MAC Heroine review

I recently acquired Mac's newly permanent Heroine matte lipstick - a bright orchid purple, or violet leaning fuchsia, which I've speedily swatched next to other similarly coloured lipsticks I own:

Taken in indirect sunlight, as swatch photos should be!

• Top left: Maybelline Colour Elixir Lip Gloss in Vision in Violet
• Top right: Revlon Matte Balm Stain in Shameless
• Centre: MAC Heroine matte lipstick
• Bottom left: OCC Lip Tar in Hoochie liquid lipstick
• Bottom right: MAC Flat Out Fabulous retro matte lipstick

I'm not going to describe the differences between these varying shades of purple as the above photo gives an extremely accurate colour reference, but I will say that Heroine is not as opaque as I'd hoped and expected it to be. Since I'm insanely pale and without strongly pigmented lips it's rare that lipsticks allow my natural lip colour to peep though (unless of course they're a deliberately sheer formula) and to be honest Heroine is only slightly less than fully opaque - I just expect better from MAC.

Not going to lie - I can't wink, but neither am I going to let that stop me

Since I have no time in my life right now for neat on-the-mouth swatches in daylight (I live in the library during the hours the sun is out) I'm just going to leave you with some snaps of the makeup I did for an event I attended this weekend - as the photo was taken at night under my stupid eco-friendly energy saving lights the colours are naturally slightly off - suffice to say Heroine is the colour shown above on the swatches, not how it appears here on my mouth.

Overall I'd give Heroine a B+ - it was adequately opaque, applied well straight from the tube, was matte enough to be very long-wearing yet also comfortable without patchiness. It did however leave a significant bright pink stain which doesn't bother me in the slightest but is probably something to consider. I'd definitely re-buy it if I lost or finished it because it's such a gorgeous colour and easy to use, but hopefully there's something a little bit better out there!


FACE:

• NARS Oil Free Primer
• NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia foundation
• Illamasqua Hollow contour
• Illamasqua Delirium blush
• Illamasqua Concealer in 105 and 115
• Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

BROWS:

• Illamasqua Motto Brow Cake
• Sugarpill Bulletproof eyeshadow

EYES:

• NARS and Urban Decay eyeshadow primer (one on each eye - literally no difference)
• Laura Mercier Morning Dew eyeshadow
• Inglot 363 eyeshadow (my absolute favourite crease colour)
• Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
• Fyrinnae Serendipity and Rapunzel Had Extensions eyeshadow
• Sugarpill Bulletproof eyeshadow
• Urban Decay Perversion eyeliner
• Oh My Lash Lucille eyelashes
• Duo Lash Glue
• Misc rhinestones from Amazon

LIPS:

• MAC Prep+Prime Lips
• MAC Heroine lipstick

This feels invasively close

Also here's my other and all time favourite purple lipstick, also by MAC but sadly Limited Edition - Instigator:

Hair's still wet, no one to impress

All FACE and BROW products are exactly the same as above.

EYES:

• NARS Smudgeproof Shadow Base
• Laura Mercier Morning Dew
• Inglot 363 eyeshadow
• Sugarpill Bulletproof eyeshadow
• Urban Decay Pervesion eyeliner
• Red Cherry #48 eyelashes

LIPS:

• MAC Instigator

Hopefully soon I'll find time in my life to post more than just a few snaps of looks I've done for nights out, but until then I'll be living barefaced in the library.


Saskia X

PrettyTrivialities@gmail.com