Archived Post

MAC x Julia Petit Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches

MAC Acai Lipstick
MAC Acai Lipstick

MAC Acai Lipstick ($17.50 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “vivid deep violet [with a Matte finish].” It’s a lightly brightened, medium-dark fuchsia-berry with cool undertones and a semi-matte finish. The texture was a little drier, though it didn’t drag too much when applied, but it seemed to emphasize any dryness/natural texture on the lips as it wasn’t as thick or as velvety in feel as some of MAC’s recent matte finishes have felt. It had mostly opaque color coverage that wore well for six hours but was fairly drying. Tom Ford Beauty Xavier (LE, $32.00) is lighter. MAC Fashion Revival (LE, $16.00) is darker. NARS Fanny (P, $32.00) is lighter. MAC Splurge (LE, $22.00) is lighter, glossier. Marc Jacobs Beauty Cabaret (146) (LE, $30.00) is glossier. Estee Lauder Insolent Plum (P, $30.00) is glossier. YSL Forbidden Burgundy (12) (P, $34.00) is glossier. Illamasqua Shard (P, $24.00) is similar. Marc Jacobs Beauty Little Pretty (130) (P, $30.00) is more shimmery. Urban Decay Venom (P, $22.00) is brighter. Tom Ford Beauty Violet Fatale (P, $50.00) is more shimmery. MAC Rebel (P, $16.00) is glossier. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

MAC Boca Lipstick ($17.50 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “soft pink nude [with a Satin finish].” It’s a light-medium, muted rosy pink with subtle, warm undertones and a satin finish. It had opaque color payoff that went on evenly and smoothly with a lightly creamy consistency. It lasted for five hours and was slightly drying after four hours of wear. Tom Ford Beauty Addison (LE, $32.00) is pinker. Bobbi Brown Blush (P, $26.00) is similar. NARS Barbara (P, $32.00) is glossier. NARS Anita (P, $32.00) is darker, pinker. NARS Sex Machine (P, $25.00) is more matte. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

MAC Petite Red Lipstick ($17.50 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “strawberry cream [with a Satin finish].” It’s a bright, neon pinky-red with cool, blue undertones and a satiny sheen. It had mostly opaque pigmentation though it had a slightly thinner, more emollient consistency than most satin finishes (e.g. Boca). It lasted for seven hours on me, feathered slightly along the upper lip line after five and a half hours, and felt drying after six hours of wear. Chanel La Petillante (49) (LE, $34.00) is warmer. MAC Damn Glamorous (LE, $16.00) is darker, more matte, warmer. Kat Von D Bachelorette (P, $21.00) is more matte. Guerlain Provocative (863) (LE, $51.00) is more shimmery. MAC Relentlessly Red (P, $16.00) is more matte. MAC All Fired Up (P, $16.00) is pinker, more matte. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Acai Lipstick
MAC Acai Lipstick

MAC Acai Lipstick
MAC Acai Lipstick

MAC Acai Lipstick
MAC Acai Lipstick

MAC Acai Lipstick
MAC Acai Lipstick

MAC Acai Lipstick
MAC Acai Lipstick

MAC Acai Lipstick
MAC Acai Lipstick

MAC Boca Lipstick
MAC Boca Lipstick

MAC Boca Lipstick
MAC Boca Lipstick

MAC Boca Lipstick
MAC Boca Lipstick

MAC Boca Lipstick
MAC Boca Lipstick

MAC Boca Lipstick
MAC Boca Lipstick

MAC Boca Lipstick
MAC Boca Lipstick

MAC Petite Red Lipstick
MAC Petite Red Lipstick

MAC Petite Red Lipstick
MAC Petite Red Lipstick

MAC Petite Red Lipstick
MAC Petite Red Lipstick

MAC Petite Red Lipstick
MAC Petite Red Lipstick

MAC Petite Red Lipstick
MAC Petite Red Lipstick

MAC Petite Red Lipstick
MAC Petite Red Lipstick

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Parure Gold Foundation
  • Urban Decay Naked Loose Setting Powder
  • MAC Linda Blush
  • MAC Summer Opal Beauty Powder
On eyes:
  • MAC Sunstoned (inner lid)
  • MAC Druzy (inner lid)
  • Mumu (middle of lid)
  • Choco Cake (outer lid)
  • Black Plum (crease) Eyeshadows; Burberry Trench Eyeshadow (brow bone)
  • L'Oreal True Teal Eyeliner

92 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.
Nicole Avatar

I am such a lipstick hog! I like them all! lol..If I have to pick one, ill get petite red because I probably have less like it. Acai, I am not crazy about the dryness issue mentioned. but the color. i love!. I have Fanny by Nars but it seems a lot lighter. I may have to try to work around the dryness. I am loving the shade. Boca is the one I am teetering on. It may be a little too nudish..Idk..Christinne. How are you feeling about Boca? Do you feel like it is giving you the “concealer lip” look?
Gosh I hope they stock these well! Thanks for the reviews!

