REVIEW: MAC x Guo Pei Lipsticks – Zenith & Ethereal Orchid

Hello everyone!

China’s most revered haute couturier, Guo Pei, had teamed up with MAC this season to create a collection that is inspired by her “garden of the soul” (the name she gave for this inspiration), merging vibrant jewel tones with rich neutrals and punctuated by deep graphite.

MAC X Guo Pei

MAC X Guo Pei

Virtually unheard of outside of her home country before this collection materialised, Guo is best known in the fashion world for her ornate and elegant gowns which style is influenced by traditional Chinese imperial court design. Hand-sewn, her creations typically take years and a lot of manpower to create. Her work has been featured in many significant events such as the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2015 Met Gala where Rihanna (in)famously donned in her most ambitious empress-style trailing yellow gown and spawned numerous food (e.g. omelette and pizza) memes. Nevertheless, Guo Pei is indeed an incredibly talented fashion designer (she just needs to pick the appropriate person to reinterpret her work)! I stumbled upon some of her runway pieces and instantly fell in love with them. Floral embroidery in oriental colours, the style is so me! If only they are made for normal everyday wear. But then again, it’s not like I would be able to afford them 🙄

MAC x Guo Pei Lipsticks

MAC x Guo Pei Lipsticks (packaging)

In their second collaboration with Chinese designers (after Bao Bao Wan), MAC rolled out a limited-edition collection that features 2 eyeshadow quads (in Morning Light & Night Sky, US$70), 3 gel liners (in Blue Fountain, Darkness of Calm & Palm Tree, US$17.50), 3 lipsticks (in Zenith, Ethereal Orchid & Brave Red, US$30), 3 cremesheen glass (in Bright pink Bouquet, Pale Moon & Love of Roses, US$28), 2 powder blush (in Lotus Blossom & Red Water Lily, US$40), a beauty powder (in Soft Moon Light, US$70) and a pair of brushes (213 Fluff Blush, US$32, & 129 Powder Brush, US$46). Every product in this line – even the brushes – is encased in gold, peony-illustrated fabric stitched along one side. So captivated by the beauty of the design! ❤

MAC x Guo Pei lipsticks

MAC x Guo Pei Lipsticks (casing)

Royally golden metal-like tube... kinda reminds me of Sun Wu Kong's Jingu Bang (Monkey King's golden pole)

Royally golden metal-like tube… kinda reminds me of Sun Wu Kong’s Jingu Bang (Monkey King’s golden pole)

The ingredient list is printed on a separate strip of paper and inserted into the box, just like how it was done for Giambattista Valli collection

The ingredient list is printed on a separate strip of paper and inserted into the box, just like how it was done for Giambattista Valli collection

Unveiling the gorgeous shades of Ethereal Orchid (left) and Zenith

Unveiling the gorgeous shades of Ethereal Orchid (left) and Zenith

Ethereal Orchid (left) & Zenith

Ethereal Orchid (left) & Zenith

I only picked 2 colours from the lipstick line because the third – Brave Red – is a permanent shade which I already have in my stash. Exorbitant is the word to describe the prices for this collection, which correspond to that of Prabal Gurung collection last year. If not for the pretty packaging (well, gotta give props to MAC for knowing how to strike their customers’ soft spots), I wouldn’t have given two hoots about this collection.

But rants aside, I’m sure many of you are curious about the lipsticks (both lustres, by the way like argh, I know right?!).. which probably cost as much as luxury beauty brands like Chanel and Dior *sigh* so let’s get down to the details!

#1 Zenith

Zenith

Zenith is a light nude with Lustre finish (US$30 / S$60)

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Zenith

As most of you know, I have a love-hate relationship with lustres…. ok, perhaps leaning more towards the hate spectrum. They are easy to apply but they normally are too sheer to show on the lips. They’re like lip balms with the humectant qualities and all, just more expensive. Zenith here fits perfectly into my perception of lustre lipsticks – very sheer yet lightweight and hydrating.  It glided on smoothly on the lips but provided little to no difference in the lip colour. But that could just be me because of my medium skin tone which unfortunately tend to camouflage nude shades.

