MAC Posh Paradise: Mattene Lipsticks

Last Thursday, MAC released a new collection called Posh Paradise. It's a relatively small collection, at least in the MAC world, consisting of eight shades of Paint Pot, ten shades of Mattene Lipstick, and two shades of Nail Lacquer. I wasn't even going to make a review for this collection because MAC had some shipping delays and I didn't think I was going to get all the products in time, but I thought I'd do one for the Mattene Lipsticks because it's just such a wonderful formula.

Delectable, Naked Bliss, Fresh Amour, Rare Exotic, Eden Rouge, Deliciously Forbidden, and Legendary

The Mattene lipstick is actually a formula that was previously permanent, and then discontinued, and then released in limited edition shades for various collections. MAC seems to have really improved the formula: creamy and smooth with intense colour in a semi-matte finish (which is somewhere between a Matte and a Satin finish). As mentioned, ten shades of Mattene have been released with Posh Paradise, all of them new and limited edition. I have picked up seven of the ten shades. Each tube contains 2.3 grams of product (a regular MAC lipstick contains 3 grams), and comes in a slim, streamlined, matte black tube. Mattene lipsticks retail for $17.50, and are not applicable for the Back To MAC recycling program.

Delectable, Naked Bliss, Fresh Amour, Rare Exotic, Eden Rouge, Deliciously Forbidden, and Legendary

Delectable is a medium peach. It is a bit darker than Peachstock, and more orange than Cherish.

Naked Bliss is a pinked beige nude. It is slightly darker and more pink than Honeylove.

Fresh Amour is a pale lavender with a hint of pink. It is slightly less pink than Lavender Whip and Quite Cute.

Rare Exotic is a bright blue-toned fuchsia pink. It is redder and darker than Girl About Town and Lickable.

Eden Rouge is a bright blue-based red. It is similar to Russian Red.

Deliciously Forbidden is a pinked berry red. It is lighter and more subdued than Rebel.

Legendary is a deepened brown-red. It is darker and more brown than Viva Glam I and Dubonnet.

All of the Mattenes that I tried from this collection are beautiful, with a creamier and more comfortable texture, smoother and more even application. The colour pay-off is fantastic, all of them being nearly opaque, and none of them were drying at all, despite the semi-matte finish. They are not touted to be long-wearing, but the darker or brighter shades (e.g. Rare Exotic, Deliciously Forbidden) lasted six hours before it started to fade even a little (and even then, the lips are stained with the colour so it appears longer lasting). The lighter shades (e.g. Naked Bliss, Delectable) lasted about four hours before starting to fade. Fresh Amour may seem a little unwearable at first, but it looks absolutely phenomenal layered on top of a brighter colour to create a brand new shade. Today, I wore Fresh Amour on top of Rare Exotic, and it looked like a deeper version of Pink Nouveau. Definitely an interesting shade to play around with. If you like a more matte lip, definitely check these babies out, and snatch up every single shade you like, 'cause they are not permanent (which just breaks my heart).