MONTHLY MAKEUP OBJECTIVES: Wear Stila Liquid Lipsticks

To kick off my completed monthly makeup objectives, I will start with the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks.

My love for liquid lipsticks first started with Lime Crime's Velvetines, but naturally being only available in two colours, I started searching abroad for different brands - to which I found Stila. I will review these in the near future when I have time to properly swatch them, but I might as well treat you to some pics of me wearing it being that I have them!

One thing I will note about these liquid lipstick... don't buy them solely based on the colour of the tube. Fiore in particular is a lot brighter on than in the tube! When applied, they dry down and the colour changes slightly. If you're buying online, check a few swatches on the net first!

Stila Aria 

Stila Fiore

Aria is a deep but bright plum colour and Fiore is a bright pink/fuchsia. Both wear really well (I wore Aria out for dinner to purposely put it through it's paces... it really doesn't budge!). I am glad I finally got around to wearing them and Fiore in particular will be making its way into rotation over summer!

One more thing to note with application, a little goes a very long way! (So make sure you use a light hand).

That's one checked off the list with plenty more to come!
Love,
Your PM x

DUPE TEST: MAC Impassioned vs Maybelline Vivid Rose

Hello,

If you are a regular (or semi-regular) follower of the blog, you would have seen that I've posted swatches of my MAC Amplified Creme collection and in that post I thought of a good dupe test: MAC Impassioned vs Maybelline Vivid Rose!

MAC Impassioned (Left) and Maybelline Vivid Rose (Right)

MAC Impassioned (Left) and Maybelline Vivid Rose (Right)

The verdict: Not as close as I was expecting! 

While they are both pink-y, Impassioned is more red and a bit deeper in colour. Don't get me wrong, it's still vibrant, but nowhere near as vibrant as Vivid Rose (the camera doesn't show the brightness but it's seriously amazing!). I was honestly expecting these to be closer, as when I swatched the Maybelline Vivids, Vivid Rose had that real red streak! That being said, if you are makeup minimalist (which I am not), then you probably don't need both! I love Impassioned, but I also love Vivid Rose - I keep swooning over the colour and I really need to hurry up and wear it.

Are there any other dupe tests you would like to see on the blog? Let me know!

Love,

Your PM x

p.s. The PM is on facebook! www.facebook.com/PolishedMakeupBlog

DUPE TEST: Lime Crime Babette

Greetings!

For this edition of the dupe test, I will be seeking formidable comparisons for Lime Crime's Babette. I have already reviewed Babette and you can read what I think of it here! 

Anyway, Let's get straight into it:

The contenders!

Up for comparison:

- MAC Betty Bright

- Illamasqua Obey

- Lime Crime Coquette

- Illamasqua Sonnet

- Nars Lodhi

- OCC Lip Tar Hush

(L-R: Hush, Lodhi, Betty Bright, Sonnet, Obey, Babette, Coquette)

Let's compare:

- Hush: Browner than Babette

- Lodhi: Brighter and more red than Babette

- Betty Bright: Similar tone, but pinker than Babette

- Sonnet: Paler and more orange than Babette (also a matte finish)

- Obey: Similar tone but more Orange (also a matte finish)

- Coquette: Browner than Babette (this was here as a comparison!)

The Verdict: No real dupes here but Obey is probably the closest. If you want something similar but less bright, Hush could also be a suitable alternative. Not many Babette worthy dupes in my stash it seems! (Sorry!)

Note: Hush is very similar to Coquette but a bit more pink! If you mix both Coquette and Babette together, it brings up a similar colour to Hush!

Where to get them (in Australia):

- Hush: lipstickrepublic.com.au (AUD$18 for 10ml)
- Lodhi: meccacosmetica.com.au (AUD$39 for 2.2gms)
- Betty Bright: This was a LE colour (sorry!)
- Sonnet: myer.com.au (AUD$25 for 4gms)
- Obey: myer.com.au (AUD$25 for 4gms)
- Coquette: lipstickrepublic.com.au (AUD$21 for 3.5gms)

Are there any dupe tests you would like to see on the blog?

