MAC 3N & Runaway Red Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Making Pretty)
MAC 3N Lipstick
Two Well-Loved Lipsticks Make a Return in New Clothes
MAC Making Pretty Lipsticks ($28.00 for 0.15 oz. each) are available in two shades: 3N (milky pastel pink) and Runaway Red (rich red-blue). Â Both shades are repromotes, though they were well-received shades. Â The collection online yesterday, and I immediately placed my order and overnighted everything, but unfortunately 3N has already sold out. Â To find it, you’ll have to find a MAC freestanding on December 13th or Pro store on December 6th.
3N is a pale pink with neutral undertones. It has a lustre finish. The color payoff is semi-opaque with some translucency. It lasts just over two and a half hours on me. Â theBalm Milly is a bit pinker. MAC Pure Zen is darker, pinker. Chanel Empreinte is sheerer. Cle de Peau #129 is pinker. MAC Lazy Day is grayer.
Runaway Red is a darkened blue-based red with a natural sheen. It has a satin finish and opaque color payoff.  This shade lasted right around six hours and left a stain behind.  Dior Diorling is similar. MAC Deeply Adored is a touch darker. Guerlain Gwen is lighter. MAC Digna is less red, more berry.
Of all products available during these couture releases, the lipsticks are typically the best value, as they contain more product than the standard lipstick–by a lot. Normal MAC lipsticks retail for $15.00 and contain 0.10 oz., which is equivalent to $150/oz. These specially packaged lipsticks are $187/oz. I believe the lipsticks are packaged in thin metal with faux shagreen wrapped around the tube. I kept trying to clink it with other known plastics and metals, and the cap tinkled nicely, but the inner tube not so much (but there is a plastic insert within it, which might have contributed to the lack of metal-like sound).
MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented, and the coverage, wear time, and hydration level depends largely on the finish.  Lustres like 3N are slightly drying for me, and they have a tendency to wear around two hours.  Satin finishes like Runaway Red are neither drying nor hydrating, but they tend to wear longer than the average lipstick.
MAC 3N & Runaway Red Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Making Pretty)
MAC 3N Lipstick
MAC 3N Lipstick
MAC 3N Lipstick
MAC 3N Lipstick
MAC 3N Lipstick
MAC 3N Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
MAC Runaway Red Lipstick
“Normal MAC lipsticks retail for $15.00 and contain 0.10 oz., which is equivalent to $150/oz. These specially packaged lipsticks are $187/oz” this makes these limited edition lipsticks more expensive than normal mac lipsticks, as their unit price is higher per oz……
They sure are more expensive than regular MAC lipsticks – they are one of the lesser marked-up pieces from the collection, however.
Love the colors, hate the packaging. Looks like a skin disease called NF.
so gorgeous, but I don’t know if I could justify the price if I were about to buy one. Still, I love that the option is there (for however long before they sell out, lol)
Red lips look amazing on you Christine! I just had to say that!
Whenever I see you in red lipstick I want to go get some, but I never have the courage to rock it myself. I feel like everyones staring at me. HAHA
3N would be the perfect everyday color for me, the there is no way in hell I’m paying $28 for a MAC lipstick.
normal mac lipsticks are $36 each in australia…
While both shades look beautiful on you, I’m glad they don’t look like something I need to add to my collection 🙂
I’m not really willing to pay the extra $ for the packaging, but I do like both of these colors.
I got runaway red in a previous collection and it is my Go to red lipstick. I will be buying this one as a backup since I didn’t the previous time.
Like your earrings 😀
Oh no! Look at that packaging… This collection is so my style, but it looks so Cheep!
This lipsticks are so Sweet.
I Love the Package.
I think I love these!
Anyway what foundation are you wearing? Your face looks flawless:)
Giorgio Armani Maestro
I hope you will be doing a review on Maestro, I would love to hear your thoughts. It looks great!
Christine, this just made my day – that you’ve used the Maestro! I’m eager to hear also how your experience was – if and when you decide to do a review. 🙂 I keep going back and forth with mine. Ayyy!
I especially love your pic with the 3N on. Just beautiful! ♥
Am I the only one who thinks that the packaging is horrible?
Oh no. I find it terrible. Why pay this for packaging much when other brands can do it much better? (I’m thinking Guerlain, for instance, though it is pricier, admittedly) The thing is, I’m not keen on the design itself – but it looks terribly cheap on top of that! (although the colour of the red lipstick looks gorgeous)
totally agree. What’s with the ugly seam that sticks out? Not sleek or cute at all. And we gotta pay extra for that? PASS.
yeah! it’s like a sticker they wrapped around it and it was too long so the extra sticks out! I’m tripping out thinking.. it has to be like that on purpose cause it’s so bad. too bad to be true.
Yes, it looks like something that was slapped together as quickly and cheaply as possible. Kind of makes me wonder why they bothered at all…
Their regular tube design in plain pink would have been a HUGE improvement over this! Same with the brushes!!
