Beauty: MAC Liptensity Double Fudge and Habanero review

Beauty: MAC Liptensity Double Fudge and Habanero review

Today is a completely ridiculous, depressing, black day for women and minorities. Yesterday I went to sleep filled with hope and pride, moved by the people queing to put their "I voted" stickers on Susan B. Anthony's grave in a tribute to the suffragettes who paved the way to Hillary. Today, I woke up and quickly checked my facebook feed to see how the US elections had turned out, and there it was: a punch in the gut instead of a fist through the glass ceiling. Honestly, to me it feels like they polled one of the greatest nations in the world about who they hate most: women who don't know their place + minorities, or abusers. And abuser came out on top. On one hand I'm not surprised, and on the other I'm in shock, numb, angry and depressed. 

It didn't feel right to write this blogpost without a small note on politics, and I feel that sharing my feelings with as many people as possible lightens the load for all of us. So if you feel like venting or talking or commiserating, send me a mail or a tweet or a comment and we'll talk. And let's all pull strength from Hillary's amazing concession speech:

"This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it. It is, it is worth it. And so we need - we need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives. And to all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me: I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion. Now, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday someone will — and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."

Now, let's put one foot in front of the other and keep fighting the good fight. I know I'm just getting more combative.

Anyway, I have a job to do! Let's look at my review of the new MAC Liptensity lipsticks.

MAC launched these in October, and the Liptensity lipsticks boast a satin finish, a hyper pigmented, gel-like formula that is supposed to last longer than other satin finish lipsticks (MAC claims wear up to 8 hours), and 24 on trend shades developed in collaboration with Maureen Seaberg. Fun fact: Seaberg is a writer, and a tetrachromat, which means she has the genetic ability to see millions of extra shades of colour us regular people can't distinguish. In short, these are basically superhero designed lipsticks. Cool, right?? I received Double Fudge and Habanero for reviewing purchases, so let's dive in.


Beauty: MAC Liptensity Double Fudge and Habanero review

The Liptensity lipstick bullets have a long, thin, rounded and slanted tip, like a stylish lipbalm. I like how sleek and modern the matte tubes are, very stylish and minimalist. Double Fudge is like a deep, almost red-ish chocolate brown, and Habanero is like its namesake pepper: hot, orange based red.

Beauty: MAC Liptensity Double Fudge and Habanero review

Both shades apply intense and pigmented in one swipe, although Habanero is more opaque than Double Fudge. The formula feels a bit thicker and firmer when you apply the lipstick, but the formula quickly warms up to the lips and becomes more gel-like. The formula is not slippery, keeping it from smudging, and non-drying. The strong pigmentation is awesome for those who have darker lips, or for people who like wearing light and bright shades since those often tend to apply patchy in cheaper formulas.

Beauty: MAC Liptensity Double Fudge review
Beauty: MAC Liptensity Double Fudge review

Double Fudge is a delicious, neutral brown colour, but it does need a bit of work to apply it perfectly even and opaque. In addition, the shape of the lipstick bullet isn't ideal for precise application: you will need a lipstick brush or some lipliner if you want a neat line. I used a lip brush, FYI. I love the shade and feel like a glossy finish makes a dark colour like this more wearable than if it were matte, but it isn't the most user-friendly - definitely a lipstick for people who don't mind using products that are a bit more high maintenance.

The wear of the lipstick is great (easily a couple of hours), although eating and drinking does wear it down, and the colour becomes more matte after a while on the lips. Double Fudge is a limited edition shade.

Beauty: MAC Liptensity habanero review
Beauty: MAC Liptensity Habanero review

Yowza! I've been very much into warm, orange toned lip products this fall, and while Habanero smacks of summer, it does fit right in with my current tastes. Habanero is fully opaque, eye-searingly bright orangey red (or red-ish orange), and it is a true stunner. Luckily, Habanero will become part of MAC's permanent collection, and I think this will become a new fan favourite. Like Double Fudge, you will need a lipliner or a pencil for neat application, so I sort of hope MAC reconsiders their lipstick bullet shade here to be a bit sharper. Habanero also wears nicely and has a bit more "grip" on the lips, even less slippery than Habanero.

So! The MAC Liptensity lipsticks retail at €25, which is definitely more towards the high end spectrum of things, but the line does include a number of stunning, unique shades that may be worth checking out. I'm feeling Driftwood and Smoked Almond. You like?

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