I've accumulated ten MAC lipsticks and two lipglasses since this past November and thought I'd finally do an overview of each lipstick finish that I've worn and compare them. In this post, I'll mention which shades I currently own or have owned, but will post all of the lip swatches and list any color alternatives in a separate post so this one won't get insanely long.
Matte finish is by far my favorite finish of MAC lipstick. They're smooth and semi-creamy to apply, yet dry down and stay put without feeling intensely drying on my lips. I rarely have to touch up unless it's because I've eaten or had something to drink. However, if I DO happen to need a touch-up, I find that it's better to just wipe off all of the residual lipstick and completely reapply because if I simply add more lipstick, it cakes. The shades I own are Please Me, Kinda Sexy, Velvet Teddy, Glam, and Smoked Purple.
Retro matte has amazing staying power, but is more difficult to apply than matte. It's so dry that it sways back and forth inside the tube as I apply it, which has caused unsightly dents on the bullet. I also find it a bit difficult to apply the product with a brush. Otherwise, I do love the actual product once it's on my lips and it doesn't fade half as much as regular mattes do (which is already not much). The shade I own is Ruby Woo.
Cremesheen is a very creamy finish and is slightly moisturizing, but does dry down a bit within a few hours on my lips. For reference, my lips don't have severe dryness issues and don't ever crack unless I neglect to wear any lip balm for a significant time. It is a pretty comfortable lipstick finish to wear since it feels similar to some balms, yet these lipsticks are very pigmented and are not sheer like Lustres are. I had to de-pot mine because after using it for a couple of months, it shifted too much and wiggled loose in the tube, since it's such a soft lipstick. The shade I own is Crème d'Nude.
Satin finish is one of my least favorites that I've tried of MAC's lipsticks so far. The shades I've swatched or worn were always very pigmented and opaque, but they feel thicker and heavier on the lips than the matte and retro matte formulas. They're not dry, yet they're not super moisturizing, either. They apply almost a bit patchy on my lips and require more effort to get an even application. The only reason I'll purchase a MAC satin lipstick would be if the color is too good to pass up. The shades I own/have owned are Hoop and Viva Glam Nicki.
Frost seems to be a bit hit-or-miss. I only own one, but I mostly love it for its smooth texture. It does, however, need to be reapplied every few hours, which makes it higher maintenance on my lips than the other finishes I've tried. Even though if feels soft and smooth on my lips, it can sometimes show off fine lines and make them appear drier than they actually are. I get a feeling this may vary with some frost colors because some have hardly any frostiness and some have a lot. It feels smoother on my lips than matte or retro matte, but slightly drier than cremesheen. The shade I own is Pet Me, Please.
Amplified Creme is a super, super creamy and very opaque, intensely pigmented finish. This is probably my second favorite to matte finish because it's like a combination of matte's high pigment and cremesheen's smoothness. It's way more moisturizing than cremesheen lipsticks when applied in an average amount, but it can also be applied thinly with a brush or blotted to have a more stain-like effect. The shade I own is Saint Germain and it's gorgeous.
Overall, I very much love tons of lipsticks that MAC has to offer. While they have a ton of basic or dupe-able shades, they also have many shades that are unique either because of the colors or because of the finish.
MAC is not a vegan friendly company as some of their products contain ingredients like lanolin or carmine and they also test on animals.
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