Rare Beauty New Beginnings Perfume vs. MAC Lustreglass Stainglass Lip Tint

And while both do not directly compete with Rare Beauty’s new beginning being a $78 fine fragrance and MAC’s $24 lip tint, they’re bound to create waves of confusion while competing for preference amongst beauty consumers.

Table of Contents

1. Quick Comparison
2. Rare Beginnings: Scent Profile and Longevity
3. Lustreglass Stainglass: Formula and Daily Wear Comfort
4. Pros and Cons
5. August Collection Value
6. Who Each One Is Actually For
7. Conclusion

Quick Comparison

Rare Beginnings: Scent Profile and Longevity

Rare Beginnings is the sophomore fragrance from Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty, following the original Rare Eau de Parfum. The first release by Rare Beauty leaned into caramel and sandalwood warmth, and Rare Beginnings shifts toward something brighter pear and pistachio at the top, a heart of gardenia, jasmine, and lotus blossom, and a base of vanilla bean, pink sugar, and cedarwood. Gomez has described the concept in emotional rather than technical terms, framing the scent around the idea of treating each day as a new opportunity, bright and sweet

The $78 price point sits in what the beauty industry places it across the prestigious fragrances and just within the accessible region, pricier than a normal drugstore fragrance but cheaper than the niche ones. The product is also well-placed to compete with brands like Glossier and Skims Fragrance rather than Chanel or Tom Ford. Another noteworthy release were two $20 layering balms (Fruity Pear and Sweet Marshmallow) designed to be worn under or over the spray for a slightly unique finish, but could also raise original cost when looking for sustained and full effect.

Lustreglass Stainglass: Formula and Daily Wear Comfort

MAC's Lustreglass Stainglass Lip Tint launched as a lower-cost, higher-shine alternative to a traditional matte lip stain. The brand claims a 12-hour, transfer-resistant color with a glossy "stained-glass" finish, built around raspberry seed oil and squalane to support the lip barrier and provide immediate comfort along with overtime moisture.

That comfort-first formulation seems to be landing. Reviewers who've tested it describe the texture as glossy without becoming too sticky while also applauding its feeling over a full day of wear and not just in the first application. Testers also described the formula as being smooth, even for dry lips, while also highlighting the plumping effect and staying power together as the standout feature. Independent brand testing cited a 98% increase in lip conditioning immediately after a single use, based on a 30-person clinical panel, a promising benchmark urging you to give the product a chance.

Where it clearly outperforms the perfume on practicality is range and repeat-purchase logic: 12 shades at $24 each means most people can build a rotation for less than the cost of one bottle of Rare Beginnings.

Pros and Cons

August Collection Value

If you're weighing these purely as August beauty-drop purchases, the value case looks different depending on what you're optimizing for. The lip tint is the safer buy: $24, a broad shade range, and consistently positive comfort feedback make it easy to recommend as a low-risk addition to a routine. The perfume is a bigger commitment — not just financially, but because fragrance is inherently more personal and skin chemistry-dependent, which explains why reviews of Rare Beginnings vary more than reviews of the lip tint. If your skin tends to run warm or you already gravitate toward gourmand scents, the odds of it working for you go up; if you prefer clean or musky florals, the sweetness may read as heavy.

Who Each One Is Actually For

1. Choose Rare Beginnings if: you're a fan of sweet, fruity-floral gourmands, you liked the original Rare EDP, or you want a personal (not room-filling) signature scent for daily wear.

2. Choose Lustreglass Stainglass if: you want a low-maintenance, comfortable lip product for daily rotation and don't need opaque, high-pigment color payoff.

3. Consider both if: you're building out an August beauty refresh and have budget for a splurge-and-save pairing — the lip tint's price makes it easy to justify alongside a pricier fragrance purchase.

Conclusion

These two launches aren't really rivals, Rare Beginning marks Rare Beauty’s most recent investment in creating a signature scent while MAC indulges in the low-stakes daily lip product markets but both have emerged as notable releases of the August markets. When the market judges a product’s performance, it’s mainly on the basis of their comfort and consistency and MAC’s lip tint wins on that front unanimously. And yet Rare Beginning stands out for the right noses with its more polarizing scent while following up on the fragrance that has already built a loyal fanbase. And if you’re confused to choose between the two, taking their reliability, range and price tag over multiple uses is something worth looking out for!