| So Chaud, I've ducked you for years, trying to convince myself that MAC Lady Danger will do, then regretting that basic notion only to decide that I must have you right now then discovering you are unavailable in the heat of that exigent moment. Trifling ho!  So Chaud is a lot cleaner than Lady Danger's double-down tomato, devoid of brown and richly, totally saturated. It's almost true orange, not as cooly sour or yellow as the infamous MAC Morange which is fairly unflattering if not unwearable (just sayin) for most people. Frustratingly, the swatches diminish the quite meaningful differences between LD and SC. MAC veterans will be able to look at these tube shots and know that's not Lady Danger standing there, but it's on the actual face that So Chaud really becomes distinct. LD reads loud, bright and hot traffic-light red when worn. SC is not as massively vibrant; it's strong and balanced rather than screechy and could not be termed red by any stretch of the imagination. Orange isn't everyone's cup of tea and can be aesthetically challenging even when it is. So Chaud is magnificent on neutral to warm-leaning complexions, be they pale, golden or deep. Cool-toned, sallow-tending or ashy punters should probably look elsewhere for a statement shade and I can't see it doing dark eye circles, stale tans or toner-deficient blondes any favours either, so it's possibly not something to pic up on impulse. Not that you really can since it's one of those annoyingly elusive Pro shades. |  MAC So Chaud (matte) is a delicious pillar of hypnotic orange. These two tabletop tube shots are pretty accurate, especially that one to the left there which is fairly darn close to reality. On my dark lips it turns oooh, maybe 5% deeper, but doesn't head in a redder direction. At all. You will be wearing a straight shot of orange-orange, so abandon all thoughts of coral or peach.  |
When I recommend SC to warmer babes, that's not to say you need to be orange all over to give it a good home. I'm the opposite of tanned myself; even though I still look like a fucking glow worm at the height of summer, there is enough yellow in my eyes and freckles to overcome any other potentially cockblocking undertones. It's one of the few oranges to give full and importantly lasting coverage to my strongly pigmented lips, which answers the prayers of people who can't usually wear the shade for this reason. So Chaud does makes my unbleached teeth look slightly more yellow than they are, and if you have epic staining issues I'd avoid it, but oh well- who smiles in public anyway?
 |  The formula is truly 100% delightful, smooth, richly pigmented and buttery, like a cross between an Amplified and a Matte; you can even brush it onto the lip at half-strength for a sheer, almost-pastel look without patchiness, which is fantastically useful. |
In line with this malleability, the finish is slightly off-matte, even if the wear time is typically matte-tastic. There are no technical issues at all- no bleeding, no patchiness, dryness, clag or discomfort. In common with most of the products I perversely deny myself, So Chaud turns out to be one of the most comprehensively great items I've encountered and I fucking love it unreservedly.
L2R All MAC unless stated:
Russian Red, So Chaud, Lady Danger, Chili, Strange Journey (LE), Urban Decay F-Bomb.
Russian Red, So Chaud, Lady Danger, Chili, Strange Journey (LE), Urban Decay F-Bomb.
* These are unflashed and taken in a range of outdoor afternoon light. Camera sensors (and computer screens) tend to have trouble rendering the differences between orange and red. Photographer's trick- stare at one of the reds at either end of the swatches, then at So Chaud- your eyes should become more sensitive to the contrast.
Below Left: So Chaud, MAC Ruffian Red (LE) Not a bad shot, colour-wise. You can see how the intensity and brightness of the orange is buildable in this squiggle. Ruffian Red is a definite red with warm and orange undertones.
Below Left: So Chaud, MAC Ruffian Red (LE) Not a bad shot, colour-wise. You can see how the intensity and brightness of the orange is buildable in this squiggle. Ruffian Red is a definite red with warm and orange undertones.
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Russian Red, So Chaud, Lady Danger, Chili, Strange Journey (LE), Urban Decay F-Bomb.
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