MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2: Lipstick and Lipglass

For those who don't already know about MAC's Viva Glam program, it is a series of lip products of which 100% of the entire selling price goes to the MAC AIDS Fund. As of 2010, there are six lipstick shades in the permanent Viva Glam line-up (aptly named Viva Glam I to VI), but MAC also appoints a celebrity every year to be their Viva Glam ambassador to help raise HIV/AIDS awareness. Every Viva Glam lip product that has been launched since 2010 (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, Rihanna twice in 2014, Miley Cyrus twice in 2015, and now Ariana Grande twice in 2016. To date, MAC's Viva Glam campaign has raised $450 million globally to help men, women, and children infected and affected by AIDS and HIV.
Tomorrow, we will be seeing the launch of Ariana Grande's second Viva Glam lip shades. As usual, Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 will come in both lipstick and lip gloss form. Both are limited edition and will be available for six months going forward (subject to change). As with all MAC lip products, they are vanilla-scented but taste-free. Each Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick comes in black packaging with the signature Viva Glam red metal casing and Ariana's signature printed in black around it. Each Lipglass comes in a clear tube with Ariana's signature printed in red around it. Each lipstick contains 3 grams of product, and retails for $21. Each Lipglass comes with a doe-foot applicator, contains 4.8 grams of product, and retails for $19. As they are for charity, none of the Viva Glam products are redeemable for the Back to MAC recycling program.
Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick
Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass
Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick and Lipglass

Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick is a medium-dark vibrant cool magenta-purple in an Matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade, and will be available for six months going forward. It has a soft and creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter and brighter than Heroine, lighter and more purple than Flat Out Fabulous, and darker and more purple than Pink Pigeon.

Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass is a medium muted mauve-pink with soft iridescent micro-shimmer in a glossy finish. This is a new and limited edition shade, and will be available for six months going forward. It has a slightly tacky texture, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium pigmentation with semi-sheer to semi-opaque colour pay-off. It is more pink than Spite, cooler and more shimmery than Ample Pink Plushglass, and cooler and more shimmery than Deelight Cremesheen Glass.

Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipstick is actually a surprisingly wearable bright, and despite its cooler undertones, is also widely flattering from fair to deep dark complexions. I'm not going to say that it's the most unique colour, but there actually isn't an exact dupe to it in MAC's permanent range unlike the first Ariana Grande lipstick. Ariana Grande 2 looks like it mixes several of MAC's permanent lipstick shades: it has the purple tone of Heroine, the depth of Flat Out Fabulous, and the added vibrancy of Candy Yum-Yum. It actually looks like Magenta Lip Pencil in lipstick form, which I know a lot of people have requested since Magenta came out years and years ago. (It also has the added bonus of making your teeth look whiter.) If you like your bright pinks, this is definitely one to check out. The Lipglass, on the other hand, is an incredibly wearable mauve-pink that looks great on its own and as a layering gloss. Like the lipstick, the gloss will flatter every complexion and undertone. What is actually notable about this colour is that there are no exact dupes for it in MAC's permanent range, which is kind of strange because it is one of those shades that literally every person can — and will — wear. 
You might have noticed that Ariana Grande's series of lip shades for Viva Glam is the first in which the lipsticks and lip glosses do not match, and it was done this way on purpose. While you can wear them together, they are meant to reflect the duality of Ariana's own personality and style. The first Ariana Grande lipstick, which is a deep dark vampy wine, is meant to represent her dark, "bad girl" side; her first gloss, which is a sheer sparkly pink, is meant to represent her innocent, "good girl" side. For her second lip duo, the bright magenta lipstick reflects her "fresh and cheeky" side, and the soft mauve lip gloss reflects her "nice and charming" side. Essentially, it gives the consumers more choice within the Viva Glam range, which was actually a smart move for MAC because Viva Glam supports such a great charity program and having more shade choices attracts a wider audience.
MAC has a knack for choosing controversial celebrities for their Viva Glam campaigns (e.g. RuPaul, Pamela Anderson, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, etc.), and this year has been no different with Ariana Grande. A lot of people love her and just as many people hate her. There are strong and differing opinions about her, but in the end, if Ariana can use her fame and popularity to sell a product that goes directly to charity, I'm all for it. The MAC AIDS Fund is one of the most effective charities I have ever seen a cosmetics company identify with, and 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 these, it's worth checking out any of the other Viva Glam shades that may be more wearable or flattering on you.