All about: M.A.C's new fragrance collection, Shadescents

 I have been waiting with baited breath since hearing word towards the end of last year about M.A.C’s Shadescents collection, which is a fragrance lineup created with different types of lipstick-wearers in mind. 

Inspired by the brand's six bestselling lip colours - Ruby Woo, Lady Danger, Heroine, Velvet Teddy, Creme d'Nude, and Candy Yum-Yum – the Shadescents fragrances are designed to capture the “personality” of your favourite M.A.C lipsticks. Know you’re a Lady Danger girl but unsure how she smells? Well now you know, and some of the results are quite surprising.

"We have a fan base attached to certain lipstick shades," said M.A.C's senior vice president and group creative director James Gager, which is quite the understatement given the brand sells four Ruby Woo lipsticks per minute. When Gager set out to build the new fragrance collection, he reportedly thought, "maybe there is another way that we can approach this that isn't a 'me too' situation." So rather than align with a celebrity face, Gager and Jennifer Balbier, senior vice president, global product development, decided to try something new. The end result was a very different exercise in the way a fragrance is developed. Unlike most perfumes that adhere to the standard but complicated base, middle, and top note structure, each Shadescent fragrance features just one dominant aroma.

The end product is beautiful, but also polarising. There is no “I quite like that…” about any of them from what I can glean, you either fall in love with the scent at first sniff or it’s all over rover. This is a very M.A.C approach and I love it – go harder, or go home. The scent of Lady Danger thrills with notes of wild cherry, while the aforementioned Ruby Woo goes REALLY bold with whiffs of deep red leather. Notes of saffron, incense smoke, and cordovan leather surprise and intoxicate in My Heroine, which is the most interesting of the fragrances I think. It also wears beautifully, and has a definitely different vibe. Candy Yum-Yum naturally conjures tropical fruit and cotton candy, whilst my signature shade, Velvet Teddy calls forth wild honey and creamy musk. I’ve only had a whiff of that one in store as I don’t have a sample, but it seems like another winner to me! Last up, Crème d’Nude was apparently designed to “evoke the vibrant sexiness of naked skin” and yep, it’s pretty damn gorgeous.

 Shadescents is available now in select stores and will be included in M.A.C’s permanent makeup collection going forward, but get in quick as to celebrate the fragrance collection’s release, each lipstick will come in a limited-edition, Deco-influenced package. Meanwhile, the scents — which will soon be part of the brand’s permanent collection — are housed in flacons that mimic each lipstick’s colour, as above.

Oh and last up, the lipsticks retail for $44.00 and the accompanying fragrances, $75.00. Get yours now!