As were many first makeup loves, MAC (lipsticks) were my first form of lipstick love, back in grade eight- with a questionably pink shade and a few months later my beloved Creme d’Nude – so I thought it would be fitting to share my favourites, considering that I’ve been blogging well over a year. However, upon contemplating my favourites, I realized that I kind-of-sort-of adored all of my shades because over the years I’ve returned or back-to-mac‘ed all the ones that I did not love. And, I resolved this inner conflict by deciding to show and discuss all eight of my MAC Lipsticks but highlight my top five favourites in brackets. I’ll warn you that there are two limited edition shades in here and neither of them are available (from MAC, anyway) but don’t despair please.  Get ready for some posing slash lip swatching awkwardness, dodgy lipstick application and terrifyingly rough lips. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

P.S. MAC Lipsticks come with 3 grams a product and retail for $19 CDN/ $16 US

MAC Lipstick in Patisserie (Lustre) | “sheer creamy neutral pink” (1)

MAC Patisserie came into my life during the late Fall of 2013 and hasn’t been neglected ever since, becoming my go-to purse lipstick as it’s foolproof to apply, doesn’t require a mirror and is essentially a glorified tinted balm with an extra dose of pigment. Being as moisturizing and dryness forgiving as it is, the formula is not the longest wearing, only lasting three or so hours but for me it’s worth it. It’s a mix between a nude and a my-lips-but-better colour, being slightly browner/darker and warmer than my lips but still staying in that nude-ish family; I don’t wholeheartedly agree with MAC’s description and I would be more likely to call it a pinky beige with warm brownish undertones. I have yet to find a makeup look that the shade doesn’t suit + its actually hydrating also! 🙂

MAC Lipstick in Creme d’Nude (Cremesheen) | “pale muted peach beige”

Creme d’Nude is, to this day, my favourite true paler nude lipstick and we’ve had a love affair since I was in ninth grade (or maybe the summer before) and now I’m nearing the end of my third year of university… Cremesheen formulas are not always my favourite as I don’t find them overly creamy, moisturizing or flattering, – they tend to stick to any textured parts – this shade has the best formula out of all the shades in the range that I’ve tried. I’ve come to prefer this warm-toned beige-nude with strong peachy-orange undertones with lip-liner to avoid that concealer lips effect and add some shape, though and it is very pretty that way. It lasts for about four hours on its own and had medium colour payoff that makes it more wearable than other paler nudes – MAC Myth, anyone? – even though it swatches very light. I would not recommend this for anyone with extremely cool undertones – it might be questionable.

MAC Lipstick in Sweet & Sour (Cremesheen) | “soft peach cream” (5)

Despite being of the difficult-to-wear pastel family and not being one of the better Cremesheens, I bloody love the muted peachy-coral shade but given that it’s a pastel and remains rather pale in colour, I might suggest a lip liner to make it look a bit more wearable and for your lips to look like they have actual edges. It lasts 4-5 hours, surprisingly with medium colour payoff and can actually remain on the lips through some light eating and drinking. This is one of my absolute favourite everyday lipsticks in the spring and summer, even though my lips don’t love the formula and it tends to highlight every bit of texture and dryness in the lips.

MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy (Matte) | “neutral pinky-rose” (2)

In the summer, I was wandering around MAC, tried on this lipstick and I fell in love with the neutral rosy-peach shade with some brown to it. It’s up there with Patisserie as being my favourite lipstick and is in the neutral category as well, but with much more colour than a nude. I’m tempted to almost consider it a my-lips-but-better shade even though its quite deep to be considered in this category. The finish is matte but it’s not drying, wears a ridiculous amount of time and doesn’t look outwardly bad on my dry lips. It also doesn’t hurt that the rosy-hued neutral shade is just so flattering on my fair warm skin tone, blue eyes and dark hair.

MAC ‘A Fantasy of Flowers’ Lipstick in Dreaming Dahlia (Lustre) | “sheer red-coral” – limited edition

I don’t agree with the description of the last spring’s limited edition lipstick because it’s surprisingly pigmented and not sheer in the slightest and I find it leans much more pink-coral than red but I wouldn’t be overly concerned as it’s limited edition and no longer available. It was from the MAC A Fantasy of Flowers Collection, which overall was an impressive collection in my opinion. I haven’t worn this lipstick as much as I should in the past because it’s not exactly a bold lipstick or a neutral one either but lately I’ve been giving the balmy comfortable formula more play. It lasts maybe four hours on the lips and has that hydrating consistency whilst providing even medium and slightly buildable opacity. If you’re looking for a shade like this that you could actually get your hands on without resorting to ebay or the like, I’ve found that the more affordable NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Cheesecake to be impressively close, with a slight bit more orange to it and a balmy-gloss consistency.

MAC Lipstick in Dubonnet (Amplified Creme) | “deepened claret” (4)

The Amplified formula does all that it promises, gliding over the lips with that hint of hydration, providing amazing pigmentation, being as comfortable as anything on the lips while lasting for 5-6 hours unless there’s been some oily-food eating or sliding before the colour has fully dried down on the lips. Dubonnet is my favourite and only MAC deep autumnal shade offering and I love its versatility, straddling the line between a more wearable berry or deep read and a true vampy shade. It’s one of those colours that believe MAC named aptly because it actually looks like the wine in colour, being a red-leaning berry hue with neutral brown undertones (in the best way possible). I have to say that the pictures do not do the shade justice because the glossiness does not show up favorable on camera, but this is fixed as soon as you let the lipstick set or do a bit of blotting. The shade is very similar to my other favourite NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Golshan and notably cheaper.

MAC ‘Hey, Sailor!’ Lipstick in Sail la Vie | “bright mid-tone orange” – limited edition

As one might guess on account of the pretty nautical packaging, this neon orange shade with a little hint of red to it, was, in fact, limited edition and out almost three years ago before it sold out quickly. Believe it or not, I bought this shade to wear to my prom over the top of a reddish liner (to match my dress) and I’m some glad that I did. The satin formula wears for ages and ages and eventually stains the lip with more comfortable and easier application than a matte. It’s nice and pigmented, also and lasts on my lips for a good five hours. I’m sure that this is a dupeable shade but I can’t think of any options on the top of my head – and if you’re crazy and want to track this one down, I’ve seen it on Amazon for inflated but not absolutely ridiculous prices. I haven’t worn this as much since starting my blog, unfortunately – but I wore it loads before – just because I didn’t want to be wearing a shade that you couldn’t get your hands on in a post…

MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo (Retro Matte) | “very matte vivid blue-red” (3)

The cult-favourite shade has possibly the most drying clay-based formula ever and is difficult to apply to the lips but it lasts so long on the lips and doesn’t move so it definitely has its merits; the formula is most certainly worth it because the flame-bright red with cooler undertones and a hint of pink is stunning and as universally flattering as its reputation assumes. The shade lasts a ridiculous amount of time on the lips and doesn’t transfer but when it does fade, it tends to leave that ring effect so I would recommend reapplication and it makes teeth look remarkably whiter without being jarring on my warmer skin tone. I’m tempted to say that this is my favourite red and I’m definitely one of those red kind of girls.

Do you have a favourite MAC Lipstick to share? What one should I try next?

Maggie, x.