Love,

Your PM x

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Lime Crime 'Babette' (Review & Swatches)

Hello,

The much anticipated newest lipstick from Lime Crime is out and I have given it a road test to present my findings to you! Yippee!

Babette is a pastel coral. It's a muted, pale colour.

Lime Crime - 'Babette'

Lime Crime - 'Babette'

As you can see from the swatch, it's nice and muted coral. Not really bright but not really deep! It has been marketed as 'Coquette's' pink cousin! I have swatched them side by side for you:

Lime Crime - 'Babette' (left) and 'Coquette' (right)

As you can see, they are somewhat related. Coquette is quite brown, but still has a pink tone (it reminds me of the colour of bandaids lol). Here is Babette in action:

Babette on the lips, Illamasqua Tremble blush, Lime Crime Aquataenea & D'Antoinette Palettes on the eyes!

The wear time was pretty decent considering it's a pale coloured lipstick! I applied it in the morning, and it had pretty much disappeared by the time I had finished my lunch (expected), but a lunchtime re-application saw a good four hours of wear out of it in the arvo! (could probably be longer but I got hungry! lol). I wore it without lip liner and did not notice any bleeding either.

Packaging is Lime Crime's standard purple unicorn tube (which I have no problem with... it works and it stands out in your handbag! woohoo!). As for fragrance, there wasn't one. This I am perplexed by as normally LC lippies have a vanilla-y scent but this had nothing. That being said, I'd rather no smell than a bad one! (However I am curious as to where it went! lol)

I would recommend this for paler skin tones. I know, personally, I tend to shy away from nudes because they make me feel pale and pasty (and like my lips have disappeared). This is a good alternative because it's got a pink undertone. It's still neutral enough to go with everything but has enough colour to give you a bit of life! It also looks great with Illamasqua's 'Tremble' blush (as seen in the action shot!). It's also a good option if you aren't overly confident for wearing bright colours.

Babette will set you back USD$15.99/AUD$21 for 3.5gms. (Great value considering it's such a quality product!). You can purchase LC from limecrimemakeup.com or in Australia from lipstickrepublic.com.au

This gets a big thumbs up from me!

Have you tried Babette? Thoughts?

Love,

Your PM x

p.s. You can view swatches of the rest of my Lime Crime lipstick collection here!

p.p.s. Stay tuned for a dupe test featuring Babette! Coming very soon! (i.e. As soon as I've published this I'll start it!)

SWATCH FEST: MAC Amplified/Amplified Creme Lipsticks

In this post I thought I would share with you my MAC Amplified Creme Collection. Amplified is my favourite MAC finish, hands down! If you ever want to invest in a MAC lippy, I do recommend trying an Amplified Creme. There are a huge range of colours (I have 12 I am swatching for you today) but they range from nude (safe) to bright (out there), so there is definitely something for every taste! The colour is intense and long lasting! Finish wise, they are satin-y-ish. Definitely not matte or glossy! They often leave a bit of a stain (which doesn't bother me but may bother you). With day-after-day wear they can suck the moisture out of your lips a little (due to all the pigments) - so prep well and balm them!

Lets get swatching!:

MAC Amplified Cremes

L-R: Violetta, Dark Side, Craving, Chatter Box, Haute Altitude, Saint Germain 

L-R: Girl About Town, Show Orchid, Full Fuschia, Impassioned, Morange, Neon Orange 

L-R: Violetta, Dark Side, Craving, Chatter Box, Haute Altitude, Saint Germain

Violetta: PRO. Bright violet with a slight blue shimmer.

Dark Side: A deep burgundy (a great choice for winter!)

Craving: A pinky plum colour (this is my favourite non-bright colour!)

Chatter Box: A mid-pink (red based)

Haute Altitude: LE. A dusty pink. It almost looks nude compared to these. (This was released with the Apres Chic collection and may be hard to come by now).

