MAC Lipstick Collection Part 1: Lipstick Swatches on Dark Skin!
- Mar 14, 2017 Why pros love it: 'Whirl is a tone of pink that would naturally occur in a fair to medium-dark skin tone,' says MAC senior artist Regan Rabanal. 'It's almost like a pink latte. The lipstick works.
- Sep 23, 2015 Finding the perfect lip color is a challenge, especially for women of color. So, I'm sharing my top 5 favorite MAC lipsticks that I think are great for dark skin.
Choosing a lipstick is hard, as hard as choosing a foundation. But its even harder if you are a women of color with a darker skin tone. The sad truth is most of these makeup brands don’t usually cater to dark skin tones but instead focus on what society thinks when creating their formulas.
Hey guys! I just wanted to come on and do a blog post to go with my MAC Lipstick collection, since so many of you enjoyed it! MAC Lipsticks are some of the first high end products I bought a bunch of. When I first started experimenting with lipsticks, I dabbled in Revlon and turned immediately to MAC for high end options. I was a college senior at the time, and since there were no MAC stores in Hanover, New Hampshire I had to buy all my lippies on line. It was tough, especially since there weren’t a lot of swatch videos with these colors for women with my skin tone. That’s why I felt so strongly about doing this video, and so I hope you all enjoy!
The Nudes
MAC “Taupe”
Matte finish, terracotta shade. Gorgeous peachy nude for darker skin, but doubles as a gorgeous warm terracotta brown for fairer skin. All around gorgeous lippy. If you are prone to dry lips, then try using a balm underneath!
Perfect for a dramatic cat eye, a daytime smokey eye, or any other sultry eye makeup look. This lipstick screams sensuality.
Click here for this shade!
MAC “Blankety”
Creamy, amplified finish, beige nude. Very pale, so most medium-dark complexions will need a liner with this. When used with the right liner though, it is absolutely beautiful on almost every skin tone. My favorite liners for this lippy are Sephora Chic Choco liner, Wet’n’Wild Plumberry Lip Liner, and NYX Earthtone and Chestnut lip liners.
Perfect for more dramatic eye makeup looks, like a glittery lid, a colorful eyeshadow look, or a classic smokey eye.
Click here for this shade!
MAC “Double Shot”
Creamy, amplified finish. Milk chocolate nude, with a pale rose undertone. Perfect low maintenance nude for darker skin, and a gorgeous deep nude for lighter skin tones. Simple and subtle, this nude lipstick is easily one of my all time favorites. It is almost like a my lip color, but way better shade and the subtle shine give a nice romantic touch.
Dark Green Matte Lipstick
This go to shade works for almost every look! For me, it is the perfect nude for a no-makeup makeup look, work makeup, or an everyday cat eye. It also works beautifully for more dramatic looks, so the choice is yours!
Click here for this shade!
“The Nudes” Lipstick Swatches
The Mauves
MAC “Verve”
Mauve shade with brick red undertone, satin finish. MAC describes it as a muted brownish plum, and it is the same shade as the Viva Glam III. While the Viva Glam is a matte finish, Verve is a satin finish. This is another my lip but better shade for medium-dark skin tones, but with some edge.
Mac Matte Lipsticks For Dark Skin Youtube
Perfect for post work happy hours. I also love this as an everyday vampy mauve for fall, or as a soft and romantic lip to go with a date night look.
Click here for this shade!
MAC “Amorous”
MAC has described this shade as a “lovestruck cranberry,” though I think that description is better suited to Verve. I would describe Amorous as a truemauve shade, with a gorgeous plum undertone and a satin finish. This is a gorgeous Kyle Jenner lip for darker skinned ladies, and the satin finish gives it a nice creamy wear.
This is one of my all time faves! It is a gorgeous effortless vampy shade for days out when you want a little edge. Beautiful everyday lipstick for the fall and winter months.
Click here for this shade!
MAC “Twig”
MAC described this shade as a “soft muted brownish pink” with a satin finish, and I think this is pretty accurate. That being said, these descriptions are often geared towards much fairer skin tones than my own. On my complexion, it is more pink than brown but it is somewhat muted. The effect is a mauvey-nude color that is perfect for everyday!
