MAC All Ages, All Races, All Sexes Collection: Lipstick Reviews, Photos, Swatches, Lip Swatches
MAC Lipsticks: 5N, Empowered, Myself, Equality
MAC All Ages, All Races, All Sexes Collection: Lipstick Reviews, Photos, Swatches, Lip Swatches
I think the lipsticks will be hit or miss for many — it’s really about personal tastes rather than the formulas. Three of the four are lustres, but Empowered is a satin finish lipstick and has a spectacular amount of pigmentation, creaminess, and overall feel. It’s not my kind of color, though, which makes me wish it was! Equality is definitely not going to be an easy shade for us to pull off; probably gotta layer it with another lipstick and/or gloss. Myself is really weird, because it is myself on me. Which isn’t bad, but hey, I wear lipstick so I can’t *change* the lip color.
Lipstick ($14.00 U.S. / $16.50 CDN)
Equality is a semi-opaque fleshy-beige. It reminded me a bit of maybe Fleshpot lipstick (PRO) or concealer. This is really “concealer lips” on me, because it is so, so pale. This is not a shade that I’d consider suitable–at least alone–on my medium skin tone. It’s just going to wash me out. It is, however, an interesting way to neutralize the natural pigmentation in one’s lips. It has a lustre finish,which accounts for its slightly uneven application and glossy sheen.
Myself is MLB… not quite better. No, but seriously, I put this on my lips, and I was like, “Where’d it go?” I slathered this sucker on, but it just looked like my lips… but again, not really *better*. I think this might be particularly lovely on those with more naturally reddened lips, because it might cool ’em down to a lighter pink. This was the sheerest lipstick of the four. It’s kind of a soft, cool-toned dirty pink. It is also a lustre finish lipstick.
Empowered is a creamy, ultra pigmented brown with kind of a lightened peach feel — it’s just not dark brown or even chocolate brown, but it’s definitely brown. On me? Don’t love it. I’m not a brown lipstick kind of gal, but I do think deeper skin tones will appreciate this one. It has a full coverage look, a lovely satin finish, and feels lovely on. Best formula/texture out of the four — just wish I liked the color on me!
5N is a semi-sheer, plummy brown. It’s beautiful on lips, but it can go darker or lighter depending on your lips’ pigmentation — on me, it’s not ultra dark, but it darkens my lips enough that I’m satisfied with the color. It has a glossy finish, as it is also a lustre finish lipstick. This is a repromote from the N Collection from 2008 (correct me if I’m wrong on the year…).
See photos, swatches, and lip swatches!
MAC Lipsticks: 5N, Empowered, Myself, Equality
MAC Equality Lipstick / Glamour For All Lipglass layered on top
MAC Myself Lipstick / Liqueur Lipglass layered on top
MAC Empowered Lipstick / Naked Frost Lipglass layered on top
MAC 5N Lipstick / Spirit & Soul Lipglass layered on top
MAC Equality Lipstick
MAC Equality Lipstick
MAC Myself Lipstick
MAC Myself Lipstick
MAC Empowered Lipstick
MAC Empowered Lipstick
MAC 5N Lipstick
MAC 5N Lipstick
Empowered l/s WILL BE MINE TODAY.
Christine, I think Myself l/s looks cute on u 🙂
Thanks, Stephanie 🙂
I must buy 2 of the Empowered lipsticks if they’ll let me once it finally comes out in London! I like the look of the Myself lipstick as well. But I think that the Empowered and the 5N lipsticks both look really hot you Christine! They both really dress your lips up without OTT-ness.
You should be able to buy two 🙂
Great!
i think Empowered and 5n look great on you.
Halelujah! Hallelujah! I bought two Empowered lipsticks and one Spirit & Soul lipglass over the weekend and I love them, love them, love them!!!
Empowered has to be the best looking nude lipstick I have seen in a long while.
The only lipstick that had a similar look to it was this lipstick from Lorac and I forgot the name of it but it was matte though and therefore too dead-looking whereas Empowered by MAC is a Satin and less dead-looking. And the Spirit & Soul lipglass makes it all look more golden. I love em I tell ya!
None of these are appealing to me, except maybe 5N.
Thanks for the swatches, I love your lips! 😀
My pleasure, Allison!
