MAC Starstruck & Walk of Flame for Stardom Kissing Stars Lipstick Reviews & Swatches

Starstruck

MAC Starstruck Kissing Stars Lipstick ($20.00 for 0.1 oz.) is a bright, purple-berry with warmer undertones and flecks of cooler violet and blue-violet sparkle and micro-glitter. It had medium color coverage in a single layer, which was most apparent when swatched on my arm and not at all apparent when actually applied.

The issue was in the texture, as the more I tried to built up the coverage, the more the color moved around and created an incredibly uneven lay down of color and shimmer/sparkle that clumped up on itself. I struggled to get product to adhere to the inner area of my lips, and while that can sometimes occur if the area is wet (like you just drank a glass of water), I’m not exactly new to applying lipstick so I can assure you it wasn’t user error!

The texture was emollient without being heavy, and it didn’t feel overly slippery despite looking like it and having that kind of effect (including some product getting into my lip lines). The color stayed on decently for four hours, left a pinkish stain behind, and felt non-drying over time.

Top Dupes

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Ciate Elektra (P, $22.00) is darker, more pigmented, better quality (95% similar).
Bite Beauty Grape Glaze (P, $24.00) is lighter, less glossy (90% similar).
Tom Ford Beauty Control (LE, $55.00) is darker, more pigmented, warmer (90% similar).
Kat Von D Razzle (P, $22.00) is more shimmery, brighter, warmer (85% similar).
Milani Automattic Touch (07) (LE, $8.99) is less glossy (85% similar).
Colour Pop Boogie (LE, $6.00) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (80% similar).

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Formula Overview

$20.00/0.1 oz. - $200.00 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to have "intense, ultra-creamy colour payoff" with an "ultra-smooth gliding texture" that has "even colour distribution and payoff." Just in case you weren't totally on-board with the idea that MAC meant for these to be pigmented, they also go on to describe these as having "an explosion of colour."

The pigmentation varied from shade to shade but over half of the shades had far under full coverage and none had full coverage. The formula struggles to apply evenly, as there's enough slip that the color seems to slide around and sometimes the glitter/sparkle clumped on itself when I attempted to build up coverage. A few shades looked visibly uneven and gritty on my lips, though I'll say they didn't feel gritty like you'd expect--a little texture at times but fairly smooth overall.

The texture was fairly smooth, emollient without being heavy or thick, and they were thinner (without being clingy), yet they had trouble adhering to parts of my lips, especially the inner areas. I was reminded of this line from the movie Clueless, "No, she's a full-on Monet... From far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big old mess." The shiny finish coupled with lots of sparkle and shimmer--all reflecting light strongly--give the illusion that they aren't so bad from afar (like six feet away), but they are wretched if you look in the mirror (like a foot away).

The only way to make these "work" would be to layer them on top of a better-applying lipstick or lining lips underneath first and then using them to add sparkle. They had a subtle vanilla scent but no discernible taste.

These are also extremely similar to the Tom Ford Lip Sparks from an ingredient list perspective (they are almost the same) as well as from a performance perspective. (Both brands are owned by Estee Lauder.)

Browse all of our MAC Kiss of Stars Lipstick swatches.

Ingredients

Starstruck

4.5

Product

7.5

Pigmentation

Texture

7.5

Longevity

1.5

Application

53%

Total

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Walk of Flame

MAC Walk of Flame Kissing Stars Lipstick ($20.00 for 0.1 oz.) is a deep, muted red with subtle, neutral-to-cool undertones and a metallic finish. It had faint sparkle but seemed to have finer, more metallic-like shimmer paired with a lightly glossy finish.

It had medium coverage that was buildable to semi-opaque pigmentation, but as I built it up, the color moved away from the inner area of my lips and didn’t want to re-adhere. The texture was lightly creamy, smooth, and emollient, and while it didn’t slide around, it did sink into my lip lines. It wore well for four hours and was neither drying nor hydrating.

Top Dupes

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Colour Pop Coquette (LE, $6.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
Too Faced Too Too Hot (LE, $22.00) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
Sephora Hong Kong by Night (27) (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar).
MAC Straight Fire (LE, $19.50) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
MAC Rocker (P, $19.50) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
Ciate Jessica Rabbit (LE, $22.00) is more shimmery, lighter (80% similar).
Urban Decay Singe (P, $18.00) is less shimmery, lighter, brighter (80% similar).