The Gen X bellwether influences in Pat McGrath’s aesthetic will always be an intrinsic pillar of her appeal to we peeps of a certain vintage. That darksided moosh of dirt and luxe, sinister historical x futuristic bling, the visual angst and effusion. She came up with freaky units like Philips and Garland, McQueen, Galliano and Mugler et al., at a time when everything was on the slab and subject to the art school scalpel. McGrath's shit is instantly recognisable and largely worthy of the reverence it receives. So refreshing in these tawdry times!
I’ve always admired two things about the Pat McGrath range from a distance; voluptuous packaging and the rigorous specificity of her individual shades. Each one is a look per se, existing for a particular reason instead of just occupying some pointless rung on a chromatic ladder (see: latter-day MAC). It's a bit weird then that Unnatural Natural (Luxetrance) is the first McG lipstick I’ve owned. That would be because the retail price tag is beyond insane; pushing $80 here in the southern hemisphere with postage and that’s a fuck outta here situation, vanity be damned. If you’re going to snatch an entire hundy, you better knock me on my arse with unconditional pornographic awesomeness. So I dodged that trauma and picked it up second hand.
Unnatural Natural is, I think, discont’ now but there’s plenty still knocking around online; I salute my budget-conscious hos with this belated review.
Unnatural Natural is, I think, discont’ now but there’s plenty still knocking around online; I salute my budget-conscious hos with this belated review.
 | On a light face (my personal experience), UN is a lot; dark, strident, graphic and not something the casual lipstick person will probably enjoy. For one, it comes out swinging from the tube with 100% intensity. You can’t really cut it back for a daytime look. The shade itself is a deep, highbrow, violet milk-chocolate brown. The former keeps the latter decidedly neutral, even somewhat cool, so don’t pick this up thinking you’re getting a cosy ochre that will fuck well with your spray tan; Unnatural Natural will possibly hiss at your bronzer and any yellow tones you might have knocking around. The violet element was apparent in the stain left by the palm-swatch, so please note its low-key pervasive influence on this shade if that's a tone you struggle with. UN plays down the green in my eyes and emphasises the darker greyish murk, but makes my neutral to pinkish skin look great. |
While it's a beautiful and far more neutral option for deeper complexions with cooler elements, you might want to be dark/light enough to provide adequate contrast to avoid a lost-lip outcome.
UN in this Luxetrance formula is quite... heavily present on the lip, reminding me of another slightly annoying formulation, maybe some of MAC’s gluggier mattes, without the overt chalkiness? It’s not so much uncomfortable as distracting and I do find it a wee bit drying on wipe-off. There is a thick, waxy satin finish that persists, but the overall, socially-distanced impression is of a dense off-matte rather than any obvious lustre.
UN in this Luxetrance formula is quite... heavily present on the lip, reminding me of another slightly annoying formulation, maybe some of MAC’s gluggier mattes, without the overt chalkiness? It’s not so much uncomfortable as distracting and I do find it a wee bit drying on wipe-off. There is a thick, waxy satin finish that persists, but the overall, socially-distanced impression is of a dense off-matte rather than any obvious lustre.
| Most disappointingly, it thins out on the centre of my lower lip after a few minutes under no particular duress, which fucks with the shade’s uniformity. That is not something I’m inclined to forgive in a product at this price point. Unnatural Natural is a nice product, overall. That I wouldn’t put it in my top five is a bit of a surprise to me, given the hype. The colour is sophisticated but the formula has some tactile drawbacks and the price makes me abandon cart every fucking time. Oh well. |  |
L2R, MAC unless stated:
Russian Red, Sin, PMcG Unnatural Natural, Jasper, Paramount,
Nars Golshan, Nars Lonely Heart, Marrakesh, Spice It Up
Russian Red, Sin, PMcG Unnatural Natural, Jasper, Paramount,
Nars Golshan, Nars Lonely Heart, Marrakesh, Spice It Up
Paramount looks dupe-esque on the hand and you probably don't need both products, but its dissimilar formula makes it more of a trad brown once applied. I thought Jasper (LE) would be a lot closer: nope- it's more of a Sin-type blackened, boiled wine. Spice It Up may be difficult to get straight with the camera on a sunny day but it has quite a bit in common with UN, hue-wise, if you're looking for a lighter, shinier version.
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