Saint Germain: A bright baby pink.

L-R: Girl About Town, Show Orchid, Full Fuchsia, Impassioned, Morange, Neon Orange

Girl About Town: A bright fuchsia.

Show Orchid: PRO. A bright fuchsia with a blue-ish iridescence. This has got serious shine!

Full Fuchsia: PRO. A bright fuchsia. This is a teensy bit more red than Girl About Town - and has a tiny bit more shimmer.

Impassioned: A red toned fuchsia. Not as deep as GAT and FF. Reminds me of Maybelline's Vivid Rose (*note to self: dupe test!*)

Morange: A bright, clean orange. (this is my all-time fave!)

Neon Orange: LE/PRO. A bright red-toned orange. (This was released with the All About Orange collection and I believe it's usually a PRO colour)

NOTE: Pro Only colours can only be purchased from MAC Pro Stores (check the MAC website for your closest Pro store).

Other colours in the range are:

- Cosmo

- Fast Play

- Brick-o-la

- Vegas Volt

- Up the Amp

- Dubonnet

- Half-n-Half

- Blankety

(You can check the MAC website for descriptions)

MAC lipsticks retail for AUD$36 for 3.0gms. You can purchase from selected MAC/David Jones counters and online from www.maccosmetics.com.au!

Which is your favourite Amplified Creme?

Love,

Your PM x

p.s. If you follow me on Instagram (@polishedmakeup), you can see some of these amplified cremes in action!

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Bite Beauty Pastille Lipstick in Violet

Good evening! (or day - depending on when you read this!)

In this post I will be sharing my thoughts on the new Bite Beauty Pastille Lipsticks. These have been out in the US for a while but they have just started to surface here!

Bite Beauty pride themselves on producing 'food grade' cosmetics. This means they are safe to eat! (No parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances/dyes, petrochemicals or phthalates! YAY!). They also contain Reservatrol to fight free radicals (this is good!).

I managed to get my hands on Violet and Lilac (I found these colours the most appealing of the bunch - I love brights!).

Bite Beauty Pastille in Violet

This line is inspired by the French Pastille lollies. They are described as a 'Matte Creme' with a velvet finish. Bit of a contradiction because matte and velvet (in my opinion) are different finishes. When I think matte I think Illamasqua and MAC - no shine at all. Velvet is definitely more applicable. The colour is very intense like a matte lipstick, but it has a satin/velvet like shine. It's by no means glossy though!

Violet Pastille in action! (don't mind me looking half asleep!)

I am totally in love with this colour! It is so amazing and bright! (I did not expect it to be so bright actually!). I wanted to keep looking at myself to admire the colour! (is that vain? lol). It is super comfortable to wear too! Not drying at all! (This is fantastic, as most highly pigmented colours tend to suck the moisture out of your lips!). It's a great option if you are still after a bright colour but your lips are a bit under the weather! I did wear this with a lip liner (MAC's Heroine) because I wasn't in the mood for running lips! (Though from wear I tend to believe that it wouldn't be too bad!)

The packaging is simple - grey with a grippy outer. I quite like them because I don't feel like they are going to go flying out of my hands! They do have a fragrance, it's kind of a fruity type - it's a unique compared to any lipstick I've come across. If it was any stronger I would probably struggle to like it.

These are apparently limited edition (so if you are after any, get your hands on them while you can!). 

In Australia, at this stage you can get them from www.stylepatisserie.com. They will set you back AUD$36.95 for 3.7gms of product (reasonable value!).

This colour gets a big amazing thumbs up from me! (I haven't tried the Lilac yet but if it's half as good as this one it will still be awesome!). The other two colours available are: Lavender (sheer lavender) and Rosebud (pink/red).

Have you tried these? Or any other Bite Beauty products? What are your faves?

