MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual Lipstick Swatches

MAC’s coral lipsticks are something of another world; something I’ve shared a good couple of times with you.

Today, let’s compare three of these coral slash peach lipsticks: MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual.

While On Hold and Business Casual do have a strong peach undertone to them, the only true coral shade here is See Sheer, which also happens to be one of the most popular summer MAC lipsticks.

As time goes by, I’ll compare more red, burgundy, pink and nude lipsticks from MAC for you guys, so you can choose the very best shade for your skin tone.

For now, here are all the details and swatches of these three outstanding colors!

MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual Lipstick Swatches

Back when I was a makeup artist at MAC, I used to try all the new shades popping up.

I worked for both MAC Cosmetics in Paris and London, in the Covent Garden shop, and I loved every minute of it.

Actually, I only left because I wanted to become a full-time blogger, and go freelance and do makeup on photoshoots rather than following a set schedule.

At that time, around 2019/2020, the On Hold lipstick and See Sheer already existed, and Business Casual was only introduced in the Lustreglass lipstick range a couple of years ago.

That’s around the time MAC Cosmetics brought a full new collection of Lustreglass lipsticks which, to be honest, were very much needed as this range was lacking a lot of nude lipstick shades.

Which range are MAC On Hold, See Sheer and Business Casual part of?

On Hold is part of the Cremesheen range, which provides a ‘balm-like’ texture with medium coverage. Another similar lipstick to get if you like coral would be Crosswires, that I’ll probably review later on.

See Sheer and Business Casual are both part of the Lustreglass lipstick range, which are even more hydrating than the Cremesheen or Amplified lipsticks.

The difference in texture also applies to the pigmentation – the Lustreglass lipsticks might be pigmented, but they’re still translucent enough that they’re easy to wear on a daily basis.

Read: The Best MAC Lipsticks for Fair Skin

MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual: are they popular MAC lipsticks?

Before we start with this comparison of On Hold vs See Sheer and Business Casual, let’s talk about their popularity.

When summer comes around, there’s no denying that See Sheer is one of the bestselling MAC lipsticks.

Regarding On Hold, it’s not available everywhere in the world in self-standing stores – actually, I think it might only be available in the UK and Europe, not in US MAC stores.

Business Casual is currently one of the most beautiful nude MAC lipsticks for dark skin and medium skin, and the fact that it’s super hydrating and swiftly-tinted makes it a popular shade.

Read: MAC Retro vs Del Rio vs Paramount Lipstick Swatches

MAC On Hold vs See Sheer and Business Casual lipsticks: who are they most suited for?

On Hold, See Sheer and Business Casual are all somewhat warm-toned, with On Hold being the coolest-toned out of the three.

Skin with warm undertones will be able to wear all three easily, with a few skin tones looking even more gorgeous with them.

MAC On Hold lipstick

The MAC On Hold lipstick is a perfect combination of a coral, pink and red lipstick that makes it almost raspberry.

That means anyone from fair skin to Asian skin, medium and tan skin will look good with On Hold on.

However, in my experience, On Hold looks even better on skin with cool undertones and neutral skin, as it really does have that berry lipstick vibe.

MAC See Sheer lipstick

The MAC See Sheer lipstick is a true coral lipstick with a pink undertone which can be worn by any skin tone, from pale skin to dark skin.

The fact that it is translucent makes it even easier to wear, especially if you’re used to applying only one layer to your lips before you go out.

In my case, with my fair olive skin (I wear MAC foundation in NW15), I can wear the See Sheer lipstick, but I have to wear bronzer so the orange shade of See Sheer doesn’t clash with my olive undertone.

MAC Business Casual lipstick

The MAC Business Casual lipstick is a warm-toned brown with a coral undertone, just dark enough that it can be a nude lipstick for dark skin, but for medium skin as well.

It makes me think of the Marrakesh lipstick in a way, and could suit Asian skin very well, as well as tan skin.

To go back to olive skin, while I purchase lots of MAC lipsticks for review purposes now that I am not doing makeup on photoshoots anymore, I would probably never wear Business Casual, or only maybe during the summer, and with bronzer.

Hopefully, that gives you a little bit more insight about these three lipsticks, and now, let’s get into the details of our comparison between MAC On Hold vs See Sheer and Business Casual!

