25 Years of MAC Viva Glam

A lot of companies do their fair bit for charity. In some cases it is because they have to. When a company reaches a certain size, and they make a certain amount of money, it becomes a requirement that they donate a certain amount of money to charity. Of course it is down to the brand to pick what they want to do for charity and how much they want to promote their charity work. However some brands make it feel like more than an obligation and the Viva Glam range by MAC definitely feels different.

Viva Glam is a charity campaign that MAC have been promoting for the past 25 years with the effect of the charity work being massive for those affected by AIDS/HIV. From every lipstick sold from the range, the full RRP goes to charity. MAC have a standard range of 3 Viva Glam lipsticks and frequently create limited editions with celebrities and prominent people. However the OG champion of the campaign was Ru Paul who I adore! At the time Ru Paul was a star but certainly did not have the celebrity he has now due to Ru Paul's Drag Race. Also 25 years ago you were looking at a different time in society when drag queens weren't quite as accepted, now-a-days they are celebrated and rightfully so. P.S if you have not watched Drag Race, get to your closest Netflix account and start watching it NOW! 25 years later not only is Ru Paul now mainstream but so is the Viva Glam campaign.

Since Viva Glam started it has created so many collaborations with prominent people within the industry. Some of the Viva Glam collaborations I have purchased have been: Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande and most recently Sia. All of these collaborations have come with their own unique take on the MAC packaging and with some stunning imagery and I have to say my absolute favourite campaign was the shots of Dita Von Teese for her collaboration, she looks stunning! The Viva Glam range has always been strong on its ads and it is for a cause that should be spoken about more widely. I think we have finally got to a point in society where there is less of a stigma around the illness but I'm sure it still lingers within some people. MAC have done a lot to help promote awareness of the illness and have also helped with funding research and have helped those more vulnerable due to the disease. Buying a lipstick from the Viva Glam range helps charity and you get a lipstick so it is a win, win.

I've always tried to pick up the limited edition Viva Glam lipsticks (if I like the shade,) because it is a good cause and the latest limited edition is a stunner. From the moment I saw the latest limited edition on Dominic Skinner's Instagram, I knew I wanted to buy one. If you don't know or don't follow Dominic Skinner you definitely should as he is a Senior Makeup Artist for MAC and he also appeared in the BBC 3 show Glow Up so he certainly knows his stuff when it comes to makeup. As Dominic is a Senior Artist he quite often previews a lot of up and coming MAC launches. The latest Viva Glam limited edition was one of the latest previews he shared with his followers. I didn't even need to know what the shade inside looked like, based on the packaging alone, I wanted this lipstick!

Packaging

The packaging would go wonderfully with the classic Dorthy shoes from the Wizard of Oz. It is a highly glittery red MAC tube which catches any form of light to send multiple facets of red shimmers into the world. The glitter is really quite small and fine which makes it even more pretty. I just love the packaging and think that should be reason enough for anyone to buy this lipstick, even without it being for such a great cause.

The cardboard box even matches the glittery tube which is something I really appreciate. It is a cardboard carton I might actually keep for once which is incredibly rare. Not only do I adore the glittery packaging but I also appreciate the attention to detail when it comes to the inside of the tube. When you take the incredibly sparkly lid off of the lipstick, this still has the traditional red/pink twist component where the silver part would usually be on a normal MAC lipstick but they have changed it slightly. Normally you would see the signature of the celebrity they were collaborating with but this time, there is a massive 25 to show that the campaign has been running for 25 years and this is the lipstick to celebrate that. It shows that this lipstick is for a good cause rather than just being a traditional MAC lipstick.

Shade

Moving on from the gorgeous packaging and onto the shade. The shade of this lipstick is Viva Glam 1, the original Viva Glam shade. Very apt considering this lipstick is celebrating 25 years of existence. To be honest I would never have picked out this shade for myself as when you look at it in the bullet, there is a clear brown tone. I've never been a fan of anything too brown as this type of lipstick always looks quite dark on my incredibly pale skin. I do however love a red lipstick and I do something called Red Lipstick Friday just to make sure I get the wear out of some of the beautiful reds I own.

