MAC Lipstick Collection

My MAC Lipstick Collection + Lip Swatches

I remember when I got my first MAC lipstick. I spent a good 45 minutes at the computer, switching between the MAC website and Google image search trying to compare shades and figure out which one I would like best. I finally settled on Brave, which was and still is my favorite lipstick of all time. The formula of the satin finish lipstick was perfect for me - if I could make my own lipstick, it would pretty much be the same as a MAC satin finish lipstick. And the first color I made would probably be identical to Brave. The only thing I'm not particularly fond of is the classic MAC lipstick vanilla scent, although it has grown on me.

Left to Right: Brave, Finally Free, Twig, Craving

As you can see, I've used Brave a lot. I've never actually finished a lipstick before but I'm pretty sure I'll end up finishing Brave in the next year. And I will absolutely repurchase it. Finally Free is a cremesheen, and it was made with Caitlyn Jenner. At the time I purchased it, 100% of the purchase price went to the MAC AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative, which is the main reason I bought it (I do like the color though). I'm not entirely sure if that's still the case but I do know that as of when I post this it's still available. Twig, a satin finish, is actually quite similar to Finally Free but less glossy. Craving is an amplified finish, which is almost like a more pigmented cremesheen finish to me.

Left to Right: Russian Red, The Fashion Flock, "O"

Russian Red is a matte finish. It's my perfect red - matte, blue-toned, and intense. The Fashion Flock is a matte, and it was limited edition so it's no longer available, at least not through MAC. I don't think it's worth trying to get on eBay or a blog sale though, which I will explain in more detail in the lip swatch section. "O" is my newest MAC lipstick, and it's a frost finish. I would never have gotten it if I hadn't swatched it myself in-store, because in the tube it just looks like a shimmery dark brown, which is pretty but not what I prefer on myself. When you swatch it, though, it's really a lovely purple shade with lots of copper and gold shimmer.

Swatches

Brave (Satin Finish)

Like I've mentioned a couple times already in this post, and excessively in past posts, Brave is my favorite lipstick. If I had to choose one lipstick to wear the rest of my life, it would be this one. Brave is one of those shades that looks good on pretty much everyone. It's not quite a nude, but it's not quite a pink or purple either. It looks different depending on the lighting, but it generally looks like a mid-tone mauve.

Finally Free (Cremesheen)

This shade is another universally flattering one in my opinion. It is a bit more sheer than Brave is, though, so it may look different on you depending on how pigmented your lips are. When I bought it 100% of the purchase price went to the MAC AIDS Fund Trangender Initiative, but I'm not sure if that's still the case. You can still get it though, so if you like it then it's available as of posting.

Twig (Satin)

I wanted a brown lipstick, but I knew most brown lipsticks weren't all that flattering on me, so I went for Twig after seeing some swatches online. It's a lovely rosy brown color that I think looks nice on me. I don't wear it nearly as often as I should.

Craving (Amplified)

Craving is another one I don't wear as often as I should. It's kind of a plum shade, but a little more brown than I would expect from a plum color. I think it's a great fall shade.

Russian Red (Matte)

If you like blue-toned reds, this is for you. It's also highly pigmented, which is an essential quality for a red lipstick in my opinion. And it's matte, which is my preferred finish for bright and bold lipsticks so they don't bleed as easily. Those things as well as how long-wearing it is make this my favorite red lipstick.

The Fashion Flock (Matte)

The camera doesn't show enough detail for it to be obvious here, but it is in real life - this is the patchiest and streakiest lipstick I've used in a long time. And it's a shame, because the color is bright and eye-catching and gorgeous. Even if my lips are in perfect condition, no chapping or cracking at all, this lipstick clings to every tiny little dry patch. You will be able to see every little line and crack in your lips if you wear this. I was so disappointing by this one, especially because it looked like the perfect bright spring shade and I needed one. It was limited edition, so it is no longer available.

"O" (Frost)

I was at the MAC counter in the Macy's in a mall when I first discovered this one. I almost didn't even swatch it because it just didn't look like something I would wear, but I'm so glad I did. It looks like the average brown lipstick but with some shimmer if you just see it in the tube, but when you swatch it, there's way more to it. It's a sheer dark purple base that reflects a coppery-gold, and it shifts from more purple to more coppery-gold depending on how the light hits it. Most people would use this as a lipstick topper, and I'll probably do that too, but I'm loving it on its own right now.

