MAC Lipstick, Highlighter, and Blush Swatches

If you were already thinking of checking out the MAC sale, I thought I’d share some swatches to help you shop. I’m showcasing products that I feel are less talked about or at least less talked about among what is current and new to the market.

To shop the sale, use the code MACSPRING30 at checkout. I did test the code on all the available items I have swatched, and they were marked down successfully. The only exceptions are some blushes that are no longer available due to being limited edition or discontinued. I will make a note of those items below the pictures.

Enjoy!

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

(Discontinued formula) MAC Love Me Lipstick – Bated Breath, $22.00

Update June 13, 2025: In my opinion, there is no direct replacement for this formula currently in MAC’s lineup. The closest formula is the **MAC Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick ($25), but it is not as pigmented. I have a swatch and review of the shade Business Casual (here) if you want to check that out.

MAC Love Me Lipstick Bated Breath swatch medium dark skin
MAC Bated Breath (Love Me Lipstick)
**The MAC Sheer Shine formula is a less pigmented alternative to the discontinued Love Me Lipstick formula.
$ 20.25
Sale
Price
$ 27.00
Regular
Price
MAC – Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick

(Discontinued formula) MAC Satin Lipstick – Del Rio, $25.00

Update June 13, 2025: MAC replaced this formula with the **MAC MACximal Sleek Satin Lipsticks ($25). I have a review and swatches posted of the shades Creme In Your Coffee and Paramount, if you’d like to check them out.

MAC Del Rio Satin Lipstick swatch medium dark skin
MAC Del Rio (Satin Lipstick)
**The MAC MACximal Sleek Satin formula has replaced the Satin formula.
$
Sale
Price
$ 25.00
Regular
Price
MAC – XIMAL SLEEK SATIN LIPSTICK

(Discontinued formula) MAC Matte Lipstick – Heroine, $25.00

Update June 13, 2025: MAC replaced this formula with the **MAC MACximal Silky Matte Lipsticks ($25). I have swatches of some of the new shades (Warm Teddy, Cafe Mocha, Avant-Garnet, Russian Red, Red Rock, and Taupe) if you’d like to check out that post.

MAC Heroine Matte Lipstick swatch medium dark skin
MAC Heroine (Matte Lipstick)
**The MAC MACximal Silky Matte formula has replaced the Matte formula.
$
Sale
Price
$ 25.00
Regular
Price
MAC – XIMAL SILKY MATTE LIPSTICK

(Discontinued) MAC Hyper Real Glow Highlight Palettes, $40.00

Continue reading “MAC Lipstick, Highlighter, and Blush Swatches”

MAC Eyeshadow Swatches (brown transition shades)

I thought it’d be helpful to swatch some of MAC’s transition shades side by side since it can be hard to see the undertone differences on the website. These are shades I find suitable for my skin tone (Estee Lauder 4W4). The brand does offer both lighter and darker colors than what I have swatched here, so if nothing here suits your skin tone, all is not lost.

MAC eyeshadows cork, saddle, brown script, soft brown, texture, uninterrupted swatches on medium dark skin
L to R: cork, saddle, brown script, soft brown, texture, uninterrupted

Swatches, top row: MAC cork, saddle, brown script, and soft brown

Swatches, bottom row: MAC texture and uninterrupted

MAC eyeshadow swatches - cork, saddle, brown script, soft brown, texture, uninterrupted medium dark skin
Top, L to R: cork, saddle, brown script, soft brown | Bottom, L to R: texture, uninterrupted
MAC eyeshadows brown script, swiss chocolate, bougie babe (LE) swatches on medium dark skin
L to R, Bottom to top: brown script, swiss chocolate, bougie babe (LE)

Swatches: MAC brown script, swiss chocolate, and bougie babe (LE)

MAC eyeshadow swatches brown script, swiss chocolate, bougie babe (LE) medium dark skin
L to R: brown script, swiss chocolate, bougie babe (LE)

I know that Bougie Babe was a limited edition shade, but anyone who does have it may want to know how it compares to some of the permanent shades. All of the shades swatched with the exception of bougie babe are still available in the permanent range. The refill pans like the ones pictured cost $8. The shade brown script can only be purchased as a refill pan. However, if you want other shades in a regular compact, they are $19.


If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

The Wanderlust List #3 (Becca Light Shifter Veil Finishing Powder)

The wanderlust list is my way of enjoying and using items I already own. I hope to encourage myself and others to use some of the products we have rather than being so quick to buy something new. If this concept interests you, you can check out the other versions of the Wanderlust List below.

Instead of buying the Becca Light Shifter Veil Finishing Powder, I’m revisiting some powders that I already own from Laura Mercier, MAC, and NARS.

Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (5), MAC Studio Waterweight Pressed Powder (dark), and NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder (sunstone) swatches on medium dark skin
L to R: Laura Mercier Candleglow (5), MAC Studio Waterweight (dark), NARS Light Reflecting (sunstone)

As a dry-skinned person, satin or luminous powder is always intriguing. When I saw Becca release this powder, I was going to purchase it as soon as it made its way to Sephora. I’ve talked with Lili (a fellow blogger that you should check out if you haven’t) about it and I talked about it again in a Monday Edit. I still think it looks promising, but the more time that passed, the more I realized that I already have powders that have a similar finish.

