Best & Worst of MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks

MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks
MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks

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.

8 Comments

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Tasha Avatar

Both of the lipsticks I bought (burning love, devoted to chili) stink of burnt rubber, even when they’re on my lips and it’s disgusting, but I love the shades! Ugh!

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