I've been a curious admirer of MAC's Viva Glam lipsticks since Viva Glam I's inception in 1994. The ads (with RuPaul!) were cool, the product oh so glamorous, and the cause noble, with the proceeds going to AIDS research. However, VG I was a deep, attention-getting red, and I was only 13 years old. No way mom was letting me out of the house wearing that one.

The years passed and MAC introduced more lovely VG lipsticks, but I was never quite sure the colors were right for me, and at that point I was more of a lip gloss girl, anyhow. I would occasionally debate purchasing one, and I really wanted to be a part of the company's crusade against AIDS, but I always hesitated. I figured there was no way I'd ever finish a tube of red lipstick.

This year, though, MAC has finally made me a VG believer. I caved on VG 6, a little red compact containing all 5 previous VG shades, and the VGV Lipglass. At $32 it's a fraction of what each individual lippy would have cost, and the quantities are just enough to ensure that I will eventually finish them. The colors really are great - VGI is a beautiful matte red, VGII a satiny pink-mauve, VGIII a matte plum brown (this one is really dark; I like to mix it with clear gloss), VGIV rose with gold shimmer, and VGV neutral pink with pearl (this one's my favorite, and the Lipglass version is also in the palette). They're surprisingly wearable when done right, and they're all housed in a little red compact with a mirror and a mini lipbrush. Available at MAC stores and counters, mac.com and gloss.com.