To be honest, I’ve never really used lip liners before. Recently though, I went for a makeup class and was blown away by how much they transformed my lips. So, I obviously had to rush to the nearest MAC store and get my hands on a few shades. Since I’m all about versatile neutrals, I decided to get the Lip Duo in ‘Soar’ and ‘Spice’. Here is my review.
In terms of Mac products, Soar and Whirl have been wildly popular for years now. If that’s the family of shades that appeals to you, you may like Mac’s lipliner in Dervish. Forumla wise this liner applies and performs much like Soar; it can be a tad dry if you use it on the entire lip as I do but it’s worth it, as it really stays put. You can find a review on the MAC Soar Lip Pencil here and on the MAC Faux Lipstick here. MAC WHIRL & WHIRL. No, that wasn’t a typo. After Kylie Jenner hyped up the MAC Cosmetics Whirl lip pencil, MAC decided to make an exact copy of it in a lipstick form. This is one of my most worn lip combos.
The liners come in the form of pencils that need to be sharpened. Whilst I’m generally not fond of such formats because it leads to wastage, I understand that the nibs need to be sharp to draw on a precise outline. Each pencil has a coloured band on one end so that you can see the exact shade. The shade name is printed in silver just above the band.
In terms of formula, both these shades were quite similar. Although the pencils initially feel stiff and hard to work with it, they soon warm up to a creamy consistency. As liners, they do a great job at defining the edges of the lips. However, when I tried applying the shades all over, I found that they tugged a little and caught on to the dry patches. I recommend using quick, short strokes to evenly coat your pout. ‘Soar’ is a brown-toned pink shade, whilst ‘Spice’ is a neutral brown with rosy undertones. The major difference between the two is that ‘Soar’ leans more towards the pinker end, whilst ‘Spice’ is firmly in the neutral territory. Both pencils have a completely matte finish and are very pigmented. I usually require two coats to get complete opacity.
I’ve been wearing these pencils under most of my lipsticks and have been amazed at how much they have increased the lasting power of every lip colour! When worn alone, each shade stays put for at least 6 hours and fades evenly. When paired with a lipstick, they extend the wear time by a good 3 to 4 hours. The only downside is that the formula feels drying and can accentuate fine lines. If I layer them under a lip colour, this is usually not a problem. However, if you plan on wearing just the pencil, I recommend applying a lip balm beneath it.
Pigmented, long lasting and versatile, these lip pencils are a must-have. The colours are flattering on a wide range of skin tones and pair well with nearly all of my pink and nude lipsticks. Unfortunately, this lip kit is no longer available. However, both these shades are a part of MAC’s permanent collection so it shouldn’t be difficult to get your hands on these!
Price: USD 18.00 for each pencil/ INR 1450.00 for each pencil/ AED 120.00 for the Lip Duo
Recommended Reading: Review Of The NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil In ‘Cruella’
I am excited to share with you my collection of MAC lip pencils. MAC has always been the Queen of lip products and I think that they have some of the best lip pencils on the market.
In addition to swatching my collection, I thought it would also be fun to share some of the MAC lipsticks that each lipliner pairs well with. These are just a few of my suggestions. The joy of lipliners is that you can literally pair them with anything. You can use them to “match” a lipstick, deepen a lipstick, use them INSTEAD of a lipstick etc.
MY COLLECTION OF MAC LIP PENCILS:
Edge to Edge
Color: midtone dirty blue pink
Pairs well with: Mehr, Brave, Pink Plaid, any cool-toned pink lipstick
Boldly Bare
Color: dirty red brown
Pairs well with: Kinda Sexy
Soar
Color: midtone pinkish brown
Pairs well with: Any mauvey-pink lipstick
Whirl
Color: dirty rose
Pairs well with: Velvet Teddy, Whirl
Plum
Color: potent reddened plum
Pairs well with: Captive
Chicory
Color: brownish red
Mac Zip Pencil Soar
Pairs well with: Retro, Brick-O-La, any my lips but better shade
Brick
Color: intense golden red
Mac Lip Pencil Soar Swatch
Pairs well with: Chili, Ruby Woo
Vino
Color: intense violet purple
Pairs well with: Rebel, Diva
Nightmoth
Color: blackened plum
Pairs well with: Sin, Rebel
Chestnut
Color: intense brown
Pairs well with: Sin, Antique Velvet
I hope you found this post helpful! Be sure to check out this post about my favorite MAC lipsticks.
Soar Mac Lipstick
MAC lip pencils are available at Ulta, Nordstrom, Dillards and MAC
Mac Lip Pencil In Soar
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you in advance if you decide to use one of my links (at no additional cost to you). I sincerely appreciate your support. Thank you to MAC Cosmetics for gifting me these lipliners to share with my readers. As always my opinions are 100% my own.