Staying on the theme of blusher and more specifically the recent Fantasy of Flowers Limited Edition Collection - this week's MAC Monday is dedicated to MAC Petal PowerMineralize Blush.
Last week I reviewed the Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose (HERE) which is also part of the Fantasy of Flowers collection. When I bought this I just couldn't chose between Stereo Rose or Petal Power and in the heat of the moment ended up with both! So now I have them both I wanted to compare the two!
I couldn't help it! I had to buy another one! You may've seen my MAC Monday post a few weeks ago about MAC's Huggable Lipcolour in Fresh & Frisky (HERE) and I have been loving it so much I wanted to try some other colours.
The Huggable Lipcolour is a shiny balm but it has more of a gel feel on the lips. It is not sticky, colour is not fully opaque but can be built up and it is really moisturising. At this time of year my lips are dry and I have struggled with some of my matte lipsticks but as the name suggests, these really do hug my lips and feel quite soothing.
MAC claim the colour lasts up to 6 hours. I don't think this is true, but the colour and shine does last longer than other creamy lipsticks by MAC. As the colour fades it does so evenly and leaves a slight shine behind. The nicest thing is that as the colour fades the balm feeling stays on your lips so you don't feel completely 'naked' between top ups!
The Huggable Lipcolours were released a few weeks ago and are only a limited edition collection. Most of the colours have annoyingly but predictably already sold out! My favourite is Fresh & Frisky which was my first purchase - remarkably this is one of the few colours still left in stock! It is a natural peach colour which is subtle but brightens your face and is perfect for spring / summer.
When I decided to give in to the urge and buy another one, I wanted to buy a pink one. Yes, I know - Pink! If you read my post about my fear of pink lips and the search for the perfect pink pout (HERE) you will know this is an unusual choice for me. But I was so drawn to the natural pink in the Huggable Lipcolour advertising image above that I HAD to try it.
It turns out that the soft pink colour is called What A Feeling and is completely sold out everywhere... Perhaps some MAC counters may have some in store but unless this comes back as a permanent collection I will have to miss out. Having looked at images online it is a cool blue toned pink, so perhaps it wouldn't be my kind of colour in real life. It just looks so incredible in that photo!
Whilst looking at swatches online I became really drawn to rosy pink called Out For Passion. Again it was hard to track down as it was sold out everywhere, but eventually I found online at SelfridgesHERE (I had to pay £4.95 delivery mind you but I decided it was worth it...).
MAC Huggable Lipcolour in Out For Passion
Out For Passion is a lovely soft warm slightly coral tinged deeper pink colour. It looks brighter on me than I thought it would (I did mention my fear of pink lips!), but it is natural enough for everyday wear. There are some much brighter colours in the collection if you are braver with bold lips than I am. If I had known that I would like the formula so much when they first came out I would've snapped them all up!
MAC Huggable Lipcolour L-R Out For Passion and Fresh and Frisky
MAC Huggable Lipcolour L-R Out For Passion, Fresh & Frisky
I am surprised that they have received mixed reviews, but I think some people prefer a bold matte lip and find these a waste of time. Personally I love the gel feel (like the YSL Glossy Stains feel once they have 'set') and I love balm crayons, but I hate when colours just don't last. So these work well for me!
I also love the sleek metal packaging and the feel of the lipstick as you apply it (it is quite solid rather than slipping all over the place).
I can only hope that MAC decide to introduce these into their permanent line as I have a feeling that these might be one of the first lipsticks that I actually finish! In the meantime I might have just possibly sneaked the nude shade Touche into a recent Debenhams order I made...... (I will keep you posted how that one works out!).
If you want onethen hurry as stocks are pretty low - MAC Huggable Lipcolours are available at:
Debenhams (only Fresh & Frisky, Touche and Fashion Force): HERE
MAC (only Fresh & Frisky, Fashion Force & Red Necessity): HERE
and if you don't mind the expensive delivery charge - SelfridgesHERE.
If you are a lover of all things MAC then why not check out my previous #MACMonday posts:
MACSoft Brown Eyeshadow HERE MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Let's SkateHERE MACCranberry Eyeshadow HERE MAC Huggable Lip Colours in Fresh and FriskyHERE MACBrick-O-La Lipstick HERE MAC Divine Night Fluidline in Deliciously RichHERE
Don't forget, if you want to join in MAC Monday send or tweet me your links (#MACMonday) and I will link to them here!
Have you tried MAC's Huggable Lipcolours? These are definitely my favourite MAC products at the moment, but come on inspire me (or should I say enable me....) - what are your favourites?
MAC have released a lot of limited edition collections recently, normally I let them pass me by. But there have been 3 releases in the past month or two that have really got me excited. The first was the Divine Night Collection, but I was late to the party on that one and missed out on the Private Party berry toned lipstick. However I did snap up the Fluidline in Deliciously Rich - a pretty, dirty-bronze gel eyeliner that is best used as a cream shadow (see my MAC Monday post about that HERE). Amazingly, given recent experience this is still available HERE.
