RiRi hearts MAC Holiday 2013 – swatches and review

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press sample

Launching NOW – It’s the last installment in the RiRi hearts MAC saga. She’s leaving you with a holiday collection before she starts her stint as the line’s new Viva Glam spokesmodel.

And seriously, if you want RiRi Woo, stop reading and go order it already!

Let’s take a look…

Riri hearts MAC holiday packaging

I’m happy to see the gorgeous rose gold packaging again. (I am having such a love affair with rose gold at the moment, how about you?) This time, the pink accents of the fall collection have been replaced with white for the holidays.

With that, let’s get straight into my favorite part of the launch – the lipsticks.

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As mentioned, this is your last time to get RiRi Woo, that beautiful cool red that everyone is wooed by (see how I did that?) You can also pick up the matching nail lacquer in a cream formula. It has beautiful coverage; practically opaque in one coat but two makes it perfect. But really, you can find a similar shade in almost any line. Meaning anybody but the hardcore RiRi fans can skip it.

RiRi Woo Mac Nail polish

Riri-hearts-MAC-holiday-13RiRi Woo and Pleasure Bomb

As for the lipstick, though Ruby Woo is nearly identical, I think RiRi Woo is such a lovely and iconic shade that it’s worth hunting it down. Yes, I said hunt. Because if you didn’t listen to me above – it’s probably gone already! For me personally, I’m not in love with the retro matte formula. I think it’s way too drying. But many amongst us LOVE it. So, to each their matte own.

Riri-hearts-MAC-holiday-14RiRi Woo and Pleasure Bomb, indoors

Me? I’m a huge fan of MAC’s updated matte formula (which in actuality, has been around for a couple of years now). It’s got such a creamy texture; all the wear time of a retro matte but without the dryness.

Which is one of the reason I’m in love with Pleasure Bomb. Give me MAC’s current matte any day. The other reason of course is the color, a bright fucshia with incredible pigment.

Riri-hearts-MAC-holiday-15RiRi Woo and Pleasure Bomb, and out…

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Moving away from lips products, there’s also a bronzing powder in the launch called Love, Rihanna. It’s a medium golden brown with a very slight gold sheen to it. I am a sucker for this kind of powder being a design nerd, as it is embossed AND debossed (i.e. super fancy.)

Riri-hearts-MAC-holiday-3Love, Rihanna bronzing powder

The R is also oversprayed with a metallic copper that doesn’t look like it will stick around too long (but definitely a lot longer than the gold overspray of Marine Life.)

Riri-hearts-MAC-holiday-4Love, Rihanna main shade alone and mixed with overspray

I love MAC bronzers because they are always so finely milled and silky. Love, Rihanna is no exception. But the color is all wrong for me personally. It’s got a slightly orange tone to its warmth that’s not flattering on me. I think it’s definitely for darker skin tones than a 25.

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Moving to the eye products, I also got a closer look at Phresh Out Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow, consisting of five shades….

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the Superslick Liquid Eyeliner in Pisces Persuasion

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and the lone brush of the launch, the 217/239 SE Double Ended Eye Brush.

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The shades in Phresh Out, shown from left, are:
shimmery white-gold champagne
coppery gold glitter
peachy pink glitter
cool taupey light brown
cool dark brown
(Plus Pisces Persuasion, which is more of a silver glitter topcoat than anything else.)

The two glittery shades prevent this palette from being a total winner for me. They are extremely dry and stiff. Literally they just kind of crumble under your brush if you try to do anything other than pat them on or use them wet. That being said, they are in the minority, as three of the five shades are beautifully pigmented and very smooth.

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we heartsters – will you be accepting any holiday gifts from Rihanna this year? What looks like a must-have to you?

Stef is many things. Amongst them: co-editor of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie.
skin tone: NC 25/30
skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea
favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products

Lipstick
RiRi Woo – Cool Red (retro matte)
Bad Girl RiRi -Taupey Nude (matte)
Pleasure Bomb – Fuchsia (matte)
$16.50 US/$20 CDN

Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow
2X Dare
Phresh Out
$44 US/$52.50 CDN

Superslick Liquid Eyeliner
Pisces Persuasion – Shimmery White (frost)
Cockiness – Shimmery Rose Gold (frost)
$20.50 US/$25 CDN

Bronzing Powder
Love, Rihanna – Soft Golden Brown with Gold Pearl
$30 US/$35 CDN

Nail Lacquer
RiRi Woo – Matte Cool Red (cream)
$17.50 US/$21 CDN

Brush
217/239 SE Double Ended Eye Brush
$35 US/$42 CDN

RiRi Hearts MAC Makeup Bag
$40 US/$48 CDN

Author

  • Stef Andrews

    Stef is a plethora of things. Amongst them: co-founder of we heart this, photographer, condiment connoisseur, Philly girl in the California desert, borderline hoarder and a hardcore beauty junkie. She also has a touch of wanderlust and, arguably, the cutest dog in the whole world... skin tone: NC 25/30 skin type: oily with a fear of rosacea favorite beauty product: high end skincare and lip products

7 Comments

  1. I’ve got my eye on Pleasure Bomb and that eye shadow palette is fabulous! I am not a fan of the flimsy glitter shades either, but would be willing to overlook that since the other colors look great!

  2. Everything gets sold out so quickly what’s the point? I wait for the limited stuff to arrive and by the time I get off work and go home everything is sold out.

    1. Don’t lose hope, Emily Kristina! It is totally a bummer that it sells out so quickly on **MAC’s main website**, but there’s always the MAC counters and stores, and other retailer’s websites (Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc). The mall near me isn’t that busy, and so MAC collections at the Nordstrom counter tend to stick around–that’s where I can try out the collection and purchase it!

  3. I’ve gotta admit, I’m not the biggest fan of Rhianna but dang, I feel like we could put aside our differences with this. Pleasure Bomb looks amazing, and I love the shadow set! I’m super curious about the liners and might have to go investigate the situation on Cockiness – love me some rose gold!

  4. I must have Pleasure Bomb. MUST. Especially since the packaging is really cute. I’m disappointed that the liner isn’t opaque :(

  5. Pleasure Bomb and that cute double-ended brush are the two items I’m trying to find. Beautiful packaging with this collection! And yes, I am completely obsessed with rose gold!

  6. I got to test the Superslick Liquid Eyeliner in Pisces Persuasion. It’s so pretty. Very subtle. Like a secret sparkle that isn’t in your face. Just the right amount of white shimmer. It may I think it fits in with this collection perfectly. The packaging is so pretty too – I LOVE how it looks on my white makeup desk :)

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