I’ve eaten — yes, eaten — way too much of these bad-@ss buffing sugar-based MAC Lip Scrubtious lip exfoliators over the past few days because…dang, they taste so good!
The first one I tasted/used was Fruits of Passion (great name, yah?). I rubbed it against my lips and thought, “Great, my flakes are being de-flaked.” Then, I got a good taste of it and completely forgot that my lips felt super soft and moisturized. I end up eating most of what I put on my lips. Luckily, I think that’s OK for them and by design.
Hint of tint
Because these are sugar-based, you do end up eating some of the sugar (in my case, most of the sugar), but some of it does dissolve. Or, you can rinse it off with water or remove it with a tissue.
Personally, I suggest using a tissue if you want to see a hint of a tint with the brighter ones.
After you scrub and exfoliate with them, they leave behind an essence of oil for moisture and the faintest hint of a tint that looks like you’re wearing a bit of lip balm, and they feel nice and comfy. They aren’t sticky, and they’re just about as thick as a MAC Cremesheen.
Ingredients
Sucrose, petrolatum, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, butrospermum parkii (shea) butter, water/aqua/eau, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, adansonia digitata (baobab) seed oil, oryza stava (rice) bran extract, romarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, healanthus annuus (sunflower) extract, tocopherol, tocopheryl acetate, ethylene/propylene/styrene copolymer, butylene/ethylene/styrene copolymer, flavor (aroma), phenoxyethanol, caramel, red 33 (CI 17200), yellow 6 (CI 15985)
Five flavors
These are in the MAC permanent line now for $16, and they come in five different scents and flavors.
One of the things for me with lip products, and especially lip scrubs, is that I have to like the way they taste and smell; otherwise, it doesn’t matter how good they look. I’m not even going to bother. These have a very light scent that won’t assault you from a mile away, and I think they taste great. They get the sweet balance just right, so none of that artificially nasty-sweet nonsense.
My favorite one is Sweet Brown Sugar because it tastes like dulce de leche, but I also like the fruitier ones like Candied Nectar and Fruits of Passion, both of which taste like Life Savers to me. Summery Berry tastes like mixed berry Jello, and Sweet Vanilla, which is my least favorite one (although I think it still tastes pretty good), tastes like sugar cookies.
Do you really need a tasty lip scrub?
You could make a lip scrub at home using olive oil, granulated sugar and something else for flavor, but these are also slightly pigmented, and they’re MAC. They’re probably ideally for the MAC girl or guy who has everything but still wants more, kind of like having a car with a butt warmer in the seat.
Like, technically…you don’t need one, but man, they’re nice to have. 🙂
Oh! — the jars also qualify for Back to MAC, so when you finish a jar, and I can easily see myself gnoshing through a jar in two months, you can save and redeem them for a free lipstick.
Salon Sunday
I got my bangs trimmed and my hair colored at the salon yesterday, which was wonderful because it gave me an excuse to sit in a chair for a couple hours, read trashy magazines and talk to my friend Alis.
I didn’t do anything crazy…just the standard-issue dark chocolatey brown I’ve been rocking for the past year.
Although, if I had an unlimited hair budget and all the time in the world to devote to hair upkeep, I would totally do an ombre hair look where the roots are super dark, and the mid-shaft and ends go into a light, pale cotton candy pink.
That idea has been moving me for months, but I don’t have the guts to really go there. I mean, there’d be high maintenance, and it’s so damaging to bleach dark hair, and then dye it pink. I’m not ready for that kind of commitment now, ya know? It would be pretty drastic.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to your hair?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I love lip scrubs! I was so excited when these dropped.
http://thebookwormbeauty.com
You got me at dulce de leche! Yum!!
I never did anything really exciting to my hair. It has always been different shades of blonde and longer than my collar bones.
And the scrubs sounds nice, but I will stick to LUSH. The MAC ones do contain petrolatum as a second ingredient, just like cheap chapsticks, and that puts me off.
I don’t know what it is lately but my lips have been AWFUL and none of my regular scrubs are helping. I wonder if these would…
Well I don’t know about you, but I NEED a tasty, sugary lip scrub in my life! $16 seems a bit steep though for just sugar and some essential oils, I bet there’s a way to DIY this with even more of a tint left behind!
I had a BITE lip scrub at one time but I don’t remember loving it. These MAC versions sound yummy, though!
