MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick ($15.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “light cool lavender [with a] Cremesheen [finish].” It’s a pink-tinted lavender with a soft, pearly finish. MAC Nocturnal Instincts is darker, more mauve, less pink. MAC Budding Love is more lavender. MAC Quite Cute is lighter. MAC Pink Friday is cooler-toned, more opaque. MAC I Like It Like That is more opaque. MAC Blooming Lovely is grayer.

It had semi-sheer to semi-opaque color payoff; it hid most of my lip freckle but there was a slight translucency all around that allowed the natural lip color to come through. The finish has a light, pearly sheen, as it is part of the Cremesheen family. It has a lightly creamy consistency that gets creamier the longer it is held against the lip–it always starts off a bit stiff, but as the first layer wears away, it gets better. I wore Lavender Whip yesterday, and it lasted three hours, which is a bit below average for a lipstick. It was neither drying nor hydrating.

So, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Lavender Whip 2013 Edition is not the same as the Lavender Whip that came out in 2008. When I initially swatched it, it seemed pinker, but I thought I remembered wrong and/or lighting differences accounted for it. I went back into the Temptalia archives and compared my 2008 version to the sample I received this past week–and they are definitely different. I took a snap of the tubes themselves (with my phone’s camera and in my office, so apologies for the quality not being quite as good!) and then just added comparison swatches. This year’s Lavender Whip is pinker–it is much less purple. The newer version reads warmer, less lavender. They’re sisters but not twins. If Lavender Whip was too purple, it will be a happy change, but if you wanted something more decidedly purple, you may be disappointed.

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick (2013 vs. 2008)

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick (2013 vs. 2008)