Love,

Your PM x

DUPE TEST: Pale/Baby Pink Lipsticks feat. Maybelline Pink Pop

Hello,

This edition of the Dupe Test features baby pink lipsticks. After posting my Maybelline Vivids Review, I have wanted to get to work on finding lippies that these bargain tubes of awesomeness are dupes for! So essentially, this post is a comparison of a bunch of lippies to Maybelline's Pink Pop to see which is close (and dupe worthy).

Baby (or pale) pink lippies aren't something that I am stopped in the street for. I generally turn to brighter coloured hues (fuschia pinks, purples and corals). Nonetheless, they are a good choice if you wear soft makeup and want to wear a lipstick that is more exciting than nude!

Lets get to it! Today's subjects:

- Melt 'Darling'

- Illamasqua 'Plunge'

- Maybelline 'Pink Pop' (of course!)

- MAC 'Saint Germain'

- Lime Crime 'Great Pink Planet'

- Coloured Raine 'Confection'

- OCC 'Lovecraft'

- OCC 'Digitalis'

These are all 'cool' pinks (i.e blue based pinks rather than yellow based pinks).

L-R: Melt Darling, Illamasqua Plunge, Maybelline Pink Pop, MAC Saint Germain,  Lime Crime Great Pink Planet, Coloured Raine Confection
OCC Lip Tars: Lovecraft (Top) and Digitalis (Bottom)

L-R: Digitalis, Lovecraft, Darling, Plunge, Pink Pop, Saint Germain,  Great Pink Planet, Confection
(Photo taken with flash)

In both photos, Pink Pop is 5th in from the left.

L-R: Digitalis, Lovecraft, Darling, Plunge, Pink Pop, Saint Germain,  Great Pink Planet, Confection
(Photo taken under a cool light)

- Digitalis: Paler and dirtier than PP.

- Lovecraft: The tiniest fraction purpler than PP, plus it has silver sparkle.

- Darling: Matte and more purple based than PP.

- Plunge: Paler and matte and marginally more yellow than PP.

- Saint Germain: Paler than PP but of similar tone.

- Great Pink Planet: Paler and grayer than PP.

- Confection: A bit deeper and marginally more purple than PP.

The verdict: No real dupes here (sorry!) BUT Lovecraft, Pink Pop and Confection would be suitable substitutes for one another (in other words you probably don't need them all). Either way, it's good to see some swatches!

Also note worthy: Great Pink Planet is a bit greyer than Saint Germain, but if you are trying to be a makeup minimalist you won't need both! (My personal pick of the two would be Saint Germain because it's brighter, but if you're budget conscious go for Great Pink Planet!).

Size & Cost:

- Melt 'Darling': USD$19 (can't find a weight) - note: they don't ship international anymore!

- Illamasqua 'Plunge': AUD$25 for 4gms

- Maybelline 'Pink Pop' (of course!) - AUD$16.95 for 4.2gms

- MAC 'Saint Germain' - AUD$36 for 3gms

- Lime Crime 'Great Pink Planet' - AUD$21 for 3.5gms

- Coloured Raine 'Confection' - USD$13 for 3.5gms

- OCC 'Lovecraft' - AUD$18 for 10ml

- OCC 'Digitalis' - AUD$18 for 10ml

I'm actually quite glad these are all a bit different!

Is there any dupe tests you would like to see? Let me know!

Love,

Your PM x

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Maybelline Vivids Lipsticks

Good day reader! *twirls moustache* (kidding!)

Today's UTM is on the Maybelline Vivid lipsticks! I picked these up when Priceline had 40% off, and have been meaning to put them up for yonks. However, I did want to wear them first but time is dragging on so I thought best to just get them up! (I will update this post if there is anything out of the ordinary when I wear them!).

There are 8 colours in the Maybelline Vivid's range. I have 6 I will swatch for you (missing from the collection are Neon Red and Electric Orange).

The packaging is simple, transparent coloured cap with chrome-esque edging. All Maybelline lipstick packaging is similar - but the colour of the cap changes depending on the range (the Vivid's are an orange-y red).