Makeup Collection: Lips 3

Makeup Collection 2016: Lipstick

I have far too much lipstick for one pair of lips, and yet I keep buying it. Lipstick is my absolute favorite makeup product of all time. This is an excessive amount of lipstick to have at once, but I love all of it and wear many of them often. Since lipsticks are more pigmented than glosses or balms, I included swatches.

This is the Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment in Flush, and it is my absolute favorite lipstick of all time. I even have a backup of it. It's a great product, plus the packaging is super cute. I think this color would look good on anyone.

I only have one of the Ulta Matte Lip Creams, the one in the shade Artistic, but I need to get more. They're relatively comfortable for a liquid lipstick, and they dry totally matte. This is a very pretty color as well.

This is a deluxe size of the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw. It can be difficult to apply, but it dries down completely matte and looks stunning. I would consider getting a full size one, but in a color I would wear every day.

I love the packaging on this lipstick! I haven't worn it much yet, so I don't know how good the actual lipstick is, but it's so cute that I have to keep it around.

These are my Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks in In Love With Ginger and Nude And The City. These are great lipsticks and they come in tons of different shades.

I have yet to really try out my Bite lipstick duo in Cafe (top) and Pepper (bottom), but they don't seem very pigmented until you layer them. That surprised me because I've heard people rave about how pigmented they are. You can layer them, though, so it's not that big of a deal.

This is my NYC Expert Last lipstick in Forever Fuchsia. It's not really a color I would wear often, but it's always good to have a couple of shades like that for occasions that you want a more out-there lip color. I don't think this is super flattering for my skin color, but it's not too bad.

I rarely use my Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid lipstick in Brazen Berry, but when I want a purple lip, this is what I reach for. It's really creamy, so it doesn't last very well, but it's not drying either.

These are all of my deluxe sized lipsticks. From top to bottom, I have a Too Faced La Creme in Naked Dolly, a Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie in Speak Your Mind, a Bite Beauty Luminous Creme in Palomino, and a Buxom Full Bodied in Menace. They're all great lipsticks, but I especially like the one from Bare Minerals.

These are my Essence Long Lasting lipsticks in Coral Calling and Nude Love. These are just a few dollars, and in my opinion they are comparable to some high-end lipsticks. They're not too drying and they last a long time too.

This is my NYX Extra Creamy lipstick in Castle. I love the color so much, and I can't wait to wear it as much as I can.

Next up I have a NYX Butter lipstick in the shade Pops. I love both the formula and the color. I'm thinking of using this as the lipstick I want to use up this year because I enjoy wearing it so much.

This is a Forever 21 Velvet lipstick in Natural. The formula is incredibly dry and it tugs at your lips as you apply it, so I assume it's drying, but I have yet to wear it for a full day.

This is my E.L.F. lipstick in Flirtatious. I don't wear it enough considering how pretty it is. It's a very nice pinky coral that I think would look good on me.

Last, but definitely not least, we have one of my all time favorite lipsticks - the Wet' n' Wild Mega Last lipsticks. They're a bit drying, but they're so pigmented and long lasting that it's worth it to be. From top to bottom, I have the shades Bare It All, Just Peachy, 24 Carrot Gold, Don't Blink Pink, Stoplight Red, Red Velvet, and Mauve Outta Here. I love every single one of them and I wear them all the time.

Makeup Collection: Lips 2

Makeup Collection 2016: Lip Gloss

I have so much lip gloss that it's not even funny. I don't really even wear lip gloss that much. This is far too much for one person to use in a two year time period, and yet I still have it all. I do plan to declutter soon, so it should be more manageable then.

These are the majority of my squeezy tube glosses. I don't tend to use gloss in this form, but I do have a few I've been gifted, as well as some I bought at the dollar store because I thought they would smell good.

These are the glosses from the dollar store, along with an unopened glow in the dark gloss.

These are two Milani glosses I got at the dollar store. They're really pretty, but they've smelled a bit off since I got them, so I'm probably just going to get rid of them next time I declutter.

These are the E.L.F. lip stains I got a while back. I'll probably declutter these too since I rarely use them. They're great quality and super pretty, but I just never reach for stains.

Out of all the glosses I own, the Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Margaret is by far my favorite. It tingles in a way I enjoy and it looks gorgeous. The other two glosses here are really good, especially the Laura Mercier one.

A while ago I got these Profusion Feline Lip Lusters in a set. I haven't gotten the chance to play around with them as much as I would like to yet, but I'll put up a review when I have.

