MAC’s Viral Alone Time Lipstick Is the Perfect ’90s Nude

No matter what era TikTok is currently obsessed with—right now we’re moving away from the early 2000s and revisiting 2008-2012—I’ll always find the ’90s the most inspiring decade. That goes for the music, the style, and of course, the makeup. If you peruse my camera roll, you’ll be met with photo after photo of muses from the era, from Kate Moss to Fiona Apple.

While eye makeup was important to the era, like frosted shimmer or ultra-sculpted lids à la Kevyn Aucoin, to me, a lip is what makes a ’90s makeup look truly sing. I’ve been able to track down plenty of warm browns and soft brick shades, but I have yet to find the perfect cool-toned nude like something Linda Evangelista or Angelia Jolie would have worn.

Until now, that is. MAC’s recently-released Lusterglass Sheer Shine Lipstick in Alone Time has gone viral for being the perfect cool brown shade, and I have to say that it fits the bill. Ahead, everything you need to know about the lipstick, plus my honest review.

The Lipstick

Alone Time was released earlier this year as part of MAC’s much-discussed Nudes collection. At the time, the sheer shade was overlooked due to the fact that the brand brought back some of its discontinued ’90s shades like Folio and Stone, and dropped a cool version of the Spice lip liner.

However, thanks to TikTok, Alone Time is finally getting a moment in the sun. The brand describes the shade as mauve brown, and it has cool undertones. Like the rest of the Lusterglass lipsticks, it has a sheer, shiny finish and a hydrating formula enriched with raspberry seed oil and extra-virgin olive oil.

The lipstick started picking up steam this summer, as it went viral in Japan and is apparently super difficult to get your hands on over there. Luckily, the US is just catching up to the hype, and it’s still readily available (and on sale!) on MAC’s site and at Ulta—for now, at least.

My Review

I have truly neutral skin, so it’s actually difficult to find nude lip products that truly suit me. They either pull far too warm, giving me a just-ate-spaghetti effect, or cool tones can either veer far too pink or far too gray. This one, however, is perfect.

The hint of pink makes the nude feel super wearable and keeps it from being too gray-toned, and it still brings a little life into my face. I like that the sheer formula adds just a touch of that ’90s coolness without veering into full-on concealer lips territory—something that looked amazing on Angelina Jolie but is a little harder to pull off at my 9-to-5. It’s incredibly comfortable to wear, as it’s more akin to a tinted balm than a lipstick. And while it looks amazing with a lip liner (MAC recommends Cool Spice), I also love it on its own.

It’s the perfect shade for a ’90s-inspired look, and it’s destined to go viral in the US sooner rather than later. So act fast and grab one while you still can.