MAC Up the Amp Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches!

MAC Up the Amp Lipstick

MAC Up the Amp Lipstick ($15) is described on the MAC website as a "lavender violet". I think that's a really good description for it - it's a purple lipstick, but more violet (blue-toned purple) rather purple (even tone of red and blue). It's medium in tone, but it has that hint of lavender that lightens it up and brings a milkiness to the color. On tan/darker skin tones, it gives off a beautiful lilac pink hue.

It's definitely not an everyday color and is a bit edgy and daring, but when I'm in one of those moods where I want to look a bit fierce, I always reach for purple lipstick.

It actually took me a few wears to get use to this color - at first I thought it was too dull and dark. I was initially mixing it with lighter lilac shades (such as MAC Saint Germain, etc) to tone it down, until the point that I just started wearing it solo. It's one of my favorites now!

It's the "Amplified" formula, which I think is one of the best. It glides on smooth, creamy and the color is opaque. It has a shiny finish and doesn't dry out my lips.

When I wear purple-toned lipstick, I like to keep the rest of my makeup simple as the main focus is the lips. A simple winged-eye always looks great. Also, to keep my face from looking too cool-toned and dull, I always make sure to wear a warm-toned bronzer and a peachy blush. (Pink is a great pair for cool skin tones, but I love peach/orange blush on warm skin tones with purple lips.) I also never skip highlighter as I want to put some light back in my face since the lipstick darkens up my look.

Illamasqua Lover Blush on the cheeks

If you're looking to step out of the box and try a new shade of lipstick, MAC Up the Amp is a great choice!

The Round-Up

Pros:

• Wearable on a large range of skin tones - from light to dark skin
• The color isn't too dark, so no fear of steering into the goth category
• Bold color, but not too over-the-top
• Opaque coverage
• Shiny finish

Cons:

• None!

Price: $15, MAC.