Best Mac Perfumes Guide: 6 Blissful Shades

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Caroline Lambert

Are you looking for someone that’s going to be open and honest with you about the scents that are and aren’t going to work for you? Caroline isn’t here to play games when it comes to the world of perfumes. She loves breaking down every note of perfume and explaining how a perfume will work with your personal preferences. Plus, she loves learning about new scents, so she’s always on the hunt to find the best and latest perfumes on the market.

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I’m super familiar with MAC cosmetics because nothing lasts as long as their lipstick. However, I recently learned about the gorgeous fragrances thanks to my keen interest in finding new signatures. The best MAC perfumes guide will welcome you to the world of long-lasting, beautiful scents that knock your socks off.

I’ve been an avid perfume and cologne reviewer, always looking for the next best thing for my fiancé and me. So, I’m surprised I didn’t dive into the depth of MAC beauty through sensual cosmetics sooner. And wow, the brand has awe-inspiring fragrances. So, welcome to the MAC world of perfumes.

My Ultimate Favorite MAC Perfume Upfront

What does color have to do with perfumes? You’ll be surprised to realize how much the two have in common, and I’ll be using MAC’s sight-smell system to help you pick the ideal shade or fragrance to match your personality. Indeed, MAC’s lipsticks have more to do with their perfumes than you think.

However, I’ll get to that soon enough. But first, I must share my ultimate MAC perfume. MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum Perfume fits me better than a glove. The neon pink bottle with cotton candy notes appeals to my love for sweet and fruity scents. It smells vibrant, young, romantic, and feminine, which defines me.

MAC cosmetics have been a frontrunner for years, and good reason. Their sight-smell perfume system works. The neon pink bottle is my ultimate because it matches my personality. However, there are six shades of MAC perfumes to consider, and you’ll understand the system soon enough to find your signature fragrance.

The Best MAC Perfumes at a Glance

Here’s a glance at who the MAC perfume suits the best. Indeed, I’m not sharing the top fragrances. Instead, I’m sharing the leading women for each one.

1. MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum Perfume is ideal for a young, vibrant woman with kindness, love, romance, and playfulness in her soul.
2. MAC Shadescents Creme D’Nude Perfume is perfect for various-aged women with energetic, well-centered, strong, and dependable personalities.
3. MAC Shadescents Lady Danger Perfume is ideal for mature women with dangerous, untamed, demanding, protective, and loyal natures.
4. MAC Shadescents My Heroine Perfume is perfect for mature women with sophisticated, brave, wise, creative, and ambitious characteristics.
5. MAC Shadescents Ruby Woo Perfume is ideal for various-aged women with provocative, passionate, energetic, romantic, and courageous attributes.
6. MAC Turquatic Perfume is perfect for vibrant young ladies with modern, energetic, intuitive, peaceful, and patient qualities.

A Complete Guide to the Top MAC Perfumes

Most beauty products come from America, France, and Italy. However, MAC’s story is different, and it started with a photographer tired of using bad makeup on set. From there, it became famous brand superstars weren’t afraid to use. In addition, what inspired the perfumes will shock you.

As a result, I’ll use a unique system to help you pick your best choice of MAC fragrances that suit your personality. Finally, I’ll share how I chose the best MAC perfumes for each type of woman.

Canadian Roots for the MAC Beauty Industry

MAC cosmetics began in 1984 in Toronto, Canada. Designers Frank Notarangelo and Frank Toscan introduced women to a world of luxurious lipsticks in outrageous colors. The brand is famous for its bright, jaw-dropping, luscious, and awe-inspiring color pigments. I use a few of MAC’s lipsticks as my regulars.

Moreover, the lipsticks last long and match Revlon’s color stay range. However, the brand entered the perfume world soon after the kitchen designs the two founders began in Toronto. Soon after, MAC turned the beautiful color shades of their lipsticks into matching fragrances because they believed sight and smell are connected.

The Shadescents perfume range included Ruby Woo, inspired by a deep red lipstick. It also had Candy Yum Yum, inspired by their bright pink lipstick. Women loved the matching colors for each MAC perfume bottle. In addition, the ingredients smelled as yummy as the lipsticks looked on their mouths.

