MAC Magic, Mirth, & Mischief Review: Lip Kits Photos, Swatches
Possessed by Pink! Lip Kit
MAC Magic, Mirth, & Mischief Review: Lip Kits
I cannot tell a lie: I hate lip palettes with a passion. There are many reasons why I passionately dislike lip palettes, and lest you be swayed by packaging and pretty shades, I’ll enumerate my top three for you.
1. They’re messy. If you even think about sticking your finger into the palette, you’re going to get a messy, germ-tastic palette.
2. They’re never as pigmented as a regular gloss/lipstick. Lip palettes always feel like pale imitations of the real thing.
3. They’re a pain in the butt to use. To keep it clean, you need to use a lip brush every time, and I consider that a pain. I also consider the little lip brush they include a pain in the butt to use, because the handle is so tiny, it’s difficult to hold (at least in my hands).
Possessed By Pink! Lip Kit ($22.50 U.S.)
- Sweet Smile is a sheer, rosy-pink gloss confection. It has a lot of multicolored shimmer.
- Laugh A Lot is a sheer medium rosy pink with a glossy sheen and not much shimmer.
- Tickled is a dark, plummy brown with a glossy sheen.
Heavenly Dish Neutral Lip Kit ($22.00 U.S.)
- Barely Visible is a sheer, glossy nude with lighter gold shimmer.
- Heavenly Dish is a sheer, pale, light pink with a glossy finish.
- Floating Lightly is a sheer dirty brown-beige with a glossy sheen.
I would never purchase these lip palettes if it wasn’t to review for the blog. I wholeheartedly don’t recommend purchasing them. On occasion, MAC will put one or two stunning shades into their lip palettes, and I, inevitably, cave, but this year is a total miss. Skip the palettes. If you want a deal, buy one of the lip bags instead. Or just buy one or two lipsticks/glosses you really like instead. At least MAC only put out two kits this year, as opposed to the three or four they normally launch.
I know there are some of you who love lip palettes, so if that’s you… take my review with a grain of salt. 🙂
- Product: 20/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 2/5
- Packaging: 2/5
See photos and swatches…
Possessed by Pink! Lip Kit
Heavenly Dish Neutral Lip Kit
Heavenly Dish Neutral Lip Kit
Viva Glam Lip Kit (No swatches–it’s a gift for a friend! All Viva Glam shades included are permanent and better purchased separately.)
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I don’t mind lip palettes and I really like the look of Possessed by Pink, so will be getting that. The Viva Glam palette looks nice too.
Oh gosh, I strongly dislike lip pallets too. I got a few in 2007 from the Christmas launch and I never use them. Biggest beef is that the brush gets messy after one use/or you have to use your finger. I’ll stick with tube lipstick.
I couldn’t agree with you more about lip palettes! I don’t prefer them either.
I hate lip palettes! I’ve only bought one, from Colour Forms & hated it. I don’t really like using a brush to apply lipsticks anyway!
I agree with you 100% They are such a pain to use. I think I used the one I bought last year, maybe twice.
I’m with you on the lip pallets sticky mess to pigment ratio, though I like the shades of Possessed by Pink pallet.
So Christine, will you tell me what you REALLY think of lip palettes? 😉 The Viva Glam one looks super pretty, but it’s just V, VI, and VI lipgloss, right?
I don’t like lip palettes as well, but i think neutral looks really nice.
I dislike lip pallets too, for the same reasons as Christine. They are just too messy and inconvenient, so I will pass on these like I do every year.
These seem useless. I don’t get the point of buying lipstick if the color isn’t apparent. Chapstick is cheaper and lasts longer. Overall, nothing at all stands out in the Magic, Mirth & Mischief set. I’m very disappointed with all the eye and lip palettes. I’m looking forward to the Nov 5th Mischief Makers release (esp mini pigment in Cool Capers).
yes i know,i just dont like lip palettes for the same reason.I very much would rather use tube lipstick and glosses thank you.Im head over heels about mischief makers tho im getting frisky business and sex pot.cant wait
I agree with all your reasons for hating lip palettes because I bought one 5 or 6 years ago and I still haven’t used it up. Although, there are some pretty nice shades in their, it is a pain in the ass to use. I am considering scooping up all the product to chuck the product and keep the palette container, since the product is so old; however, the task sounds tedious and a pain itself.
I am much the same, I just hate the germ factor and the product isn’t as good. They are usually like sheer glosses. I only have a few palettes, in particular the Viva Glam from a few years ago. That one has all of the Viva Glam colors plus it is a good cause. Some palettes from other companies can be better though. I have one from Victoria’s Secret that has a nice 3 inch handle so its easier to work with.