Read: MAC You Wouldn’t Get It vs Mehr Lipstick Swatches

MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual Lipsticks: Details

Here’s how MAC Cosmetics describes each of the colors:

On Hold: Mid tone yellow raspberry
See Sheer: Grapefruit pink
Business Casual: Warm red nude

The description of all three of these coral lipsticks is pretty accurate. You would almost see no difference between On Hold and See Sheer in store and in the tube, but they are.

Regarding Business Casual, its description as a warm red nude is accurate if you take it as a shade released for medium and dark skin, as it won’t be nude for lots of pale and really fair-skinned people.

Unless, of course, we see it as that type of 90s brown lipstick shade that seems to always be trendy.

Read: The Best Pink MAC Lipsticks

MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual Lipstick: Swatches

Now, for my swatches of On Hold, See Sheer and Business Casual, I’ve tried to stick to reality as much as possible in my pictures.

You can definitely see, when comparing On Hold vs See Sheer, that there’s not only a difference in pigmentation, but also in tone.

On Hold could be described as a pink red lipstick, warm-toned enough that it suits most skin tones, and cool-toned enough that olive and cool skin can also enjoy wearing it.

Shop MAC On Hold • See Sheer • Business Casual

See Sheer, a grapefruit pink, is that type of pinky peach lipstick that you want to dust off as soon as the weather becomes sunny again.

However, even if autumn and winter call for beautiful red, maroon and purple lipsticks, I have always felt that See Sheer is stunning in the dead of winter.

Business Casual and See Sheer have the same formula, that of Lustreglass lipsticks, and I try to always swatch MAC lipsticks over tattoos so you can really see the difference in pigmentation.

It does help, doesn’t it, that both my arms are tattooed – you can therefore see how pigmented the Cremesheen On Hold lipstick is compared to the other two.

I said at the beginning of this post that Business Casual reminds me of the Marrakesh lipstick, and in some way, it also reminds me of Paramount.

We’ve got a warm-toned brown lipstick here, probably one of the most underrated compared to shades like Whirl, Taupe or Creme in Your Coffee.

Read: The Best MAC Lipsticks for Indian Skin

MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual Lipstick Review: Thoughts

If you’re looking for long lasting lipsticks, it’s true that MAC lipsticks are the ones I always go to, not only because I am sentimental, but also because they do the job really well.

On Hold will last longer on the lips because it is more pigmented and less creamy than the Lustreglass lipsticks.

See Sheer and Business Casual will last well, but you’ll definitely need a touch up every now and then. However, since they’re quite sheer, the cool thing is you don’t absolutely need a mirror to touch them up.

What Lip Liners for MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual?

In any case, if you want a really clean lip with On Hold, See Sheer or Business Casual, I strongly recommend using a lip liner.

Possible matching lip liners with these would be:

• MAC On Hold: Brick or Cherry lip liner to wear under the lipstick (will make the color more opaque and a tad more red)
• MAC See Sheer: Boldly Bare or Chicory lip liner to wear underneath (Chicory will make the color a bit more brown)
• MAC Business Casual: Mahogany or Auburn lip liner (will make the color more opaque, Mahogany will make it more brown, Auburn a bit more red)

If you don’t want to wear a lip liner, you can simply go for a good lip primer.

My favorites are the MAC Prep + Prime for lips, with its lipstick format, and the 3ina Lip Primer, with a liquid format.

That way, you don’t have to change the color at all – in any case, if you don’t want to change the color too much, something neutral like the Boldly Bare lip liner under any of these can work.

Won’t create an ombre lip, though, it’s just to make the lipstick stick better throughout the day.

Shop MAC On Hold • See Sheer • Business Casual

Read: The Best Red MAC Lipsticks

MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual Lipstick Swatches

There you have it, my complete comparison of MAC On Hold vs See Sheer vs Business Casual!

Hopefully, you’ll have learned everything there is to know about these three warm lipsticks.

On Hold is still one of the most underrated in the whole MAC range, and strangely, one of my favorites.

Another similar color would also be Crosswires, also only available in select countries, and also comparable to See Sheer.

And for a very good nude and hydrating lipstick for medium skin, dark skin or fair skin with warm undertones, you can’t go wrong with Business Casual!

Shop MAC On Hold • See Sheer • Business Casual

Until next time!

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