’t get this one to look even and smooth on my lips, despite having exfoliated prior to applying it. The formula was neither drying nor hydrating over time.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Maybelline Purely Nude (P, $7.99) is darker (95% similar).
- MAC Dahhlinggg! (LE, $20.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Maybelline Bare All (910) (P, $7.49) is cooler, glossier (90% similar).
- Maybelline Nude Thrill (DC, $7.49) is darker (90% similar).
- MAC Desert Sun (LE, $19.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- MAC Bare Bling (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- MAC Myth (P, $19.00) is darker, glossier (85% similar).
- MAC Strip Poker (LE, $19.00) is more pigmented, cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Act Natural (P, $19.00) is glossier (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty A/W '16 (Lip Color) (LE, ) is warmer, glossier (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$22.00/0.1 oz. - $220.00 Per Ounce
MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.10 oz.) is supposed to feel "weightless" with a "blur of effortless soft-focus color." Per the brand, the formula "provides immediate and long-term hydration" while "blur[ring] lines and smooth[ing] lips" and having "zero-shine." They have a bit of shine and slip; I wouldn't call them zero-shine so much as very smooth and more like a natural or soft matte finish. Like any finish with slight shine, they did wear down to a more, flat matte finish within an hour or so of wear. The consistency was lightweight, thin, and velvety with a bit of slip (a little like a silicone primer to me) and was comfortable to wear with a non-drying to lightly hydrating feel.
The pigmentation ranged from semi-opaque to opaque with deeper shades having more coverage. There were a few very light shades, which did not apply as evenly and had a tendency to catch on any imperfections on my lips, whereas the deeper shades went on more smoothly and looked more flattering on as they were less likely to emphasize texture. They lasted between two and a half and six hours with deeper shades, unsurprisingly, lasting longer than the ultra-light ones.
I personally found the scent of these to be noticeably different, both that it was sweeter and less vanilla-based but I also got a strong rubber scent that came through. The scent did not linger for long, so it wasn't something that I detected throughout the wear, but it had a strong, sweet taste that was present until it was gone. Other readers who have smelled the formula in person did not catch any rubber/off-putting scent (my husband thought it smelled weird, not bad per se, but couldn't be more specific), and when I went back to double check each shade, each one of mine still had that rubbery note.
Browse all of our MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick swatches.
Best of Me
PPermanent. $22.00.
Influentially It
MAC Influentially It Powder Kiss Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.10 oz.) is a medium, pinky beige with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had semi-opaque color coverage that adhered fairly evenly to my lips in a single layer, though it wasn’t buildable due the emollient texture (just seemed to move the color around more and cause it to sink into my lip lines more noticeably if I put on more product). The lipstick had a lightweight, thin consistency that didn’t cling or feel uncomfortable, though it did gather into my lip lines and had a tendency to emphasize any texture on my lips. The color stayed on well for three hours and was lightly moisturizing while worn.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- MAC LarLarLee (LE, $19.00) is darker, cooler, glossier (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever M100 (DC, $22.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Natasha Denona Beatrice (31NP) (P, $25.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Maybelline Beige Babe (P, $7.99) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Blush Nude (P, $57.00) is darker, glossier (90% similar).
- Bobbi Brown Almost Bare (P, $40.00) is warmer (90% similar).
- Maybelline Nude Thrill (DC, $7.49) is lighter (90% similar).
- Anastasia Soft Touch (P, $18.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever Vivid Naked (102) (P, $23.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Jaclyn Cosmetics As If (DC, $18.00) is lighter, cooler, glossier (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$22.00/0.1 oz. - $220.00 Per Ounce
MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.10 oz.) is supposed to feel "weightless" with a "blur of effortless soft-focus color." Per the brand, the formula "provides immediate and long-term hydration" while "blur[ring] lines and smooth[ing] lips" and having "zero-shine." They have a bit of shine and slip; I wouldn't call them zero-shine so much as very smooth and more like a natural or soft matte finish. Like any finish with slight shine, they did wear down to a more, flat matte finish within an hour or so of wear. The consistency was lightweight, thin, and velvety with a bit of slip (a little like a silicone primer to me) and was comfortable to wear with a non-drying to lightly hydrating feel.
The pigmentation ranged from semi-opaque to opaque with deeper shades having more coverage. There were a few very light shades, which did not apply as evenly and had a tendency to catch on any imperfections on my lips, whereas the deeper shades went on more smoothly and looked more flattering on as they were less likely to emphasize texture. They lasted between two and a half and six hours with deeper shades, unsurprisingly, lasting longer than the ultra-light ones.
