Lips

I’ve always loved the theatricality of makeup, and by that I mean more than just its ability to alter our appearance (the WHIZZ! BAM! POP!), but also how something as seemingly insignificant as a tube of lipstick can completely change the way we feel and how we see ourselves.

Take today’s Unsung Hero, the mighty MAC Lipstick in Bombshell ($14.50). One minute with it on, and I feel my inner Mary Ann turning into Ginger!

Sometimes this frosty golden pink gets typecast as a “Barbie pink,” and it’s not hard to see why. Like Barbs, she can be quite flirty and fun, but this Bombshell is also capable of playing other roles, like seductive siren/Bond girl. 🙂

While Barbie cruises the PCH in her pink convertible, Bombshell tests her Masarati on the streets of Monaco. Girlfriend werks a pair of four-inch patent-pink Louboutins and a black tank dress. She’s on her way to a high-stakes poker game to gather intel, her slick ponytail whipping in the wind as she takes every turn a little too fast. Although her mind is on her mission, she recalls the brief but witty exchange she had with a charming billionaire last night. She wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, but now is not the time.

LOL! Yeah, that’s my Bombshell. Sure, she’s pink and girly, but she might just kick your @ss.

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Heads turn so fast when MAC Russian Red Lipstick ($14.50) enters a room that some of them get whiplash.

The blue-based red, long a favorite of MAC fans (like moi!), lives in the permanent line, but she also guest stars from time to time in limited edition releases like the MAC Wonder Woman Collection as a repromote shade.

I’ve loved the color for years, but I didn’t always know she had a sister, super shiny, highly pigmented MAC Russian Red Lipglass ($14.50).

If any product deserves a share of the MAC Unsung Heroes spotlight, it’s Russian Red Lipglass — one of my go-to colors to pair with cat eyes.

Just how red is it? Well, do you remember how red your cheeks got that time in gym class with the sit-ups (PROOOT!)? Yup, it’s even redder than that. 🙂

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Sweet! Every time I wear syrup, strangers stop to ask me what it is. Wait — that didn’t come out right. No, not corn syrup or maple syrup, although those are also great. I’m referring to pretty pink MAC Syrup ($14.50), a permanent member of the MAC Lustre Lipstick line.

Described as a cloudy pink on the MAC website, this hydrating, cool-toned lippie hides a hint of purple behind its shiny finish. I dig the way it looks, but my lips love the way it feels — not too thick nor thin. And it’s a great value, too, thanks to its versatility. It looks great with everything from dramatic smokey eyes to conservative everyday looks.

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Colleges could teach courses in ways to pair MAC Subculture Lip Pencil ($13). Seriously, I wear this warm rosy nude with practically everything. EVERY. FRICKIN’. THING. I use it so much that I’ve gone through about four sticks of it over the past few years. It’s a regular Ms. Versatility, boo, and if you two haven’t met, it’s high time ya did.

Many gals, myself included, feel that Subculture’s color matches the natural color of their lips perfectly, which, I know, seems counterintuitive. I mean, why buy a lip pencil in the same shade as your lips?

Well, for the definition, doll. 🙂 I use this creamy, long-wearing, non-feathering pencil to define my pucker with crisp edges when I wear lipsticks and/or gloss, and I also think my lips look smoother and plumper with it on.

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Have I got a thing for bright lipsticks, HELLO! But sometimes I don’t want the hassle they can bring. Sometimes I just want something easy and effortless on my lips — something like the perfect pink.

That’s where today’s entrant in the MAC Unsung Heroes series shines. She’s MAC Viva Glam V lipstick ($14), and she happens to be one of the most wearable neutral pink lippies I’ve ever met.

Shimmery like a pearl and with a shiny finish, the color’s one Goldilocks (of Three Bears fame) would love, because it’s not too cool or too warm. It’s one of those products that seems to be juuuust right for almost everyone.

And it doesn’t just look good on the lips; it feels good, too — rather, it makes me feel good to wear. 🙂 Since its introduction (Viva Glam V came out in 2004), the proceeds from its sale and those of MAC’s other Viva Glam lipsticks have gone to support men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. Millions have been raised since the program’s start in 1994, much of it one tube at a time.
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