Gunk Fury

Why, hello, gunkies! Contrary to popular belief (and by popular, I really mean the handful of people reading my blog), I have neither died nor gone to live in the deep woods where the Internet cannot find me. I come to you with an offering of a review.

A lipstick of paramount importance.

No, you’re not dreaming. I’m reviewing a nude lipstick! I’m sure there will be more, so we are going to see how many different ways I can say “true nude,” “beige,” and “more on the pink/peach” side. I shall consider reviewing nude lipsticks a writing exercise.

After Nars’ Belle de Jour, which for me is still the most beautiful nude shade, let me down with its less than stellar formulation, I’ve been heartbrokenly eyeing every nude lipstick with suspicion and doubt. Every time I pick up a sample tube, I’m like, “Well, you’re pretty. What’s wrong with you?” Nevertheless, out of sheer necessity- and really this word acquires a different meaning when you’re a gunkie- I decided to give nudes another chance. Perhaps not all nude lipsticks will focus on my flaws, aka chapped lips, like Belle de Jour did.

This is what singlehood has come to; I am jaded from a bad relationship with a lipstick.

Let the healing commence.

When I got to the store a bit before noon, the collection was still nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, that isn’t because it had sold out, but because they hadn’t launched it yet.

Kang, who couldn’t be more different from the former MAC manager in Powerplant (an entity who shall remain nameless for the sole reason that her name brings bile up my throat), was very, very nice to me, and allowed me to pick out the eye shadow and lipstick I wanted from the collection. She went above and beyond when I asked if I could already swatch the testers that were still hidden away; to my surprise, they immediately began setting up the displays just so I could have better pictures for my blog!

I swatched what I could!

A look featuring an aqua liner, orange lipstick, and Dash and Paw!

Avail the cheese.

MAC’s amplified finish is one of my favorite lipstick finishes in the market. Combine it with a very bold shade and we have an inevitable  gunkie pick!

Orange Lipstick? YES, PLEASE!

These two lipsticks often appear together in search results as they are both sort of browny reds. Some might call them retro reds, perhaps depending on one’s coloring or which exact decade comes to mind when one hears the word “retro.” Personally, I wouldn’t call either of these more retro than several other universal reds, but that’s because I always associate “retro” with the bolder, brighter reds of ’50s pin-up models (Bettie Page) rather than the classic reds of Hollywood glamour (Marilyn Monroe).

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that Revlon’s In the Red is my absolute favorite red lipstick. I was curious to see how it would compare to MAC’s Viva Glam I since I’d been reading about their similarities for so long. I finally decided to take the plunge and purchase Viva Glam I! One reason for this is because I am befuddled that I haven’t found blog entries actually comparing the two side by side. I’m gonna do that for you right now.

Are they dupes?

So my cousin Pia arrived from the States last week and true enough, she got me the MAC Wonder Woman Spitfire lipstick! And the MAC Wonder Woman Russian Red lipstick, too! I think the Russian Red was meant for my mom, who hardly wears makeup anyway, so it of course ended up with me.

Even before my not-so-wonderful launch experience that occurred what seems like a lifetime ago, I was so excited about the Wonder Woman collection that I bought matching underwear from Topshop! In addition to that, I WAS able to buy one of the Opulashes thanks to Mikey, one of the nicer MAC people. Click below for reviews and swatches!

Don’t you just adore the packaging?

I’m really getting sick and tired of the bad customer service I keep getting from MAC Cosmetics, Philippines.

Last year’s Venomous Villains debacle was upsetting enough and now it’s happening again with the Wonder Woman collection.

I had been trying to get on their mailing list for a year now and by the time they finally emailed me about the Wonder Woman collection, it was too late. MAC Glorietta had ALREADY launched and I had already scheduled other things for the other dates. On top of that, before I even got the email, MAC Glorietta had told me that the MAC Powerplant launch would be on March 28, which is on a Monday.

Apparently not.

There’s no way I can make it to that launch today so I called MAC Powerplant last night and this morning to try and have ONE Spitfire lipstick reserved. The girl I talked to last night said she couldn’t help me, so I called this morning and asked to talk to the manager. I’ve had bad experiences with this manager in the past, so I really shouldn’t be surprised that she was just as rude this morning.

Basically, she told me that it wasn’t their fault that their FELLOW MAC SALESPEOPLE gave me the wrong information and that I should have called to confirm. Question: Why the hell would I assume that the information they gave me was incorrect? They seemed pretty darn sure of themselves when they gave it!

And then she said lots of people were coming in from other provinces just for the collection and that I should just have someone go over there to purchase ONE lipstick from them, which I tried to do last night, but I don’t exactly have an arsenal of friends or servants at my beck and call. I said, “I know you’re just trying to be fair, but you’re being unfair to me also.” To this she replied with a better phrased, “you should have called to confirm. Some people came here from far-off lands just to confirm.”

She kept telling me she had other people to attend to (though the launch was still thirty minutes away), and that she basically had no time to keep talking to me.

Me, the girl who, last December, she accused of being a liar when she gave me a bad paint pot, and whom, when screwed out of the Venomous Villains collection last year, she never apologized to.

There was not ONE real apology in our conversation this morning and frankly, I keep waiting for ANY of the MAC representatives here to prove that what I think of them- that they are the only salespeople in the world who are specifically trained to NEVER say “Sorry”- is wrong.

I just want ONE lipstick. Despite their ATROCIOUS return policy (you can’t return their products even if you’ve only touched them to TEST them, in which case, why would you return a product you just bought and haven’t gotten the chance to dislike? Also, you only have 24 hours to decide whether or not you like the product and to return it), I’ve spent money on MAC, been polite to their staff, researched and recommended their products, asked about the Wonder Woman collection for MONTHS, and set aside money for it. I just thought that should have been worth something.

Well, I’m just one person, so apparently, MAC just doesn’t care.

*****

I’m well aware that MAC Powerplant isn’t under Rustan’s. However, MAC is ONE COMPANY. They carry ONE NAME. Salespeople, whether or not they are trained and educated makeup artists, have a responsibility to us, the consumers, and to the company they work for to make sure that they treat people with respect.

I know it’s not even December yet, but I’ve been feeling a little bit weepy and thought that a little Christmas cheer was in order. Of course, I didn’t bother to be all cultural and politically correct or anything with this look. WHATEVER. Christmas is green, red, and gold. That’s it, it’s done, it’s over.

I have heard that purple/lilac lips are totally in right now, so I did provide that option, hahah. What can I say? I’m a desperate acceptance-seeker.

Get the cheesy Christmas look.

I know this is late, but I think that this is worth discussing anyway.

There is a stigma that MAC can never get a product wrong, and that is just not true. I personally love MAC; my brown shadows are the best I’ve seen yet, and most of the brushes are just plain better than any dupe. However, as with any other brand, MAC does sometimes get it wrong.

I hadn’t gotten on the MAC Carbon bandwagon because I already had a few blacks that I was quite happy with. I didn’t have one that was completely matte though, so I decided to finally get it. Boy, was I disappointed. The thing is just an awful product. Pretty much all it’s been good for is deepening the color of some of my shadows, and even then, it’s so difficult to get it from the pan and on my lid. It’s also virtually unblendable so unless the shadow is so dark that it’s almost black itself, MAC Carbon will just sit there with nowhere to go and nothing to do- uneven, ashy, gray, and dirty-looking. I just hate it. Hate it hate it hate it.

MAC Venomous Villains Collection Review + The Truth About MAC Carbon