Swatch time:

(L-R): Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Vivid Rose, Hot Plum, Shocking Coral, Vibrant Mandarin
(Taken under direct light)

(L-R): Pink Pop, Fuchsia Flash, Vivid Rose, Hot Plum, Shocking Coral, Vibrant Mandarin
(Taken under indirect light)

Pink Pop: A blue based pale baby pink.

Fuchsia Flash: A bright blue based mid pink.

Vivid Rose: A mid pink/red hybrid. (It's not quite red but not quite pink!)

Hot Plum: A purple tinged pink. It is purple compared to the other colours, but it still has a good influence of pink.

Shocking Coral: This is probably the more yellow-toned one of the bunch. A pink based coral.

Vibrant Mandarin: A red-based orange. 

What is good about these - particularly the pinks - is that they all lean a bit blue. When I swatched them, they all exuded a blue tone (though Shocking Coral was a bit more yellow). Regardless, pasty, yellow-hatin folk will like these!

For a 'drugstore' lipstick, I was surprised at how intense the pigmentation was! And these really are bright too! They even managed to stain my arm for the brief five minutes that they were on! They were creamy and even. It does take a couple of swipes to build the colour up, but it does build up easily.

The ingredients:

Normally, I wouldn't include ingredients, but this time I feel compelled (haha!). High end lippies (a la MAC etc) have Castor Seed Oil as the first ingredient. These have Lanolin. Lanolin is an animal by-product from wool (helps keep it waterproof). Therefore, if you are vegetarian/vegan, these probably aren't for you! (Ultimately your decision of course!).

My pick would be Vivid Rose - it's such an interesting looking colour (and at first glance is not a shade I really have in the collection!). There are a few within this collection which are rather dupe worthy, and I will endeavour to get them up sooner rather than later.

These are available from various retailers including Priceline, Chemist Warehouse and K-Mart. The going rate is AUD$16.95 and it gets you 4.2gms of product (very good value!).

Have you tried the Maybelline Vivid's? Which ones are your favourites?

Love,

Your PM x

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu

Hello,

I have been holding on to my NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu for quite a while. I was planning to wear it before I put it up on the blog but I just haven't got around to wearing it yet. Nonetheless, I can still share a swatch with you!

Nars Yu

Nars Yu does swatch a bit brighter in real life. It's a bright, vivid, punch you in the face pink! It's a really clean pink that leans a bit blue!

I have already worn and swatched both Luxembourg and Lodhi, which I love! (Check them out if your curious!). I imagine that the wear time of Yu would be somewhere in between Luxembourg and Lodhi. It's a very pigmented colour!

Have you worn Yu? What are your thoughts?

Love,

Your PM x

DUPE TEST: MAC Sounds Like Noise vs MAC Tart & Trendy

Hello,

Here is another edition of DUPE TEST with MAC's Sounds Like Noise (SLN) and Tart & Trendy (T&T).

Both of these lippies are LE. SLN was released with the MAC x Hayley Williams collection and sold out within hours in Australia (can't speak for overseas but I was suprised at how quick it sold out here!). T&T has recently been released with the All About Orange collection. At the time of posting, it is sold out online but some stores are only just getting stock, so if you are keen to get your hands on it you may get lucky! (Note: It's only certain stores that are getting AOO, so you may need to check your local counters for info!).

Sounds Like Noise (Left) and Tart and Trendy (Right)

Sounds Like Noise (Left) and Tart and Trendy (Right)

SLN is a matte finish, whereas T&T is a lustre. Both, however, have been described as a bright neutral orange lipsticks (not much difference there!). They look pretty dead on in the picture, but in real life Tart & Trendy is the tiniest fraction yellower!
Size & Price:

Both colours are 3.0gms for AUD $36

VERDICT: Pretty darn close! You really would be splitting hairs to tell them apart. If you missed out on SLN and it's still a lemming, see if you can still get your hands on Tart & Trendy!

Have you spotted any dupes recently?
Love,
Your PM x

DUPE TEST: Stila Gemma vs MAC Heroine

Hello,

I have just posted a review on Stila's Color Balm Lipstick in Gemma (which you can read here), and it has prompted a dupe test which you may find handy.