I hear you on the hair maintenance. I’m touching up my roots every 3 weeks (for gray coverage, of course). I’m so glad salon color and developer can be bought online or I’d need a 2nd job!
You know I have to call you out about the seat warmers in the car, California Girl. HAHA! It was 3 degrees F yesterday so I’m leaning toward the automatic car starters and heated seats being ALMOST a must have. 😉 Truth be told, I sometimes use the heated seats in the summer, too. The Hubs likes the air conditioning to be sub zero!
Girl, I wish I could do my own color at home because my roots are cray! What is your secret?! Whenever I try to do my own hair color at home it just looks wrong. Plus I get it all over the place.
I feel like the torches and pitchforks might come out over this answer but, ask Alis what she uses to match your color and see if you can get it online. I mix Redken Color Gels 7N and 6NA with 20 volume developer (1:1 for Redken), then paint it on my roots. It hangs out for 45 minutes (no heat), then wash and condition. My color brush is atrocious – it’s a cheap one from Sally Beauty. I’ve just been too lazy to get a new one. I still go to the salon every few months for a cut and professional re-color but doing the roots every 3 weeks keeps the gray away and keeps my wallet happy. PS You can grab a color mixing bowl, some black gloves and a brush at Sally’s. I usually measure with a cap from an old Children’s Tylenol (liquid) bottle that’s marked with the tablespoons. It might take a little practice but you’re artistic. Pay very close attention to the technique the next time you have your roots professionally done. You’ll get the hang of it in no time. 🙂
I love lip scrubs! Sure, they’re not an essential-but they are a nice treat! The brown sugar one sounds lovely!
I’ve never done lip scrubs… they’ve never made it high enough up on the priority list! And my lips don’t get super dry.
Seat warmers: total essential if you live in subzero temps! 🙂 Though my husband disagrees, because he is a walking toaster oven.
Hair: I had a pixie cut dyed bright purple for awhile. And kept it bleached bright blonde for awhile, too. But wow, the maintenance… total no-go at this point. It’s so time-intensive!!
Ahh, you’re so lucky that your lips don’t get dry. You must be good about drinking water! Mine are always dry, and in the winter they are extra dry, sigh.
Your purple pixie cut must’ve been SO CUTE! I love the idea of a cute purple pixie, although I could never pull it off. Was it hard to grow out? I can imagine it took a while. I once chopped my hair off into a chin-length bob and it took several starts and stops to get it past my neck because I couldn’t stand the feel of the hair growing back there again.
It was a fun cut! I loved it – except the maintenance part, haha! It wasn’t too hard to grow out, honestly. My theory is that there’s a stunning hairstyle at every length. I just tried to find it at every length, and it worked okay! I know what you mean about the hair-on-the-neck thing. I think I grew out wispies first, which helped! Your hair looks great as it is, though!!
Aww, thanks! Honestly I’m too lazy to get it cut consistently, so I just keep it long. Long hair for me is easier to manage then short hair because I can just throw it up in a ponytail.
It’s funny to me how some people say short hair is easier to have, but in my experience it was very high maintenance. I felt like I was always in salon, ya know?
It’s nice to know you can Back to Mac these – that was my initial thought when I saw these. But seriously, $16 for a lip scrub? I think I’m gonna make my own for the time being…
The craziest I’ve gone with my hair is dark pink highlights all over, which I had YEARS ago when I was all adventurous in life and had permanently straightened my hair. That’s not too crazy I guess, and I still see a lot of women around town with a similar color in their hair. I find that shade really suits darker skinned women and have half a mind to get that again. Maybe not highlights but a modern version with the same color.
Yeah, they’re more for the MAC lover who has everything. But maybe if you get a gift certificate or something? It might be a nice treat. Plus they’re so tasty!
Your pink hair phase sounds like it was fun. Did you end up coloring over the pink, or cutting it off?
Hmmm… with a gift card I would probably pass on the lip scrubs and get powders like the Mineralize Skinfinishes or Extra Dimension ones or even the loose color correcting powders which I really want to try.
Yeah, I never retouched the highlights and they eventually grew out but after they were gone I went in with dark blonde and brown highlights though they didn’t look as great as the pink ones in my opinion…
I can’t blame you. The MSF are amazing, especially the MSF Naturals. I would freak out if MAC ever discontinued Medium Golden!
I’ve never done a lip scrub, but I’ve never had dry, flakey lips either. I’m religious about moisturizer and balm, so that might be the reason.
Craziest thing I’ve every done with my hair is become a red head.
