MAC Whirl Lip Liner: Review, Swatches, Dupe

MAC Claims: A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They are long-lasting and available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades. MAC describes Whirl as a “dirty rose” colour.

My Review:

Packaging: It is a wooden pencil, with a tight and secure plastic cap and a colour coded bottom. So if you store them, do it upside down so that they are easy to locate. And yes they are sharpening  pencils.

Texture: What shall I say, rarely do I find lip liners to be smooth and gliding and buttery and these uber expensive lip pencils from MAC are no different. These too are more on the dry side in texture, and some tugging and pulling does happen on lips.

Pigmentation: Even though it does tug on the lips but the pigmentation is opaque in a swipe, so I really love that. It doesn’t need to be coated on lips repeatedly for colour.

Shade: To me MAC WHIRL seems to be a dusty rose colour that can pass off as a neutral deep pink as well as a pinkish brown and it looks like a match made in heaven for MAC Twig lipstick. It has ashy grey undertones to it and as I previously told it would not have been in my vanity, had it not been what kylie wears.

The staying power of MAC whirl Lip Pencil is super awesome and lasts for hours at a stretch. Lasts more of course if you layer a lipstick over it or blot it. It does last through my meals and drinks.

I know its expensive, but you literally have to apply only once a day.

I don’t use any lip pencil in general to line or define my lips. I always use them to pack on whole of the colour, and use them as actual lip colour because I love the matte finish. But with this boy, in this scorching winters and with my lips dry like pop corn (is that a correct comparison?) it gives me a hard time to glide it on. It in itself is drying and then my dry lips, girl did they have a combat together but in the end it is not that drying. But it isn’t as creamy and gliding like lakme 9 to 5 lip liners either.

The shade Whirl in itself is so not me, it is a really natural colour just more mauve to my lips and somehow doesn’t seem to brighten up my face. I know you must be like eeh a plum colour and you expect it to brighten up? But yes I have a pretty similar colour from Sephora which is wayyy creamy and brightens my complexion. I don’t know how but that’s something what whirl doesn’t do for me, but in itself, it’s a pretty decent performer, packs on opaque colour and is long lasting and if you guys are into these kind of colours, whirl is a sure must have. In fact in the USA whirl is one of the best sellers from mac.

Pros of MAC Whirl Lip Liner:

• Very neutral pink-brown and wearable shade that will complement a lot of lipsticks.
• Can be worn as a lip colour by itself.
• Good staying power.
• Good colour pigmentation.
• Neutral shade that will suit many skin tones.
• It is a long pencil. It contains a lot of product that will last a long time.
• This along with soar lip liner is the kylie jenner colour. In fact it can be a really every day shade for Indian skin tones.

Cons of MAC Whirl Lip Liner:

• The texture is more on the dry side
• Seems to tug on the lips (but come on its winters)
• Expensive, like one hell of an expensive  lip liner, and MAC prices are being hiked further

Price: Rs.1400 INR ( grab asap , because MAC is set on a further price hike)

VNA Rating: 4/5

Dupe: Nyx Slim Lip Pencil Mauve

• Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint Dreamy
• Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Pop Lip Balm Fierce N Tangy
• Lakme Lip Love Lip Care Strawberry
• Maybelline ColorShow Lipstick Red Diva
• MAC Petal Power Mineralize Blush
• Lakme Lip Love Lip Care Cherry Lip Balm
• Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm Watermelon Smooth
• Maybelline ColorShow Lipstick Midnight Pink
• Bollywood Actresses Favourite Lipsticks of All Time
• MAC Pro Longwear Lipcolour Perennial Rose

Have you tried MAC Whirl Lip Liner? Share your reviews with us.