Hello everyone!

These days, the perks of being a social media influencer or an opinion leader don’t just end at receiving event invitations, free products or financial compensation for sponsored content. In addition to those, the cream of the crop may even score beauty deals with global cosmetics companies to create new products, and already there have been a few of such instances like the collaboration between NikkieTutorials and Too Faced; Nicole Guerriero and Anastasia Beverly Hills; and Grav3YardGirl and Tarte. Joining the ranks of these major deal clinchers are LarLarLee, Gabriel Zamora as well as 8 others around the globe (excluding Asia.. why though? 😠) as they became the first influencers to ink a pact (one any beauty enthusiast would envy 😞) with M.A.C Cosmetics to create their own personalised lipsticks.

Given M.A.C’s history of collaborations with Hollywood celebrities and designers with much greater star power, this came across as an unlikely partnership. But it also goes to show that they are willing to move with the times and adapt to trends (since tapping influencers seems like the “in” thing now). Besides, we all know M.A.C loves springing some surprise element in their collaborations.

10 INFLUENCERS & LAUNCH DATES

… because if it ain’t big, it ain’t M.A.C 😁

United Kingdom (April 19)

• #MACxFleurDeForce by @FleurDeForce
• #MACxAlessandra by @alexsteinherr

United States of America (April 20)

• #MACxLarLarLee by @LarLarLee
• #MACxGabrielZamora by @TheGabrielZamora

Canada (April 22)

• #MACxSamanthaRavndahl by @ssssamanthaa

Australia (May 22)

• #MACxNikkiaJoy by @NikkiaJoy

Germany (May 31)

• #MACxCaroDaur by @CaroDaur

France (June 7)

• #MACxMarie by @EnjoyPhoenix

Middle East (June 15)

• #MACxTheRealFouz by @TheRealFouz

Brazil (August)

• #MACxVicCeridono by @VicCeridono

Dear M.A.C, maybe some Asian influencers next time…?

Each of the influencer is entitled to tailor-make one lipstick (named after them) which would/will then be sold solely in their country of origin in very limited quantities. My trusted forwarder only ships from the U.S. so I was only able to buy the U.S.-exclusive shades concocted by LarLarLee and Gabriel Zamora – both beauty vloggers – but the former sold out before I could even bat an eyelid, thereby leaving me with only Gabriel Zamora to purchase.

While it is true that these influencers have strong presence on social media, some did not necessarily found fame online. Alessandra Steinherr, in particular, is beauty director of Glamour UK and as an avid reader of the magazine, I was inclined to lend my support but was once again thwarted by shipping restrictions.

Having made headlines last year for being the first male makeup artist to be signed by Ipsy (a beauty sampling service co-founded by fellow beauty vlogger Michelle Phan), 26-year-old Gabriel Zamora is certainly not new to the spotlight. However, he consider his partnership with M.A.C his first major collaboration. Instantly identifiable by his distinct electric-blue hair, Zamora is also known as one of the few beauty gurus who produce bilingual content in English and Spanish on YouTube. Talk about dedication!

The lipstick is sheathed in a box bearing the name and autograph of the influencer who designed the shade with its finish also indicated very clearly on it. The packaging, on the overall, is meh because M.A.C obviously knew the lipsticks were going to be snapped up by overzealous fans anyway.

Intuitively, one might expect Zamora to opt for a statement-making colour for his lipstick to go with his flamboyant hairstyle. But he had instead done the complete opposite and decided on a shade that would “work well with virtually any skin tone”. Described as a brown nude with Satin finish, one swipe of Gabriel Zamora lends a creamy and opaque coat of warm terracotta brown on the lips and indeed, you can never go wrong with this shade. This universally-flattering colour is a great for everyday wear and it is simply GORGEOUS!

Although buildable to a darker tone, the vivid colour payoff of just one coat of the lipstick renders additional application wholly unnecessary. Comfortably thick with a nice slip, it clings on to the lips to allow for a longer wear without drying them out, so at some point it felt like a Matte because it doesn’t budge easily. It’s so perfect, words can’t describe how much I love this shade! My current go-to nude lipstick (in Pander Me, a limited-edition shade that is no longer on sale) is running out and this totally saved me the headache of finding a replacement.

What do you think about this lipstick? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or take a quick poll!  🙂

Thanks for reading!

The now sold-out M.A.C × Gabriel Zamora lipstick was available in the U.S. only.

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