5n looks great on you!
it turns out very different on my lips…darker…but maybe i should try it with liperase…
will have to try out empower at the counter – it looks nice but you are right, the shade seems a bit tricky…
How similar is Empowered to Siss?
Browner, peachier. Siss runs yellow in comparison!
That’s it! I will now marry Empowered!
Lipsticks are a pass for me!
I have 5N on today. I used it with a plum pencil and it is a great lip for work (if you’re in an office). I’ve had weird lip aversions to their lipsticks (sadly) so I am crossing my fingers that my lips will be okay if I don’t wear this daily. I am med-dark so even without the pencil this looks nice (it shows up more on the plum side on my lips). I don’t love LOVE it just yet so I’m on the fence about it.
Yeah back in 2000 and 2001 I sadly had an allergy to MAC’s Satin and Matte lipsticks whenever I tried them on in the MAC shops in NYC, but their Frost lipsticks (I bought a Fetish lipstick 2 years before this)was absolutely fine on me. Go figure. Strangely enough I bought an X-S lipstick from MAC in Florida that was fine as well, I don’t get that.
So after that allergy in 2001, where my lips would sting a bit and all the skin would start peeling off of my lips after an hour or two of wearing a MAC non-Frost lipstick I tried on, I stopped buying MAC’s lipsticks & only bought their eye makeup, foundation and powder.
Until a year or two later when they came out with their first Lustre lipsticks, and I was wary of trying any of them on but I saw the Fresh Brew one and I put it on and kept it on for more than a couple of hours just to see, and it was perfectly fine! So I bought it.
Slowly I found out that MAC must have changed their lipsticks’ ingriedients/formulations because after that I tried out their other lipstick finishes and realized that they didn’t irritate, sting, peel or dry out my lips anymore.
I have the different lippies to prove it now. LOL
I’m so glad to hear that you’re no longer allergic / they’ve changed the formula a bit. YAY!
But poor you for having to deal with that 🙁
The 5N lippie looks like it’s worth trying next trip to the MAC counter!
I just bought “myself” and I love it! Natural, but it still definitely shows up on my pigmented lips!
5N looks really great on you
Thanks, Steffi!
OMG! I’m so glad I looked at this before heading out, equality will really look like jizz lips on me! I am an NC40 and I really wanted it after seeing karla sugar’s swatch and it looks like a great nude on her — but seeing how I am a billion shades darker I’m gonna have to pass that one up ^_^ but now the others.. I wasn’t looking to get those but now I’m unsure! 🙁 I’m just gonna have to try it on at the counter 😀
eww
yeah…..I think I’ll pass too on these….I had such high hopes for Myself…..
I am thinking about picking up Equality for use on myself. I have pale, pale skin and naturally dark lips. Right now I use Fresh Brew to tone down some of my lips natural pigmentation but I find it can be a little too yellow at times. I actually love the Lustre finishes so I’ll probably check this out.
I initially passed on the lipsticks in this collection though, when I swatched them I didn’t see anything that I hadn’t seen before. For natural colors, I found the lipsticks in the HD collection to be much prettier and more universally flattering. (I bought back-ups of some of those).
I think it’d work for that purpose. You don’t already have Fleshpot?! Or Lip Erase…!
I DO have Fleshpot! 🙂 And I LOVE it on other people – but it’s too pigmented for moi to wear everyday. I like a little muting of my own lipcolor without really covering it up much.
I could see that. This is a lil’ sheerer then, so maybe it IS for you 🙂
So just FYI – I DID pick up Equality a week or so ago. It’s not bad. WAY TOO pale for me to wear (I’ll stick with my Fresh Brew, it tones down the red without washing my lips out). I’ll keep Equality because I think it could be a nice nude – But it’ll take some coaxing to get it to work (It does have a nice quality when it’s layered under Resort Life lipgelee – But it slips a lot).
If you have the time I have a question though: How close is 5N to High Def? I like High Def A LOT but it looks pretty similar to 5N in the photos.
Good to know… too bad it didn’t work out quite how you wanted!
5N is a little more berry, not quite as brown, though they’re similar (on my lips, at least) overall!
5N was the only one I got and I love it. 🙂
yeah, pass on the lippies for me too. Thanks for the swatches as always Christine
Don’t like any of these. I’m more of a pink lippie girl. 🙂
christine, since it has that peach undertone would you say empowered is like a darker version of freckletone? that has been the only nude to really work for me (NC42). i think there’s hope for me yet!
