Review - MAC Lipstick in Heroine

This is the second time in a year that Heroine has been featured; I was so incredibly excited that MAC decided to repromote this shade in the Fashion Sets collection since I missed it in last years Reel Sexy collection.

Needless to say, I almost sprinted to my local MAC counter on my way to work yesterday to make sure I got one before it sold out!

MAC describes Heroine as a "Bright Violet/Purple" with a Matte finish. It is on the darker side of the violet spectrum, but does read brighter in person than it does in the above swatch. With this collection, Heroine is also available as a Lip Liner, Gloss, Nail Lacquer and Eyeshadow.

I wore Heroine alone with no liner or gloss and it had a phenomenal wear time on me. I only really needed to reapply after my lunch, as it had transferred a bit, but I found myself getting between 3-4 hours of flawless wear before I felt the need to update it (which for me is pretty great; I reapply nearly obsessively). Heroine was neither drying nor hydrating even though it had quite a matte finish on the lips. My only complaint was that when it did fade, it tended to fade unevenly. 

Heroine was actually a bit more wearable than I anticipated. On my NW15 skin, it was very flattering with my cooler tones, and didn't read too editorial or avant garde. I found that either dabbing the shade on or applying then blotting it gave me quite a work appropriate, yet fashionable look. The shade can also be built up for a much more intense look. I've toyed with the idea of wearing this with lighter violet gloss gloss, like Milani's 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss in Fashion Diva for a bold, glossy look.

Violets and plums tend to be my favorite color family, so I had quite a few of similar shades, but nothing that I could even call close to a dupe.

The top row is MAC Heroine, Maybelline Brazen Berry, Covergirl Divine, and L'Oreal Violet Chiffon

while the bottom row is; MAC Daddy's Little Girl, MAC Rebel and MAC Strong Woman. The closest shades were Maybelline Brazen Berry, which was similar in hue but sheerer and had a sheen to it, and MAC Strong Woman which was a touch more berry and darker, but shared a similar finish. Its been floating around in the blogosphere that Brazen Berry is a dupe; I respectfully disagree.

Overall;

Pros:

- Versatile, fashion forward shade.

- Long wearing.

- Matte finish without being drying.

- Great pigmentation

Cons:

- When it faded, the fading was somewhat uneven.

I'm very pleased with this shade. Its purple and its matte. What more can I ask for?

9/10