MAC’s beauty products are so famous that Madonna wore one of its lipsticks in the late 1980s. Additionally, Natalie Portman wore MAC makeup in her favorite Black Swan movie. So the brand undoubtedly makes the rounds in stardom. Also, MAC sells more lipsticks that inspire fragrances than any out-of-drugstore brand.

Tips About Choosing Your MAC Perfume

It’s not a secret that vision and smell are connected, and that’s how I’ll help you choose a signature MAC fragrance. However, let me explain first. Olfactory senses can influence vision perceptions, according to a well-established study. So likewise, a perfume ingredient can affect how you perceive what you see.

The same study saw the connection works both ways, which is pivotal in selecting signature perfumes. For example, you connect purple to grapes, plums, and violets because the color relates to them. In addition, MAC carefully used a color system inspired by their lipsticks to create sensual experiences.

The brand focuses on how sight and smell connect, and they add ingredients in perfumes that relate to the color. It’s brilliant! However, you’ll only need to match your color personality because I’m about to do the challenging work of creating the characteristics behind each color and ingredient.

Indeed, colors have personalities, and the related fruit and other floral ingredients also have characteristics. For example, the color purple represents luxury, sophistication, and ambition. So first, let me focus on finding the color traits you need. Then, you’ll only need to match your personality to that of the right perfume.

How I Selected the Best MAC Perfumes

Here comes the challenge. I’ll choose the top MAC perfumes that use the sight-smell system to marry the personalities I expect from the colors and ingredients. For example, a purple bottle has romantic and elegant energy, and the components must match. Violet and violet leaf are romantic and sophisticated.

So, sit back and watch the unfolding magic as I pick only the sight-smell personality matches. In addition, perfumes should last at least four hours on my skin. I won’t consider fragrances for a shorter time. Finally, the scent must remain available because some MAC fragrances are no longer around.

Best MAC Perfumes Guide: The Best Pick for Each Woman

Perfume isn’t the only key to beauty and elegance. So, I’ll share the six different shades of MAC perfumes with the lipsticks that inspired them. I’ll also show you what’s inside each and how the smell evolves. Furthermore, you’ll have the advantages and disadvantages of considering which suits you the best.

Finally, I’ll include an alternative scent with a similar smell and evolution to help you understand how each MAC fragrance would unfold. However, you can also opt for the alternative if it’s cheaper than the MAC option.

MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum Perfume

Neon pink is a brilliant color, but it takes a brave woman to wear it like a pro. I consider myself brave and love this perfume’s color, ingredients, and everything. I would even wear lipstick. The bottle’s color, personality, and components match perfectly. When I see the color, I imagine cotton candy and cherry blossoms.

The color also represents the ideal woman who would wear this beautiful fragrance. I’m slightly eccentric, but the other characteristics fit me like a glove. I’m ultra-feminine with a deeply romantic nature. My fiancée often says I have a youthful and playful spirit for a Millennial, and I don’t mind.

MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum Facts

• Inspired By: MAC Matte Shades Candy Yum Yum Lipstick
• Evolution: Fruity, tropical, sweet, floral, powdery, fresh, vanilla, caramel, and iris
• Seasons: Summer and spring
• First Notes: Guava pulp
• Middle Notes: Iris flower and cherry blossom
• Last Notes: Vanilla absolute and cotton candy
• Longevity: About 6 hours
• Notable Color: Neon pink
• Personalities: Compassionate, loving, feminine, youthful, vibrant, nurturing, kind, romantic, and playful
• Alternative: Angel Nova by Mugler

MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum Pros

• MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum starts with an intensely fruity and tropical sweetness that slowly becomes powdery with floral qualities before ending in a caramel, vanilla twist
• The neon pink (or hot pink) is ideal for young women, and the perfume matches the romance, playfulness, and vibrancy of a young woman’s nature

MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum Cons

• Candy Yum Yum is undoubtedly not suited to mature women with stronger personalities

MAC Shadescents Creme D’Nude Perfume

Mac Shadescents Creme D’Nude is a gorgeous fragrance for modern femininity, using the core ingredients to support your empowered qualities and leadership desires. However, the perfume doesn’t smell romantic like mine, even though the colors are similar. Instead, the ingredients and color lead to a new personality shade.

Fortunately, the perfume smells good on versatile women from all generations up to Gen X. It still has energetic and playful elements. However, using intense leather and vanilla notes brings a core strength to the fragrance. I imagine this scent working for women who inspire others and act as dependable friends.

