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Lately, I have been indulging more than usual in makeup, especially at MAC Cosmetics, before I moved away from London.
I’m currently on a trip around Europe, and my first stop is Istanbul, where you do have quite a few MAC makeup stores, and felt like sharing my complete MAC Whirl lipstick review with swatch.
What a way to come round full circle, since the Whirl lipstick was one of my very first MAC matte lipstick purchases!
It won’t be that long of a review, but I will share a few tips to wear this one perfectly – and obviously, one of the best MAC lip liners is the Whirl lipstick if you want those crisp lines!
MAC Whirl Lipstick Review + Swatch: Best MAC Brown Lipstick
If it’s your first time on The Working Line, you’ll be happy to discover here lots of guides to the best MAC lipsticks for Indian skin, dark skin, Asian, fair, medium, and even MAC lipsticks for grey hair!
And if many of the MAC lipsticks do suit most skin tones, it’s true that the Whirl lipstick is one of the very best overall.
First of all, it’s a completely matte lipstick, with that beautiful nude brown lipstick shade that proves perfect for everyday wear, ie at work.
Not too nude, but nude enough that you don’t feel like you have to wear close to nothing on the eyes otherwise you’ll have a too-much look.
How to wear the MAC Whirl lipstick?
If you want to wear the lipstick in its nude version, one of the best nude lipstick and lip liner combos with Whirl is with the Whirl lip liner – perfect match, exact same color.
However, if you’d like to create an ombre lip look, I’d also probably go for the Half Red lip liner, or something even darker like the Nightmoth or the Chestnut lip liner.
Coat the ombre lip look with some lipgloss, like the Spice Lipglass, and you’ve got the perfect pout.
MAC Whirl Lipstick Review: Packaging
The packaging of the MAC Whirl lipstick is really simple; nothing’s changed from when I bought my first tube.
Classic cardboard box, black with a tip that already shows the color.
As always, the MAC products are made in Canada.
So, while the price has definitely shot up these last few years (they’re now $22 apiece, and used to cost around 18 euros when I got my first lipsticks), it’s still worth it.
By the way, the ‘A22’ reference on the lipstick is not the name of the color, for those of you still wondering.
It’s just the batch number, so if you’re not sure of the color when you want to get a new tube, just take yours to the shop when you want to make a new purchase.
Take it from an ex-MAC makeup artist; that A22 could be printed on many more products than just lipsticks and we won’t know what you’re talking about!
MAC Whirl Lipstick Review: Color
The color of the MAC Whirl lipstick is described as a dirty pink kind of color.
It is however a really deep (yet nude) brown lipstick shade, with the slightest pink undertone.
Over the years, doing makeup at MAC Cosmetics and on photoshoots, I have to admit that the Whirl lipstick has helped me tremendously.
The great thing about this particular nude MAC lipstick, in my opinion, is just how many people it looks good on.
I have a fair olive skin tone (NW15 to NW20 when I tan), and on me, the MAC Whirl lipstick does seem darker than on people who have skin with warm undertones.
Just because there’s a bit more contrast, the Whirl lipstick does indeed not look that nude on me.
Rather, it looks like a darker pinkish brown color, and roughly a 90s brown lipstick – which is what I was looking for when I bought it, actually.
MAC Whirl Lipstick Swatch on Fair Skin
I have taken two different swatch pictures of the MAC Whirl lipstick so you would see what the undertone really looks like.
On the first picture, you do see that warm brown lipstick shade quite well, especially when you apply it lightly.
On the second picture, though, with several layers of the MAC Whirl lipstick, you do see that the more product you apply, the deeper the color gets – almost greyish, actually.
The formula is very consistent, very easy to apply.
It does seem to me that as the years go by, MAC Cosmetics reworks the matte formula as this tube is definitely easier to apply than the one I bought years ago.
MAC Whirl Lipstick Review + Swatch: Best MAC Brown Lipstick
If you’re not too sure what type of everyday MAC lipstick you should get, and are afraid that shades like the Velvet Teddy lipstick will look too light on you (it does on me), Whirl is a great option.
It’s matte, longlasting, very pigmented and a little bit really goes a long way.
The great thing about this one is that if you have medium skin, it’s definitely an amazing matte lipstick to get as it looks just a little bit more interesting than a classic nude lipstick.
On Indian skin, the MAC Whirl lipstick is also crazy beautiful, and whether you have skin with cool undertones or warm undertones, it’s one to have in your bucket list.
Wear it with some shimmery green eyeshadow (my favorite way of pairing it) or some gold eyeshadow if you want to go for something more classic!
Until next time!
Other MAC Posts
- The Best MAC Eyeshadow Palettes
- The Best MAC Blush for Asian Skin
- The Best MAC Blush for Dark Skin
- The Best MAC Blush for Fair Skin
- The Best MAC Whirl Lip Liner Dupes
- The Best MAC Spice Lip Liner Dupes
- The Best MAC Soar Lip Liner Dupes
Other Beauty Posts
- FOREO Bear Review
- The Best Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Dupes
- The Best Colourpop Lippie Stix Shades
- The Best Colourpop Eyeshadow Palettes for Blue Eyes
- The Best Colourpop Palettes for Brown Eyes
- The Best Jeffree Star Palettes
- The Best Natasha Denona Palettes
- The Best Juvia’s Place Eyeshadow Palettes
The Working Line
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Sam is a certified fashion makeup artist, a freelance writer, a blogger and a digital nomad. Since 2019, she roams around the world, from London to Rome and shares her knowledge about makeup, scented candles, travel, blogging and the digital nomad lifestyle.
