When I first checked out the MAC N Collection a few days ago, I was with my confidante and fellow product tester...my mom. We were fiddling with the eyeshadows and Lipglasses when I grabbed the 2N Lipstick and uncapped it. We both froze and stared at each other in horror...

"It's MATTE TOAST!"

Matte Toast, you see, was an incredibly popular shade that my mom and I used to sell at the cosmetics counter where she and I worked in the mid-to-late '90s (she managed all the locations, and I sold lipsticks and perfumes). Matte Toast was a pale tan shade, very opaque, and indicative of everything that was wrong with the makeup trends of that era. Matte Toast...was the lipcolor that everyone paired with the dreaded DARK BROWN LIPLINER.

So it was with great trepidation that I tried MAC 2N on my lips (by the way, it's described on the site as a light creamy pink, which isn't exactly accurate, it's more like a very pale flesh color. It's also much lighter than the picture). I kept getting the tube close to my lips and then wincing in horror. But I finally took the plunge, and guess what? I liked it!

While 2N is pale, it's pretty sheer and also has a satiny, slightly glossy texture. It's not matte at all, which keeps it from looking dated. It just "erased" my lips slightly, creating a nude mouth perfect for pairing with a dark, powerful smokey eye. If you're looking to recreate some of the more dramatic looks we've seen on the runways, this is a perfect lipstick. 2N makes a nude lip that doesn't look dead or dry.

Add 2N to my file of things I thought would be awful but actually turned out fab!