MAC Styleseeker Mattene Lipsticks Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:09:01 +0000

MAC Styleseeker Mattene Lipsticks

Why Aren’t Mattenes Permanent?

MAC Styleseeker Mattene Lipsticks ($15.00 for 0.08 oz.) includes five shades: Camden Chic (rich brick red), Delectable (orange-beige), Eden Rouge (bright blue-red), Fashion Nomad (bright red orange), and Fun Finds (light nude pink). All five shades are limited edition.

Camden Chic is a brown-red with a natural sheen. The color is opaque on. NARS Amsterdam has less brown in it. MAC Extended Play is more red than brown. MAC Unknown Pleasures is several shades darker, less brown. MAC Legendary is a smidgen darker. Shiseido Mystery is very comparable.
Delectable is a peachy orange with opaque color and a natural sheen. This shade, while still creamy, was a bit less forgiving on the lips. MAC Peachstock is lighter, less orange, more beige. Bobbi Brown Bare Pink is more beige. Cle de Peau Calliope is similar but not quite as orange.
Eden Rouge is a blue-based medium bright red with opaque color coveage and a natural sheen. Edward Bess Midnight Bloom is very similar. MAC Red Racer is similar, not quite as bright. CoverGirl Hot is also close. MAC Russian Red is a bit darker.
Fashion Nomad is a bright medium-dark orange with red undertones. The color coverage is opaque, even, and finishes with a natural sheen. We have seen this color over and over again by MAC. MAC Morange is similar–perhaps jsut a smidgen darker. MAC Booyah!!! is a bit more subdued. MAC Good to Go is close. MAC Neon Orange is also similar. Illamasqua Flare is more matte but close in color.
Fun Finds is a pale pink-beige with a mostly matte finish. This was the least creamy of the five, and it was definitely the least forgiving. It tended to emphasize any imperfections on the lips (and I actually swatched this first out of the Mattenes–I go light to dark if there are any potentially staining shades, like Eden Rouge, in the line-up). MAC Ruffian Naked is pretty similar, perhaps a little more gray-toned. MAC Myth is a bit pinker. MAC Innocence, Beware! is lighter, less pink.

Mattenes are supposed to deliver rich color, semi-matte finishes, and be hydrating and creamy to apply while still maintaining that semi-matte finish. These are very creamy; they glide-on and yield opaque color coverage in a single stroke–and even color at that. Delectable and Fun Finds were the two shades that didn’t look really nice on; I think it’s the lighter color combined with the matte formula that makes it harder to really nails these types of colors–they just tend to be less forgivingo n the lips and accentuate the natural texture of my lips. None of the five shades are particularly unique, though I liked the overall feel and look of Camden Chic, Eden Rouge, and Fashion Nomad (this one being the most dupeable).

Because Delectable and Eden Rouge have both been released previously, I tested those recently using the previous iterations I had, though the swatches and photos are of the most recent release. Camden Chic wore for five hours, Delectable wore for four, Eden Rouge for six, Fashion Nomad for five, and Fun Finds for four. While three were somewhat hydrating, Delectable and Fun Finds were just a little drying. These are vanilla-scented and come in slim matte black tubes and contain just a bit less product than regular MAC lipsticks (0.08 oz. vs. 0.10 oz.).