However, unlike Lustres I own (and I’ve a box full of them), Zenith somehow manages to conceal my lip lines very well. Although I don’t really like the colour, I was pleased that it didn’t turn out patchy on my lips. The formula surprisingly surpasses my expectations! Whoa, was it me or did MAC improve the quality for this collection to match the steep price?

#2 Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid is a midtone dirty coral with Lustre finish (US$30 / S$60)

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

Ethereal Orchid

In another turn of events, I found myself enjoying the second Lustre lipstick tremendously. The colour is gorgeous and noticeably different (already received compliments from a friend on this shade) and the coverage is impressive because it doesn’t leave streaky marks behind. Furthermore, the soft sheen adds radiance to my dull lips and make it more healthy-looking and plump. It felt almost like the Huggable formula, just less clingy and definitely wouldn’t last as long.

Swatch comparisons

Swatch comparisons

You can probably find a cheaper dupe for Zenith but Ethereal Orchid is a unique shade for sure! At least for MAC. Still, much as I love these lipsticks (I thought they were going to be another disappointment like the Cinderella lipsticks but thankfully they’re not), I don’t think it’s worth the hefty price tag. I take consolation that I had actually paid for two designer lipsticks.

What are your thoughts? Share them with me in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

MAC x Guo Pei is now available on Maccosmetics.com and at Tangs at Tangs Plaza.

REVIEW: MAC is Beauty Lipsticks – Highlights, Call the Hairdresser!, Real Redhead, Make Me Gorgeous, Diva-ish & Reel Sexy

Whoop, what a title ^^’

Hey everyone! As promised across all my social media platforms, I’ll be reviewing six of the 12 MAC lipsticks that are slated to be released in Singapore this coming Friday. It took me a while to prep this post because of the colossal amount of new shades this time, although I only bought half the number. But trust me, I would have gotten every single one if my funds allowed it because I’m always very hyped up at the thought of owning new lipstick shades 😀

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This mega collection includes 12 lipsticks, 16 Pro Longwear Fluidline (all Permanent), 4 Eye Shadows (in Yogurt, Preening, Wow Factor & Bouffant), 1 Eye Kohl in I Get No Kick, 4 Cremesheen Glass (in On the Scene, Fashion Scoop, Star Quality & Japanese Spring), 2 Beauty Powder (in Alpha Girl & Pearl Blossom), 3 Studio Nail Lacquer (in French Tipped, To Dye For & Doll Me Up) and 3 LE brushes ( 137 Long Blending, 221 Mini Tapered Blending & 267 Curved Angle)

Unlike the past few launches, MAC is Beauty is truly a Spring-themed collection centering around bright pastel colours which can be a bit of a hit-and-miss for me. On top of that, majority of the lipsticks (8) would be in Lustre finish which I believe isn’t the most popular finish in the MAC community, let alone mine. Thus, I wasn’t very thrilled about the launch when I first saw the product shots although the colours are supposed to be vibrant and fun like springtime. The shades were all too light and bright for my skin tone (sucks to be on the tanner side) and most of them would probably vanish on my lips like my other Lustre lipsticks anyway.

But I’m all about giving second (or third.. kinda lost count) chances. Well, actually… I just had the urge to splurge knowing that there wouldn’t be another new lipstick launch after this for the next month. So yes, gonna let loose a bit and make a bigger haul this time teehee.

Avoiding the lighter pinks and peaches, I picked the ones I felt would have stronger colour payoff – except for Highlights. I got that because I was intrigued by the uniqueness of the colour.

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Official swatch

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My swatch 🙂 Yay or nay?

My first impression about the chosen six was somewhat positive because the colours didn’t immediately remind me of what I already have. That’s a great start! I have 3 Amplifieds and 3 Lustres here. Can you guess which are the Lustres without me telling you? Duh, of course you can.

Reel Sexy

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Reel Sexy is a bright coral with Amplified finish. (US$16 / S$30)

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Three lipstick shades from this collection are repromotes and Reel Sexy is one of them, having previously released back in Spring 2012. It’s a bright peachy-coral that’s mostly opaque and surprisingly doesn’t wash me out. It tends to be a little clumpy and it’s quite obvious where it does since it’s light so do remember to exfoliate your lips before application. Other than that, it’s a lovely colour 🙂 The closest shade to this I could find in my stash is Ravishing.

