MAC matte lipsticks in Mehr, Stone and Whirl review and swatches

I love matte lipsticks by MAC and have recently hauled 3 of them. First I ordered Mehr and then managed to hunt Stone and Whirl from the newly released collection of mattes. I really had high hopes for Whirl and Stone, but it was Mehr which won my heart. 

I'm a fan of MAC Matte formula. I don't have dry lips and they never feel drying or uncomfortable, but I can understand why some people don't like them. I personally love the finish and the fact that they wear for 5-6 hours without eating and with moderate drinking.

The shade is described as dirty blue pink, but to me it's actually a kind of mauvey pink shade which matches my skin tone perfectly, but I suppose it must be flattering for many. This is a shade that hardly anyone talks about and I find it hard to explain. 

The next two come from the new collection of mattes, released globally months after the American launch. Before I was able to make my order, I'd seen tons of swatches of those lipsticks and Whirl and Stone grabbed my attention instantly. I had a suspicion they would be popular, so I literally checked MAC website a couple of times a day and managed to get these two. Two-three hours after they were sold out.

When they arrived I immediately knew there was no way I was going to wear Stone and Whirl was everyone I wanted Stone to be.

Stone is very accurately described on the website as muted grayish taupe brown. I would only add the word dark to the description of a shade, which is beautiful on its own, but on the lips it gives an unnatural, theatrical effect. Twenty years back I might have sported bold and daring goth-like looks and found this lipstick handy, but those times are long gone. 

I also want to say that I really did compare online swatches, including various lip swatches, but neither of them looked THAT dark. 

You may wonder if I regret getting Stone. Partly yes, as it doesn't serve the purpose it was infended for, but I've found some alternative uses for it like wearing it under very pale, nude glosses  or using the lipstick as a cream contouring stick, yes, you heard me right, I contour my face with a lipstick!

I must say that Whirl was also a bit of a surprise as it's described as dirty rose and on everyone's lips and swatches these looked more mauve than brown, but in reality this is a proper brown lipstick. It's not as dark as Stone and obviously there are some more natural reddish undertones to it. It's beautiful on and I can see myself wearing this shade a lot this coming autumn. 

stone

whirl