Are MAC Lipsticks Really Worth It?

Even though I’ve been a makeup junkie for years now, a brand I’ve always been cynical about has been MAC. Shamefully I’ve never actually tried any MAC makeup. I don’t know why, but their marketing and aesthetic never appealed to me, seeming very heavy and, for a lack of a better word, cakey.

Maybe it stems from my high school years, when everyone seemed to be using the brand, but I have never seen a full face of MAC products that doesn’t look like a bit of a mask which put me off of the whole brand. One exception to this is their Face and Body Foundation which I am quite interested in trying out, but for my first impression I thought I would go with maybe the most iconic product from MAC, their lipsticks. Today I want to try them out and see if they live up to the their reputation. For my first two I purchased some of their most popular shades, Whirl and Russian Red, both in a matte formula.

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WHIRL

THE SHADE
Whirl is muted medium-dark brown with a matte finish and a greyish undertone. My lips are quite pigmented, peeking through anything nude. I find that this is just about as light as I can go with my lipstick without any issues. This shade is lovely and very wearable for me.

FORMULA AND APPLICATION
I expected this lipstick to be drying but it surprised me! It was matte but not overly drying, rather a little creamy and quite comfortable. I found that it tugged at my lips a little when applying, also catching onto the slight dryness I had in one area of my lip, but not horribly.

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RUSSIAN RED

THE SHADE
When I was choosing which shades to go with I knew one of them had to be a red. Initially I was going to choose the brighter Ruby Woo, but decided against the Retro Matte formulation as I thought it wouldn’t be very uncomfortable and I’m happy I did. Russian red is a cool toned medium-dark red with a matte finish.

FORMULA AND APPLICATION
I found this shade applied smoother that Whirl, gliding over the lips nicely with less resistance. For a red lipstick this was very easy to apply straight from the bullet without the need for a lipliner which is great for touch ups throughout the day. I found that this shade did stain my lips slightly, which is quite common, but something to keep in mind.

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Final Thoughts

Overall, I think these lipsticks are nice. They are very pigmented, which for a matte lipstick is ideal, making them lightweight and comfortable on the lips. The makeup industry has been booming for the past few years and with some amazing formulations out on the market, I think these lipsticks may have been revolutionary when they first emerged, but now stack up as good, but not incredible. What I do think they are though, is amazing for the price point.

Yes, there are amazing lipsticks out on the market, but the prices have come to be absolutely ridiculous. With Pat McGrath lipsticks at AU$67, NARS at AU$54, Tom Ford at AU$71 and Charlotte Tilbury at AU$49 each, the price point of MAC lipsticks has now come to be considered quite affordable at AU$30, especially when compared to increasing drugstore prices. The REVLON Super Lustrous Luscious Matte Lipsticks are now AU$24.95, only $5 cheaper than those offered by MAC.

The MAC matte lipsticks to me are quite similar to the Fenty Mattemoiselle formulation, both at a similar pricepoint. In my opinion, they are both great options if you are in the market for a pigmented, comfortable matte lipstick and between the two, the shade choices are endless. Thankfully this is definitely not a purchase I regret at all and my first experience with MAC has been a positive one.