The "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" Makeup Line Just Hit Shelves; Here's What It Looks Like On 4 Different Women
The highly-anticipated sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hit theaters last week.
In celebration of the film's release, MAC Cosmetics and Marvel Studios teamed up to create a limited-edition makeup collection inspired by the film.
The collection was curated and inspired by the looks and colors of the characters in the film and, according to MAC, was created to wear well on melanated skin. "The shades are significant to the various tribes that were represented in the first film and were then extrapolated into a futuristic version of what the looks and colors would be for the sequel," Joel Harlow, makeup department head for Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, told BuzzFeed.
“The products that made the collection were ultimately products used more than anything else throughout the film," Joel explained. "The color story that the entire collection is built around mirrors the colors utilized in designing Wakanda Forever."
The collection includes 18 pieces: lipsticks, liquid lipsticks, glosses, highlighters, eyeshadows, eyeliner, mascara, and brushes.
We were lucky enough to get our hands on most of the pieces from the collection — except for the eyeshadow palette, which was sold out. So we gathered four BuzzFeeders with different skin tones and makeup-wearing preferences and asked them for their honest opinions. Here's our testing panel.
Meet Fabiana and Morgan M.:
And Nora and Morgan S.:
We asked everyone to separately create a look for themselves that they loved — using products from the collection. Here are their looks and full reviews of the products!
Fabiana created a daytime look using the liquid liner in metallic purple (Wakanda Proud), extra dimension highlighter in warm gold (Royal Challenge), and lipglass in translucent gold (Feelin' It).
1. What were your initial thoughts on the collection?:
"I was super excited to try out this collection because I love how colorful and vibrant all the pieces were. I was like a little kid in a candy store when I opened the package — excited to play with all the colors. The packaging of each product is stunning and so thoughtful. I'm personally a big fan of MAC so I knew the quality of the makeup was going to be great."
2. What were your thoughts on each product you used?:
"Overall, the liner was very pigmented and easy to use. However, after swiping on a few coats along my upper lash line, I made the mistake of not waiting for the liner to dry which resulted in it transferring to my eyelid. Aside from that, the liner lasted all day and even stayed put when I used an eyelash curler on my upper lash line — other liquid liners come right off as soon as the curler hits my lash line.
Since I had purple on my eyes, I wanted something more neutral on my lips for the daytime, so I used the lipglass in Feelin' It from the collection. I loved the combo of the two contrasting color tones paired together.
The Royal Challenge highlighter was not as pigmented as I would've wanted, so I dipped my brush in it and swiped it along my cheekbones a few times to get the shimmery highlighter I was looking for. It complimented my skin tone really nicely and although it was on the subtle side, it looked really pretty with the blush I paired it with."
3. Final thoughts:
Overall, this collection is beautiful and the colors are vibrant and long-lasting — two main things I look for when purchasing makeup. Next time, I would probably swap the liquid liner for the eye kohl pencil because when I was swatching it, I loved how smoothly it glided on my hand and how rich the color was. I think the products in this collection are priced fairly because I consider MAC to be a high-quality makeup brand.
Here's Fabiana in Wakanda Forever lip colour, Show Off lip colour, Thicker Than Water lip colour, and Royal Integrity creme lipstick:
Morgan M. went for a night-out look using the eyeliner pencil in matte black (Feline), creme lipstick in warm chocolate (Royal Integrity), and the extra dimension highlighter in chocolate bronze (Royal Vibrancy).
1. What were your initial thoughts on the collection?:
"I had a feeling there would be some shades of purple and gold in there and those colors just so happen to complement my skin tone, so it was a win-win. The packaging was really cool, too. You’ll see the Black Panther logo along with meaningful designs on each product. The Black Panther-inspired names of each product were also fun to read. One of my favorite things about the packaging came in the form of a black makeup bag, which was decorated with a claw necklace, similar to the one T’Challa wore in the film.
2. What were your thoughts on each product you used?:
"I used the eye kohl eyeliner in Feline and I really liked it. When it comes to eyeliners, I prefer pencils so I was happy to see that a pencil eyeliner was included in this collection. It was the perfect shade of black and it applied very smoothly.
I absolutely loved how creamy and soft the lipsticks in this collection were and they get bonus points for being very simple to apply. The lipstick stayed on between bites of food and cocktail sips. Royal Integrity was my favorite! It’s just the right color to wear for a night out with your girls or your significant other. I tend to lean toward darker lip colors, so this one was a perfect match for me.
I also tried the lipglass in Feelin’ It and I’m obsessed! It’s a beautiful rose gold shade with flakes of shimmer to really make your lips pop. It applied very smoothly. I was also happy that the consistency wasn’t sticky at all.
I used the Royal Vibrancy highlighter — the darker shade of the two. First off, the Black Panther mask is embossed into the highlighter which was really fun. It is a shimmery chocolate gold color, which is exactly what you need to take an everyday makeup look, and truly make it pop! I used it on my cheekbones and my nose."
