MAC RiRi ♥ MAC Fall: Lipsticks

Last week, MAC released a new collection in collaboration with Rihanna called RiRi ♥ MAC Fall. It is the second collection that was created by Rihanna for MAC, and is one of three colour collaboration collections (one collection was launched in the summer, and the last one will be launched in-stores for holiday). RiRi ♥ MAC Fall consists of 20 products, and sees the release of four shades of lipstick — three of which are new and limited edition, and one of which is a re-promote. Each lipstick has Rihanna's signature etched on the actual bullet, and are housed in rose gold packaging featuring Rihanna's signature and logo in various shades of pink with matching secondary cardstock packaging. As with all of MAC's lipsticks, these are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Each lipstick contains 3 grams of product, and retails for $20. Due to special edition packaging, these are not applicable for the Back to MAC recycling program.
Talk That Talk, RiRi Woo, Nude, and Who's That Chick?
Talk That Talk, RiRi Woo, Nude, and Who's That Chick?

Talk That Talk is a dark berry-plum in a Retro Matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is on the drier, stiffer side, so there will be some tugging or pulling upon application. Due to the darkness of the shade, there may also be some unevenness or patchiness in execution. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is slightly darker and more purple than Media, and lighter and more reddened than Cyber.

RiRi Woo is a medium-dark vibrant blue-toned red in a Retro Matte finish. This is a re-promoted shade from June's RiRi ♥ MAC Summer collection. The texture is on the drier, stiffer side, so there will be some tugging or pulling upon application, though it goes on evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. As this is a play on Ruby Woo, they are incredibly similar, though RiRi Woo is very slightly darker and cooler in swatches — on the lips, the difference is incredibly minute. It is cooler than Russian Red, and darker and less pink than MAC Red.

Nude is a medium-dark cool-toned grey-brown in a Matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker and more grey than Spirit, and darker and less pinked than Till Tomorrow Pro Longwear Lipcreme. 

Who's That Chick? is a medium brightened tangerine orange with lighter orange shimmer and a golden metallic sheen in a Frost finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter and more golden than Meltdown, and darker and more orange than Jist.

These lipsticks are undoubtedly the most coveted products from this collection, but I don't find any of them to be must-haves by any means. Talk That Talk was surprisingly my favourite shade out of the four because it creates such a gorgeous vampy lip and somehow works well on all skintones and undertones. That having been said, you can create pretty much an identical look with Media Lipstick and Nightmoth Lip Pencil (both of which are permanent products), which go on smoother and look way more even when applied. I know a lot of people were on the hunt for Nude, which genuinely baffles me as it is one of the most unflattering shades I have ever come across. Trust me when I say that it looks far more flattering online than it does in person. It doesn't really work well as a 'nude' for anyone (from fair to dark skintones) because it has such a grey undertone, and makes the majority of people who try it on look washed out and zombie-like. Like, it looks like dirty mud... which may appeal to some people, actually. That having been said, you can manipulate it with a warmer lip liner and maybe a peach or pink gloss to make it look more "alive" (e.g. less '90s ghetto fabulous).

Who's That Chick? is a nice option for those who like frosted lipsticks, though I find the shade itself to be more suited to summer than fall. I'm not personally a fan of metallic finish lipsticks, but it actually looks gorgeous on top of a bright red lip liner or lipstick (my favourite way of wearing it is on top of Redd Lip Pencil). And, of course, RiRi Woo finally launches on counters with this collection, so if you didn't get a chance to grab it online before, you can try finding it in person. As this post goes up, however, these lipsticks will most likely be sold out from all in-store locations and online (which sold out in about two hours), so if you do find a location that still has any of these shades and you really wanted these, grab them immediately. If you don't care about the special edition packaging or Rihanna-centric theme, however, there are tons of dupes within MAC's permanent range that are just as nice, if not nicer (and a bit cheaper, too).