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MAC Heaux Lipstick Review, Photos, & Swatches

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Heaux Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick ($15.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “matte berry” with a “Retro Matte” finish. It’s a deep, berry-hued red with a matte finish. MAC Lush Life is glossier, a touch lighter. Guerlain Liu is redder. NARS Dragon Girl is redder, less berry. MAC Love Goddess is warmer, brighter. MAC Scan-delicious is pinker, lighter. Burberry Bright Plum is darker. See swatch comparisons.

If you picked up RiRi Woo, the texture and consistency of Heaux is just like it–a little creamier, not quite as dry as Ruby Woo, but still drier and stiffer than MAC’s regular matte formula (or any of their other finishes for that matter). It feels dry, looks a bit dry on–and I had exfoliated lips the night before with a lip scrub–so it will emphasize any imperfections in the lip if you look closely. It has rich, opaque color coverage, and like RiRi Woo, it’s not going anywhere any time soon. I’ve been wearing Heaux since about 10AM (it’s 3PM), and it still looks nearly immaculate. It doesn’t feel drying to me (my lips aren’t cracking, and I’m not getting the urge to reach for lip balm). I would expect this to last another two to four hours well, then some light staining. The biggest advantage of the Retro Matte formula is that they tend to wear for hours and hours.

When swatched, Rebel had a stronger berry tone with a lot less red in it, and of course, the finish has a soft sheen, but applied, it was harder to tell the difference–the sheen was the most notable difference between the two. I was surprised, because I really did expect it to look noticeably different applied as well as when swatched.

The RiRi Hearts MAC summer collection will launch June 18th at noon EST exclusively online for North America; June 20th exclusively online for international.

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Heaux Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Heaux Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Heaux Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Heaux Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Heaux Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Heaux Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Rebel (left half) | Heaux (right half) Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Rebel (left half) | Heaux (right half) Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Rebel (left half) | Heaux (right half) Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Rebel (left half) | Heaux (right half) Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Rebel Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Rebel Lipstick

MAC Heaux Lipstick
MAC Rebel Lipstick

84 Comments

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Precious Avatar

I really like this! Read from a previous post that this is similar to Rebel (which I love, by the way), but based on your swatches, it’s noticeably lighter and redder. Back to the list it goes! 😀 Thanks for the sneak peek, Christine.

candy Avatar

from looking at the picture i thought this was riri woo, heaux looks more redish than the promo pictures in those pictures it kinda looked like rebel

LAYA Avatar

we, all have to at least understand that different skin tones will wear these lipsticks different….rebel is darker on darker skin tones or tan skin….lighter tones like christine…looks brighter…SO , we all cant really judge a color based on one tone wearing the swatch, on a diffrent skin it might look diffrent, plus if you are drinking 8 water bottles a day your lips should not be dry….if they are….. you are dehydrated…i drink a half gallon a day.

Kesha Avatar

Not quite as dark as I originally thought, but I’m actually happy with that! I will attempt to order this and RiRi Boy but emphasis on attempt. We know how MAC releases go lol

Shayna Avatar

Thanks for the comparison ! Heaux is a gorgeous color but I don’t think the difference between it and Rebel will be as apparent on the lips (other than the finish)….and since Rebel isn’t a color I wear very often anyways this will be a skip for me !

Mariella Avatar

What does the name mean? I mean, I get “hoax” and “haut(e)” but “heaux” – is it an alternate (Frenchified) spelling of “ho”?

Whitney Avatar

It’s how Rihanna writes hoe which is how she refers to her bffs on twitter, instagram etc. Not everyone’s cup of tea I’m sure, but I love the juxtaposition of classy french with what she means.

Mariella Avatar

You’re right there – not my cup of tea in the least. What a shame to refer to your “bffs” like that! Just seems sad and scuzzy to me (I teach high school girls and see how this sort of role modelling trickles down and it just is very sad).

Quiche Avatar

This is a word that used in online forums. It’s calling someone a “hoe” but it’s a bit funnier because of the French spelling. Pronounced like hoe there is just an emphasis.

This isn’t a Rihanna thing, but an online forum thing.

chris Avatar

same here, in contrast to most people here i wanted this to be exactly like my possibly no1 favorite mac lippy rebel, just in a matte texture… looks too red to be very close to rebel!

Rad Avatar

Ha, Rebel looks so much more flattering on you Christine. Do you think this whole collection is just hype over nothing? The colours in the collection are practically the same as shades in the permanent range so I don’t get why people are going crazy over it.

chris Avatar

up the amp, rebel and ruby woo are some of mac top selling lipsticks.. for ppl who wear them lots, it would be nice to have the exact same shade matte. for ruby woo, I don’t get it either because that one is matte already… but for the other 2, i am totally excited to mix up my most worn spring and fall shades!

Danii Avatar

This has a much more noticeable difference unlike the others but they all look painfuly drying. I think I’ll go dupe Rebel, seeing as Heaux isn’t THAT unique at all.

Katie F Avatar

Hmm…I love the retro matte formula (the drier the better in my book…hate lipsticks that feel slick) but I think I may have something like this in my stash…better check before I start stalking the website. Thanks for the swatch!

