HOW I DISCOVERED MAC LIPSTICKS

For years I'd always stuck to high street brands of makeup, with a few of the 'tried and tested' higher end brand products such as YSL's Touche Eclat and Faux Cills mascara thrown in for good measure.

It wasn't until I started reading beauty blogs that I discovered MAC. My first MAC purchases were lipsticks, since these were what MAC seemed to be most well known for.

I bought my first MAC lipstick quite a few years ago, and have spent most of my working life adding to my collection! The numbers of different lipsticks available are phenominal, and that's without thinking about the limited edition collections which add another 20ish each year to chose from!

THE PRICE

A standard MAC lipstick retails at £13.50. MAC can be purchased directly from a MAC store (though most of these are in London), from the MAC website, from a MAC counter in a department store (Debenhams or Selfridges for example), or from the same department store's websites.

Please don't buy your MAC from a non approved MAC supplier or from ebay. They're way too many fakes around, and who knows what ingredients go into a fake MAC lipstick!?

On the whole, £13.50 for a lipstick isn't too bad. It's the equivilant of maybe 2 or 3 high street brand lipsticks? And you'll love it so much more!

A LITTLE ABOUT THE LIPSTICKS

"Colour plus texture for the lips. Stands out on the runway. Simmers on the street! What made M·A·C famous." - MAC Online.

Finishes currently available:

Amplified Creme: I only own a few of these since they come out very brightly on my pale skin! They are highly pigmented, apply more smoothly than a matte lipstick, and have a slight shine and a teensy bit of shimmer. The colour you see in the tube is what you'll get when applying. Use a brush and err on the side of caution!

Cremesheen: Similar to the amplified creme finishes, they're a little less pigmented, and glide on a little easier too.

Frost: Very shimmery and less pigmented than most MAC lipsticks. They still glide on smoothly, and leave a shimmery, shiney finish.

Glaze: These are a little bit more shimmery / glittery MAC lipstick finishes. I can't comment too much on this finish because I don't like shimmer and don't own any MAC glaze lipsticks. I'm just going by what I've sampled in store!

Lustre: Great everyday, wearable finish. The colour payoff isn't great because what you get on your lips isn't what you see in the tube. They're usually sheer and have some sheen to them. They're easy to apply and feel comfortable on your lips.

Matt: This is what I'd call the classic MAC lipstick finish. The most pigmented out of the finishes available, and no shimmer or shine whatsoever. The colour on your lips is what you'll see in the tube. These can dry your lips out and 'pull' the skin on your lips on application. I personally wouldn't wear a matte finish every day.

Satin: Most of my favourite MAC lipsticks fall into the satin family. These aren't shimmery and are nearly as pigmented as a matte. They're a little glossy so glide on easily. The result is a pigmented, pure colour pay off that is glossy and healthy looking, but not shimmery or glitzy.

APPEARANCE

The standard, non-limited edition, permanent range MAC lipsticks come in sleek black tubes. They're curved and rounded at the tip, reminding me of little bullets! The product information including the colour name, finish, batch number and MAC address shows in black writing on a silver sticker on the lipstick base. The black casing itself has a hint of a silver shimmer to it.

The case opens easily and there are little raised dots on the inside case so the lid clips on and off. The silver metal inside part of the case has MAC in black lettering.

(I've gone into quite a bit of detail with the description of the case! This is so you'll know when you see a fake. Lots of fakes are on the market, particularly from ebay.)

APPLICATION

Depending on the colour and finish, I'll either apply my MAC lipsticks with a brush or straight from the tube. A good indication of which way to go would be to apply some to your inside wrist. If you're alarmed by the brightness and intensity, go for a brush! You can use a tiny bit at first, blend it all over your lips, then build little by little until you have a colour payoff you're comfortable with.
If the colour isn't too dramatic, I'd just apply the lipstick straight from the tube to your lips.

I find that most of my MAC lipsticks glide on smoothly. Some of the matte finishes are a little 'pulling' on the lips. This is just a feature of a matte lipstick, and not a fault from MAC. It happens I find, with all of the highly pigmented mattes.

The great thing about MAC lipsticks is you'll find a colour and finish to match whatever you've been looking for. They have the darkest pigmented colours (Cyber, a satin finish, is an almost black purpley voilet) or the lightest shimmery colours (Tanarama, a frost finish, is really pale nude and really shimmery).

My lipsticks vary on longevity depending on the particular finish again. The mattes can last hours if you're not eating or drinking too much. A lustre finish usually comes off first, although you'll still get an hour and a drink or two before needing to reapply!

OVER ALL

I love these so much, simply for the huge range of colours and finishes available. I have a huge collection of MAC lipsticks, and with all the seasonal limited edition ranges, just keep adding to it!

I would recommend a MAC lipstick to a makeup addict who can't get enough different lipsticks to try! Or to someone who's forever searching for a particular shade, but having no luck finding it on the highstreet.

If you're ever passing a MAC store or counter, just stop for a quick peep and see what you think of the lipsticks on offer!