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Ravishing, one of my go-to nude shades, is a little lighter whereas Kinda Sexy is darker and more matte.

Call the Hairdresser!

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Call the Hairdresser! is a rosey mauve with Lustre finish (US$16 / S$30)

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I don’t expect to see any remarkable difference for Lustre shades in my before and after pictures because they have been a letdown in terms of consistency and pigmentation so far. But Call the Hairdresser! seems to prove otherwise. It’s such a pretty shade of pink with a subtle sheen that complements my skin tone perfectly. Finally something praise-worthy from the Lustre range. Pity this finish typically doesn’t last long. This definitely deserves a better finish like Satin or Retro Matte.

Real Redhead

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Real Redhead is a mauve nude with Lustre finish. (US$16 / S$30)

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My poor overworked lips lol

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I expected it to be somewhat identical to Call the Hairdresser! since they look really similar on the official swatch but they turn out to be worlds apart in reality. Real Redhead is waaaaay lighter but still visible on the lips. Nevertheless, I kinda like how the lustre is spread evenly across my lips and doesn’t really settle into my fine lip lines. This makes a great MLBB shade if you ask me 🙂

Check out how Call the Hairdresser!, Real Redhead and Reel Sexy compare with other similar shades:

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Highlights

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Highlights is a very pale creamy peach with Lustre finish. (US$16 / S$30)

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This has got to be my least favourite purchase and also the most underperforming one to date. It was one of the first items I added to my cart because the gorgeous peachy-gold swatch on the website instantly caught my attention (it was even sold out at one point). Furthermore, I also had the impression that it was going to be like the orangey-yellow lipstick worn by the model on the foreground of the promo picture above. But it swatched out to be a completely different colour from the bullet itself and everything else I had thought out to be.

It’s basically a complete mess with the shimmers settling straight into all my lip lines and accentuating every unsightly detail of my lips. The more I attempted to even them out, the more they combined to form clusters of chunky sparkle which in my opinion reminded me of biscuit crumbs around my lips like I had forgotten to wipe my mouth after tea break. Extremely awful and not to mention an utter disappointment for something I was looking forward so much to 😦

Adding to my woes, the bullet – which already felt slightly melted when I applied it on my lips – broke when I was swatching it on my hand. *sigh* I would gladly trade this for Silly which I didn’t realise was Matte until recently.

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Bottom line: poor pigmentation, no lasting power, messy and terrible quality

Make Me Gorgeous

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Make Me Gorgeous is an intense coral pink with Amplified finish. (US$16 / S$30)

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Love the colour and how it makes me look unusually *innocent* haha

This lipstick is perfect with excellent pigmentation and coverage. It’s also creamy and it glides over the contours of my lips evenly, concealing all the lines and delivering a lasting vibrant colour with a subtle sheen.

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Swatch comparison

Diva-ish

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Diva-ish is an intense fuchsia with Amplified finish. (US$16 / S$30)

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My favourite purchase from this haul because I’m so in love with this shade of fuchsia. It doesn’t scream for attention like how most bright fuchsias do and most importantly, I actually think I look good in it *chuckles* It is mostly opaque and has great pigmentation and shine, coupled with a nice creamy texture like Make Me Gorgeous which doesn’t dry out my lips. It’s a pretty colour which I see myself wearing often to work! 🙂

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I guess its’s also a rather unique colour? I don’t really have a dupe for it 🙂

And that’s all from me! Doing a detailed review on 6 shades consecutively is no joke (on the lips as well) especially when you have no time like me to do it separately. I wonder how other beauty bloggers do it with all 12 :-S Really hats off to them hahaha.

 

Are you satisfied with your purchase? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

MAC is Beauty is now available on MACCosmetics.com [Lips] [Eyes] and will be launched in Singapore on 24 April 2015.

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REVIEW: MAC x Mia Moretti Spring 2015 Lipsticks – High Tea & Maria Moretti

Hey guys!

