Beauty MAC Brickthrough Lip Showdown: Brickthrough vs Spice World
Brickthrough and Spice World share the same Velvet Blur Slim Stick formula. Brickthrough is a warm terracotta rose with everyday versatility. Spice World is a deeper spiced tone with more drama. Both give twelve-hour velvet matte wear in a precise slim bullet. The choice comes down to how bold you want to go. This comparison breaks down tone, versatility and ideal occasions. Pick the shade that matches your lip wardrobe.
| Factor | MAC Powder Kiss Velvet Blur Slim Stick B | MAC Powder Kiss Velvet Blur Slim Stick S |
|---|---|---|
| Shade tone | Warm terracotta rose | Deeper spiced tone |
| Intensity | Medium, everyday wearable | Bold with more drama |
| Skin tones flattered | Fair to deep, very versatile | Medium to deep especially |
| Best occasion | Daily and office wear | Evenings and fall winter |
| Formula | Velvet Blur Slim Stick | Velvet Blur Slim Stick |
| Wear time | Up to twelve hours | Up to twelve hours |
| Application | Precise slim bullet | Precise slim bullet |
| Price point | Prestige | Prestige |
Our Verdict
Choose Brickthrough if you want a warm neutral for daily wear. The terracotta rose flatters most skin tones with little effort. It works for office days and casual weekends. It pairs with nearly any eye look. Choose Spice World if you want deeper, spicier color with more presence. It suits evenings and cooler months beautifully. Both use the same comfortable velvet formula. If you own many bold lipsticks already, Brickthrough fills the wearable gap. If your collection lacks depth, Spice World adds it.
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Want the Full Picture?
Matte Lipstick on Mature Lips: Formulas That Forgive
The Brickthrough shades compared here sit in the warm brick family, and the mature-lip question is which matte textures forgive fine lines rather than emphasizing them. The finish ranking for mature lips: soft-blur and powder-kiss mattes are the most forgiving, since their diffused finish does not settle into lines; classic bullet mattes are middle of the road; liquid long-wear mattes are the least forgiving, as their flat, dry finish maps every texture. This does not rule out liquids for mature wearers, but it raises the prep requirement significantly.
The prep sequence that makes any matte work on mature lips: gentle exfoliation the evening before, a hydrating balm overnight, a thin balm layer blotted down in the morning, then the matte in one thin coat. Skipping any step degrades the result; the full sequence takes minutes and transforms the finish. The blotting step is the one mature wearers skip most and need most, since surface balm slip is what drags matte into lines.
Shade choice interacts with texture too. Mid-tone shades like brick and warm rose are more forgiving than very dark or very pale mattes, which both emphasize lip texture through contrast. The Brickthrough family sits in the forgiving zone naturally, which is part of its appeal for mature wearers. Our Armani Lip Maestro guide covers velvet mattes known for mature-lip forgiveness.
Matte Lipstick for Thin Lips: Adding Visual Fullness
Thin lips and matte lipstick have a reputation for incompatibility, but the right approach adds fullness rather than flattening. The texture rule: avoid flat, dry liquid mattes applied edge to edge, which minimize lips visually. Prefer soft-matte and velvet finishes with a hint of dimension, which catch light and suggest volume. The Powder Kiss-style formulas in this comparison suit thin lips better than the flattest liquids for exactly this reason.
The application technique for fullness: keep the matte slightly sheer at the outer corners and fullest at the center, creating a subtle ombre that reads as dimension. Overline minimally, half a millimeter at the cupid's bow and center of the lower lip only, not the entire perimeter, which looks obvious on thin lips. Finish with a tiny dab of clear gloss just at the center; the gloss over matte center creates a plumping highlight without compromising the matte look elsewhere.
Shade selection helps too. Mid-tone warm shades like brick add visual warmth and fullness; very dark shades shrink lips visually and very pale shades wash them out. The Brickthrough family's warm mid-tones are naturally flattering for thin lips. And whatever the shade, hydrated lips look fuller than dry ones, so the balm prep matters doubly here. The best lip products guide compares finishes by their fullness effect.
Do Matte Lip Primers Actually Work
Matte lip primers are recommended generically but rarely compared, so here is the honest assessment. What primers do: fill fine lip lines, creating a smoother canvas; add a slight grip layer that extends matte wear by an hour or two; and prevent the feathering that matte liquids suffer at the lip edge. What they do not do: moisturize (most are silicone-based, not hydrating), fix a bad shade match, or substitute for exfoliation on flaky lips.
The primer-versus-balm decision: use primer when the problem is texture and feathering, use a blotted balm when the problem is dryness. They solve different problems and can be layered, balm blotted down first for hydration, then primer over it for smoothness, though this double base suits only the driest, most textured lips; for normal lips it is overkill that shortens wear.
The budget alternative that works surprisingly well: a tiny amount of foundation or concealer pressed over the lips as a base. It neutralizes lip pigmentation for truer color and gives matte something to grip, at zero extra cost. Dedicated primers outperform it slightly on line-filling, but the foundation trick covers 80 percent of the benefit. Our long-lasting lipstick guide covers base techniques for extended wear.