Today's subjects are Stila's Color Balm Lipstick and MAC's Heroine.

Gemma (Left) and Heroine (Right)

Heroine has been one of MAC's most hyped about colours, particularly of late! It was recently re-promoted with their Fashion Sets collection (which is where I picked it up) and everyone seemingly wanted to get their hands on it. If you are one of those people that missed out, hopefully this helps!



Gemma (Left) and Heroine (Right)

A dupe test is always made a bit harder when the finishes are different. Heroine is matte whereas Gemma is a glossy finish. Gemma also has a very slight shimmer. The colours are of the same intensity/tone, but Gemma is a tad more red based, and Heroine is a tad more blue based.

Size & Price:

Stila: 3.5 grams of product for AUD$36

MAC: 3.0 grams for AUD$36
(+1 for Stila here!)

Availability:

Stila: Mecca Cosmetica (In-Store and Online)
MAC: Sold out. (But you can purchase MAC from www.maccosmetics.com.au or from select Myer/David Jones Stores)
(Stila also gets the +1 here as it's readily available)

VERDICT: Not quite dupes! Stila is a good alternative if you a) desperately want Heroine and can't function without it, b) you can't stand mattes and want something more mositurising or c) you want a colour nice bright purple.

More dupe tests coming your way very shortly!
Love,

Your PM x

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Gemma

Hello again,

I'm on a little blogging roll this weekend so I thought I'd post another edition of 'Under the Microscope', this time on Stila's Colour Balm Lipstick in Gemma!

Stila is not a brand I have many products of, but I bought some of their UV After Glow Lip Colours and was suitably impressed! I chose Gemma from the Color Balm range because of a) the colour and b) it's claims to be moisturising. I had previously swatched it on a play date to Mecca Cosmetica and after looking at it on my hand for the next 20 minutes, I decided I wanted it! haha.

The Packaging

The packaging is like an up-market balm tube, shiny silver with colour co-ordinating branding. I think it's really cool that it matches depending on what colour you have! (Helps you to find which one you are looking for too!).

Stila Color Balm in Gemma

These Color Balm lippies (need to stop being Australian and remember to not put the 'u' in colour!) come in about 18 different shades and claim to have "the full pigmented load of a lipstick but the nourishing properties of a balm".



Gemma - Under Lamp

Gemma - Flash

Gemma is a red-based purple with a slight gold shimmer. (I didn't know it actually had a shimmer until I put the macro on to photograph it!). In real life, the proper colour is somewhere between the two (it's definitely not as blue based as the artificial light one looks!). The product is very pigmented but also sheer (which would likely be due to it's balmy formulation). To clarify, you get a big hit of colour which applies evenly, but it is nowhere near opaque as a matte lipstick (for instance).

From the moment I put it on I was amazed at how light and comfortable it was to wear. It also contains Peppermint Oil to soothe and stimulate irritated lips. While they remind me of OCC Lip Tars more than anything (same smell), I am confused as to why you would want to stimulate irritated lips (unless this is to do with cell regeneration? hmmm). Anyway, it was definitely soothing to wear (especially as my lips are having a dry spell again). It did bleed a little, which was to be expected, so wearing it with a lip liner is recommended.

Once again, you can have a little treat of an in-action pic!:

The only downside to this product is it's blunt tip, which made it quite a pain to get it on. Yes, you could use a lip brush (making it easy fixed) but I do like the convenience of being able to apply straight from the tube, especially when you are on the run!

I am pleasantly surprised by these, and I recommend them for those times when you still want a nice pop of colour but your lips are dry and unhappy.

You can purchase Color Balm lippies from Mecca Cosmetica (www.meccacosmetica.com.au) for AUD$36 and you get 3.5gms of product. (Think of it as the same price as a MAC lippy but you get 0.5gms more!). You can also find Stila on Beauty Bay.

Have you tried any of the Color Balm's? Which is your favourite?