Nicole Avatar

Yeah..I looked at it against a couple other I have with the swatch gallery. it;s pretty unique. I am going to try to get all the lipsticks and the blush. passing on everything else! Thanks for getting the reviews out so fast! You are awesome!

Jane Avatar

My first impulse was that I NEED Acai… But I have Fashion Revival and Rebel and UD Venom (and I don’t wear any of them as often as I thought I would because they all turn out a lot vampier on me), so no, I don’t actually need it.

Sae Avatar

I think these have beautiful pigmentation! I’m considering getting Acai just because I’ve been thinking of getting MAC Rebel, but I’ve hesitated because it seemed a bit too glossy for my tastes.

Ginny Avatar

I thought I might want Boca but it will probably pull brown on me. Not that that’s bad but I don’t need any browns this season. Nars Anita is on my list and is probably the better choice.

Nancy T Avatar

Oh my, but how I love Acai! Boca looks lovely as well! Been in the market for a bright plummy violet like Acai for awhile, had wanted to nab Fashion Revival, but missed out on that one. Good to see that there are quite a few great dupes that you’ve shown here, so that even if I again miss the boat, there are some solid options. And this is what is truly wonderful and very much appreciated about your site!

Carol Avatar

too bad, they looked very promising but ended up as really ordinary colors, at least for me.
Acai has the same problem Rebel has, it looks gooorgeous, but once applied turn out really pinkish, there’s no purple/violet whatsoever. at least not what you’d expect from the bullet.
Petite Red could also have been awesome, but it’s just been done before.
must say, though, that all three look gorgeous on you, they really complement your skintone!

silvia Avatar

Hey Christine! Thank you for reviewing these lipsticks, they’re gorgeous! How would you compare Boca to Blankety? It’s kind of brown on me and too pale for my complexion, it washes me out. I am so desperately looking for a pale nude on the pinkier side and I was hoping Boca could do the job! 🙂

Fran Avatar

I love the look of Acai, but already have Fanny (love) and Insolent Plum (very nice, but gets worn less often because it’s a bit dark/dramatic for me). Petite Red is the kind of color that nearly always looks good on me (pinky red that leans blue), but somehow I don’t have any of the listed dupes… love… my local MAC counter got no Bao Bao, says they are getting no Julia Petit… maybe I’ll try for it online… Thanks for the reviews, Christine!

Carolina Avatar

Don´t know what to do! I´m from Mexico City, here we have Mac Stores too but so deficient 🙁 (so many collections never arrive and if they do, just a very few products), so i have a very good friend living in Nevada who helps me when i buy from Mac USA letting me deliver products to her house and bringing them to me when she visit the country … so, i already have Rebel and Fashion Revival! I love mattes and have no problem with dryness; should i but Acai?! :O … Thanks Christine :*

Jade Avatar

I really like the look of Boca, though it’s the kind of shade I would need to try on to see if the depth and undertone work on me. And unfortunately it’s a satin! I personally find MAC’s satin finish to be much, MUCH more drying than their mattes.

Lisa Avatar

I was really interested in both Acai and Petite Red. But I already have, and love Rebel, and the texture issues just aren’t worth it. I thought Petite Red would be more like Mac Red Balloon, but after looking at both in the swatch gallery, Red Balloon looks lighter. The weird thing is that Red Balloon on me looks the way Petite Red looks on you Christine. I’m not sure if I should try to go through the trouble of getting it. Would it perhaps look redder? It’s so hard to make a decision because skin tone and lighting play such a huge role.

Campos Avatar

Loved Acai! I wonder if the name comes from the word “Açaí”, which is a very, very yummy tropical purple fruit that tastes like cinnamon and yerba mate all at once in my opinion! 🙂

Mari Avatar

Açaí is my kind of color, but I already have rebel and fashion revival, so I think I’m not getting it.
I’m thinking about petite red, do you think it is similar do perpetual flame? It is the only one I have that might look the same

Italia Avatar

Considering Açai is drier than other mattes you have tried, would you prefer Rebel instead of it? Do you think they’re similar enough you don’t need both?

heather Avatar

Ooh, Boca’s so pretty on you. I thinkkkkkk I’m gravitating to Petite Red–I’m getting a slight UD Catfight vibe from it, and It’s be nice to see it in a Satin finish. Acai is pretty too…whatever, I know I’m going to buy all three, anyway, LOL. *This* is why I ignored those snooze-worthy Cinderella shades!

Carol Palhares Avatar

Hello, Christine! Do you remember “Pure Zen” lipstick, from Marilyn Monroe collection? My first thought was that Boca is really similar to it! What do you think? I loved Boca, but I wont’t buy if it is a dupe ’cause I still have Pure Zen lol!
Kisses from Brazil! =)

PS: I’d really loved the Morganite duo, but your swatches made me change my mind! What a bad quality =O

kenny Avatar

Hey christine, thanks for the swatches… Do you think I need acai if I already have riri heaux and flat out fabulous? Are the colors similar?

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!