MAC Shadescents Creme D’Nude Facts

• Inspired By: MAC Matte Cremesheen Lipstick
• Evolution: Caramel, musky, powdery, vanilla, leather, floral, and sweet
• Seasons: Winter and fall
• First Notes: Neroli
• Middle Notes: Musk, suede, and caramel
• Last Notes: Musk mallow and Madagascan vanilla
• Longevity: Around 6 hours
• Notable Color: Pale, muted peach/beige
• Personalities: Feminine, strong, dependable, inspirational, playful, energetic, inspiring, and centered
• Alternative: Pour Femme Intense by Lacoste

MAC Shadescents Creme D’Nude Pros

• MAC Shadescents Creme D’Nude begins with tantalizing caramel that turns musky and powdery before opening with an intense leather and vanilla heart, and it ends with a sweet, floral touch
• The muted shades of beige and peach colors match well with the suede, caramel, and musk notes, and the personalities blend well because the strength comes from the scent’s heart

MAC Shadescents Creme D’Nude Cons

• This MAC perfume smells oddly traditional until the empowering heart opens with leather notes, which might feel slightly masculine

MAC Shadescents Lady Danger Perfume

MAC Shadescents Lady Danger perfume’s name even suits the personality. However, the only note the color matches is sour cherry. They’re as vividly red as the shade to make this scent a dangerously feminine fragrance. It alerts my mind to a woman who feels unstoppable and willing to do anything.

The dangerous element comes from a woman being protective of her loved ones and boundaries. She’s a romantic at heart, but her inner beast won’t let anyone cross a line they shouldn’t. In addition, bright red colors have always been a sexy shade for mature women, and this perfume matches it perfectly.

MAC Shadescents Lady Danger Facts

• Inspired By: MAC Matte Shade Lady Danger Lipstick
• Evolution: Patchouli, warm spicy, white floral, amber, woody, cherry, animalistic, balsamic, sweet, and citrus
• Seasons: Winter and fall
• First Notes: Tangerine and sour cherry
• Middle Notes: Tyger lily, black amber, and lily-of-the-valley
• Last Notes: Saffron and patchouli
• Longevity: Around 6 hours
• Notable Color: Vivid coral red
• Personalities: Dangerous, protective, animalistic, demanding, sexy, loyal, passionate, and romance
• Alternative: Madness by Chopard

MAC Shadescents Lady Danger Pros

• MAC Shadescents Lady Danger begins with provocative patchouli blended into florals and warm ambers  before turning to a beast-like heart with woody and cherry elements, and it ends with sweet touches
• The vivid red color ultimately fits into the dangerous elements of this scent, and it suits mature women with romantic boundaries, loyal hearts, and protective natures

MAC Shadescents Lady Danger Cons

• Young women shouldn’t wear this scent, and you can leave it if you’re a soft, romantic lady

MAC Shadescents My Heroine Perfume

I first thought the purple would signify an elegant woman with deeply romantic desires. However, I learned that purple is more than that. MAC Shadescents My Heroine perfume is an intense aroma with beast-like qualities that suit women in leadership roles. The connections to protective women impress me about MAC.

However, the color shade and ingredients don’t mean it’s only for tigresses who need no one. Indeed, it has an independent quality with leadership elements and a defensive side. It’s undoubtedly another mature perfume from MAC; the only part I wouldn’t recommend for the lipstick.

MAC Shadescents My Heroine Facts

• Inspired By: MAC Matte Shade My Heroine Lipstick
• Evolution: Smoky, amber, leather, warm spicy, balsamic, tobacco, feral, sweet, woody, and patchouli
• Seasons: Winter and fall
• First Notes: Leather and violet leaf
• Middle Notes: Saffron, labdanum, and incense
• Last Notes: Patchouli and tobacco leaf
• Longevity: 6 to 8 hours
• Notable Color: Deep or royal purple
• Personalities: Mature, sophisticated, brave, powerful, wise, protective, independent, ambitious, and creative
• Alternative: Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford

MAC Shadescents My Heroine Pros

• MAC Shadescents My Heroine begins with intense smoky, leather, and spicy notes that slowly turn balsamic before the finale brings a slow and lasting sweetness hidden within woody notes
• The ingredients and color shades match when you break them down better, and the perfume is a mature fragrance with wise and sophisticated undertones suited to leadership ladies

MAC Shadescents My Heroine Cons

• It’s another MAC perfume that doesn’t match younger women, even if the lipstick would rock on young lips

MAC Shadescents Ruby Woo Perfume

Mac Shadescents Ruby Woo perfume slightly tames the beast from Lady Danger, also making it more versatile across different ages. It feels like the Ruby Woo perfume replaces the dangerous element with sophisticated femininity, which makes it work better for younger women and not only mature ladies.