Linda Avatar

I really wanted this one. After seeing the swatches it is of the list. I already own Rebel and it looks so much prettier.
The same for Riri Boy. If I ever need a color like that i’ll go for Up The Amp.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAVING ME A LOT OF MONEY!!

kari Avatar

i looooveee berry shades + matte? gimme! rebel is too purple for me, so this is perfect. hopefully it’ll still be available when i get paid next week! :>

Natalie Avatar

pretty lipstick, but not really digging the name on this one. some of my favorite products have “naughty” names (urban decay, nars, etc.) but buying a lipstick based on a derogatory term for women bugs me. ugh, MAC.

abigailod Avatar

This shade might bring back my love of berries and plums. Looks Amazing on you!

Christine, what do you recommend to make lips appear fuller? Line outside the lips? I notice drier formulas look stellar on fuller lips than *average lips. Your thoughts?

Yasmin Avatar

I was hoping Heaux to be a dupe for Rocker, which was limited edition and I missed :C
Well, I’ll buying Rebel very soon for my birthday. I’m not a big fan of the retro matte finish anyway.

Wwendalynne Avatar

I actually find the subtle difference–slightly lighter,and more red– from Rebel quite interesting. I’m NC20’ish and I’m thinking this could be totally gorgeous. The finish appears a tad drying, but I may have to pick this up.

Clio Avatar

I, too, dislike the name, but I giggle because it reminds me of that old episode of Gilmore Girls.
“That’s a pretty color. What is that?”
“It’s called ‘Vicious Trollop’.”
“Oh, stop it. Now why would you name a lipstick something like that?”
“Because ‘Dirty Whore’ was taken?”

Marilyn Avatar

I loathe both of this collections lip colors because they are STUNNING and would look horrible against my super yellow toned skin. This lip color really is a show stopper, especially on you.

Lisa J Avatar

I’m not one for red lipsticks usually, but I’m kinda liking this one. I like how it leans a bit more red, not as much pink/berry as Rebel and others. Also, I just prefer a matte finish for bolder colors like this rather than a satin/sheen finish. The name annoys me a bit (I follow her on Instagram and not too fond of her affinity with the word “heaux”) but I may just look past it. Considering how I happen to own a blush called Orgasm, a velvet matte lip pencil called Sex Machine, and a multiple named G-Spot…how far off am I really?? LOL 😛

Haemy Avatar

I’m really not liking the release time. Unless your lunch time magically falls on that time, most of us with work are pretty much screwed. I wish the release time was midnight instead. 🙁 Not dead set yet but I think I want Heaux.

artemis Avatar

Lol, this lipstick is nice in one aspect:it makes rebel’s finish look perfect by comparison :)) it looks a bit like riri woo to me too.

Alice Bassi Avatar

Hi Christine, do you think this lippie could be the same as Drench by Illamasqua? I’m wearing it on my lips now and it’s way darker compared to the swatches I found on web. If you don’t mind, should you take a peak here? It’s a photo of me wearing Drench!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=473023806115917&set=a.297017977049835.71405.297017760383190&type=1&source=11
Thank you so much, I love how Heaux and Rebel look flattering on your lips! =)

Alice Bassi Avatar

Thank you so much for your quickly answer!

Oh, thank you, I have to say I love this shade – I’m talking about Drench! 😉

This is a swatch of Drench with diffuse daylight: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=472389932845971&set=pb.297017760383190.-2207520000.1371577351.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash3%2F1016073_472389932845971_1957369854_n.jpg&size=960%2C720

This is how it looks in the pan: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=472389892845975&set=pb.297017760383190.-2207520000.1371577529.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-prn1%2F1017435_472389892845975_502695253_n.jpg&size=960%2C720

This is how Rebel looks on me (I’m NW10): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=391814830903482&set=a.391814670903498.95165.297017760383190&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash3%2F546706_391814830903482_759075188_n.jpg&size=720%2C960

I have peachy/brownish (bleh…) lips, so every color turns darker and more brownish on me. I know I’m asking too much, but do you think Heaux could look as Drench on my lips? I think it could look slightly brigher and maybe… bluer? Or am I wrong?
I have an almost white skin with pink undertones… so I prefer bluer shades! 😉
Thank you so much for everything! 🙂

alice bassi Avatar

Thank you, Christine!! Now I know what to do! I’ve always loved your blog and now that I had the chance to talk directly with you I love it even more! Thank you again and have a nice day! 🙂

Jenna Avatar

I tried to add Heaux to my basket (or whatever they call it on MAC), waiting about 5 minutes, then realized I could get a dupe for less. I haven’t exactly been 100% satisfied by MAC lipsticks, so this isn’t worth $15 out of my bank account.

Elle Avatar

This looks so pretty! Honestly though, the shade doesn’t look all that unique to me. I have one by Rimmel, which while not quite as matte, looks almost identical. Its Shade 09 in the Kate Moss for Rimmel collection, and its a very pretty berry with red undertones.

Irenka Avatar

i really prefer Rebel. I might buy it too. Heaux is really disappointing to me, I was expecting more of a pink berry, but this is more a red. I have enough reds 🙁

Valeria Avatar

I received my Heaux today, and found it very similar to the La Sensuelle by Chanel what do you think Christine? Kisses from Brazil!

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