MAC Styledriven Lips – review, photos & swatches
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Pick a shade you like, it’s going to be there for a while…
photos: we heart this
The ads for MAC’s new launch Styledriven told me everything I needed to know before I read a single word. They feature a close-up of a classic beauty, her hands planted on the wheel of a vintage car, her makeup precise and a little shocking. She seems to be driving between the film noir past and a futuristic world where makeup lasts and lasts.
Welcome to MAC’s “future-forward pro-longwear technology,” which has joined the permanent collection (hooray! ~wht) in a dizzying array of colors that could drive me to a full-blown obsession. Today we take a look at the lip products: twelve Lipcreme colors, nine shades of Lipglass, and ten pencils round out the new lip offerings, and I got to test a generous selection.
Let’s start with the Pro Longwear lipcreme. We received four shades (as shown, from left):
Endless Drama – Dark and frosty berry red
Soft Sell – Warm and light pink cream
Positively Dashing – Medium plum berry cream
Dress It Up – Bubble gum blue-based pink cream
Lightweight and velvety, billed to last twelve hours, the Lipcreme comes in a skinnier than lipstick tube and has a flat, slanted tip that let me apply it precisely.
I tested two of the cream colors, Soft Sell (a “my lips but better” warm pink) and Positively Dashing (a wearable for daytime cool mid-toned berry). Both went on smoothly, and had all the benefits of a lip stain (seriously long wear despite eating, drinking, and even nervous lip biting) and none of the problems (like uneven wear or major dryness). If you’re looking for lasting color, I’ve never found a better performing product than this.
Next, the Pro Longwear Lipglass. We received five colors (as shown, from left):
Full Speed Ahead – Bright pink cream
Lasting Achievement – Plum Berry with very subtle shimmer
Driven by Love – Pure bright red with very subtle shimmer
Dark as Night – Blackened plum with very subtle shimmer
Whoops – Neon coral-orange cream
I tested two, Dark As Night (a dramatic deep goth-y eggplant with pearlized sparkle) and Driven by Love (The prettiest blue-red I’ve ever seen, with slight pearly glimmer. It’s like a vinyl Valentine, and I love it!) For me, the Lipglass colors are the star of an overall stellar collection. They last at least six extended hours and feature a brand new flexible doe-foot applicator designed to handle the thick gloss formula. The unique flat surface swooped the gloss over my lips easily, and the colors… perfection!
You might be wondering, how could Lipglass possibly last six hours? This is how: it’s a totally new and different texture—much thicker than regular Lipglass, yet the applicator handles it with perfect control and precision. It’s a little sticky, but that’s a small price to pay for gloss that really does last.
And last up, Pro Longwear Lip pencils. We received six of the new colors (as shown, from left):
More to Love – Dark hot pink
Absolutely It – Plum
Morning Coffee – Plummy rose
Staunchly Stylish – Peachy nude with a tiny bit of shimmer
Bittersweet – Dark brown
Nice ‘n’ Spicy – Pinky nude
I’ve always loved MAC’s lip pencils, but these Pro Longwear versions are a whole new world of long-lasting color. They’re creamy but also retain their shape for a smooth line every time. They’re soft enough to be used over the entire lip instead of lipstick (but maybe a little drying for that purpose), and designed to perform for up to fifteen hours. I tried two, Morning Coffee (a mid-tone rose that looks great even on warm-toned skin like mine) and Nice ‘n’ Spicy (described by MAC as pink cinnamon stick, this color has replaced Spice as my all-time favorite lip liner. It combines a spice-y, universally flattering color with the groundbreaking, smooth new formula).
More to Love, Absolutely It, Morning Coffee, Staunchly Stylish, Bittersweet
Morning Coffee, Staunchly Stylish, Bittersweet, Nice ‘n’ Spicy
Styledriven gives us lips of the future with a serious nod to the glamour of the past. Drive, I say… to the MAC counter. And step on it, sister! we heartsters, have you tried these yet?
