I have to admit, I have never purchased any Viva Glam items from MAC before and the Rihanna collection was my first.
I usually find the Viva Glam colours either unwearable for me, or I already have dupes so I don’t bother.
This season though, I was quite fond of the MAC & Riri collaboration and I was curious about the 2 Viva Glam items.
So the collection consists of 2 items, a lipstick and a lipglass. I purchased only the lipglass.
I wanted the lipstick too, but I already have so many shades of red that I told myself to save the money for something else instead.
We’ll begin with the lipstick anyhow…
First & foremost, for all of you that are new to MAC & Viva Glam, you should know that all Viva Glam items are sold to donate money to help cure aids.
Every cent of every Viva Glam sale goes towards fighting aids so you’re already helping out just by making a purchase.
This lipstick is called Viva Glam Rihanna.
It’s in a frost finish which means it has a slightly metallic sheen to it.
The colour is a spot on strawberry red. Not so much blue based and not so much yellow based either, but more in between. It’s quite a nice shade and if you’re looking for a pleasant wearable red, this is it. It’s quite hydrating too so that’s a plus.
What I like most is that frost finish. I’ve noticed that lately, most red lipsticks by MAC are in a matte formula and that can be quite drying on the lips so it’s nice to see a nice red in a different formula.
The lipglass on the other hand is quite different to the lipstick.
In fact, the only thing in common with it’s lipstick counterpart is the name.
Though the lipglass looks like a strong red, it’s actually quite sheer. It’s like a strawberry pinkish red, on the sheer side with plenty of gold and pink shimmer in it.
It is gorgeous and applies quite easily.
It’s gives your lips more of a natural red colour than the expected candy apple red. It’s very wearable regardless of occasion and is a great shade of red for those of you who are beginners with bright colours.
With red lips, I always tend to stick to lipsticks over glosses, mainly because the glosses get so sticky and all over the place, and with a bright full on red, that can be a mess.
A good lipstick over liner is usually my favourite way to wear red.
However, here with MAC Viva Glam Rihanna, we have two very wearable reds in 2 different formulas for beginners or pros.
Take your pick.
Purchase yours from the MAC website or from eBay starting from as low as $30.