Typically I do like a brighter red lipstick than this one but I was pleasantly surprised by the shade of this lipstick. On my lips the brown note doesn't really translate which is a good thing but the brown just helps to mute that boldness that a red lipstick will usually have. I would say this lipstick is quite a sexy red. In my mind when I wear this lipstick the shade heralds back to old school Hollywood glamour and I feel like this would be a great date night lipstick, especially paired with a pair of Louboutins. I have been wearing this on all of my Red Lipstick Friday's since I purchased it and it is a welcome change from the brighter shades I usually like.

Formula

MAC are iconic for their lipsticks due to the sheer amount of shades and formulas they stock. As the Viva Glam range is so limited and select; two of the lipsticks are a matte finish and there is only one slightly more glossy lipstick which has a satin finish. Luckily for me, Viva Glam 1 is matte. I will not wear a red lipstick unless it is a matte because they will end up all over your face if they are glossy and red lipstick is hard to sort out. If a red moves at all, you will need a concealer to clear it up and for some unknown reason I don't always carry a concealer with me. With a matte formula, the lipstick is less likely to move so you are going to have less movement and less clearing up to do.

Not only does a matte mean it should stay in place but it means that the lip line you try to create will not move. I always use matte lipstick to slightly overdraw my lips and to emphasise my cupids bow a little bit as I heard that it is something men find attractive (even if they don't know it,) and I need all the help I can get. Plus Rihanna has an incredible Cupid's Bow and who doesn't want to look like Rihanna? With a non-matte red lipstick, after one cup of tea, the lip line that I worked so hard to create is a mess. With a matte lipstick the middle part might move a little bit but that is much easier to fill in rather than having to recreate your lip line. I just prefer a matte red lipstick and I find they have a better pigment. There is nothing worse than a wishy-washy red pigment. If I've decided to go for a red lipstick, I want it to be THERE! It needs to be BOLD. As it is a matte, the transfer is limited but you certainly will find a little bit around the rim of your coffee cup.

MAC seem to do various different formulas of matte lipsticks. They do have both their matte and their Retro Matte formulas but within just the matte section they are all slightly different. I always find Velvet Teddy is a very creamy matte that seems to glide on effortlessly but then you have some which seem to be slightly more pigmented and are a little bit harder to apply. I've found both the 25 Year Anniversary Viva Glam 1 lipstick and the MAC x Sia Lipstick are quite pigmented and therefore slightly more stiff. It makes it harder to apply to your lips in a smooth motion. I don't mind this but it is something to bare in mind before you try creating a really smooth lip line but end up tugging the lipstick across your lips instead which automatically makes it look like a bit of a jaggered mess. This stiffness does mean that the lipstick stays put so it makes you unable to complain about this formula but it is something to consider, especially if you suffer from dry lips.

Viva Glam has existed since 1994 making it basically as old as me, I mean I have only just turned 26! Thankfully in that time the fund has made a lot more money than me or that would be pretty disappointing for a charity. MAC are iconic for their lipsticks but I do not think the Viva Glam range fully gets the attention it deserves. People are always so quick to buy the standard lipsticks over the ones that can actually do some good but I can't complain because I am certainly guilty of doing this too.

I will be the first to admit that I am not usually interested in the standard Viva Glam range but I do try to buy at least one limited edition each year and I have basically completed this task since I really got into buying makeup in 2014. I think Viva Glam is an incredible campaign and MAC have done an amazing job of promoting their charity work. If you are looking to buy a MAC lipstick, why not buy a Viva Glam one and do your bit for charity as you treat yourself? Even better, whilst you can, why don't you get this limited edition, just for the packaging alone!

If you want to find out a little bit more about the Viva Glam campaign, this link will take you to the helpful timeline on the MAC website: Viva Glam Timeline - not an affiliate link, just an interesting read!

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