MAC Ultimate: Ultimate Lipsticks in Dangerously Chic, The Scene, and Vogue en Violet

Last month, MAC released a new collection called MAC Ultimate, which "reunites the innovative design aesthetic of globally renowned industrial designer Marcel Wanders." This collection is described as "the epitome of contemporary luxury... with sumptuous formulas... perfectly encased in the Dutch dynamo's modern geometric designs... making these couture-worthy products the most sophisticated accessories of the season." This collection sees the launch of 14 products, six of which are new and permanent, and eight of which are re-promotes and now permanent. MAC Ultimate includes the release of ten shades of Ultimate Lipstick, which is described as "the perfect blend of high fashion colour and comfortable texture" with "a rich formula [that] glides on with ease, creating perfect coverage and shine." They are vanilla-scented, but taste-free. Each Ultimate Lipstick comes in a special edition chrome-finish tube designed by Marcel Wanders, comes with 4.3 grams of product, and retails for $28.

Dangerously Chic, The Scene, and Vogue en Violet
Dangerously Chic, The Scene, and Vogue en Violet

Dangerously Chic is a medium-dark cool-toned cherry red with a luminous sheen in a Luxe finish. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation with opaque colour pay-off. It is cooler than Russian Red, darker than MAC Red, and darker and cooler than Everyday Diva Mineralize Rich Lipstick.

The Scene is a dark berry-burgundy with a luminous sheen in a Luxe finish. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation with opaque colour pay-off. It is similar to Dark Side, lighter and shinier than Media, darker and more red than Lush Life Mineralize Rich Lipstick.

Vogue en Violet is a medium-dark vibrant magenta-purple with a luminous sheen in a Luxe finish. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation with opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter and glossier than Heroine, darker and brighter than Up the Amp, and darker and more purple than Bold Spring Mineralize Rich Lipstick.

There was a bit of confusion surrounding this collection because MAC was originally supposed to launch it last October, and they kept pushing back the launch without confirming an official release date. It finally showed up online early last month, and it is only available at select MAC Stores, so if you want to check them out in person, call your local MAC Store to see if they'll be carrying it (and if they aren't, find out which the closest location will be). Luckily, these will be made permanent, so you don't have to rush to get these. Ultimate is now MAC's most luxury lipstick formula to date, and also the most expensive. But on that note, you also get 4.3 grams of product in each tube ($6.51/g), versus 3.6 grams ($7.22/g) in a Mineralize Rich Lipstick and 3 grams in a regular MAC lipstick ($6.33/g), so per gram, it's only a little more expensive than the regular MAC lipsticks.

For those of you who remember the Marcel Wanders "couture" collection a few years ago (MAC releases a more luxurious, more expensive "couture" collection every holiday season), this collection essentially brings back the same lipstick formulation and Wanders-designed packaging in gunmetal chrome. (Fun fact: Marcel Wanders also designed MAC's False Lashes mascara packaging, in case the chess piece-like tube looked familiar.) There's no official description of the Ultimate Lipstick formula, but it feels like a creamier version of the Mineralize Rich Lipstick. That is to say, these are lightweight and creamy with a good amount of slip to be extremely comfortable to wear, glide on smoothly and evenly with high pigmentation and mostly opaque colour pay-off. These seem to hug the lips more than the Mineralize Rich formula, and also feel more hydrating (both immediately and in the long-term). Whereas the Mineralize Rich formula is definitely more on the gel side, this one is squarely in the cream category, and they actually feel more luxurious going on. The range of shades is pretty limited right now, but it's well-curated and there is something for everyone.