MAC Viva Glam Rihanna: Lipstick and Lipglass

For those who don't already know about MAC's Viva Glam program, every cent of the entire selling price of every Viva Glam product sold goes to the MAC AIDS Fund. Every year, MAC appoints a celebrity to be their Viva Glam ambassador to help raise HIV/AIDS awareness. Every Viva Glam lip product that has been launched after Fergie's Viva Glam VI Special Edition in 2009 has been named after the celebrity ambassador of the year, with Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper in 2010, Lady Gaga again in 2011, Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin in 2012, Nicki Minaj again in 2013, and now Rihanna for 2014. To date, MAC's Viva Glam campaign has raised $315 million globally to help men, women, and children infected and affected by AIDS and HIV.
Viva Glam Rihanna comes in both lipstick and lip gloss form, and both will be released in stores tomorrow (it is currently available online). Both are limited edition and will be available for six months (subject to change). As with all MAC lip products, they are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick comes in crimson rubberized packaging and a black metal tube featuring MAC's logo and Rihanna's signature printed across it in red. Viva Glam Rihanna Lipglass comes in a clear tube with a crimson rubberized lid, and Rihanna's signature is again printed across the tube in red. Each lipstick contains 3 grams of product, and retails for $18. Each Lipglass comes with a doe-foot applicator, contains 4.8 grams of product, and retails for $18. As they are for charity, none of the Viva Glam products are applicable for the Back to MAC recycling program.
Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick
Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick
Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick

Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick is a medium brightened blue-toned red with a soft gold shimmer-sheen in a Frost finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a creamy texture, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation with opaque colour pay-off. It is warmer and more red than its lip gloss counterpart. It is lighter and less cool than Ruby Woo, lighter and cooler than Russian Red, less pink than MAC Red, and slightly less cool than New Temptation Sheen Supreme Lipstick.

Viva Glam Rihanna Lipglass
Viva Glam Rihanna Lipglass
Viva Glam Rihanna Lipglass

Viva Glam Rihanna Lipglass is a medium brightened blue-toned strawberry red with red and gold multi-dimensional shimmer. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a creamy texture, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation with opaque colour pay-off. It is slightly more pinked than its lipstick counterpart. It is cooler and much more shimmery than Russian Red, more pigmented and less pink than Venetian Lustreglass, and lighter and more pinked than Driven by Love Pro Longwear Lipglass.

I don't think it came as a surprise to anyone that Rihanna was going to be this year's Viva Glam ambassador, especially given the success of her previous collaborations with MAC. I'm sure many people have opinions about this, but in the end, if Rihanna can use her fame and popularity to sell a product that goes directly to charity rather than for profit, I'm all for it. A lot of people thought her Viva Glam shade was going to be her famous RiRi Woo, but think again. It is a red, which comes as no surprise, but the Frost finish of the lipstick was totally unexpected. Now, a lot of people don't like Frost lipsticks because the metallic sheen that often accompanies Frosts are rather... outdated, shall we say. But the shimmer-sheen is quite subtle here so it actually looks more like an Amplified (or cream) finish to me than a true Frost. And even though the red is actually blue-toned, there's a soft gold shimmer to it that gives it warmth, so this is ultimately a universally flattering red shade. Now, I'm usually a lipstick girl, but the Lipglass here is such a serious stunner that I was actually more impressed with it than the lipstick. The photo really doesn't do it justice. On it's own, it reminds me of strawberries and champagne, just totally luxe and ultra-glamourous. On top of Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick, it adds the most gorgeous dimension and richness. And I've personally found that it's not as sticky as many of the other Lipglass shades so it's more comfortable to wear, and I get a good four hours of wear-time with it alone.
The MAC AIDS Fund is one of the most effective charities I have ever seen a cosmetics company identify with. It still blows my mind that MAC helps this charity on a daily, on-going basis with their Viva Glam program. Not only that, but they don't just donate a portion or the proceeds to this cause — it's 100% of the selling price of any Viva Glam product. This is a really worthy cause, so if you're not personally a fan of red lips, it's worth checking out any of the other Viva Glam shades that may be more wearable or flattering on you.