I LOVE lipstick palettes, not gloss ones (I don’t wear any). You can mix and blend such great combos when they are in a palette form and I always use a brush to apply anyway. I am not overly concerned with the germ issue. I am the only one who uses my makeup, and I don’t scorn my own mouth so palettes get my vote. Except for these, the colours aren’t very appealing. NARS has made great lip palettes.
I hate lip palettes tooo. Lipsticks and Lipglosses = SO MUCH EASIER!
Wow you sure are devoted to your blog! I hate lip palettes too and would personally never purchase it (or anything else i disliked) just to review it!!
LOL!
Girl, I can’t stand lip pallets, either. Plus, I dunno what it is about lip pallet packaging, but it will ALWAYS pick up grody stuff from rattling around in your purse for a few weeks and then you’ve gotta chuck the whole nasty thing anyway.
i agree re the brushes and the colours are sheer! i just think mac collections are so boring ur better of buying high store/drug store stuff!
Possessed by Pink worked well for me. I love it, all 3 colors blend so well with my skin tone. I couldn’t pass and the price was decent.
i would have to agree with you on lip palettes because i don’t like having to stick my finger or a lip brush into something to pick up the product. i hate that it makes my finger messy because then i have to wipe it off on something which in turn is gross. when i heard they were releasing a viva glam set i was happy until i learned it would be a palette.
I only own two lip palettes because I agree with all of your comments: messy, germ-inviting, less pigmentation. However, because I do not use them often, I do not mind using a lip brush when I actually do reach for them. Daily though, I refuse to use a lip brush. Takes waaaay too much time, time I do not have in the morning.
And yet… I want the Neutral Lip palette this year. *lol* They are light but they are ironically really appealing to me and much like the colours I wear most often. I think I will actually fork over the cash for this one!
As much as they look pretty in the palette, the swatches are disappointing.
I don’t like lip palettes either. I saw these and they are tiny.
agree on hating lipgloss/stick palettes. always having to use a brush, i mean why even bother to make it portable if it’s going to be so time consuming and unattractive to re-apply?
Nope I agree, hate lip palettes, messiest waste of time in the world. Isn’t really sanitary either, great for some little bacterial growth ;P
I have last year’s Viva Glam palette and the brush is always rolling around inside, meaning gloss all over the place. Ended up buying one of the lipsticks and the gloss separately, at least it’s for a good cause.
I love lip palettes and I get at least one holiday lip palette every year. I ordered the Heavenly Dish one this time around. Unfortunately, the Viva Glam one has the exact same shades as the one from last year, so I passed on that one.
I saw these at Nordstrom yesterday and I was tempted to buy the pink set, but after I swatched the colors I decided all three shades were similar to lip glosses and lipsticks I already own. Definitely a miss !
i actually really like lip palettes. They are handy and easy to use, and you get a variety of shades to carry around in one cute compact. Too bad you don’t like them, and it’s a shame your reviews were so low – very unwarranted, in my opinion. I’m afraid that your bias against lip palettes really showed here.
I do think I explained what I dislike about lip palettes and why I find them impractical on the whole. In fact, I think I was setting up the review that it would inevitably be biased based on my strong opinion on lip palettes. It’s awesome that you like them, but there were several key reasons why these earned such a low score:
1.) All the shades were extremely sheer — even on skin, and even sheerer on lips (lacking pigmentation); in my experience, lip palette shades are always sheerer than full-sized versions
2.) They’re not hygienic, which does bother me – they’re exposed to air often, get dirt/lint in them if you carry them around (so the packaging got dinged here)
3.) They’re not super easy to use to me — you have to use a lip brush if you want to keep it remotely clean (if you use fingers, you’re just asking for bacteria; double-dipping your lip brush and/or not washing it on the regular can, too), so it lost points for ease of use, too.
Again, I’m happy you like them and enjoy the variety and portability, but between the sheerness of the shades (even if they were lipsticks in a tube, I wouldn’t be very impressed) and how much of a playground for germs lip palettes can be… I could never give it high marks. I just find the whole experience of using them really gross.
Just got the neutral kit at the CCO, and loove it! I love using my 318 lip brush with it too. Everything is clean, and the colors are excellent! They are Lustre formula so they are just as sheer as my other lustres, which I love because my lips are very pale and I like subtle colors. I find the compact very convenient and cute. Nice big mirror too!