Hi! I've been so excited about doing this blog post, so apologies if it's a long one!
Today I received some of the new Avon Perfectly Matte lipsticks, which boldly claim to be "More matte than MAC". This has created a bit of a storm in the beauty community!
I adore my MAC lipsticks and I currently have a collection of 64, but at £15.50 each they aren't cheap. When I saw that the new Avon mattes were £5.50 as a launch offer I just had to order some and compare them.
I compared the Avon shades to the closest MAC shades in my collection. I included a couple of Retro Matte finishes, as they were the most similar shades.
I think it's pretty safe to say that colour-wise there are some dupes in there, but what about the finish? Are they truly more matte than MAC? Let's find out...
Finish
As you may have noticed, MACs mattes vary in matte-ness. Some of the darker shades seem to have more of a shine to them (eg. Diva vs Please Me).
They have both the regular matte range and a retro matte range, which are super duper matte but very drying.
The Avon lipsticks equivalents are, judging from the ones I've tested, slightly more matte than MACs regular mattes on average. This is where their claim comes from, as their comparison was to the regular MAC Matte range (and didn't include the Retro mattes). Here is a link to more info regarding Avons claim: click me!
So, does the finish of the Avon lipsticks compare to MAC? Absolutely. They are definitely matte but still comfortable.
Formula
The application varied between the five shades that I tested. Some went on very smoothly and opaque, whilst others were patchy and needed more application and building up to even them out.
You may be able to see from my swatch photo that Pure Pink, Superb Wine and Wild Cherry were kind of patchy, and this also happened on my lips.
Pure Pink wasn't a great formula, it was almost chalky looking on the lips which can happen with some lighter matte shades. The shade also doesn't suit me so I will be passing this one on to a friend.
Wild Cherry was the hardest to make opaque as it isn't as pigmented as the others, so I found it impossible to achieve a smooth, even finish.
In comparison, MAC Diva also takes a little more application to even out, but is more pigmented so you get a much more even finish with the first swipe. It does, however, transfer a bit more than its equivalent Superb Wine - maybe because it's more pigmented or maybe it doesn't 'set' quite as well?
The other two Avon shades (Ravishing Rose and Ruby Kiss) went on very smoothly and were opaque with one sweep. In comparison to the equivalent shades in MACs Retro Matte range, application of the Avon shades was easier as the Retro Mattes are so drying that they drag a bit.
Scent
This is not something that I'd normally comment on as I don't really care too much what a lipstick smells like. Sure, it's nice when they smell nice but it wouldn't affect my decision to purchase.
However, given the fact that I'm comparing to MAC lipsticks, and everyone knows that they smell amazing, I had to mention it!
If you're not familiar with the scent of MAC lipsticks, they have a vanilla/white chocolatey smell. This scent can disappear over time but when new they smell incredible.
The Avon Perfectly Matte lipsticks definitely have their own unique scent - it's so hard to describe as I recognise the scent but can't place it! I'd describe it as close to a lemon and lime soda scent, but don't quote me on that! Sweet but refreshing.
Price
Avon Perfectly Matte - RRP £8
Something to note - as with all Avon products, the price will fluctuate depending on when you buy them.
Two weeks ago they were £5.50 as an introductory offer. As of writing this post, in the current book they are £5 each. Either way they are half the price of MAC at the very least and a third of the price at the most.
MAC Matte - RRP £15.50
2x-3x the price for the same amount of product. I think, to a degree, you're paying a premium for the brand name. MAC is one of the most globally recognised companies in the world and are known for their quality. However, I think that MACs lipstick quality does vary - the Retro Mattes are incomparable to others for me, like I said before I've found no others like them, but a lot of their other lipsticks are really no better than drugstore equivalents.
Shade range
Avon Perfectly Matte
Currently, at least in the UK, there are 15 shades to choose from. Here's a photo from the current Avon brochure:
Sadly I found that a few of the shades were very very similar, as you can see in my swatch photo - Wild Cherry/Superb Wine, and Ravishing Rose/Ruby Kiss. Wild Cherry has a slightly more red undertone whereas Superb Wine leans more purple, and Ravishing Rose is slightly more pinker than Ruby Kiss, but there's really hardly anything in it - the difference is so subtle it doesn't show in the photos. I was really hoping for Ruby Kiss to be more red!
A vibrant purple shade would have been nice (the US have an amazing looking shade that we don't have called Hot Plum!) and a purpley-mauve would have been a great addition to the collection too. Hopefully they add more!
MAC Matte
Currently there are 34 shades in MACs standard matte range, as well as 7 Retro Mattes. This includes many bold and unusual shades. In general, including all their ranges and finishes, MAC has more lipstick shades in total than any other company. This is just one of the reasons that MAC Cosmetics are so popular and loved worldwide.
Overall verdict
I prefer the MAC lipsticks in every way expect for the price. The quality is more consistent and they are (mostly) more opaque. Are they worth the huge increase in price though? For every day use, no, but for a special occasion I'd definitely reach for my MAC lipsticks over other cheaper ones.
I love a good dupe, and I've tried enough dupes to know that you don't always get what you pay for when it comes to high-end makeup. I sometimes even prefer the quality of the cheaper versions.
Very often you're paying for the brand name rather than the quality. Some high-end products, however, are incomparable and definitely worth the extra cash outlay.
Whilst I'm not a huge fan of most of the Avon makeup that I've tried, (I think most of it is pretty 'meh'), I do have handful of favourites and a few of these new lipsticks are definitely up there. On another note - Avon, if you're reading this, please either make Wild Cherry more different to Superb Wine in colour or drop it and replace it with another colour, because the formula was pretty bad on that one and in hindsight I wish I hadn't bought it! And please make Ruby Kiss more red than pink!
I'm planning to order some more shades now that I've tried them, so I will probably update this blog post with more swatches if I find any more dupes.
Have you tried the new Avon Perfectly Matte lipsticks, or any Mac matte lipsticks? What did you think? Let me know below!
Thanks for reading :)
Sarah xx