These are just three random gloss-like products I never really give enough love to. I just got the Provocalips, but I still haven't used it nearly as much as I should.

The three lip glosses here are also from the dollar store. They smelled off when I got them as well, so I'll have to get rid of them.

Revlon doesn't appear to sell the glosses shown here anymore, which means it's probably time to throw them away. The Stila gloss, however, I just opened recently so it's still good.

I can't find the brand of the two red glosses anywhere on the tube, but I know the orange one is from Wet' n' Wild. They're all okay glosses, just not the absolute best.

These two Urban Decay glosses are brand new, and I featured them in a haul a little while back. They're incredibly pigmented, but I'm not sure about how longwearing they are yet.

Lastly, I have three Fusion Beauty glosses, two of which have amazing pigmentation. The other one has decent pigmentation. I go into more detail about them in my recent review.

Makeup Collection: Lips 1

Makeup Collection 2016: Lip Balms

I have far, far too much lip balm. Although I do use up lip balms pretty regularly, this is still too much. But I love lip balms, so I end up accumulating it. Here it all is.

This lip balm makes me angry. The only reason I still have it is to remind me that I hate it so I can tell people about how bad it is. Why? It has major hype as a great lip balm, which would be fine by me if it didn't contain salicylic acid. Although a few other lip balms I have probably contain that (or alcohol, which can do the same thing), this one makes me angry because it's so hyped. Salicylic acid can majorly dry out your lips. It being drying is what makes it a good acne treatment, but pimples and lips are not the same and lips never need to be dried out. If this weren't so hyped I wouldn't mind as much, although it also claims to sooth, heal, and protect lips, which may be true if you use it a couple of times, but if you use it regularly then it will dry out your lips. I'll be tossing this next time I declutter.

I got these in a pack together for a dollar, which is why it surprised me when they were better than the Carmex that was also a dollar.  It turns out that in addition to not having salicylic acid in them, they also have aloe in them, which is both soothing and healing. My favorite is the blue raspberry.

Not only do these LA Colors tinted lip balms leave a nice tint, they also contain coconut oil, which is really moisturizing. I love them for both moisturizing and for a light wash of color when I don't feel like lipstick but I still want something on my lips.

Electro Baby Lips are great. The orange one is my favorite, so I have two. The pink and orange leave a nice light tint, while the green and yellow are totally sheer. They smell nice and moisturize well, too.

I got these three lip balms because they're so stinkin' cute! Look at the little smiley faces! They aren't great for moisturizing, but they're too cute to not keep.

These are my Wet' n' Wild Natural Blend tinted lip balms. They actually give quite a bit of color, especially the darker two. Their lasting power isn't great, but they're much more moisturizing than a lipstick, so I can overlook that.

These are the Blamtastic Skins lip balms I got for Christmas. I plan to get more when these are done because I love them! They're fantastic, very moisturizing and they smell great too. I can't really put a finger on the exact scent, but it's a light sweetish scent.

I've got two Rimmel Keep Calm lip balms. I gave these a bad review in the past, but since I was gifted a couple more, I want to give them a second chance.

These are my Burt's Bees lip balms. I love them, but I only have three because there are some that I like better and cost less. I would highly recommend all of the Burt's Bees lip balms, though, since there have been others I've tried in the past.

The first lip balm her is from Forever 21's makeup line. I have yet to use it enough to know how I like it. The middle one is from NYC, and it's okay. The last one is a sample from Bare Minerals, which I have yet to try, but I have swatched it and it's super pigmented. Even more pigmented than a normal lipstick, and it's called a balm.

The first two lip balms here came from a little set I got at Ulta around Christmas. They smell lovely. The third is from the dollar store, and it also smells great. I want to use these ones more.

These are three random lip balms from various places. I've done a review of the Yu-Be one, and although I liked it back then, I don't anymore because the rosemary scent started to bug me. I previously called the one on the right my holy grail lip balm, but since then I've found better ones. The one on the left is alright, not the best but definitely not bad.

These two lip balms are from Claire's. They smell good but otherwise they're not great. I wouldn't buy them at the price I got them for - about four bucks each.

Last but not least, I have two Starburst lip balms and a Jolly Rancher one. I have a third Starburst one but it's in my bag. The Starburst ones are pretty good, but I've only used the Jolly Rancher one a few times and can't say what I think quite yet.