MAC x Aaliyah Street Thing & Try Again Lipstick Reviews, Photos, Swatches
Street Thing
MAC Street Thing Lipstick ($18.50 for 0.10 oz.) is a soft black with subtle, cool undertones and multi-colored shimmer and faint sparkle. It had semi-opaque pigmentation and would probably be better paired with the Nevermore lip pencil from the collection, as it did not apply that evenly and looked patchy in places due to color slipping into lip lines as well. The texture was moderately emollient, which made it comfortable to apply and to wear, but I think it caused the application to suffer. This shade lasted for four hours but more color settled into my lip lines as I wore it. The formula was non-drying overall.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- KVD Beauty Nayeon (DC, $21.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Black Night (LE, $19.00) is warmer (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Voodoo (DC, $18.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- KVD Beauty Wizard (P, $22.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Dior Ultra Night (111) (P, $37.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- NARS Blackheart (LE, $26.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Make Up For Ever Edgy Black (422) (P, $23.00) is less shimmery, warmer (85% similar).
- MAC Nightly Ritual (LE, $19.00) is less pigmented (85% similar).
- MAC The Shadows (LE, $24.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar).
Formula Overview
$19.00/0.1 oz. - $190.00 Per Ounce
MAC Lipstick comes in a variety of finishes, and the pigmentation and wear tend to be dependent on the finish. The sheer finishes, like Lustres, tend to wear for only a couple of hours and have sheer coverage (as designed) and are non-drying.
Some of the original Matte shades have a stiffer, drier formula, while newer ones have a more velvety, silicone-feel to them, and the latter are creamier, more comfortable to wear, and easier to apply, but most Matte shades are quite pigmented and long-wearing, though some are drying.
The Amplified and Satin finishes tend to have good pigmentation, lightly creamy to moderately creamy consistencies with a bit of shine, and moderate to long wear with deeper, richer shades wearing longer. The Frost and Metallic finishes have the most variance between shades with coverage ranging from semi-sheer to opaque with average wear and non-drying to slightly drying formulas. All MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented but have no discernible taste.
Browse all of our MAC Lipstick swatches.
Street Thing
LELimited Edition. $19.00.
Try Again
MAC Try Again Lipstick ($18.50 for 0.10 oz.) is a soft, yellowed brown with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had opaque pigmentation that applied evenly and smoothly across my lips without tugging. The texture was more velvety with a touch of slip that gave it a subtle sheen that wore down after a couple of hours of wear. There was a slight amount of product that gathered in my deeper lip lines but wasn’t noticeable from a normal viewing distance. This shade stayed on well for four and a hal fhours and was neither drying nor hydrating.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- MAC Feeling Myself (P, $19.00) is cooler, glossier (95% similar).
- Estee Lauder Vain Vanilla (P, $32.00) is lighter, warmer (95% similar).
- MAC A Girl's Got Needs (LE, $19.00) is lighter, less glossy (95% similar).
- Bite Beauty Enoki (LE, $26.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- MAC Siss (P, $19.00) is lighter (90% similar).
- Jaclyn Cosmetics Decaf (DC, $18.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Hourglass I'll Never Stop (P, $34.00) is cooler (85% similar).
- Jaclyn Cosmetics Cheeky (DC, $18.00) is cooler (85% similar).
- Sephora Sienna (P, $14.00) is darker, cooler, less glossy (85% similar).
- Makeup Geek Jetsetter (P, $12.00) is cooler, glossier (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$19.00/0.1 oz. - $190.00 Per Ounce
MAC Lipstick comes in a variety of finishes, and the pigmentation and wear tend to be dependent on the finish. The sheer finishes, like Lustres, tend to wear for only a couple of hours and have sheer coverage (as designed) and are non-drying.
Some of the original Matte shades have a stiffer, drier formula, while newer ones have a more velvety, silicone-feel to them, and the latter are creamier, more comfortable to wear, and easier to apply, but most Matte shades are quite pigmented and long-wearing, though some are drying.
The Amplified and Satin finishes tend to have good pigmentation, lightly creamy to moderately creamy consistencies with a bit of shine, and moderate to long wear with deeper, richer shades wearing longer. The Frost and Metallic finishes have the most variance between shades with coverage ranging from semi-sheer to opaque with average wear and non-drying to slightly drying formulas. All MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented but have no discernible taste.
Browse all of our MAC Lipstick swatches.
Try Again is a must for me, as it does have a strong Aaliyah vibe. Plus, shades of this nature look fantastic with lip liner and I will be putting a bit of Brooklyn Born on top! ?
Street Thing is probably the prettiest shade of black lipstick (wearable) I’ve seen! Yes, it needs liner, unless one has dark toned lips. This one I would need to try on before committing to it.
Christine, as always, I appreciate the timeliness and detail of your reviews. One question: would you be able to say how similar is Try Again to Empowered from All Ages, All Races, All Sexes?
I think it would be fairly close, not as glossy, possibly a bit darker overall compared to Empowered.
Mahalo, Christine!
I will be purchasing Try Again, it is the perfect warm nude for my nc30 skin with olive undertones. Love the earings!!!
If I were a millionaire I would buy Street Thing just to stare at it. There is something about purple and blue glitter in a black base that just speaks to the 90’s child in me. But would I wear it on my lips? heck no.
Mac makes me so sad. Every time they come out with a cool ass colored lipstick it’s the thinnest, patchiest formula. Wtf, you guys?
Street Thing is probably the nicest black lippie I have seen – a great shade.
I am not as brave as many Temptalia readers so I don’t wear black lipstick but if Street Thing had better application I would be giving it a try. I think it is a beautiful shade. I also think my daughter would look stunning in it so I might pick this up with the black liner for her. I wonder how it would look just dabbed on the lips rather than attempting a fully opaque coverage? Might look nice with MAC NightMoth lip pencil and we all know how I love me some NightMoth!!
I usually go the completely opposite direction with thin, emollient lipsticks and instead of putting them over colored liner, I put them over foundation-ed and powdered lips; I find that makes them stay put, and depending on the lipstick I can even make them build more successfully that way. A caveat: I have smooth, non-dry, non-flaky lips, and I’m sure that’s what makes it so successful for me; this approach would probably be a disaster for someone who deals with texture issues.
I think I’d like really like Street Thing as a topper. Try Again is the type of nude shade that I really like.