Sold out already, awwwww
(the 3N, sorry!
too expensive for a brand like MAC
I’m in love with the colors 😀
runaway red AGAIN?! whyyy
wow that packaging is ugly lol
Christine, your makeup looks AMAZING in these photos! Especially when wearing the red lipstick, wow.
I don’t recall 3N in the past but I do recall having a 2N Lip Glass that I can only assume may have been a part of the collection that 3N was in. The packaging is horrid, but I kind of like the 3N color. Not sure if I like it enough to run out and get it though…
Hi Christine!
would you say that the 3N lipstick is in any way comparable to the Marquise d’ lipstick that MAC came out with on the Wonder Woman collection? I LOVE Marquise d’ and I’ve been looking for a dupe for it since it was a limited edition product…
Marquise d’ is warmer, I believe, and a lot sheerer.
3N is my holy grail lipstick and I’ve been hoping for years that MAC would repromote it! That is only reason I ordered three tubes…otherwise I would never pay $28 for a lipstick.
Christine,
what skin tone do you think runaway red suits best? I’m an NC35 and thinking about purchasing when it hits counters but would hate to waste my money if it’s something that i will hardly use. Thank you.
It should flatter most, if not all, skin tones 🙂
i think runway red looks great on all skin tones. my bff is nw5 and it looks awesome on her. i’m nw55, and it’s equally flaterring. my holy grail red!! they should make it permanent and stop re-promoting it
I really like 3N (which, of course, is *already* sold out…typical MAC), and the price isn’t *that* bad, but the packaging is so horrible! I can totally see makeup, oils, etc, getting stuck in the crevices of the material, which is also light in color, making it more difficult to clean than a NARS compact.
Oooh the crevices do scare me a bit! You are a mind reader!:D
I really thought this collection would be great… But after your very useful swatches I’ll skip on everything ? Why repromoting Runaway Red ( which I love ), instead of Red Racer for example ?
The pakackings looked beautiful on the promo photos, well this is simply what I call ugly, ugly and expensive.
Christine, is the faux shagreen removable from the metal lipstick case?
It didn’t seem to have much give when I tried!
Runway red is beautiful!
Oh man, you look stunning with both, I love the way you put ur hair.
The lipsticks are really nice, but could 3N look good on ∂ NC15 NC 20 skin ?
I think it would!
I don’t like the nude on you at all. I’m surprised because you can pull off nude quite well. The red looks nice on you, but not $28 nice. I don’t think the packaging is worth the extra money. It actually looks cheap, at least in photos.
Both shades are beautiful–i really like the look of 3N! Seems like a very wearable pinky-beige shade! The packaging is gorgeous too, though it seems kind of weird to me that they left that seam on the shagreen sticking out like that. They really couldn’t cut it down and sew it/attach it flat to the cap??
Runaway Red looks great on you!
Runaway Red
The colors are nice but the packaging is awful. They could have done a better job. The seams sticking out reminds me of elementary school days of cut and paste. It is so not worth the $28. I’ll take a pass on this.
What’s your skin tone Christine? Im Asian. Nc30. With pigmented lips. Do you think I could pull off 3n?
I’m NC25/NC30 – you could, I think, depending on the kind of nude you like!
I have been waiting for this collection bc the packaging is so beautiful and vintage looking. I ordered 3N and the powder puff. I could swear that my grandmother owned a lipstick packaged exactly the same way- seam and all. To me they are too pretty to put away- I put them on display on my vanity:)
Oh god what is with that awful, awful seam sticking OUT!?
i was thinking that also :/ i wounder why m.a.c didn’t cut it off if i do buy one i’m going to trim it off.
Is this available only online? I just checked & 3N is sold out! Sorry I’m super late.
Freestanding MAC stores will carry it!
I’m loving how 3N looks but even for a bit more product the price is nuts. Especially for a lipstick that’s fairly sheer and requires frequent touch ups. I like the gold packaging but the tops are just meh. Not at all worth $28 to me. You’d be better off picking up a ysl lipstick
How similar is this to Chanel rouge allure in Passion or the Sephora color lip last in #19?
I’m not sure I have those!
For some reason, their order was cancelled but this MAC free standing store received them anyway. So bought all three colors and the two lipstick colors. So happy that I finally got 3N and (2) Runaway Red….for I waited so long before lusting for them. Almost went to evilBay to purchase it. Checked the lipsticks and they were in pristine condition. Despite what alot of people have experienced, so far, I have been able to purchase all the MAC products since reading Christine’s blog. Yes, I did have to go a bit of my way to get stuff from this collection and the Strength lipsticks, but I didnt buy them when they first came out.
If you really want the product, you just have to follow Temptalia’s blog and literally fly to get them when it is posted available. The secret is reading Christine’s blog and timing the purchase.