Ruby red is one of my top colors, and the ingredients encumber many qualities that match the color’s characteristics. For example, cherries have a similar personality to ruby red, and so do pink peppercorns. This MAC fragrance is a marriage of heavenly sensual experiences for the right woman.

MAC Shadescents Ruby Woo Facts

• Inspired By: MAC Matte Shades Ruby Woo Lipstick
• Evolution: Cherry, powdery, woody, leather, sweet, animalistic, violet, musky, and warm spicy
• Seasons: Winter and fall
• First Notes: Cherry, pink pepper, leather, and saffron
• Middle Notes: May rose, orris, violet, and suede
• Last Notes: Sandalwood and mahogany wood
• Longevity: 6 to 8 hours
• Notable Color: Bright ruby red
• Personalities: Passionate, provocative, ambitious, assertive, courageous, romantic, energetic, and sexy
• Alternative: Trésor by Lancôme

MAC Shadescents Ruby Woo Pros

• MAC Shadescents Ruby Woo begins with gorgeous cherry elements blended into a woody and leathery base before turning beastly sweet and ending with a beautiful musky violet finale
• The ingredients and color undoubtedly bring the fragrance together for a perfect match, and it smells gorgeously ambitious, passionate, and romantic on women of all ages

MAC Shadescents Ruby Woo Cons

• Some women prefer romantic-wear perfumes without the woody and leather undertones that feel masculine

MAC Turquatic Perfume

The Mac Turquatic perfume stands as the odd woman out. However, it also connects the ingredients and color shades because the blue and green packaging have the same characteristics as the notes. In addition, a facial glitter accessory inspired this crisp, refreshing, and vibrantly youthful perfume.

The magic of this scent also matches the glitter effect because it’s a turquoise color, not green or blue. Turquoise is different from the other colors, even if it blends the two shades. Instead, it’s a vibrantly youthful color with modern twists, including energetic and spiritual connections. The ocean is also spiritual.

MAC Turquatic Facts

• Inspired By: MAC Turquatic Glitter Face Pigment
• Evolution: Aquatic, fresh, floral, citrus, powdery, woody, and ozonic
• Seasons: Summer and spring
• First Notes: Water notes and lotus petals
• Middle Notes: Amalfi lemon and anemone flower
• Last Notes: Orris root and Virginia cedarwood
• Longevity: About 6 hours
• Notable Color: Sparkling turquoise
• Personalities: Youthful, energetic, serene, spiritual, patient, intuitive, social, feminine, and sophisticated
• Alternative: Cool Water for Women by Davidoff

MAC Turquatic Pros

• MAC Turquatic starts with refreshing aquatic notes that last long before the florals come through, and the heart brings citrus and powdery elements before the finale turns woody and ozonic
• The ingredients feel as peaceful as the color’s meaning, and the scent has a vibrant element that welcomes energetic women with spiritual ties to the ocean’s beauty

MAC Turquatic Cons

• The MAC perfume is too bold and modern for mature women, and it has an ultra-fresh feel that overwhelms the other accords

FAQs

Best MAC Perfumes Guide: Conclusion

The best MAC perfumes taught me to look into colors now, too. I love learning new ways to match fragrances to the women who would wear them like a boss. I even found a new favorite for myself. I recommend MAC Shadescents Candy Yum Yum Perfume if your personality is like mine.

Suppose you’re a vibrant, romantic, kind, loving, and playful soul. In that case, I recommend you get my favorite pick now before the mood passes. So first, choose the characteristics that best define you, and get your matching MAC fragrance. After that, you won’t be sorry for trying these brilliant colors and shades.

For more gorgeous fragrances:

• Best Montblanc Perfumes Guide 
• Best Tommy Hilfiger Perfumes Guide: Tommy’s American Girls
• Best Balenciaga Perfumes Guide
• Sofia Vergara Perfume Guide: Find The Perfume That Is Right For You