Meet some of my favorite MAC nude shades this week from the MAC Strip Down collection.
Fun fact about MAC Whirl: Back in the day (as in pre-2015), Whirl, a dark matte brown with a tinge of rose, only existed as a lip pencil.
Way back before the dinosaurs 🦕 disappeared, I used to outline my lips with Whirl pencil, fill them in, and then top everything off with Chapstick to create my own DIY Whirl lipstick.
Yeah!
In 2015, MAC finally turned this iconic color into a lipstick — the Whirl Matte Lipstick we know and love today.
I know there’s this whole thing that Whirl is a very “Kylie Jenner lips” color (as if she invented it 🙄 ), and yes, it’s definitely one of those lipsticks that will help you get that specific look. In fact, whenever a friend asks me for a Kylie Jenner lips recommendation, first, I try not to outwardly groan… Then, I suggest MAC Whirl. But really, though, whenever I see Whirl, I think more of ’90s supermodels like Linda and Christy and Cindy. It has a very early Bobbi Brown chicness to it IMO, and I love 💖 it.
There’s also another reason why I love it… Because it’s similar to the color of my gums.
Yes, I realize that that is an odd thing to like about a nude lipstick, but I’m looking at my gums here, and it really is the color of my gums. (Side note: I’m not gonna show you my gums. Hi-res pics of my gums do not need to exist on the Internet.)
Maybe that’s why Whirl is the ultimate nude lipstick for so many people. It matches the color of their gums, ha ha ha! Anyway, here it is on lighter skin and darker skin.
Whirl is also a color chameleon, and depending on the lighting and how much you’re wearing, it can either look like a dark rosy brown if you apply a sheer layer (in that case, it’s like browner version of Mehr), or a true brown like Paramount with a heavier application.
Whirl is a consummate flat matte, and it feels thicker on my lips than Velvet Teddy or Mehr. One thing you can do if you find that it looks too thick and heavy on your lips is to first coat your bottom lip with a heavy layer, and then press your lips together to transfer the lipstick from one lip to the other. Then, pat everything down with a finger. That will smooth it into a seamless finish that doesn’t look too heavy. 😉
Whirl! Give it a Whirl, and unleash your inner ’90s supermodel.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Kim says
April 17th, 2019 at 9:38 amKaren, could you please give me a rec for a Kylie Jenner lip? BAHAHA! Kidding. You know that I was like “be still my 90s-brown-lip-loving-heart” as soon as I saw your first pic. Plus, I’m not sure I know what Kylie Jenner looks like. 🙂
FeyFrau says
April 17th, 2019 at 10:54 amThat is a seriously brilliant hack for the perfect “nude” lip for ANY skin tone: match your gums. *mind blown*
kellly says
April 17th, 2019 at 11:29 amMy lips tend to be very pale naturally and unless I put some color on them I look so washed out. I’ve never used Whirl but it looks so nice on you that I’m going to check it out.
Ruchita says
April 17th, 2019 at 11:40 amLove this color! I agree, that it looks like more of a 90s supermodel color. I could definitely see myself wearing this back in the day.
Tatiana says
April 17th, 2019 at 12:59 pmI had some empties for back to MAC so I went swatching yesterday. Tried on both Whirl and Twig and they went too brown on me. Ended up getting Syrup.
Karen says
April 17th, 2019 at 4:21 pmGIRL. Syrup was my jam circa 2004! I had a lot of good times wearing Syrup. 🙂 Did you get a lip liner with it?
Rhia says
April 17th, 2019 at 4:47 pmWhirl was one of the lip liner shades I’d always reach for, so it was a flippin’ miracle that they finally decided to make it into a lipstick. It’s a MLBB shade for me. That info about this shade and Kylie is news to me. Guess I’m not as with it as I thought. 😆
Erica says
April 17th, 2019 at 6:46 pmWhirl is a classic, and I remember my mom was obsessed with the lip liner all throughout my childhood. She bought the lipstick when it came out, and I wore it once. It was so much darker than I thought it would be! At least on my skin tone anyway (printer-paper white).
Mia says
April 17th, 2019 at 10:52 pmWhirl looks beautiful on you and I also adore the blush you’ve paired with it! Loving the updated ‘90s vibe you have going.
I’ve tried Whirl several times but it washes me out for some reason, as does the ever-popular Velvet Teddy. Oh, well 🙂
LindaLibraLoca says
April 18th, 2019 at 3:44 amIt is such a beautiful color and similar to the ones I used to wear back in the 90s when all I wanted was to be the next Claudia.
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Erica says
April 18th, 2019 at 8:33 pmWhirl is much too dark for me but I do remember trying to hunt down the whirl lip liner a few yrs ago and it was sold out everywhere. We settled on the whirl lipstick. I like the lip liner better than the lipstick!
Laura says
April 20th, 2019 at 10:25 pmGreat review Karen!
I haven’t tried Whirl yet – it looks gorgeous on you! Think I’ll add it to my basket. 🙂 You’re right, it’s so 90s supermodel-esque!
– Laura.
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