MAC Lipstick ... A Review

*This post was originally going to be on a new blog ... but I have since changed my mind... I can't keep up with one blog, so there's no sense in making another one... hence the watermark on some of the pics.

I have been a loyal MAC customer for a long time... going on almost 15 years now.  Specifically, I have been loyal to their lipsticks, until recently, I rarely wore any other brand.  I had a handful of different kinds rolling around in my lipstick drawer, but I rarely if ever actually wore them. I am super picky about the smell of my lipstick, and the feel of it.  I am not a fan of high gloss or slick feeling lipstick.  Nor do I care for lipstick that feels sticky or tacky.

MAC has been the only lipstick I can tolerate, or rather, the only lipstick I THOUGHT I could tolerate for a long time.   I've recently tried some other drugstore brands and have been very pleasantly surprised at how wearable and non smelly they are... I'll be doing another post on those in the future.

But even though I'm exploring different brands, my heart will always belong to MAC.  As you can see, I've been a pretty good customer:

 

I have to admit though, I didn't realize I had so many until I started lining them up! 

My Favorite things about MAC Lipstick:

* They last.  Often times I only use one or two coats, and only reapply maybe once in a day.
* The pigmentation is amazing, and on the occasion when a shade is too dark, they blend with other colors very well.
*  MAC has a program called Back To MAC where if you bring in six empty lipstick tubes, you get a free lipstick.  At $15 a pop, these are not cheap, so it's nice to get a free one after a while.  I've taken advantage of this program twice now.
*  MAC has an excellent return policy... they want you satisfied!  I've taken in tubes before and just didn't like the shade enough and they've exchanged it for another color with no problem.  Love that.
*  The smell.  I am not a big fan of the scents in most cosmetics, but the MAC lipsticks have a very subtle scent that isn't overpowering and I don't smell it after the initial application.  LOVE LOVE LOVE that!

Ok, now for the fun part, the shades!  I own 15 of these, but that's a drop in the bucket.  They have a ton of shades available in several different finishes.  I tend to prefer the Satin (matte) finish, but I do own some of the other finishes as well.

First up, is my signature color, my most favorite shade and the one I wear most often (and it was one of the first two lipsticks I ever purchased from MAC):

Twig

Twig is a satin finish, and is described on the MAC website as being a soft muted brownish pink shade.

My other signature color and the other of the first two lipsticks I ever purchased from MAC:

Spirit

Spirit is also a satin finish and is described as being a muted pinky-beige brown.  I find it to be a lot more brown than pink personally.

Another favorite shade I reach for all the time is:

Brave

Brave is a very wearable pink shade.  It's described as pink-beige with white pearl.  I have gotten many a friend hooked on this particular shade, it seems to look good on most people.

Faux

Faux is another shade I wear a lot.  It's more of a pale pink, sometimes I'll use a darker pink lipliner and fade it down into the lipstick.  It is a lovely shade and I've also mixed it with darker shades as well.  It's described as being a muted mauve pink.  I find it to be a pale pink more than a mauve.

Odyssey

Odyssey is another favorite of the moment.  It's not a satin finish-though I so wish it was.  It's a frost finish, and feels thinner than the satin finishes and slick like a gloss.  I frequently will apply it, pat powder over it and then apply again to give it a more substantial feel.  It's a frosty purple, ,and I bought it on a mission to try new colors and break out of my pinky brown box.  It's described on the website as being a spiked up plum.

Del Rio

Del Rio is a darker brown than I normally wear.  I bought it when I purchased Odyssey, I wanted something different... something that wasn't a pink beige brown.  It's quite dark, and I often lighten it with a touch of Faux or other lighter lipstick to make it a little less harsh.  I do like the shade overall though.  It's described as being a muted plum brown.  I don't agree... I think the undertones are more of a mahogany than a plum brown.

Blankety

My all time favorite nude shade would have to be Blankety.  It is a creamy flesh toned color and I often will wear this by itself if I've done a really dramatic smokey eye, or if I am going for a more natural look.  It's described as being a soft pink beige, but I think it's more of a beige... not really a pink.  The finish is amplified creme... it is not a matte like the satin finish, but feels more substantial than the frost finish.

Birds of a Feather

I love the Birds of a Feather shade.  LOVE IT.  It's also an amplified creme, but for some reason feels a bit glossier than the blankety does.  Apparently it's discontinued because I cannot find the shade on the MAC website at all.  It's a mauve pink and is very wearable and a nice pop of color.

Cosmo

Cosmo is also amplified creme and is a more pink than brown shade.  It's described as being pink coco on the website.  I hardly ever wear this one... I'm not sure why.

Feelright

Feelright is an amplified finish... and it appears that they don't make it anymore. It is a very pale pink... I actually hardly ever wear it and use it more for lightening darker shades.

Fast Play

Fast Play is an amplified creme finish... it's described on the website as being a neutral pink.  I think a better description is that it's a more glossy version of Twig.  I love this color, but I rarely wear it... I think because of the finish.  I am going to make a point to wear it more often because I do really like the color.  I need to get over my issues with the slick feeling lipsticks!

MAC Red

I bought this last year as an homage to my Grandma as well as I figured "I'm 35 and if I want to wear red lipstick, I should!"  The truth though is that it's a bit too yellow for my skin tone.  It's a pretty shade but I don't think it comes off well on me.  I'm probably going to return it for a more wearable shade since I've found a drugstore red lipstick that not only looks better on me, but was cheaper anyway.  It's described on the website as being a vivid bright bluish-red.  I disagree... it's vivid, ,but I think it's too pinky red not bluish red. It's a satin finish.

Syrup

Syrup is a lustre finish.  Very slick feeling.  I hardly if ever wear this shade... I find the finish to be thin and too slick for my liking and the color for me is not that great.  It's described as being a cloudy pink... it's a pretty shade, but I can't pull it off very well.  I often mix it with other shades.

Jubilee

Jubilee is also a lustre finish. It's described as being a naked beigy pink... I think it's more of an orangy beige than a pinky beige.  It's also very thin feeling and too glossy.  I hardly ever wear it, and never do I wear it alone, I usually wear it with a satin finish.

Midimauve

Midimauve is also a lustre... I do so love this shade though.  It's described as a Rosy Mauve with Pearl but I totally disagree.  I find it to be more of a taupy beige.  I don't like the finish, but I do wear it from time to time.

That's it! That's all I have for today... though 15 shades is kind of a lot... I am reminded by a few (Fast Play and Birds of a Feather) why I liked them in the first place, so I'll try and wear them more often.

Do you like MAC lipstick?  What's your favorite shade?