My daughter who has dirty blonde to light brown hair did balayage where her ends where lilac/lavender. The process for bleaching the ends (so the purple would show up) really dried her hair out. If faded rather fast too. She when with a darker, redder purple the second time around. The third time she picked something to blend and then said she’d probably to try cut off the ends and go more natural until her hair grows out. So the message I got was, “It was fun to do, but the upkeep is a P.I.T.A”
Dear Daughter doesn’t really like washing her hair in cold water. Lol.
Those cold water showers are NO fun. I did a bunch when I went through my blonde highlights phase. Totally over that now, but it was fun.
What balm do you use the most? Lately I’ve been loving Hourglass Lip Oil. It’s expensive but in the winter it saves my lips!
Yeah, I heard all about the cold water hair washing the two nights my daughter washed her hair in Paris.
I still like Nuxe Rêve de Miel in the pot. I picked up a Nuxe lip balm that came in stick form in Sephora in Paris. Not gritty at all and supremely moisturizing. It was only 4,95 euros a stick, too. Wanted to try it first and I never went back to Sephora to stock up. Kicking myself for that one, because the shampoo I use was only 34euros instead of the $52 I pay here.
Back to lip balms I also like Bite Beauty agave lip mask and Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Lipair in the unflavored version, but at $15 a tube, it kills me.
To be honest as long as I’m wearing something on my lips I’m ok. I even wear a Neutrogena lip balm with SPF15 that I get at the grocery store.
I have lip balms (and hand creams, too) everywhere; in my nightstand, in the bathroom, in practically every handbag. There’s even lip balm in one of the coffee table drawers in the family room.
Girl, I wish you stocked up on that Nuxe lip balm stick, too! I’ve always wished the balm came in a stick. If I’m ever in Paris again, I’ll grab enough for the both of us.
OK, and because of your comment, I just put a bottle of hand cream next to the kitchen sink. 🙂
I asked Dear Husband if we could go to Paris for Valentine’s Day. He didn’t say “no”, he said, “It might be warmer in March”. So there’s a glimmer of hope. If I go back I’ll check in and get your order before I leave.
Thanks for the great review, now I am wondering if I buy or I try to be less lazy and make one for myself with olive oil… and just to share, I am with you on the pink ombre feelings, really the same thoughts about it!
It’s a beautiful style, right? I wish I could do it without having to spend the $$$ and without it damaging my hair. I guess I could rock a wig but eh… Pink hair 24/7 would be amazing.
Hope you’re having a nice day so far!
Being a redhead is too much a part of me to part with, but I love the idea of doing some fun rainbow hair.
I’ve never purchased a lip scrub, but I’ve mixed sugar and coconut oil before. I hear Chapstick is coming out with one too.
Ooh, I’ve seen pics of people who do peekaboo rainbow hair where there’s a panel tucked underneath your regular hair color that goes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple from the left to the right. It looks REALLY cool in a Rainbow Brite way, but I don’t think I could ever do it. I love it on others though.
Do you do anything to your red hair to keep the color extra right or bright? Or are you just one of those lucky gals?
My hair is naturally pretty red, but I mix a tinted deep conditioner (http://www.ulta.com/color-boosting-gloss-deep-conditioning-treatment?productId=xlsImpprod14111318 in burnt orange) with my regular hair mask once a week or so to make it extra bright.
OOh! They have a brown one! I want to try it. How long does a bottle last you?
FOREVER! I have long hair and I’ve had it from probably 6 or 8 months and I still have maybe a third of a bottle left.
I got a perm in the 80’s but that’s about it. I dyed it with Koolaid in the 90’s. I had all one length hair from 90 until I was 98 and cut it to shoulder length, hated it and then had waist length hair for another umpteen years, then got sick of that and started keeping it bra line or higher. I tend to favor a lob these days. I had a dream I had a ice blue pastel pixi. I wouldn’t do that again unless I lost a lot of weight and had time to do my hair. At the lob or slightly longer length, I can wash and wear and my hair always looks nice. I’m terrible at hair on myself so I just prefer being lazy!
I’m terrible at hair on myself when it comes to coloring it. I wish I could dye it on my own! I’ve tried it before and I’m awful at it.
I’m not a fan of lip scrubs. For me, it’s just a plain old spoon full of sugar that works…and it’s cheap….
So exciting that MAC is coming out with this and with all the different flavors! Loved seeing your post about these and can’t wait to try them.
These sound yummy!