Then came the Magnetic Nudes Collection - I read about this weeks ago but only yesterday decided I really needed a beautiful lipstick called Sensual Sparks and it is SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE. Gutted. It was an great brown nude gold tones. Swatch photos online looked amazing. I still live in hope I may track this down to a counter somewhere... The collection was only released a few days ago and seemingly sold out immediately online. My nearest MAC counter is 40 miles away (I know!) so it really would be an act of desperation for me to travel that far specifically for a lipstick. Mind you, it wouldn't be the first time.
So this time having learned my lesson I decided to pounce on MAC'sHuggable Lipcolours as soon as I had chosen the shade I liked. The Huggable Lipcolours come in 12 different shades and claim to cling to your lips for up to 6 hours. I found a great Allura video on YouTube that live swatched all of the shades (see below or click HERE if the video doesn't show on your device). Having watched this a few times I decided that I would like try an every day nude type colour and was torn between Touche a pale beige colour and Fresh and Frisky - a neutral peach. I thought that Touche may be too pale for me as I struggle with really pale nudes, so I chose Fresh and Frisky as thinking ahead a little I think it will be really pretty for Spring.
I hate to buy a lipstick which I have never seen in the flesh, it is a huge gamble especially when they are at a premium price. This is actually how I started getting interested in beauty blogs a couple of years ago - looking at the real-life swatches online really helps me to judge whether the shade will suit me.
I know I've said it before, but when I buy make up online I often try Debenhams as I like to use my Beauty Club Card to collect points to turn into discounts. Sometimes there are bonus point offers and you also get free delivery codes (see HERE for Beauty Club info). They have also finally improved it so you can also redeem points online, because it was a HUGE pain the rear before.
But Debenhams failed me at the time and had none of the Huggable Lipcolours online at all (they do now have some HERE). So next port of call was House of Fraser, who luckily had some in stock (see HERE). The MAC website also had some in stock too, but delivery was almost £4 unless you spend over £30 (which I wasn't), where as I can click and collect for free from House of Fraser. It did mean I had to venture out in the January rain but it was worth it to get my package just 24 hours later and all in time for MAC Monday!
MAC Huggable Lipcolour in Fresh and Frisky
First impressions were good. The lipstick comes in a metal tube rather than the standard MAC black plastic bullet. I like the feel of the metal tube and it is a really attractive iridescent silvery purple. This and the satisfying click when you push the top on makes the product feel a bit more 'premium'. It also has the trademark MAC vanilla scent. From the first swatch the texture was soft, glossy and moisturising although the colour seemed quite sheer compared to what I was expecting.
MAC Huggable Lipcolour in Fresh and Frisky
On the lips the coverage wasn't fully opaque but it certainly gave a good colour. Fresh and Frisky was exactly the shade I hoped it would be (thank God for those online swatches!) and is a pretty but very wearable daytime peachy nude. The formula feels moisturising and sets to a sort of balm or gel and has a glossy appearance. It doesn't feel like its going to slide all over your face and doesn't come off as soon as you have a drink like some balms. The wear time is a few hours (although more if you don't eat or drink). This is better than I expected and longer than my other MAC lipsticks, except perhaps for the mattes. The glossy feeling even lasted after a meal which is pretty good. Perhaps the darker shades have even better lasting power?
This shade Fresh and Frisky is quite similar to MAC's Shy Girl lipstick although the Huggable Lipcolour formula is much glossier.
I own two other peachy MAC lipsticks so I swatched them together to compare them. Fresh and Frisky is the peachier of the three although the formula gives more of a sheer colour so it doesn't appear as bright on the lips, although you can layer it up. In comparison Freckletone is more brown and Shy Girl is less pink.
I really like MAC's Huggable Lipcolours although I have no idea why they are only a limited edition collection. The formula does seem to cling to your lips more than MAC's regular lipsticks but without being drying. In fact it reminds of the amazing YSL Glossy Stains once they have set on your lips.
Having tried Fresh and Frisky and been really impressed I would like to try one of the brighter colours. As the formula has a sheer but lasting quality, the brighter colours would be easier to wear than a full on matte opaque colour.
These are selling really fast so don't make my mistake - if you want one, get it fast! They cost £17.50 and you can get hold of them HERE or there are now more colours HERE.
**UPDATE: Since writing this post I have also succumbed to another shade - the beautiful Out For Passion. Take a peak HERE.**
Have you tried the Huggable Lipcolours? Send me your links or recommendations for other colours! Don't forget to join in #MAC Monday - tweet or email me and I will link to your posts!
#MACMonday Bloggers:
Emily over at Emily Loves has joined #MACMonday with her review of MAC's Creme Cup LipstickHERE