3. Final thoughts:
"The collection's products are a perfect mix of 'I need something to throw on to go grocery shopping' and ‘Girls Night Out!' My two favorite products were the lipglass in Feelin' It and the lipstick in Royal Integrity. The product I probably wouldn’t grab again is the Bullet Lipstick in Story of Home, a neutral pink. I mainly wear a full face of makeup if I have a shoot that day or if I’m going out, so like I mentioned earlier, these products are a perfect balance. I felt proud wearing the products, knowing that there was a connection to Wakanda Forever. I can’t wait to wear them again!"
Here's Morgan M. in Show Off lip colour, Story of Home lipstick, and Wakanda Forever lip colour.
Nora opted for a smoky eye and dark lip using the liquid liner in metallic purple (Wakanda Proud), eye pencil in matte black (Feline), cream lipstick in neutral bronze pink (Story of Home), and extra dimension highlighter in warm gold (Royal Challenge).
1. What were your initial thoughts on the collection?:
"I was surprised by how many different pieces there were — especially the various lipstick shades. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the individual packages and there were a lot of matte lipsticks to choose from. I also loved the darker and bold colors included in this collection."
2. What were your thoughts on each product you used?:
"For eyeliner, I used the purple Wakanda Proud liquid liner, and it was very easy to use. I’m usually someone who doesn’t use liquid eyeliner, but this applied easier than I thought it would. I did have to go over it a few times to get the purple to really pop up against the smoky eye look I created using the Feline Eye Kohl pencil."
"For lips, I used the Story of Home creme lipstick and absolutely loved it. For my everyday makeup look, I usually use a matte lipstick, but I chose this one because it’s very close to my go-to, everyday color. I ended up loving this creme lipstick because it was very hydrating and smooth when applied. I applied two layers for the lipstick to really stand out."
"I used the Royal Challenge highlighter, which was the lighter of the two highlighters in this collection. The highlighter took a few layers before it showed up on my skin tone. The texture was nice and I definitely would consider using it again! I’ve never really used a highlighter before, so this was a great first one to use."
3. Final thoughts:
"Overall, I really liked the colors in this Black Panther collection. I’ve used purple eyeliners and mascara before, so I was excited to incorporate purple into the elevated everyday look I created with this collection. My favorite product was the Story of Home lipstick because I loved the color and how hydrating it was on my lips.
In terms of using items again, I would definitely use the lipstick and the highlighter again, especially in my everyday makeup look. I think those two products I would get the most use out of.
As a Marvel and Black Panther fan, I really liked seeing how the movies and stories inspired this collection and I think if you’re a makeup AND Marvel fan, it’s something worth checking out. I don’t think I’d personally buy the whole set, but there are certain pieces I loved that I think would be worth the money."
Here's Nora in Wakanda Forever lip colour, Wakandan Sunset lipstick, and Thicker Than Water lip colour:
Morgan S. created her look using the eyeliner pencil in matte black (Feline), liquid lipcolour in red bronze (Show Off), and the extra dimension highlighter in warm gold (Royal Challenge).
1. What were your initial thoughts on the collection?:
"When opening up the collection, I was surprised by how many pieces there were! I’m not really a makeup girlie — I’m that person who tries to mimic what I see on TikTok, then has to wipe it all off before I leave the house because it was a disaster, LOL. But I loved seeing all the different color options so there’s something for everyone, no matter your skin tone."
2. What were your thoughts on each product you used?:
"For my eyes, I decided to try the kohl eyeliner in Feline because that’s what I would wear the most. It applied smoothly, and I was stoked to see the color was solid and dark. I’ve had problems in the past while buying black eyeliner that wasn’t dark enough so I’d have to go over it several times, but no problems here.
For my lips, I tried the Show Off lip colour — which was a reddish bronze — since that was closest to what I usually wear. It slid on so smoothly and didn’t make my lips look dry like some liquid lipsticks have done in the past. Plus, it has shimmer! I LOVED this, easily my favorite piece in the collection. The color really came through, and most importantly, I felt really good in it.
I don’t normally use highlighter, but I thought this was a fun touch. On my skin tone, the Royal Challenge skin finish [the lighter of the two shades] was just a light shimmer. It gave me youthful, magical vibes. I wouldn’t use it in my everyday look, but if I was going somewhere special, I would use it again."
3. Final thoughts:
"Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. I left the makeup on for several hours, and by the time I took it off, everything still looked great — and no problems when removing the makeup with a wipe and cleanser. My favorites were definitely the lip colors — I was really impressed with how bright the colors were and how easily they applied and stayed on. I will 100% be using them again and would buy them myself. I’ll also be using the eyeliner again. I usually struggle with creating wings with liquid eyeliner, and I found this kohl liner to be much easier for beginners. And as a Black Panther fan, I thought the makeup bag was also a really nice touch!"
Here's Morgan S. in Show Off lip colour and Dora MilaJe lipstick:
If you would like to try the MAC x Black Panther makeup collection for $23–$44, you can find it at MAC (both online and in stores) and at Ulta.
BuzzFeed was sent this product free for review but was under no obligation to give a positive review.
