Sure, everybody wants to be loved. Let’s look into MAC’s new lipstick line called LOVE ME more deeply, shall we, and cover once and for all if we should, actually, love them! Learn all about the formula in my MAC Love Me Lipstick review.
The campaign
MAC teased this release with a Mary J. Blige collab (her shade is French Silk). MAC and MJB go way back (she’s a Viva Glam spokesperson), and I can’t help but applaud the choice for obvious reasons (I feel choosing an older WOC is a good move). The following ‘proper’ campaign looks deeply 70s disco, and modelling the shades are body positive activist Amber Wagner, pop star Rina Sawayama, beauty influencer Frances O’Sullivan, ballet soloist Harper Watters, Puerto-Rican artist Maxine Ashley and model Halima Aden.
Representation matters, and MAC seems to get behind that and also not choosing the next cookie-cutter influencer for this. The message behind the campaign is one of self-love, and sure, why not. A swipe of a great lipstick definitely does something for my self-esteem every now and again.
The lipstick deeds
The collection features 24 lipsticks (permanent). There’re 8 nude shades, 8 reds and 8 purples. The packaging is, like the kids say, life: the colour family is represented in the ombre top and bottom. Shiny, but still the regular and recognisable MAC tube. Get it as MAC Cosmetics for $19/21,50€. (MAC US also has a fun online tool where you can ‘try on’ all shades.)
Formula
MAC says:
Vivid full-coverage colour payoff in one swipe
Lightweight, supremely comfortable formula
Satin finish
Lips feels instantly and continuously moisturized throughout the day
Nourishing and conditioning
Lips are softer, smoother and suppler with continued use
The reason for the nourishing formula is apparently argan oil and lychee extract (whatever that does). Then there’s something called ‘true-colour gelled system’, which is super fine pigments in a gel-like formula that makes a thin and even application possible without shirking on pigmentation.
How to
What makes me a bit wary is the insistence of MAC’s PR telling me that ‘1 swipe only!!!!’, but at the same time advising to use Prep+Prime to diminish bleeding, use a lip brush for lipstick application and then a lipliner AND top that with a gloss.
I don’t know about you, but that seems a bit excessive to me for a product that’s advertised to be great-looking (and -feeling) with just one swipe?! I’m confused, MAC.
MAC Love Me Lipstick review: Killing Me Softly
I was deeply, deeply excited upon hearing the news that MAC would release a new lipstick formula that’s not matte. For the first time in ages, let me add, and the first since that disastrous Liptensity formula in 2016. MAC has, for quite some time, lost its leading innovatory role in the makeup industry, instead betting on style (questionable, at that) over substance: meaning packaging is great, product less so, all the while using influencers to target a crowd that – look, it’s not mine anymore. I was a proper MAC junkie, but these days, I generally couldn’t care less. I like my fancy packaging, but I like a good and exciting product more.
The Love Me lipsticks seem to combine both. My shade, Killing Me Softly, is a soft light plum shade, cool-toned, but bordering on neutral.
Application
Oh, that feels truly nice! The lipstick glides across my lips easily, although one swipe doesn’t seem to yield a very saturated effect. Sure, Killing Me Softly is a rather light, neutral shade, but I definitely need to build it up for it to show properly on my pigmented lips. After that, it still feels very lightweight on my lips.
Texture
The texture feels lovely: light, but creamy. It has been compared to MAC’s Amplified formula, which is much thicker IMO. A better comparison are Hourglass’ Confession High-Intensity Refillable Lipsticks (heavier) or Guerlain’s KissKiss formula (glossier, very old review). Mash them together – presto, MAC’s Love Me lipsticks.
Pictures of the Love Me lipsticks can be misleading, I think: you’ll see lights reflected in the texture and you’ll naturally think they have a glossy finish. They don’t – at least not for long. While they certainly don’t apply matte, the initial creaminess diminishes more and more as the wear-time progresses. For lack of a better word, and as much as a coloured lipstick can look natural, I’d say natural it is. (Maybe because on me, the coverage is medium.)
Wear
This is Killing Me Softly without lip primer, lip liner or anything else.
For a creamy lipstick, it has a reasonable longevity. With talking and drinking, for me it’s about three hours, it totally vanishes when eating. It leaves a faint stain and fades reasonably softly: you won’t be left with clownish lips.
Strangely, the whole rigmarole MAC proposes with Prep+Prime, liner etc. doesn’t do anything for a prolonged wear for me. The only thing it truly changes (for the worse, I personally think) is the lovely light texture the Love Me lipsticks have. I can imagine that a liner is a good idea for deeper colours, though. Of course, the Love Me formula is neither kiss- nor transferproof, but you can reapply really easily without strange things happening.
Comfort
Do you really have to ask? I LOVE them, based on the comfort of the texture alone. (Take their claims with a grain of salt, though: I’ve dry lips and no, I wouldn’t use them alone for the TLC my lips need.) I want more.
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
This is the most straight up review I have ever read. This blog/website/thing rocks! More please:)