Hmm. Maybe, but it’s much, much darker. I’d say a lil’ more brown, and way, way opaque. But I can see a lot similarities between the two.
the Empowerment lipstick looks really pretty on you.how close is Empowerment lippie to the our pick lippie from the F/w collection?
It’s a little… yellower? I guess. More like concealer.
Is Empowered l/s like “Our Pick” l/s from the Fall Trend F/W ‘09 Collection? The colors seem similar, almost identical 2 me.
Nope – I just put the two side by side (well, the lip swatches of both). Our Pick is like a cool, mushroom-y taupe. Very cool, though. Empowered is much warmer, more peachy brown.
I love the look of Myself and 5N! Will have to check out both — my lips are more pigmented than yours, but the two of them look so gorgeous on you that I’m really interested 😛
Let me know if they work out!
Ooh, 5N is actually quite pretty! I like it!
Myself reminds me of Nude Rose but not as pink!
I really like Empowered and 5N. My make up collection is small and I usually go for pinks so these would be a good change!
But Australia is really lagging with their releases! We’re still only up to Baroque Boudoir!
Empowered is an interesting colour but 5N is very pretty.
I went to MAC tonight to try on the 5N & Myself. Didn’t like either. Oh well!
I love 5N on you, Christine ! I don’t think any of these lips would look good on me though . Will save for forthcoming collections !!
I am just not feeling these lipsticks. I went through a brown lipstick phase years ago and I can’t do that now.
LOL How come? Oh well I can’t really talk either I’m an NC45 and now I fing pink lipsticks really easy to wear now and it’s easier to find a nude-pink than it is to find the right light brown, which is why I want 2 Empowered lipsticks.
Kerry Washington had a lipstick made for L’Oreal that’s a rich, light warm (corally?) pink with some gold shimmer and she has large lips and she wears light pink lipstick and looks gorgeous, so I sorta resigned myself from the ‘perfect light brown lippie’ search myself.
It’s too hard to find!
It’s always hard to find THE lipstick, lol! I’ve been on many a search…
i’m surprised. 5n is the best looking of the bunch on but not so eye catching in the tube. a definite possibility.
i agree, it looks crazy dark & like something i would never even consider…nice surprise!
5N looks really great on you! 🙂
Thanks, K!
Christine,
Do you test these by using a brush or directly from the tube? I have to say the 5N is lovely on you.
Directly from the tube!
I’m not loving the lipsticks; however, Empowered looks great on you.
I picked up Equality and Myself…Equality works really well for me with Big Baby over top. Myself doesn’t show so pink on me as my lips are more red, so it does show more mauve-y frost and cools things down a bit. I found it worked quite well for something to just throw on for a polished look and head out the door.
For reference I have a pale (winter in Canada, lol) olive-ish neutral to warm skin with hazel eyes and brown hair (honey blonde tones in it).
Thanks, Brenda 😀
5N is surprisingly wearable! Such a pretty color! <3
I had high hopes for Myself, so thansk for the swatches, saved me $14+ bucks. I’m wondering though, how close is 5N to Hot gossip or not even close at all?
No problem!
Do you mean Hang Up? It’s much less pigmented than Hang Up, a little less wine.
Thank you thank you thank you for always including pictures of your bare lips in a side-to-side comparison of the swatch. I think you have perfected blogging about lip swatches. Definitely the first link I look at when I want to see how lipsticks actually turn out on lips.
My pleasure, Fiona!
Thanks!
Christine,
I got Myself lipstick and it is great on me ( I have redder lips) and used Preppy Lip Gelee over it and it looks fab! You and some of the readers might want to try that combo 🙂
Will definitely check it out! Thanks, Mariana!
To me, 5N looks like MLBB on you!
I want Equality. I’m super pale, and have never, ever found a “nude” lipstick that wasn’t ridiculously brown (NYX Circe) or orange (MAC Myth) on me. Most are way too peach for my cool-toned pale skin, and I usually end up using 2 different lipsticks and concealer just to make a nude lip – when using fewer products was kinda the point!
It’s a real shame it isn’t a better finish. I guess I’ll see what I think when this hits the UK.
Is ‘myself’ very similar to ‘nude rose’ from the Dsquared collection in person?
IMO, not at all.
IN LOVE with 5N!!!! it’d be even better with a good lipliner