When is the last time you were excited about a new MAC release? I remember when MAC was the be all and end all of all makeup releases who were always innovative and THE brand to try. I think MAC is still a brand that does some interesting things, but their big hits have become far and few. One of their more recent releases are the Powder Kiss lipsticks and I was very excited when they were released. I picked up two shades so far and today I wanted to zoom in on Stay Curious which was released in a later batch of shades.
MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick Stay Curious // Review, Swatch, Makeup Look
The Powder Kiss lipsticks intrigued me as they promised to be a lightweight, matte formula that is long-lasting and has a blurring effect while not being drying at all. It was first launched with limited shades and now comes in 22 different shades. Stay Curious is one of the darkest ones and retails for €19.50.
The Packaging
MAC’s lipstick packaging is possibly one of the most iconic in the makeup world. The black bullet shaped packaging has not changed for years and also for the Powder Kiss lipsticks the packaging didn’t change much. The only thing that changed? The black is matte to reflect the matte texture of the lipstick. The only downside? You never know which one you grab for as you cannot see which shade you are selecting if you have more than one.
The Lipstick
The reason why I was intrigued by this lipstick was the fact that it is matte, yet thin and weightless. Matte lipsticks can feel quite thick and heavy on the lips. These you do not even feel on the lips. The lipstick itself also has a different look: the cream itself has a velvety texture that very well reflects the texture of this lipstick.
When it comes to the shade range, I do have one critique: there isn’t a lot of variety in the shades. Stay Curious is one of the darker shades available. All the other shades are quite bright or very nude and there isn’t much going on in between. It may be more difficult to do in this texture, but especially for MAC, which is a brand with every lipstick shade under the sun, this is quite extraordinary.
The Swatch
Stay Curious was a shade that really intrigued me as it is a perfect fall shade. It has a good deal of warmth, but isn’t too brown: it is still a red. The way I would describe this shade is as a muted red. This makes it super wearable and I think it goes well with the thin texture of the lipstick. Because that is how I would describe the formula: as thin but the pigment can easily be build up.
In this swatch it looks like it might not be opaque, but on the lips it does truly pack a punch. However, you do need a few layers for this to go on in full. That is done on purpose though because this kind of lipstick is also meant to be worn as a rubbed in stain or as a bit of a blotted, blurred look. So it can be super versatile.
The Application
So what does this look like on? As you can see, Stay Curious is a stunning warm, muted red. I have quite pigmented lips so when a lipstick has bad pigmentation you can definitely see. This has good opacity and I think the shade is a perfect fall shade. It has a bit of warmth and combined with the comfortable formula this wears well and doesn’t feel drying even after wearing it for hours. It is not the longest lasting lipstick on the market, but it still works well on a workday.
My Final Thoughts
I am pretty impressed with the MAC Powder Kiss lipstick. Stay Curious is a great shade that I know I will wear more often especially in the fall time. The texture is pleasant to wear, it is matte but still soft looking and very lightweight. This is the kind of matte lipstick that I think will appeal to people who normally do not like matte lipsticks. I can highly recommend looking into these as I think this type of lipstick is quite unique not only to MAC, but to the lipstick market as a whole.
5 responses to “MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick”
What a beautiful mat teint 😉
Xoxo
It is isn’t it?!
This is one of the first lipsticks I went for when looking for some Retro Reds. I got “Shocking Revelation” which is sort of a true red. I noticed, however, that the colors available have changed already! Anyway, I agree totally with your review. You do need to build this. At first I was a bit disappointed with the lack of pigment and the muted tone of the red. But I found that it’s good for when I want a more subtle matte tone and still want a red. I’ll probably be trying another red in the future from this line, maybe “Werk Werk Werk”. We’ll see how long that color stays around. 🙂
I love MAC’s Russian Red for a good retro 50s red. It’s one of my most used lipsticks.
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