Here’s the whole Styledriven Lip launch…
Pro Longwear Lipcreme
Soft Sell – Light yellow-pink (cream)
Dress It Up – Light blue-pink (cream)
So Very Good – Mid-tone plum with pearl (frost)
Till Tomorrow – Mid-tone dirty mauve (cream)
To The Future! – Dirty neutral pink with pearl (frost)
Good To Go – Loudmouth orange (cream)
Love Forever! – Bright blue pink (cream)
Positively Dashing – Mid-tone berry blue-red (cream)
Extended Play – Dirty red, yellow undertone (cream)
Prolong – Clean red with blue undertone and pearl (cream)
Endless Drama – Deep berry blue-red (frost)
Soulfully Rich – Deep dirty purple with red pearl (cream)
$17 U.S./$20 CDN
Pro Longwear Lipglass
Patience, Please – Light pink-blue
Ready or Not! – Neutral light coral with slight pearl
Infinitely Likable – Light pink
Show Me! – Mid-tone neutral plum
Whoops! – Bright coral
Full Speed Ahead – Bright pink-magenta
Driven by Love – Red-blue with slight pearl
Lasting Achievement – Midtone purple with slight pearl
Dark as Night – Deep dirty purple with slight pearl
$18.50 U.S./$22 CDN
Pro Longwear Lip Pencil
Etcetera – Creamy beige
Nice ‘n’ Spicy – Pink cinnamon stick
Staunchly Stylish – Pinky beige
Morning Coffee – Dirty rose
Absolutely It – Soft burgundy
In Anticipation – Soft yellow pink
What a Blast! – Bright orange
Kiss Me Quick – Yellow red
More to Love – Intense bluish pink
Bittersweet – Intense brown
$18 U.S./$21.50 CDN
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
No, I have not tried any of these yet. I do love MAC though and can’t wait to try some of them out.
Over the years I haven’t been as huge a fan of MAC just because I always felt like the makeup artists at their counters were so insanely bizarre looking that I never wanted to buy anything. Now that I’ve been blogging for the last 4 years I’ve been more open to them. I’m definitely look at the lipcreme, I’m on an eternal hunt for the perfect matte lip.
While the lipcremes I tested are not matte, they are extraordinary. I know you’ll find something to love in this collection, @dwj1 .
OMG…that Endless Drama lip creme looks like the shade of red/berry w/ shimmer I’ve been hunting for only my entire adult life…and God knows I could use the pick-me-up right now. I’ve been laid flat with the worst bronchitis of my adult life for almost the past two weeks and have been looking and feeling less than pretty. Maybe once I won’t be pulling a Typhoid Mary, I’ll have to head out and look for this beauty :P
That Dark as Night lip glass may also want to come home with me…
Wow these are ridiculously pretty shades…
I know what you mean. Nothing perks me up like a new lip product! If you’re going for dramatic, Dark as Night is the ticket. And I had to force myself away from the MAC counter when I saw Endless Drama in person. Soooo pretty and very tempting… I’m still thinking about buying it! Feel better, soon, @krista !
Soft Sell looks beautiful. I tend to gravitate toward the very dramatic bright colors but really need something more subtle to wear for professional events. Thanks for the review @turboterp !
Oh wow, where to even start with this line! I went to trade my recyclables into Mac for my free lipstick and really wanted the Positively Dashing but sadly only certain lipsticks are eligible for the free one, so this lipstick is on my list of fall must haves, it’s beautiful! The Lasting Achievement gloss is also a must have for me, because berry and plum shades are my favorite for the fall and winter months. I could use half of those liners too, so needless to say I am loving this line!
I’m a huge lip stain fan, so those lip cremes are right up my alley! (Endless Drama, I’m looking at you!) And the lip pencils look great, I’m so glad to see a color like Bittersweet; when I was younger I actually used to use an EYE pencil from Cover Girl on my lips because I couldn’t find the right kind of brown for lip lining. It’s a unique color that I rarely see outside of lines intended for ethnic women…
But those lip glasses are stunning! Lasting Achievement is my fave, it looks a LOT like a MAC lip glass in a squeezable tube I used to have called Moist. (Anyone remember those? They weren’t lip glasses exactly, way more slick. Maybe like their currently lip gelee?) Anyway, that’s a gorgeous color, as is Dark as Night! I know a lot of people hate the stickiness, but I gladly trade-off for staying power.
YAY MAC! The awesome just keeps comin’…
This launch is a lip product lovers paradise! And can I get an amen for not being limited edition?
I got to try the delightful Pro Longwear combo of the More to Love lip pencil and Full Speed Ahead lipglass, a bright (but not TOO bright) pink.