Love,

Your PM x

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: RiRi Hearts MAC Retro Matte Lipsticks

Hello again,

MAC has collaborated with Barbadian songstress Rihanna (or Rihanna has collaborated with MAC... either way!) to release a range of 'RiRi hearts MAC' products. There's lipsticks, blushes, lustre drops and plenty more on the way (I think there is some eye shadows and other biz to come).

This post will be on the three so-far released Rihanna x MAC Retro Matte Lipsticks.

Realistically speaking I didn't need any of them... but let's face it I'm a bit of a marketers dream and after all the hype in the US, I had to get my hands on RiRi Woo! (The first release of RiRi Woo sold out in 3 hours in the US... THREE HOURS! sheesh!). I was super impressed with RiRi Woo so I then picked up Heaux and RiRi Boy, which came out in the next release!

(L-R): RiRi Boy, Heaux, RiRi Woo

There is no fancy packaging with these, even though they are LE, but they do have Rihanna's signature engraved onto the lippy as featured in Exhibit A:

Exhibit A: Insignia
(it feels like a lab report now! haha)

I still don't quite get what the difference between MAC's matte and retro matte is (if you have any clue please let me know!). I am under the assumption that retro matte gives you the finish that you would expect to see in some 60's pin-up poster. Either way, I like the finish so they can call it whatever they like!

But in all seriousness, these have to be among the best matte lippies I've come across! Swatch time:

Natural Light
(L-R): RiRi Boy, Heaux, RiRi Woo

Artificial Light
(L-R): RiRi Boy, Heaux, RiRi Woo

I have also worn all of these (pretty much a first for any collection!) and will include some pics of them on. If you are following me on Instagram (@polishedmakeup) or are a regular reader, you will have probably seen some of these already!

Riri Boy: A mid-tone violet purple.
This was actually quite a surprise packet. Pleasantly surprising on. I really like the colour, however, the wear was probably the most disappointing of the three. After a while it starts to go a bit patchy a la Heroine. There has been talk of this being very similar to Up The Amp! I did swatch them side by side in-store and they do look similar. Once I finally acquire UTA I will put a dupe test up!

RiRi Boy

Heaux: A deep berry.

This is actually a lot deeper than I expected, especially for a summer collection (though good for us Aussie's being that it's winter over here!). However, it's still a really pretty colour! I can see this one appealing to the widest market. I can't think of any immediate MAC dupes, nor have I heard of any, but I will keep my eyes peeled!

Heaux
(don't mind my silly face montage!)

RiRi Woo: A blue based, cool toned red.

This would suit many skin-tones (particularly us pink-based pasty folk!) To me, this is the type of red you wear when you are getting all dolled up for a night out.

Dupe wise, apparently RiRi Woo is similar to Ruby Woo (one of MAC's most popular reds). I don't own Ruby Woo, hence another reason to buy RiRi Woo as an alternative (plus, I don't wear red lippy too often so unlike other colours, I don't feel the impending need to stock up!). From the pics I've seen they are rather dupe-worthy so hit google if you need to see some more pics!

These mattes are really pleasant to wear and I certainly don't find them as drying as other matte lippies, including MAC's normal mattes. Of course, matte's are rather unforgiving so make sure you prep your lips well! The wear time is exceptional, and if you didn't eat or drink they would last all day and night! (Let's face it though you'll probably have something so a little touch up may be required after meals!). They definitely get a big tick from me!

My overall pick would be Heaux. Because it has a smidgen more pink in it than RiRi Woo, I personally feel it's a tad more practial for everyday wear. For those who love the formula, there is also eight retro matte colours coming out mid-September! Woohoo! I best save my pennies!

These lippies retail for AUD$36 for 3gms and at the time of posting, all are still currently available for sale on the MAC website (www.maccosmetics.com.au) - no hot potato sell outs here! Please note too, it's an online only release so you won't find these in stores!

Have you tried these lippies? What is your favourite colour?

Love,

Your PM x