I'd heard the hype about these lipsticks. I think everyone probably knows someone who raves about them. Sometimes you can believe hype, sometimes you can't. These are pretty special though, and I'm confident that the hype is justified.
When I was heading to Oz recently the MAC display at Auckland Airport caught my eye, and I eventually picked up a lippy and a primer. The girl at the stand was incredible, letting me play and swatch, narrow it down, then tried my final two colours on me. She was awesome, and the duty free price tag didn't hurt! I chose an 'Amplified' lipstick in the shade 'Diva-ish', which is part of the new Limited Edition MAC is Beauty Collection which hadn't been released in store at that point, but may have been by now.
Diva-ish is a gorgeous shade which MAC describe as 'intense fuschia' but for me is a vibrant pinky red with lots of 'oomph'. It tones in incredibly well with the colours I prefer on eyes and cheeks (teal, pink, purple, black, brown, silver, blue for eyes; brighter pinks for cheeks).
The lipstick comes in the traditional bullet shaped black MAC tube, with the logo in silver and a silver band and interior casing (with the MAC logo in black inside as well). It's one of those tubes that you get a little thrill of pleasure pulling from your bag.
The lipstick finger is a decent size, with a faint but pleasant scent. It smoothes onto lips deliciously, and feels creamy and sexy.
It's neither drying nor hydrating - it does what a lippy is meant to do , and colours your lips, basically. While it transfers to whatever you're pressing your lips to, enough is left behind that you still look at least a little made up, and reapplication is easy enough when needed.
If you're not eating, drinking, or kissing, it stays on for a good length of time - superior to other brands in my collection - and stays looking fresh and gorgeous for the duration.
I'm sold. I have at least three more overseas trips this year so will be picking more up (I know you can get them in stores but they're much cheaper duty free, of course!) - I think I 'need; their iconic red shade and maybe a lighter pink :p
Sigh.
MAC seriously does the greatest lipsticks! It's so hard to pick favourites and so hard to refrain from buying every single one.
Two of my favourites are Cherish (Satin) and Girl About Town (Amplified).
Cherish is a perfect nude (and totally underrated) that glides on creamy, doesn't emphasise dry lips, and wears really well throughout the day. It's easy to pop a lip balm over, or a gloss over the top, and sometimes I mix this with a pink to make a pinker nude, as this is more of a true nude.
Girl About Town, oh my where do I start! The brightest of bright pinks but without the neon factor. It's on the slightly darker spectrum of bright pink and is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately mine got left in the car on a hot day and all melted to one side so I have to use a lip brush to apply but this does apply well straight from the tube for such a bright colour. I always get compliments when I wear this and it suits such a huge range of skin tones.
Every single person can find a MAC lipstick shade they love. The variety is huge and the quality never disappoints.
Tips: Mix colours! There are a few shades I haven't bothered buying because I can create them perfectly by mixing two shades I already have. Don't be afraid to play around!