REVIEW: MAC Wash and Dry Lipsticks and Lipglass – Steam Heat, Tumble Dry & Domestic Diva

Hey everyone!

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MAC Wash and Dry for Summer 2015

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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.

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MAC Wash and Dry: AREN’T THEY GORGEOUS?

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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.

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

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

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Official swatch for lipsticks

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

Tumble Dry

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

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Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry

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Tumble Dry

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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.

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Tumble Dry swatch comparison

Steam Heat

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

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Steam Heat

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Steam Heat

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Steam Heat

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Steam Heat

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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

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

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

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Official swatch for the Wash and Dry Tinted Lipglass

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Domestic Diva Lipglass

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Domestic Diva Lipglass

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Domestic Diva Lipglass

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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.

REVIEW: MAC Huggable Lipcolour – Soft Talkin’, Play It Soft, I’m Game, Dramatical, Flaming Lips & Bare Hug

“What time is it? Summertime! It’s our vacation!”

Are you guys old enough to know where I got the above quote from? *nostalgia mode* The last movie aired more than 6 years ago! Isn’t it amazing how time flies by? Just like how it was only a few weeks ago that I reviewed on the last MAC collection for Spring. In the blink of an eye, summer is upon us! And so are some of the new MAC releases for this season 🙂 Let’s talk about the first one!

First unveiled in Winter 2013, the MAC Huggable Lipcolour collection featured a range of limited-edition creamy lipsticks formulated to provide a lasting, glossy finish that would leave lips smooth and sculpted. This amazing formula was inspired by Asian trends and could last for up to 6 hours.

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MAC Huggable Lipcolour 2015

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The Huggable Bear!

This May, more than one year since the collection first flew off the shelf, it’s back by popular demand for a limited time only! With 12 huggable hues to choose from, these lipsticks promise a rich and glossy shine that boosts collagen, and a unique gel base that melts upon contact, allowing each shade to glide on effortlessly with a feather-light moisturizing finish. [source]

The 12 colours available from this collection are Soft Talkin’, I’m In, Bare Hug, Play It Soft, I’m Game, Fashion Force, Dramatical, Flaming Lips, Glamorized and Love Feeling.

There was a preview for this endearing collection at Sephora ION outlet last Friday (slated to be launched on 15 May 2015) and being on the Singapore MAC mailing list entitled me a pass to the event. Technically since it’s not a closed-door event, anyone could enter. But then registered attendees were served glasses of fruit punch and champagne 😀 The event was joined by the huggable bear above (so cute!) which was so popular with the ladies, I didn’t have a chance to take a selfie with it. 😦

Bare Hug wasn’t available for sale and preview at the event which explains why I had to buy it off the US site. Having said that, all 12 shades will definitely be available on its official launch day.

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Overview

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Official swatch

The nude hues on the top row are simply gorgeous! In fact I kinda like all the shades in this collection. But I don’t have the deepest of pockets so I gotta narrow my choices down to 5 or 6 😦

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These are my choices! With another one (Bare Hug) on its way from the States! (UPDATE: Bare Hug review added towards the end of this post!)

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My swatch (Bare Hug is not in this picture because I didn’t have the product at the time of first publication)

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Packaging

At US$20, I expected some differentiation to the box. Perhaps some not-so-conspicuous images of teddy bear (since the theme for this collection revolves around huggable bear) printed on the box would be lovely 😀 Of course, the hike in the price this time ’round is largely due to the sleek metallic packaging of the lipstick tube (which I feel, to be honest, isn’t sufficient to warrant a US$4 increment).

Soft Talkin’

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Soft Talkin’ is a warm peachy nude. (US$20 / S$35)

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Soft Talkin’

Since I was at the physical MAC store, I had every opportunity to swatch the colours before deciding to pay for them. So I really have no idea what actually got into me that led me to purchase the lightest nude from this collection which obviously doesn’t really show on my lips except to give it some shine. Perhaps I bought it because I was fond of the colour of the bullet. It’s such a sweet warm peachy nude and it’s a shame that it doesn’t appear to be like that on my lips 😦

On the other hand, it really felt emollient and the application left behind what looked like a protective sheen that clings comfortably on my lips. Huggable indeed 🙂

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Swatch comparison against other nude colours. You can tell how emollient it is as compared to Satin and Cremesheen shades like Myth and Shanghai Spice.

Play It Soft

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Play It Soft is a bright coral red. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Play It Soft

This colour is mega love. It makes me look like I have really healthy and hydrated lips because of the warm-toned pink that’s not too over the top (it’s not really bright despite the description). But I would recommend this shade for its great consistency 🙂 Plus, don’t you think it appears like it has lip glass applied over it?

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Swatch comparison with some shades I own. 5-Alarm is close, but darker and more opaque.

I’m Game

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I’m Game is a creamy raspberry. (US$20 / SG$35)

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I’m Game

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I’m Game

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I’m Game

I was contemplating between this and Glamorized because both are what I’d consider to be the attention-grabbing kind of brights. I only picked this because I felt this isn’t as scarily bright as Glamorized. (But to be honest I almost wavered when the emcee of the event commented that it would be the first shade to sell out. That’s enough to make a kiasu (grasping) Singaporean like me to buy it. But thankfully I resisted and walked away!). It actually looks pretty alright on me.

The finish is comparable to Play It Soft, perhaps equally commendable. Similarly, it has awesome coverage and consistency and it also gives me lips a very healthy shine.

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Swatch comparison. Strangely it looks sheer on my hand but more opaque on my lips! It’s usually the other way round haha.

Dramatical

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Dramatical is a bright cherry red. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Dramatical

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Oh no, yet another classic red! But this has slightly more blue undertones.

I feel that among all my red lipsticks (excluding my Matte ones of course. Those are irreplaceable), this is the best because of the finish and the colour isn’t too glaring or in-your-face. I do see myself wearing this more often than the others. Light-weighted with such smooth application, it just feels like it’s part of my lips. Plus it deserves some bonus marks for not making my lips flake over time!

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Swatch comparison with other reds!

Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips is a deep creamy red. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

In contrast to Dramatical, this has yellow undertones and is sheerer. It doesn’t apply as evenly as the others because some of the product tend to settle heavily in the middle and accentuating the lines, making my lips look cracked at that area (you can tell from the pictures above). Still, it wore very comfortably on me because it feels very hydrating over time.

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Comparing with Dramatical and a Lustre shade (Call the Hairdresser!)

Bare Hug

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Bare Hug is a creamy soft peach/orange. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

Adding on to my list of favourite MLBB lipsticks is Bare Hug! The semi-opaque finish allows your natural lip colour to show through and on top of that give life to your pale lips without having to overdo your makeup.

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Swatch comparison!

To sum things up.. Well, it’s confirmed: I’m a new fan of the Huggable formula. I thought I was gonna hate it because nothing good comes out of sheer lipsticks. But I’m awfully wrong this time! 🙂

That’s all for this review! Let me know your thoughts through the poll below:

 

Thanks for reading! ❤

MAC Huggable Lipcolour is now available on MACCosmetics.com and will be on sale from 15 May 2015 at local MAC stores.

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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