Hey everyone!

Just as everyone was speculating about a possible MAC collaboration with the newly-transitioned Caitlyn Jenner (which, by the way, has already been confirmed a while back), the cosmetics giant decided to drop a bomb on the beauty community by announcing the partnership with English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding for a new holiday collection last December. Although I’m not really a fan of her music, I was genuinely stoked (as always, when it comes to celebrity beauty endorsements) for the launch and was already preparing to buy the lipsticks the moment I landed in Japan.

Judging by the looks of the promotional photos, the colour theme of this collection is very obviously centered around shades of neutral which, according to the description provided by MAC, were inspired by the effortlessly au naturel look of the singer herself. I was half-expecting lustres in the lipstick line since they’ve been pretty much a common occurrence in limited edition collections. But as usual, MAC always has surprises up their sleeves.

My wallet heaved a huge sigh of relief when I learnt that there were only two lipsticks in this collection alongside two Plushglasses and two Patentpolish Lip Pencils and other products for the eyes and face – all of which encased in a sleek, mostly-black packaging bearing the official logo for Ellie Goulding like they were made for her merchandise. Look, even the products themselves have the logo debossed into them!

With product names like Only You and Without Your Love, sharp-eyed readers may have already noticed that the lipsticks were aptly named after the singer’s hits 🙂 At first glance, both shades reminded me of those from the Guo Pei collection in terms of their coral hues, sheerness and how they are virtually devoid of pigmentation, which is strange, considering that they have Cremesheen finish instead of the dreadful Lustre that Zenith and Ethereal Orchid have. In fact, I found that the lipsticks from the Guo Pei collection were a lot more pigmented than these two addition here.

#1 Without Your Love

In a case that further blurs the line between Cremesheen and Lustre finishes, this pale pink has a very creamy and sheer quality with a glossy texture. Its only characteristic that sets it apart from Lustre is its micro-shimmers that lends an emollient effect on the lips.

The product, however, has a tendency to cluster around areas of unevenness which I felt was a little difficult to blend out. Although Without Your Love (WYL) sits comfortably on my lips, it does almost nothing to enhance my natural lip colour (hence it will probably show better on really fair skin tones) and because of how lightweight and slippery it is, it lasted under two hours when I wore it out.

#2 Only You

The darker lipstick shade in this collection, Only You is in a sort of salmon colour that complements my warm skin tone. It glides on smoothly on the lips and has a thicker consistency with a more opaque finish as compared to WYL. The pearlised pigments are not as glistening too and hence seems less like a gloss unlike WYL. Although it does settle into the lip lines, it is only obvious upon closer examination.

Unless you’re an avid lipstick collector or an ardent Ellie Goulding fan, you don’t have to rush into buying these lipsticks because honestly, these shades are not new so there is a high chance you’d find cheaper alternatives in the permanent range or from other brands. But price-wise, US$18 is, no doubt, a steal for products created by a renowned celebrity like Ellie Goulding.

What do you think about this collection? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

MAC X Ellie Goulding is now available on MACCosmetics.com. This collection was also launched locally at M.A.C Bugis Junction, Sephora ION Orchard, Ngee Ann City and TANGS at Tang Plaza.