I LOVE the lip pencils. They’re kind of like a creamy lipstick in pencil form matched with the longwear and pointy-ness of a pencil. I have always had a love/hate relationship with liners, as the longivity of them used to equal dryness. Not anymore! I’m resisting the urge to go out and get these in every color, because I don’t know how I’m going to go back to a regular pencil again.
There are some really fab things about the lipglass too. I love how opaque they are. I also really like the flexible doe foot applicator. Though it’s not the most precise applicator, it feels squishy and is fun to use. But I had a lot of traveling issues. I applied this, then look at myself in the mirror a few hours later and it had pooled up in the corners of my mouth and beyond, making me look like the joker (Really, co-workers? No one tells me this?!) So I’m not sure if I applied too much or if it’s just so thick that it slid around. I’m going to try a bit less tomorrow and see what happens. I’m hoping for a better result because these are really beautiful shades.
Oh no, @stef , the joker?! I’m sure that wasn’t the look you were going for. I didn’t have any traveling issues, but I did use as little Lipglass as possible due to the colors I tested. I’ll be interested to hear if your next attempt is more successful!
Lasting Achievement, you must be mine! So perfect for fall. And I 2nd @Stef ‘s sentiment- Hurray for not being limited edition, now I have time to collect ’em all!
My boyfriend bought me the Full Speed Ahead Prolongwear Lipglass and the More to Love Prolongwear Lip Pencil as part of my birthday present. They are definitely bold shades. The new lipgloss applicator is interesting but works pretty well. The staying power is good also on both although I would agree that the pencil is a bit drying. I haven’t had long to test them out though.
I’m not a lipstick girl. I heart my lip glosses like they’re gonna leave me. But because I got to test Bittersweet, I decided to try lipstick as part of my everyday and I think I might have fallen in love with them all over again.
I have had wear issues in the past, partially because I have had such a hard time finding a good lip pencil to help my lipstick stay put. However, Bittersweet is creamy but just the slightest bit dry; which I find is key in helping keep my lipstick from sliding off into my corners.
What I especially love about Bittersweet is the color. I hate lip pencils that aren’t fairly universal; it seems like some are so color-specific that you need a new one for every lip color you have! However, Bittersweet gives a nice outline for my pinky-browns and I use a heavier hand for my deep reds. Bittersweet plus Juile Hewett’s Coco Noir made for the PERFECT red lip the other night. I’m super impressed.
5 stars! Yay for MAC!
More thoughts on MAC’s Styledriven collection, now that I’ve had more time to test out the products:
Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Dress It Up (from WeHeartThis to test): A light blue-based pink with a touch of light mauve? Not quite mod, but getting there on my medium (NC 35ish) skintone. It is only a tad bit drying, which is impressive for a long-wear lip product. The Pro Longwear Lipcreme was easy to wear, and lasted for hours on my lips (even with my compulsive lip licking and biting habits). Eventually the color did wear off after a few hours and left a bit of a ring of color around my lips but it wasn’t too noticeable. It has MAC’s signature vanilla scent. It’s easy to apply without a mirror, and the packaging is nice. I’ll definitely keep wearing this often, so I’d give it 4 stars.
Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in More to Love (gift): This is a really deep magenta pink. Not for the faint of heart! It’s quite drying on the lips and can emphasize already dry lips. For this reason, it’s best paired with a gloss. A good product, with sleek packaging and it’s also easy to sharpen. I’d give it 3 stars.
Pro Longwear Lipglass in Full Speed Ahead (gift): Gorgeous hot pink, like Barbie-pink. It’s quite pigmented but can be applied more sheerly, or thickly for greater pigmentation. It’s long wearing and wears comfortably for quite awhile. It smells slightly fruitier than MAC’s normal Lipglass. I like that it gives my lips a bit of a stain (evenly). The applicator is a bit awkward at first, and because of the pigmentation, I usually use a mirror to apply it. Still, it’s a really great product, and I give it five stars.
I just realized I forgot to review an item I recently received. I was lucky enough to snare the Pro Longwear Lipglass in Lasting Achievement. The color is a deep, dark plum berry shade with some shimmer. Once applied (apply the thinnest of coats), it looks like a raisin shade, the shimmer doesn’t show up at all, which was a little bit of a bummer, and it doesn’t budge. Seriously, this stuff wore for hours. Unfortunately, that means it’s a bit tacky, but weighing that against the staying power, I’m going to have to say it’s worth it. This is a perfect shade for cooler months, especially if you like a little drama in your makeup. 5 stars from me!