Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Good Kisser" (LE) [A Novel Romance 2014] + Comparison

PURCHASED

Hi everyone. Happy Labor Day for those of you in the states, whether you're off or not (and if you are, then I hope you're enjoying your free day). I feel weird writing this review because if you read my last review from MAC's A Novel Romance collection, then you know I said I was passing on "Good Kisser" since I own "Red Balloon," a supposed dupe for it. I was also waiting for "Lingering Kiss" to arrive in the mail, which it has.

Well, I brought my tube of "Red Balloon" to a MAC counter where I knew "Good Kisser" was still in stock just over a week ago. I won't say how they compare - you'll see for yourself near the end of this review - but I did decide to pick up "Good Kisser," and I'm ready to review it for you today.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Red Balloon" (LE) [Playland 2014]

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Here we go! The first lipstick I'll be reviewing from MAC's Playland collection is "Red Balloon" - the one that seemed to be the less stellar option of all the colors available. I initially wanted this lipstick, then I decided not to get it, and then I saw more pictures of it and ultimately bought it. It's the darkest of the four amplified lipsticks in this collection, and perhaps the easiest to wear everyday.

If you want to see "Red Balloon" beside its fellow Playland lipsticks, you can check out the master post I created for this collection here. If you want to see a comparison post, click here. Otherwise, let's get to the review.

MAC's April 2014 Collection: Playland

LEFT TO RIGHT: MAC Playland lipsticks in:
Red Balloon, Sweet Experience, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Toying Around.

Hello, hello! As of yesterday, I finally have all four of the lipsticks I purchased from one of MAC's April 2014 collections, Playland. I already did a separate post with quick swatches and comparisons, which you can find here, but today I'll be doing a master post with all four of the lipsticks side by side, swatches, and full-face pictures - much like what I did for MAC's February collection, A Fantasy of Flowers.

As with that post, this post is meant solely to allow you to see the products I purchased beside each other, so you can see what differences exist within the collection. Playland featured permanent and limited edition products, including eye, cheek, and lip products. In terms of lipsticks, there are six limited edition colors, of which two are in the frost finish - "Playland" and "Head in the Clouds" - and the remaining four are in the amplified finish - "Red Balloon," "Sweet Experience," "Happy-Go-Lucky," and "Toying Around." I purchased all four of the amplified finish lipsticks, which I'll be sharing with you today.

This post is not a review of the products. Once reviews are up for each product, I will link them at the post's end. 

MAC's Playland Lipsticks Sneak Peek: Quick Swatches, Comparisons, & First Thoughts

LEFT TO RIGHT: "Sweet Experience," "Toying Around," and "Happy-Go-Lucky"

PURCHASED

It's the weekend of the week of MAC's Playland online and in-store launch dates - which means I have (some) lipsticks in my possession to share with you (and WEAR!), yay!

I don't know what collection Playland is supposed to be, except one of many April collections, so I can't say much about that. But I will say that I've been anticipating the release of this collection since January for two reasons: (a) the lipsticks are in bright pink-related shades, and (b) they're in the amplified (creme?) finish, which is my absolute favorite MAC finish.

So when it launched on Nordstrom's website this past Monday, I ordered my first two picks: "Toying Around" and "Sweet Experience," which I received in the mail yesterday. Then on Wednesday I ordered "Red Balloon" off of Belk, which has yet to arrive (one of the reasons I consider this post a 'sneak peek'). And finally, last night, I went to my local MAC store and swatched the collection's other lipsticks in person, settling on "Happy-Go-Lucky." That essentially means I bought all four lipsticks in the amplified finish for this collection, as the other two are frosts.

This post is a 'sneak peek' because I do not yet have pictures of me wearing the lipsticks, or full reviews on them since I've owned them for less than a day. I also will not be writing those until next week, when all four lipsticks are in my possession and I can create a master post for the collection. In this post I will share semi-detailed comparisons to lipsticks that have been said to have comparable colors, and I will share my brief initial thoughts on some of the lipsticks that I have worn already.

UPDATE 04/22/14: I received "Red Balloon" today and have since worn it and "Happy-Go-Lucky" so this post will include updates here and there to add my opinions on them (and swatches in terms of "Red Balloon").