New York-based deejay Mia Moretti seems to be working a lot with MAC lately with THREE collaborations under her belt to date – once in summer 2014 and twice this spring. So far, nothing really new and original has emerged from the partnership which makes me wonder if it’s just a smokescreen for MAC to repromote obsolete products though I’m sure these products would still sell (provided that they were popular in the first place) without the backing of a celebrity.

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This collection includes 2 lipsticks, Who’s the DJ? Lip Palette X6, 2 Mia Moretti Casual Colours (cream blush-lipstick in Puttin’ on the Spritz & P.S. I Like You), Mia Moretti Creme Colour Base (in Desert Roadtrip & Summer Wind), Mia Moretti Makeup Bag and a Mia Moretti Tote.

I almost wanted to give this collection a miss until I stumbled upon an article about a new limited edition lipstick shade – or so they say – that was going to be launched in this collection. And then the rest is history. 😉

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Overview

I also got myself High Tea because as a hoarder, one lipstick is never enough.

A part of me actually also wanted to review the entire set of lipsticks from this collection so that you guys know what to avoid when they’re released internationally this month.

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Official swatch

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My swatch. They differ a lot from the official swatch if you ask me 😦

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Pretty obvious which is the new product here.

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But nope, it’s still in regular packaging and I couldn’t help but feel a little cheated. For a moment I thought there was a glimmer of hope 😦

Unboxing these lipsticks started out as a happy affair and I remember being so excited when I saw the colour on the bullet. They looked pretty and promising, especially High Tea. “It’s gonna be my next go-to nude!” I squealed with delight. Then my joy dissipated and everything inside me crumbled into dust at the sight of the swatch on my hand. *cries* Okay drama much. But yes, as you can see from the pictures above, the colours – both of them – are clearly nothing extraordinary. *cries some more*

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High Tea is a beiged pink with pearl with Lustre finish. (US$16)

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This is another repromote (argh MAC stop it already) but I feel that it shouldn’t be brought back at all! Look, it’s terrible. It’s so sheer, I doubt you can see anything on my lips because I couldn’t even see it in the mirror except for the slight sheen because the sunlight was beaming right on me. It felt a little drying and I tend to lick my lips a lot when they’re dry. So this definitely wouldn’t stay past an hour.

This colour is as invisible as both lipsticks from the Cinderella collection, as well as Romantic Breakdown from Bao Bao Wan. Lipsticks are supposed to complete looks, but these obviously don’t do the job. There have been a lot of nudes with Lustre finish lately and I’m sure many MAC users share the same sentiment as me. Hopefully we’ll get to see less of them in the future!

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It’s funny how these Lustre nudes appear so differently on plain skin but totally camouflages themselves on the lips. So yes, never swatch these kinda colours on your hand before purchase. Instead, wear them on your lips. You’ll be shocked at the difference.

And lastly, the highlight of this review.

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Maria Moretti is a cherry red with Amplified finish. (US$16)

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Decided to spice up the shoot with some props HAHA. No prizes for guessing whose cap I was wearing. (Hint: Gotta catch’em all)

I was really looking forward to this colour because the official swatch looks slightly darker? It didn’t occur to me that it would turn out to be another dupeable red. *face palm* Criticisms aside, this has very good colour payoff and I’m very pleased with the creaminess. It applies very evenly with a single application. It’s also very similar to Cardinal but this has a little more shine and perhaps less opaque.

Of course, choosing this shade over High Tea is a no-brainer decision. Unfortunately this colour is already sold out online. But it’s such a common red, I believe there are cheaper and equally durable dupes out there in the market. I say save the money for upcoming launches like Wash and Dry or better yet, the Giambattista Valli collection!

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Reposting this from the Philip Treacy review because it’s essentially a very common shade of red.

All in all, it’s another disappointing collection. And I kinda regret not getting the lip palette because the colours look really fun to play with. I’ll probably get that when it’s launched here, if that’s ever gonna happen. Haha!

 

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

Thanks for reading! ❤

MAC x Mia Moretti Spring 2015 is now available on MACCosmetics.com. Release date in Singapore is not known.