This is one of my all time favorite mauve-nude lipsticks for darker skin tones. Ultimate bridal lip, but also looks works beautifully for school or the office.
Click here for this shade!
The Mauves Lipstick Swatches
If you all want to see what I think of all these shades, and live lip swatches then check out my video linked below! Stay tuned for part two of this blog post, where I will cover the rest of my MAC lipstick collection.
Buying MAC lipsticks can be overwhelming. There are so many colors, so many finishes, and so many “must-have” posts and videos to view prior to making your purchase.
Well, get read, because I’m throwing another one at you.
The best thing to do before purchasing anything is research. With makeup, especially high-end makeup, it’s extremely beneficial to see the product on other people. Why do you think the beauty blog and Youtube worlds are so popular? While I don’t have enough lipsticks (in my opinion) to share the top 10 must-haves just yet, I do want to talk about a few of my favorites. When I say favorite, I mean these are the shades I keep on heavy rotation and add to my travel or weekender bag without a second thought.
As always, I’m NC 45/NC 50 in foundation shades for your reference. Listed in no particular order–because let’s be real, I love them all equally* for different reasons–these are my favorite MAC lipstick shades:
5 Must-Have MAC Lipsticks for WOC
Best Mac Matte Lipsticks For Dark Skin
- Captive
- Twig
- Whirl
- Diva
Amorous
Amorous is described by MAC as a “lovestruck cranberry” with a satin finish. I personally don’t get anything on the side of cranberry, but I love the color nonetheless. On my lips, it’s more of a cool-tone pink with plum undertones. Amorous a color I like to wear as the everyday mauve shade. It provides enough color to be noticed, but not so much to be the focus.
Captive
I know what you’re thinking — Chelsey, this looks just like Amorous! And to that I say, you’re pretty much right. The average person does not need both Captive and Amorous, one will do just fine. I happen to have both because I was so indecisive as to which one I wanted that I decided to leave with them and return whichever one I decided against. Clearly, I never got around to it…not to mention, there is a small difference between Captive and Amorous. Captive is on the warmer pink side, while Amorous is more cool-toned.
Captive is a pinkish-plum color with a satin finish that I reach for when I want a little flush of color without opting for a bold lip.
Twig
I’ve raved about Twig before in a monthly favorites post, and with good reason. Before Whirl, Twig was my all-time favorite. It actually looks a little pinker in the photograph than in real life, but this is what I deem as the “your lips but better” color. Twig is a soft brownish pink shade, suitable for a variety of skin tones. It blends with your natural lip color to bring out the best shade, so keep that in mind while purchasing: it will not look the same on everyone.
The best thing about Twig is the satin finish, meaning it provides a nearly matte look without the drying factor.
Whirl
*Okay so I said that I love them all equally for different reasons, but I have to admit that Whirl is my all-time favorite. It takes precedence over the rest because the color is everything I never knew I needed. It was even featured in my most recent favorites post.
Easily, Whirl was the most talked about lipstick shade a few years ago. While it was almost annoyingly overexposed, I’m actually glad the hype happened; otherwise, we may never have gotten this shade in lipstick form. If you didn’t know, Whirl was previously only available as a lip liner. Now, it’s a permanent shade in the lipstick range.
The important thing to note about MAC’s Whirl (and all neutral lip colors) is that it doesn’t look the same on everyone. I bought it because I liked the shade in the tube, but I was a bit skeptical as to how it would look on me. To my surprise, I immediately fell in love with it.
Whirl is a beautiful dusty rose shade that works with my natural lip color to create a deeply muted everyday shade. A lipliner is not required, but I usually pair it with MAC’s Plum liner to play up the deeper tones and add more dimension. The shade is a matte finish, which is my only gripe. Satin is the best of both worlds, so I do wish MAC chose a satin finish to keep Whirl away from the dry feeling after a few hours of wear.
Diva
Diva is also a matte finish and is a gorgeous deep red shade with blue undertones. If cherry red isn’t your cup of tea but you aren’t quite ready for a nearly black lip, Diva is the happy medium. Diva is my go-to shade for a night out when I want to wear a bold lip, and I even wore it on the most recent outfit of the day post.
What are some of your favorite MAC lipstick shades?
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