Beauty Care: MAC MACSmash & Burning Love Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolours Reviews & Swatches

MACSmash

MAC MACSmash Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour ($24.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a bright, medium red with neutral-to-cool undertones and a satin finish. The pigmentation was nearly opaque in a single layer, which I didn’t feel built up that well as the product had a tendency to cling to imperfections if over-applied (and a second layer would definitely be too much product!).

The liquid lipstick has a smooth, more velvety consistency that was easy to spread as it glided readily across my lips, but I could feel the formula clinging to my lips slightly, which ensured better longevity but it wasn’t comfortable to wear until some of it wore down. It lasted well for seven hours, left a stain behind, and felt a touch drying.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

MAC Blue Blood (LE, $20.00) is darker (90% similar).
Guerlain #24 (P, $33.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
Maybelline Rich Ruby (P, $7.99) is darker, more muted (90% similar).
Colour Pop Lucky Star (LE, $7.00) is darker (90% similar).
Lisa Eldridge Velvet Ribbon (LE, $32.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
Make Up For Ever C404 (P, $22.00) is darker (90% similar).
Colour Pop Evil Queen (LE, $8.00) is darker, cooler, less glossy (90% similar).
Charlotte Tilbury Carina's Love (P, $34.00) is darker (90% similar).
Maybelline Red for Me (P, $7.49) is darker, less glossy (90% similar).
Bite Beauty Gazpacho (DC, $26.00) is warmer, glossier (90% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$24.00/0.17 oz. - $141.18 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to be long-wearing ("10 hours'") with "immediate" moisture while "[blurring] lines and [smoothing] lips" that doesn't settle, crease, flake, or feel drying. Per the brand, one applies using the "hourglass-shaped applicator."

The texture has a more velvety, thicker feel that spreads well and feels plusher with more of a silicone-like glide (if you've tried a silicone-based primer, the feel of it on the lips was similar but creamier). The applicator worked well for applying and distributing product evenly, but it gathered more product than necessary for my lips in a single pull of product to the point where I felt like it over-applied product to the detriment of application.

I had better luck applying product my upper lip (especially around the cupid's bow, as the applicator was better for getting this area) and then pressing my lips together and/or using a fingertip to diffuse and spread out the product to the rest of my lips. This ensured that there wasn't too much product on my lips; too much resulted in the product pilling a bit and being uneven, especially along the inner area of my month, prone to getting on teeth, and sometimes catching on lip texture/imperfections. For reference: all swatch photos are as-applied with the included applicator only.

They were pigmented with most shades being nearly opaque to opaque but a few that fell slightly below. For a more diffused look, you'd want to apply with fingertips or just to the center of the lips and then use a brush or fingertips to blow out the color. The colors went on fairly evenly, and I found most of the time where it did not, it was an issue with an over-application of product (despite just using one pull of product!) and the formula was more forgiving when applied with less product (but that still was plenty to cover my lips with near-full coverage!).

They mattify over time--as the color wore away--and are more transfer-resistant at that point, but the formula itself is a more flexible, though I could definitely feel it on, and has a more satin-like finish for the first couple of hours of wear. I'd recommend blotting gently on the back of your hand (less likely to get tissue bits on your lips that way) to soften and mattify faster, if desired.

The lighter shades didn't wear away as evenly and had more noticeable wear along the center of my lips, while the more mid-tone and deeper shades lasted longer and more evenly as they tended to stain a bit. The wear ranged from five to eight hours, but the formula wasn't providing any "immediate" moisture for me, and after wearing a lot of shades back-to-back, my lips were slightly dehydrated.

Browse all of our MAC Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour swatches.

Ingredients

Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Isononyl Isononanoate, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Diisostearyl Malate, Tribehenin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Isostearic Acid, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Vanillin, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 (Ci 15850), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985)]

MACSmash

PPermanent. $24.00.

A-

8.5

Product

9.5

Pigmentation

8.5

Texture

Longevity

Application

90%

Total

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Burning Love

MAC Burning Love Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour ($24.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a medium-dark, reddened plum with subtle, warm undertones and a satin finish. It had nearly opaque color coverage in a single layer, which applied evenly across my lips.

The texture was more velvety with glide than traditionally creaminess that felt wet; you could definitely sense the silicones used in the formula when it was on. It worked better applied to the center of the lips or around the cupid’s bow (for greater precision) and then using a lip brush or fingertip to fully diffuse the product as the included applicator over-applied product in my experience. When the product was more heavily applied, it had a tendency to cling more noticeable to imperfections in lip texture. It stayed on well for seven hours, left a stain behind, and felt non-drying over time.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).