Archived Post

MAC Sophisto Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Sophisto Lipstick
MAC Sophisto Lipstick

The Sultry Season: MAC Sophisto Lipstick

MAC Sophisto Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) is a semi-sheer berry pink with gold shimmer. It is a lustre finish, which means it is on the sheerer side but has a glossier finish (more like a lip gloss than a traditional lipstick).

my thoughts on the formula: MAC Lipsticks are vanilla-scented but taste-free. I typically get four hours of wear, but some of the lighter lustre and glaze finishes tend to disappear by hour three. Amplified cremes and amplified finishes, however, tend to go beyond four. I find the formula comfortable to wear and not drying (but not moisturizing–a couple of the matte and lustre shades can be drying).

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂

  • Product: 27/30
  • Value: 8/10
  • Ease of Use: 4/5
  • Packaging: 4/5

final thoughts: This shade will work well across all skin tones, because it’s not too bold, bright, or pigmented; it’s soft and sheer but still deposits noticeable color on the lips. It will work best on those with less pigmented lips, however, because it is a sheerer shade.

where to buy: Nordstrom

MAC Sophisto Lipstick
MAC Sophisto Lipstick

MAC Sophisto Lipstick
MAC Sophisto Lipstick

MAC Sophisto Lipstick
MAC Sophisto Lipstick

MAC Sophisto Lipstick
MAC Sophisto Lipstick

56 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Arantzazu Avatar

Oh! I like it!! I only have ony lipstick by MAC (Fanfare) and I’m not too happy with it =(
I’ll try this one, ’cause I like the sheer finish =)

Chris25 Avatar

Thank you for reviewing this! I was considering buying Sophisto, but now I see that it would be too sheer on me. I guess I will just put up with Urban Decay’s weird smell and continue wearing Wanted until I find a berry shade that suits me.

anon Avatar

have you tried revlon’s berry rich? and estee lauder has some gorgeous berries including a holiday one I think temptalia reviewed or announced at least that looked gorgeous & very pigmented. check holiday estee lauder for extravagant berry or red

Chris25 Avatar

Thank you for the rec! I do actually own Berry Rich, but I think it looks too pink on me. I am not really into pink lippies, so I go for berries, because I think they are as pink as I can go. I heard about EL Extravagant Berry, but it is out of reach of my wallet, at least until I find a new job. 🙁

anonymous Avatar

what’s your coloring (if you want some shade ideas)? berry rich is one of the most balanced warm/cool friendly lip colors out there. berry is usually fairly pink, are you looking more of like a warmer berry or less red or darker or? where about on the color wheel are you looking to move toward/avoid? I have a fairly photographic memory (not that I’m not prone to forgetfulness due to memory overload) and whenever I test or swatch good colors I tend to catalogue mentally what shades & tones it would be good on.

Chris25 Avatar

I’m MAC NC42, Revlon Golden Caramel, Clinique Golden Beige. Dark hair and brown eyes (like Eva Longoria). I am looking for a warmer berry, kind of like Urban Decay Wanted without the weird smell.

CeeBee Avatar

Estee Lauder does some beautiful berry lipstick shades – Luminous Lilac is a medium rosy berry with gold shimmer, Rich Berry is a bright berry pink (both Signature Hydra Lustre) and there are a number in the Pure Color and Pure Color Crystal ranges as well – Crystal Orchid is a favourite, though it runs more red than pink.

anonymous Avatar

I agree on estee lauder. my top picks for Christine’s coloring would be-
pure color: *extravagant berry, autumn, *bois de rose
pure color crystal: berry truffle, plum fizz
hydra luster: radiant wine, chelsea rose, black cherry, *rich currant

*top picks

Jennifer F Avatar

That’s a really nice shade, I like that it is subtle as it would be great for everyday wear. It looks lovely on you, it lights up your face drawing attention to your eyes.

Diane Avatar

It’s so funny; I own this shade and it’s totally different on me! It’s darker on me. But it looks prettier on you! I wish it looked the way it looks on you on my lips! Maybe I can blot it down.

Reesa Avatar

This was my very first MAC lipstick (a long time ago – ha). I continue to purchase this lipstick over and over again because it’s so wearable. It looks very nice and sheer on you…..for me it shows up much darker. I think it will always be one of my favorites!

anonymous Avatar

oh that’s it. it’s mislabelled. it was from the wonder woman collection– that’s invisible jettberry. 😉

if they sent you the lipstick for consideration why did they leave out the color? hmmm #counterproductive 😛

kfm Avatar

I had this one for a while, but I ended up getting rid of it. It’s such a lovely colour in the tube, but I found it way too sheer in use. Also, I found it was one of the lustres that had the least wear time- it was gone in half an hour. Too bad, because I think it could be even better with a bit of tweaking.

Carrie Ann Avatar

I like sheer lipsticks, so I think this is a really pretty shade. I don’t know why I never noticed it before. Lustre is my favorite MAC finish.

Christine Avatar

I love this! It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. Do you know of another really sheer color that is just like this but with silver shimmer?? I find that gold shimmer doesn’t look right on me. Thank you so much!

auroragyps Avatar

Ya know, I think this lipstick looks a lot like UD’s old Lip Gunk in Burn Out, which I’ve been looking for a dupe of for years. I’ll have to take a look at it next time I go to Macy’s.

Joyce Avatar

It’s so strange to see MAC products being reviewed on an individual basis lol. They’re usually part of a collection of reviews!

I had no idea MAC made semi-sheer glossy-type lipsticks. I can actually go through an entire tube of them!

Jenna Avatar

Are you not posting anything on MAC “Tough Love” collection? I’ve been waiting and it’s out online now and I don’t see anything on here for swatches.. 🙁

Christine Avatar

Tough Love isn’t really a collection – it’s just MAC’s way of putting together products (they’re all permanent) into a Valentine’s Day theme. According to MAC PR, it’s not even dubbed a collection – there is no press release for it.

krystin Avatar

do you knw if this will be at all mac stores? cuz i really want those lip mixes and there are no pro stores close to me and i dont wanna order online if i dont have do.

Ali Avatar

Sophisto is actually my HG lipstick -I buy it in bulk now for fear that it may be discontinued! I actually have very pigmented lips and feel that this works really well as it looks like my lips only glossier. Its almost a cross between a lipstick and a gloss in that it gives you the shine that you want but not the stickiness of a gloss. Would highly recommend this lip colour. Love love love!

anonymous Avatar

jealous of the pigmented lips! korres mango lipstick natural purple is my go to for a lipstick that offers barely there MLBB shine w/o gloss. you might try their rose shade as a backup in case it ever does get dc’d. hate that, always seems to happen only to HG items I have no dupes for.

Nina Avatar

I buy this color in bulk too, I love love love it, it’s the perfect HG l/s for me and has been for a while. I try other colors but always come back to Sophisto and have several tubes going at once, I love it that much!!!

smilesr4me Avatar

I have this lipstick, but it shows up much darker on me, but I basically have no pigmentation in my lips, they’re barely, barely darker than my skin and I’m pretty pale. I was wondering if this lipstick was ever reformulated, because mine does have the shimmer, but it looks like way less, unless your camera is just picking it up more than it is in person. Just curious.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!