I personally found the scent of these to be noticeably different, both that it was sweeter and less vanilla-based but I also got a strong rubber scent that came through. The scent did not linger for long, so it wasn't something that I detected throughout the wear, but it had a strong, sweet taste that was present until it was gone. Other readers who have smelled the formula in person did not catch any rubber/off-putting scent (my husband thought it smelled weird, not bad per se, but couldn't be more specific), and when I went back to double check each shade, each one of mine still had that rubbery note.
Browse all of our MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick swatches.
Influentially It
PPermanent. $22.00.
Sweet, No Sugar
MAC Sweet, No Sugar Powder Kiss Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.10 oz.) is a soft, pinky-peach with warm undertones and a semi-matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation applied unevenly and sank into my lip lines noticeably from the beginning. The texture was lightweight with moderate slip and a thinner feel, though it never felt clingy or drying. I don’t know if it was the lightness of the color or formula itself, but this shade was prone to emphasizing imperfections and texture. It lasted for two and a half hours and sank heavily into my lip lines after two hours of wear. The formula felt a touch moisturizing over time.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Makeup Geek Gullible (P, $15.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Super Mellow (P, $8.00) is darker, less pigmented (90% similar).
- Guerlain Sweet Nude (139) (P, $36.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Givenchy Beige Plume (102) (P, $36.00) is darker, cooler, glossier (85% similar).
- Dose of Colors Mintea (LE, $18.00) is darker, brighter, cooler (85% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Impulse (Left) (LE, ) is darker, cooler, glossier (85% similar).
- NYX Daydream (P, $6.00) is darker, warmer, glossier (85% similar).
- bareMinerals Kitty (PiP, $20.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
- Charlotte Tilbury Platinum Blonde (P, $34.00) is darker (80% similar).
- ColourPop Echo Park (P, $7.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
Formula Overview
$22.00/0.1 oz. - $220.00 Per Ounce
MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.10 oz.) is supposed to feel "weightless" with a "blur of effortless soft-focus color." Per the brand, the formula "provides immediate and long-term hydration" while "blur[ring] lines and smooth[ing] lips" and having "zero-shine." They have a bit of shine and slip; I wouldn't call them zero-shine so much as very smooth and more like a natural or soft matte finish. Like any finish with slight shine, they did wear down to a more, flat matte finish within an hour or so of wear. The consistency was lightweight, thin, and velvety with a bit of slip (a little like a silicone primer to me) and was comfortable to wear with a non-drying to lightly hydrating feel.
The pigmentation ranged from semi-opaque to opaque with deeper shades having more coverage. There were a few very light shades, which did not apply as evenly and had a tendency to catch on any imperfections on my lips, whereas the deeper shades went on more smoothly and looked more flattering on as they were less likely to emphasize texture. They lasted between two and a half and six hours with deeper shades, unsurprisingly, lasting longer than the ultra-light ones.
I personally found the scent of these to be noticeably different, both that it was sweeter and less vanilla-based but I also got a strong rubber scent that came through. The scent did not linger for long, so it wasn't something that I detected throughout the wear, but it had a strong, sweet taste that was present until it was gone. Other readers who have smelled the formula in person did not catch any rubber/off-putting scent (my husband thought it smelled weird, not bad per se, but couldn't be more specific), and when I went back to double check each shade, each one of mine still had that rubbery note.
Browse all of our MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick swatches.
I bought Sweet, No Sugar based on these pictures, but my bullet REALLY doesn’t look like this! It looks much more like Best of Me, which makes it unwearable. I’m going to exchange it, but I wonder if there’s been a quality control problem.
That is strange – I can’t really like… visually reconcile it looking as light as Best of Me.
You can see a group shot here: https://www.temptalia.com/product/mac-powder-kiss-lipstick/ where Sweet, No Sugar is the third in the line-up… but it is definitely much darker than Best of Me, which is visually much lighter than all the other shades!
I think my bullet must have been mislabeled. Oh, and I DO know what you mean about the ‘rubber’ scent. Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez have a book of perfume reviews, have you read it? Sanchez writes about a ‘rubber note’ in some perfumes, so I think it must have been an intentional addition.
Could it be mislabeled?
I think it must have been, Seraphine, because the exchanged bullet is much more like these photos. And it’s GORGEOUS, I’m shocked at how much I like it.
No, no, and no again. Yikes, these are just awful looking. Best Of Me? The name alone is seriously laughable, unless one actually *wants* to look like they just downed a box of powdered donuts, I just can’t see it working on anyone.
The way YouTube beauty gurus were raving about these I am kind of shocked that they reviewed so poorly. These aren’t shades I would entertain wearing anyway. No one could wear Best Of Me and look even half alive. I had such high hopes for these but I will check out the darker shades when I am in Spokane on Saturday. Maybe I will be lucky and find one I like that performs better. I would like to try the formula but I don’t want my lips to look any drier than they do!!