Swatches of Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (5), MAC Studio Waterweight Pressed Powder (dark), and NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder (sunstone) on medium dark skin
L to R: Laura Mercier Candleglow (5), MAC Studio Waterweight (dark), NARS Light Reflecting (sunstone)

So the powders pictured above are the Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (shade 5), the MAC Studio Waterweight Pressed Powder (shade dark), and the NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder (shade sunstone). All of these powders leave a satin to luminous finish on the skin and don’t cling if I have dry patches. It is important to keep in mind that if you do not have dry skin and need oil control in your setting powder, these may not be for you.

Continue reading “The Wanderlust List #3 (Becca Light Shifter Veil Finishing Powder)”

6 Red Lipsticks from Mac Cosmetics

MAC Cosmetics Lipstick Swatches (mac red, russian red, chili, marrakesh, d for danger, spice it up) medium dark skin

Buying anything from MAC Cosmetics can be intimidating because of their vast range. The brand has many more shades of red than I have to show you, but I hope it’s still helpful to see some of the shades side by side.

Continue reading “6 Red Lipsticks from Mac Cosmetics”

Palette: The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour

Don’t let the title scare you away; regardless of skin tone, the information in this book can be helpful. The publishing of this book is a necessary addition to the few makeup guides still available in print. I found out about The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour by Funmi Fetto from Vikeejeah on Youtube. Vikeejeah and four other YouTube Creators collaborated to each cover three products mentioned in the book. You can find all the videos from the collaboration linked in the list below.

Palette The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour Book Review and Swatches

I do want to mention that some of the write-ups in the book are more helpful than others. Some anecdotal parts aren’t that helpful in terms of how a product works, but I haven’t noticed any items that I felt wouldn’t be workable for deep skin tones. Overall, I have enjoyed reading through this book and am excited to check out some products I haven’t tried before.

I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the products covered in the book that I have tried. The book does cover skincare and hair care, but I’ll only be focusing on the makeup portion.

Palette: The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour Book Review and swatches of featured products

Foundations

Two of the foundations in the book that I have used are the Estee Lauder Doublewear and Nars Natural Radiant Longwear foundations. I already have a review of the Estee Lauder doublewear foundation, so if you want more details from a dry skin perspective, you can check that review out.

As for the Nars Natural Radiant Longwear, it is still fairly new to me, so I’m still getting a feel for it. You can tell in the swatches below how matte the Estee Lauder is compared to the NARS’ Radiant finish. The one issue I have had with the NARS formula was that it accentuated texture really badly until I got my shade right. It looks much better on me now that I’ve switched to the shade Tahoe instead of Huahine and Syracuse. You can see me wearing the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear in the shade Tahoe in my profile picture (on the sidebar, at the bottom of the page on mobile, and on my about me page).

Update June 1, 2024: You can read my review of the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear foundation by clicking here.

Estee Lauder double wear shade 5w2 rich caramel and nars natural radiant longwear shade tahoe swatches on medium dark skin
L to R: Estee Lauder Double Wear 5W2 and NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Tahoe
Continue reading “Palette: The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour”

The Fall Makeup Edit (2020)

MAC raizin Blush, NARS Savage blush, NARS Noumea and Guayaquil Eyeshadow, Revlon Raisin Rage, Chanel Antoinette, Beccay Maui Nights, Clinique WN 82 Latte, Chanel pourpre profound, Dior Sienna (swatches on medium dark skin)

I decided to pick out some products to focus on this season. I don’t usually care whether a particular shade coordinates with the season, but I wanted to try something different this year. This assortment went in a somewhat monochromatic direction, which is a look I don’t mind. But I’ll see how long it lasts before I want to swap any of these out.

Foundation – Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer (WN 82 Latte)

For my dry skin, this is the best-looking finish on my skin that I have come across. The brand claims a natural matte finish, which I always assume means satin, and I would agree with that. I have no issues with wear time, but due to my dry skin, I hardly ever do. While it does last throughout the day, it is not transfer-proof or resistant. I have worn it on its own, but it transfers easily. So I prefer to set it with powder. The powders that I do not find to change the beautiful finish are the Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (reviewed here) and the now discontinued MAC Next to Nothing Powder. However, any setting powder you prefer will work if you do not mind a more matte finish. This foundation is one of my favorites that I have been using for over two years now and have repurchased.

Continue reading “The Fall Makeup Edit (2020)”

MAC Hyper Real Glow Palette in Shimmy Peach (Swatches)

The Macy’s 10 Days of Glam continues today with the MAC Hyper Real Glow Highlighting Palette in Shimmy Peach on sale for $19.75.

MAC Hyper Real Glow Highlighting Palette in Shimmy Peach swatches on medium dark skin
MAC Hyper Real Glow Palette in Shimmy Peach
Continue reading “MAC Hyper Real Glow Palette in Shimmy Peach (Swatches)”

The Wanderlust List #1 (Natasha Denona Bronze Palette)

Wanderlust is a universal feeling that is a longing for something. We see new products that we like the look or concept of, but we know they aren’t for us, and still, we consider them anyway. Sometimes we go so far as to buy them, despite having something similar or knowing we won’t use them.

The wanderlust list is my way of enjoying and using items I already own. I hope to encourage myself and others to use some of the products we have rather than being so quick to buy something new. Opting out of new releases can be challenging for a blogger. I mentioned previously that the analytics tell me new releases are what people want. I could continue to cater to that crowd, but I’m personally burned out from new purchases and want to get back to using my favorites.

Disclaimer: As a beauty blogger, I have more makeup than a “regular” consumer. That does mean that I have more options to choose from when I’m opting out of a new purchase, but hopefully, the thought process can still help.

Continue reading “The Wanderlust List #1 (Natasha Denona Bronze Palette)”