MAC Liptensity Lipstick in Driftwood, Doe, Smoked Almond, Toast and Butter, Medium Rare, Gumball, Postmodern, and Eros

Tomorrow, MAC will be launching a new product called Liptensity Lipstick, "a brilliant new formula that pushes the boundaries of colour." It was created with the help of a woman named Maureen Seaberg, who is "a true tetrachromat — someone with the genetic ability to see 100 million hues imperceptible to the average naked eye." As a result, "an unprecedented spectrum has now been created with never-before-seen clarity and vibrancy." Using their new groundbreaking High-Frequency Tetrachromatic Pigments technology, "each lipstick holds double the amount of pigment than traditional formulas, resulting in the most intense lipstick ever. This luxurious gelled base melts on contact, providing fully saturated colour with a satin finish in just one stroke." 

There will be a total of 24 shades with this launch, of which six are limited edition, and 18 will become permanent. They will launch this week in North America and internationally in October. Like all MAC lip products, they are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Each Liptensity Lipstick is housed in a metal cylindrical tube with a colour-coded lid, contains a total of 3.6 grams of product, and retails for $25. Due to the higher price point, these will not be redeemable as a free product in the Back to MAC recycling program.

Driftwood, Doe, Smoked Almond, and Toast and Butter
Driftwood, Doe, Smoked Almond, and Toast and Butter

Driftwood is a light cool mauve-beige in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is slightly darker and cooler than Really Me, and lighter and cooler than Viva Glam II.

Doe is a light-medium warm peachy brown in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is more peach than Cherish, and lighter than Velvet Teddy.

Smoked Almond is a medium warm rosy brown in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is more brown than Twig, and more pink than Persistence.

Toast and Butter is a medium-dark warm peachy cinnamon in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker than Taupe, and lighter and more peach than Photo.

Medium Rare, Gumball, Postmodern, and Eros
Medium Rare, Gumball, Postmodern, and Eros

Medium Rare is a light-medium warm muted pink in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is slightly darker and warmer than Creme Cup, and lighter and more muted than Please Me.

Gumball is a medium slightly cool brightened bubble gum pink in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker and warmer than Pink Nouveau, and darker and brighter than Steady Going.

Postmodern is a medium-dark warm vibrant reddened coral-pink in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is similar to Impassioned, and more pink than Relentlessly Red.

Eros is a medium-dark warm vibrant fuchsia pink in a creamy satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is warmer than Girl About Town, and similar to Full Fuchsia.

While it might be an overstatement, Liptensity is MAC's most impressive — and most technologically advanced — lip formula to date. It has a cushy, creamy, gel-based texture that feels ultra-smooth and comfortable and hydrating, but gives off beautifully rich, saturated colour with a slight sheen that dries down to a satin finish. It's almost as if the Huggable Lipcolours and Pro Longwear Lip Cremes had a baby (which might explain why both of those ranges were discontinued). Like both formulas, the Liptensity lipsticks seem to cling to the lips so that colour doesn't bleed or fade, and wears evenly for at least four hours (up to eight for the brighter and darker shades). They also seem to make the lips appear smoother and more plump, which is a nice bonus.

What sets Liptensity apart, though, is the amount of pigmentation and colour fidelity — meaning, what you see is what you get and what it will stay as during wear time. According to MAC, "Liptensity contains pre-saturated pigment combined with a clear base — unlike most lipstick bases that are more opaque or 'muddier' — to give a 'true' colour. When people say that the 'colour stays true,' it's not always true because it acts with your own chemistry." So MAC worked with Seaberg to adjust the shades and remove any undertones that made colour look muddy. Though the majority of people are not tetrachromats, the result of working on this lipstick range with someone who does have tetrachromacy is truly amazing colour purity and vibrancy. It's a nicely curated range, too, so there is something for everyone, including some funky shades that aren't so dupeable. Overall, Liptensity is a gorgeous new lipstick formula that should appeal to everyone of all ages and all complexions. And the best part is that it will be permanent.