MAC By Request – Lipsticks Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC By Request is a collection that’s voted on by the fans–there are 18 shades of lipstick, lipglass, and eyeshadow that MAC has listed for grabs, and your votes will determine the top three from each product type that will go on to be launched in an online exclusive, limited edition collection in August. Voting is open and closes on March 30th and users can vote once per product category per day. Not sure where to cast your vote? I’ve got the goods on the six lipsticks up for a comeback!

• 3N is a pale pink beige nude. It has a lustre finish. The color coverage is semi-sheer and adds a touch of pink. Cle de Peau #129 is more opaque, slightly darker. MAC Lazy Day is a bit pinker, almost a little gray. Korres #13 is similar but warmer.
• Candy Yum Yum is a bright, neon magenta pink with cool, blue undertones with opaque color coverage. It has a matte finish. MAC Pink Pigeon is a bit lighter, pinker. MAC Show Orchid is darker, more fuchsia. MAC Quick Sizzle is pinker. MAC Rose Hip is lighter and pinker.
• Eden Rocks is a subtly pink-tinged coppery brown with a frosted shimmer. It has a frost finish and semi-opaque color coverage. MAC Felicienne is subtler, less coppery.
• Moxie is pinky-red with opaque color coverage. It has a matte finish–I think! Not to worry, it feels like a modern matte: creamy, easy to apply, and doesn’t shrink-wrap your lips. MAC Party Parrot is more coral, no blue undertones. OCC Queen is darker. Guerlain CHamps-Elysees is darker. Guerlain Gigi is very similar but has a glossy sheen.
• Rocker is a darkened brown-based red with subtle shimmer. I’m not quite sure what the finish is–I had the original listed as a matte. Will inquire! Nonetheless, it yields opaque color coverage with very subtle shimmer. shu uemura Rouge Luster is slightly more orange. MAC Such Flare! is a bit lighter, more orange than brown. MAC Extended Play has more brown in it. MAC Unknown Pleasures is a bit darker. Rimmel Metallic Seduction and Make Up For Ever #48 are darker.
• Shitaki is a medium-dark warm brown with a pale gold-champagne shimmer-sheen. It has a glaze finish, so the color coverage is semi-sheer. Guerlain Chant d’Aromes is pinker, less brown. MAC Flustered is more golden. MAC Kraft is darker. Lancome Bronze Show is a bit darker, more orange.

The formula on these was typical MAC–I didn’t have any unexpected issues with these.  Generally, I find lustre lipsticks to be drying and wear only two hours or so.  The more matte-like finishes (Candy Yum Yum, Moxie, Rocker) felt creamy and opaque, so no trouble there.  Glaze finishes (Shitaki) are less drying than lustres though still a touch drying over time and tend to wear for a similar short time.  MAC lipsticks are vanilla scented.

Continuing with the fun, here are some shades I think could have been good choices: Ahoy, There! (Naughty Nauticals ’08), Angeldish (Aquadisiac ’03), Big Bow (Hello Kitty ’09), Blue Eve (Eden Rocks ’01), Blueberry Fizz (Cocktails, ’01), Brave New Bronze (Style Warrior ’09), Curtsy (Dance ’06), Fashionably Fuchsia (Classic Coordinates ’06), Flash-n-Dash (Fafi ’08), Gladiola (Dame Edna ’08), High Top (Fafi ’08), Isabella Blow (MAC for Isabella BLow ’05), Jazzed (In the Groove ’10), Legendary Femme (Raquel Welch ’07), Lollipop Loving (Heatherette ’08), Marisheeno (Lustreful ’04), Mellow Mood (Electroflash ’08), Merry Mistress (Black Tied ’01), Pink Maribu (Lingerie ’05), Port Red (Naughty Nauticals ’08), Queen’s Sin (Antiquitease ’07), Rebelrose (Rebel Rock ’05), Red No. 5 (MACouture ’06), Rococo (Rococo ’04), Strawberry Blonde (Catherine Deneuve ’06), Tiger Tiger (Raquel Welch ’07), Wild ‘Bout You (Rockocco ’06).

I was confused when I saw both Eden Rocks and Shitaki being promoted–I thought they were both permanent, but I guess they were discontinued in the past two years or so. (If they were such bestsellers, why were they ever discontinued?!) With a collection concept like this one, I think the older the better–and certainly not shades that were permanent for years! If we’re going to go so recent, might as well repromote the Iris Apfel lipsticks, since those sold out so quickly. It’s just such a great concept and one that fans have been asking to see forever, and I’m left wondering, “What data did you use to come up with these lists?” Because I can’t seriously believe that there was no top selling coral lipstick–historically, MAC corals sell out quickly!

I am however pleased to see Moxie and Rocker make the list — those are two I’ve heard about, and they’re both oldies (but goodies). I don’t think I have most of these in the original forms; I should have 3N and Candy Yum Yum, but I’m not so sure about Eden Rocks. I know I owned Shitaki once upon a time, but I don’t think I kept it.

MAC 3N Lipstick

MAC 3N Lipstick (Diffused/Bounced Flash)

MAC 3N Lipstick (Studio “Natural” Lighting)

MAC 3N Lipstick

MAC 3N Lipstick

MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick

MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick (Diffused/Bounced Flash)

MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick (Studio “Natural” Lighting)

MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick

MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick

MAC Eden Rocks Lipstick

MAC Eden Rocks Lipstick (Diffused/Bounced Flash)

MAC Eden Rocks Lipstick (Studio “Natural” Lighting)

MAC Eden Rocks Lipstick)

MAC Eden Rocks Lipstick

MAC Moxie Lipstick

MAC Moxie Lipstick (Diffused/Bounced Flash)

MAC Moxie Lipstick (Studio “Natural” Lighting)

MAC Moxie Lipstick

MAC Moxie Lipstick

MAC Rocker Lipstick

MAC Rocker Lipstick (Diffused/Bounced Flash)

MAC Rocker Lipstick (Studio “Natural” Lighting)

MAC Rocker Lipstick

MAC Rocker Lipstick

MAC Shitaki Lipstick

MAC Shitaki Lipstick (Diffused/Bounced Flash)

MAC Shitaki Lipstick (Studio “Natural” Lighting)

MAC Shitaki Lipstick

MAC Shitaki Lipstick