MAC Posh Paradise Mattenes Swatches, Photos, Review (Sneak Peek)

Christine — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:00:57 +0000

MAC Mattenes

MAC Posh Paradise Mattenes (Sneak Peek)

Debuting on September 15th (for North America), Posh Paradise also features ten new and limited edition hues of Mattene Lipsticks ($14.50 for 0.08 oz. each). I have four of them to share with you today. They are: Delectable (orange-beige), Deliciously Forbidden (mid-tone berry), Eden Rouge (bright blue-red), and Legendary (mid-tone brick red).

Delectable is a darkened peach with a healthy dose of orange, but it’s surprisingly not too warm or orange. It has a semi-matte finish with a light sheen. The lighter coloring does make it so it emphasizes any imperfections of the natural lip. It is similar to Cle de Peau Calliope, MAC Imagine This (which is touch darker), and MAC Peachstock (which is a tough lighter).
Deliciously Forbidden is a pinky-red berry with a semi-matte finish. It has opaque color coverage. It’s similar to Milani Sexy Rose, MAC Rebel (which is darker, redder, more vibrant),
Eden Rouge is a vibrant blue-based red with nearly opaque color coverage (you can still see my lip freckle peeking through) and a semi-matte finish. It is similar to so many reds. It’s a nice red, but keep an eye out on the reds you already own, because it is a more dupeable shade.
Legendary is a brownish red with subtle gold micro-shimmer and a satiny shine. I found this one to have a more pronounced sheen compared to the other three shades I tried. This was also the most opaque. It is similar to Shiseido Mystery, MAC Underworld (which is several shades darker and browner), Bobbi Brown Blackberry, MAC Dark Deed (which is redder), and MAC Kittenish (which is lighter, less brown).

This is only part of a larger selection of new shade varieties of the Mattene formula, but these felt creamier, with better slip and comfort, than previous iterations of Mattenes (I think the last time we saw them was with Style Black). I wore Delectable on half of my lips (half of the upper/half of the lower) with Eden Rouge on the other side, because I like to test shades from both the lighter and darker ends of the spectrum to get a handle on the length of wear. Delectable wore off within three hours, while Eden Rouge wore about five. I think the increased slip and creaminess of the formula has reduced the wear time by a bit–at least in these shades.

I didn’t see anything in the marketing/press release on these about them being long-wearing but did glean that they are supposed to be soft enough to glide-on with semi-matte finishes, intense color, and moisturizing. They’re far more moisturizing than the average matte lipstick. After wearing the two I tested for wear, I did want balm, but I didn’t feel like my lips were cracking or dry. These are packaged in slim tubes with matte black on the outside and a shiny rim around the middle. They only contain 0.08 oz., which is less than their regular lipsticks, which are 0.10 oz.