Hey everyone!

Much as I would call myself a lipstick junkie, my obsession with lipsticks – or MAC ones, for the matter of fact – only started less than 3 years ago. As a result, I missed out on a lot of limited-edition shades launched donkey’s years back which are no longer available in the market (or even if they are, prices would be marked up way too high). But fortunately for people like myself who are late to the party, the human eye is restricted to the visible spectrum of colours. Hence, with only a limited range of colours to work with, cosmetics companies are bound to have repeated shades for their lipsticks and this is especially so for MAC which launches new products very frequently.

So quite inevitably, a new collection by MAC would often include lipstick shades which are either a repromote of previously released ones or similar.

Just like in the case of the recent Veluxe à Trois collection, 2 out of 6 of the lipstick shades are actually repromotes (though granted, it’s more of an eye shadow collection with a corresponding lipstick lineup) and the rest are probably something you’ve seen before.

But you know what? I ain’t complaining because I can finally lay my hands on Heaux – a shade which I’ve been searching high and low for since missing out on RiRi Hearts MAC in 2013. *throws confetti*

Veluxe à Trois is a collection of 6 eye shadow trio (Gingerluxe (online exclusive), Fabulous Three, Collective Chic, Claretluxe, Lapisluxe & Cool Companions), 6 lipsticks (Pillow Talk, How Tropical, Flowerscope, Heaux (online exclusive), Royally Riotous (online-exclusive) & Quelle Surprise), 6 cremesheen glass (You’ve Got It, Softly Lit, Loud & Lovely, Richly Revered & Dark Outsider), 2 two-in-one mascaras (Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash & Haute & Naughty Waterproof Lash) and a 247 Flat Shader Brush.

As always, I wasn’t interested in anything but the lipsticks 😉

#1 Royally Riotous

A lovely nude that blends very nicely with my natural lip colour, Royally Riotous is a shade to die for that glides effortlessly on the lips! It’s semi-opaque with a slight sheen and it’s also very flattering because it does not emphasise the flaws of your lips. Moreover, it feels lightweight and comfortable, leaving the lips looking smooth and hydrated which reminds me why Amplified Creme has always been one of my favourite finishes. Although this shade is not available in stores at the moment (because it’s online exclusive), I’m sure this would make a comeback alongside future releases. Mark my words!

#2 Heaux

Got Heaux from the RiRi Hearts MAC collection already? Lucky you!

Formerly a bold and velvety Retro Matte, it is now a creamy and a more luxurious finish with an emollient texture while still maintaining the rich and striking berry colour. Although I’m elated about the revival of Heaux (pronounced as “hoo” by the way), I can’t help but feel dismayed by the change of finish for this latest version because it now looks comparable to the lustrous berry shades I already have. I guess the adjustment was made in response to public complaints about the Retro Matte finish being too flat and extremely drying, causing it to tug too much on the lips. Still, I’d very much prefer it to be in Retro Matte finish because that’s what I feel made Heaux stand out.

Ahhh… trades with RiRi Heaux, anybody? Haha!

I take comfort in knowing that I don’t have an exact replica of Heaux (or maybe I do, just that I couldn’t find it among the sea of lipsticks in my stash at that point in time).

And in case you spotted the discrepancy between the stated finish and what is printed on the sticker at the bottom of the both lipsticks (e.g. Amplified Finish v.s. Amplified), it’s due to a printing error which, from what I understand, would only affect the first batch of lipsticks.

#3 Quelle Surprise

The consistency of this shade caught me by surprise (no pun intended). It applied smoothly and evenly (I must have confused it with Lustres! Argh, sickening Lustres) and it highlights the lips with its sheer and glossy texture. Even though it is not very pigmented in one single swipe (as expected of Cremesheen finish), the colour is pretty much buildable with relatively good staying power (that is, if you don’t eat or drink anything). I honestly didn’t think that I would like it as I do now so yeah, what a surprise, indeed!

If you haven’t realised, the price of each lipstick has gone up to US$17 from US$16. Oh dear, the price seems to be creeping up gently. At this rate, MAC is not going to be pocket-friendly anymore! Hopefully the price isn’t going to be permanent for non-collaborative lipsticks 😦 *fingers crossed*

What do you think of this collection? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more beauty updates! 🙂

Veluxe à Trois is now available on MACCOSMETICS.COM and in NGEE ANN CITY MAC OUTLET.