MAC, It Was Fun While It Lasted

Oh MAC., how you've failed me!  I remember how, in the in late 90's and early 2000's, I loved MAC and being able to purchase a MAC lipstick was a big deal. They are one of the cheaper "higher end" makeup brands out there. I loved their exotic colors and artistry. I had so many of the Lip Glass-- Gloss, Oyster Girl was my favorite, and their shadows were all the rage! But in the end, the Lip Glasses would just be a big hot, sticky mess and my hair would always fly into the goo.  Flash-forward to 2015 and oh how my opinion of this brand has changed.

They still have all of the funky colors, but they just don't last.  In my search of a dupe for my favorite lipstick, I came upon a YouTube video, where the Vlogger swatched the MAC Matte Lipstick brand. I was interested in a few colors so I went to the MAC store at the mall, not the MAC counter at Nordstroms, mistake # 1. 

Every time I've walked into this store I have been completely disappointed with their inadequate service.  It doesn't matter if there's no one else in the store, or if it's filled with people, it's always so difficult to get someone to answer my questions, say hello or help me.

Since I already had a few colors I was interested in, I just started swatching on my arm. Finally a sales associate asked if I needed any help.  I whipped out my favorite NARS color, Greta, and asked if they could match it.  At MAC's $16 a tube I didn't mind buying a dupe from their store. The sales associate was showing me colors she liked, for her skin tone. I'm fair, she wasn't, get my drift? The colors that looked good on her, were not colors that looked good on me.

I settled on a matte color called All Fired Up, which the MAC site describes as a "bright fuchsia matte". I don't know, maybe I bought the wrong All Fired Up, because in the tube it looks like a brick red, on my arm it looks like a brick red, and on my lips it looks like a brick red. Oh and swatched next to Greta, it looks like a brick red. 

Now the formula. I know that they are matte, so I didn't expect a shiny or creamy finish. This lipstick felt chappy, easily rubbed off (and I applied a liner) and was one of the most drying matte lipsticks I've used this summer.  You can't just reapply if it wears off because then it gets cakey. The second time I applied this lipstick, I could see it settle in the lines of my lips. It's not advertised as a long lasting lipstick, so I expected that.  I had to take it off the second time I applied it because it was just too drying. 

One swipe of Greta, takes 10 swipes of All Fired Up to get a similar look. 

Below is a color swatch of Greta and All Fired Up.  You can see that this is definitely not a bright fuchsia. 

The matte color is All Fired Up (bright fuchsia), from MAC and the creamy finish is Greta

I don't know about you, but to me that's not a bright fuchsia. That is only one swipe of Greta and four swipes of All Fired Up.

Another thing I hated was that when I opened my MAC package, I had the wrong color and had to go back to the store to exchange it, that made me a sad monkey.  They couldn't even grab the correct color.  When I swatched these side by side in the store, the color was almost the same.When I got home  and in the natural light, it looked orange. 

When the sales girl asked me what color I brought in to swatch,  I simply replied, "Only the best color and lipstick on the planet." 

Because of all the mishaps and mislabeled colors I give MAC's matte lipstick, in All Fired Up, 2 Gerber Daisies out of 5.

“Nobody looks good with brown lipstick on.” 
― Frank Zappa

No Frank Zappa, they do not!!