The satin finish is my favorite in the MAC lipsticks.
I'm sorry to hear so many have had bad experiences with the sales associates. I guess I've been fairly lucky. I have had to wait for a while when the MAC counter was overrun with customers, but once a sales associate is available, I've always found them helpful.
I've even had them be very patient while I tried on umpteen shades of lipstick and insisted on wearing my final selection around while I shopped to be sure it didn't change to a weird color and checking it in daylight before purchasing. Hey -- at least it's a lot less likely I'll return it.