Hey everyone!

MAC Wash and Dry for Summer 2015

Is that you, Cara Delevingne??

I’ve been splurging a lot on lipsticks recently, no thanks to MAC’s incessant release of new collections. And I admit that it has gotten more out of hand due to the stunning packaging MAC has come up with lately. Like many girls, I have a soft spot for nice packaging so it’s extremely easy to strike my fancy when it comes to makeup. A differently-designed packaging (from the regular) is all it takes to make me go gaga over the product. But it’s a very expensive obsession because the more elaborate the wrapping material it is, the deeper I would have to dig into my pocket. And this is driving me closer and closer to bankruptcy!

*sigh* And just when I’m about to give my wallet a break, MAC had to launch the most vibrant-looking limited-edition lipsticks ever.

MAC Wash and Dry: AREN’T THEY GORGEOUS?

Gotta get something from this collection!

Many of my friends who aren’t as crazy as me about makeup were also blown away by the striking packaging. The yellow, orange and turquoise ombré is just so apt for the summer. I also love that it’s made of reflective material, making the product look really sleek and expensive in general (when it’s only US$20 per lipstick!).

But unfortunately, not all of the lipstick shades are brand new here. In fact, 2 of them are already in the permanent range. Despite the repeats and marked up price, I know some diehard MAC fans would still be very eager to purchase them because of the packaging.

Besides lipsticks and lipglass, this collection also boasts a wide array of products such as the Wash and Dry Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow Trio (in 3 colour options – Warm Wash, Permanent Press & Green Clean), Technakohl Liner (in Colour Matters, Sudsy, Coin Operated & Practice Makes Perfect), False Lashes Waterproof (in Stay Black!), Powder Blush (in Crisp Whites & Hipness), Highlight Powder (in Freshen Up) and Studio Nail Lacquer (in Monday Blues & Washeteria). Click here for more details.

That’s not all. Fluid Brow Gelcreme (in Ash Blonde, Redhead, Dirty Blonde, True Brunette & Deep Dark Brunette), Eye Brow pencils (in Delineated, Accentuated, Tapered & Stylized), Brow Set (in Clear), Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set (in Emphatically Blonde, Toasted Blonde, Red Chestnut, Quiet Brunette, Bold Brunette & Brown Ebony), Bronzing Powder (in Refined Golden & Matte Bronze), Studio Sculpt Defining Bronzing Powder (in Delicates & Golden Rinse), Face Brushes (125 & 126) and makeup bag are available under The Modern Brow collection.

Out of the four lipstick shades in this collection, 2 are already permanent.

2 new shades are introduced in this collection – Tumble Dry and Steam Heat

Official swatch for lipsticks

Real-life swatch (my Creme d’Nude and Morange are in old/regular packaging)

Tumble Dry

Tumble Dry is a light peachy coral with Lustre finish (US$20)

Tumble Dry

Tumble Dry

Tumble Dry

Tumble Dry

Tumble Dry

Call me a natural actor but I’m amazed how I could still smile so warmly wearing this shade despite not liking it at all. I think the reason is quite obvious from the pictures. It leaves unsightly clumps on the driest part of my lower lips and the colour totally disappears upon application. It’s so bad, it reminded me of my rant on Highlights. Actually, come to think of it now, they do look quite similar.

I had rather high expectations for this since none of my corals have failed me (as far as I can remember). Plus, the finish isn’t stated for all the lipsticks on the website so I didn’t know it was Lustre until I received the items (thus adding to my dissatisfaction with this purchase).

Essentially, this has a pretty bullet but disappointing payoff. What a shame! I wouldn’t recommend buying this shade at all.

Tumble Dry swatch comparison

Steam Heat

Steam Heat is a vivid yellow red with Satin finish (US$20)

Steam Heat

Steam Heat

Steam Heat

Steam Heat

Steam Heat

This is easily one of the dupe-able reds by MAC but leaving that aside, I find that it has fantastic consistency and pigmentation which allowed me to line my lips with it perfectly. It has a Satin finish so it’s not too matte nor shiny – just fabulous. Its smooth and velvety texture leaves a long-lasting opaque coverage over the lips and most importantly, it doesn’t feather nor dry out my lips over time. With its great payoff and lovely packaging, this definitely scores high point on my lipstick coolometer – just a few points shy of hitting maximum due to it’s not-so-novel colour.

Steam Heat swatch comparison

Normally after carting out my desired lipstick shades I would have exited the page and resumed my previous activity. But somehow that didn’t happen on that day of launch. I wandered off to another place within the same webpage and unwittingly bought a lipglass… when I’m not the sort of person who wears lip gloss. Darn, it must be the packaging, silently hynotising me and making me spend more. Never mind, that’s when Carousell comes in handy, right?

Domestic Diva

Domestic Diva is a frosty, watery pink. (US$16.50)

Official swatch for the Wash and Dry Tinted Lipglass

Domestic Diva Lipglass

Domestic Diva Lipglass

Domestic Diva Lipglass

Domestic Diva Lipglass

Okay, this is weird but… I actually liked it?

I hated lip gloss because it’d always leaves a really thin uneven layer on my lips regardless of the amount I apply and it wears off quicker than anything else. I disliked the hassle of reapplying and I came to a point where I stopped applying lip gloss altogether. But this is gonna reverse my decision. Can you see the (relatively) thick layer of gloss on my lips and the evenly spread-out glitter? That was achieved with just a SINGLE layer. And the gloss actually felt pretty adhesive! Look, it even gave me pouty lips!

Now I don’t know if I should keep this

What are your thoughts about this collection?

Let me know your views in the comments below! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

MAC Wash & Dry is now available on MACCosmetics.com and in local MAC stores for a limited time only.