MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipsticks, my review

I literally couldn’t wait to try these Mac Retro Matte liquid lipsticks!

The least you can say is that MAC took their time, offering their version of one of the most popular makeup products of the moment: matte liquid lipsticks. So they were very highly expected!

Personally, although I didn’t really talk about it here (shame on me), I’m an absolute fan of  MAC lipsticks. You already know my obsession with their eyeshadows? Well, with their lipsticks from the permanent collection, it’s almost the same! smile
Moreover, MAC has probably the most beautiful nudes in the market and with their huge collection, everyone can find her (his) perfect shade.

So when I saw the color range of the new Retro Matte, I was quite disappointed…
Even if there are 15 colors available, which is quite a lot! But I don’t know, I found that the shades available are nothing crazy and especially nothing very “trendy”.
An example: at the moment, all cosmetic brands competing to offer THE lipstick color that everyone wants, which is, always and once again, the famous “Kylie Jenner” colour, a quite intense mauvy nude brown, very matte, and inspired from the 90’s. The irony is that this famous color was a mix of different MAC products as stated by Kylie herself.
Well, believe it or not, not one dusty nude/ Kylie Jenner lips color in the collection!
The 3 nudes in the range are all very peachy or quite orange. Typically the kind of color that doesn’t suit me at all. sad

I absolutely wanted to purchase 3 different colors to get an idea of ​​the color range but really, I couldn’t find any pretty nude shade! uneasy
And frankly, at $20 per lipstick, you really don’t want to mess up your order…

So I finally got my hands on Feels So Great, a sublime,almost neon red and Oh, Lady, which I hoped to be a plum but which looks like a very dark purple on me.

MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipsticks, presentation:

What the brand says about them:

A lip colour that provides a splash of colour in a liquid-suede finish that lingers.

So this is a liquid lipstick kind of formula, with a high pigmentation/coverage and a completely matte finish.

There are 15 shades in the range:

– DivineDivine: a light pastel pink,
– Mademoiselle: a light pastel coral,
– LadyBeGood: a warm light nude beige,
– Back In Vogue: a light peachy nude,
– Rich & Restless: a salmon pink,
– Personal Statement: a true Barbie pink (a bright pink with cool undertones),
– To Mate With Love: a bright raspberry pink
– Tailored To Tease: a true fuchsia pink,
– Recollection: a bright purple,
– Quite The Standout: an orange red,
– Fashion Legacy: a true fire truck red,
– Feels So Grand: an intense true red,
– Dance With Me: a deep cranberry red,
– Oh, Lady: a dark wine red,
– High Drama: a very dark plum.

Their price: $20.

MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipsticks, my test and thoughts:

– Packaging: I heard/read a lot of criticism about this packaging but personally, I find it rather simple and elegant. It contains the codes of the brand, the cap is the same as for other MAC lipsticks, which makes perfect sense IMO.

– Texture: very creamy while being quite liquid. It applies easily, without bleeding. They dry super fast on the lips.

– Fini: it’s a completely matte finish, very velvety. It’s super pretty!

– Parfum: rather sweet, it smells slightly vanilla like, but the scent doesn’t remain after application. The scent is very close to the Sephora Cream Lip Stain for those who know them.

– Pigmentation: I’m a little bit annoyed because the pigmentation is quite different for the 2 colors I own: Feels So Grand has a great pigmentation, it’s opaque and with a good coverage. Oh, Lady is not very homogeneous when you apply it (as you will see on the swatch at the end of the post) so it requires at least two layers to cover the lips, which impacts on its lasting power, because with a thick layer on the lips, it tends to crumble more.

– Color Range: I’ve already talked about it, I’m not the biggest fan of the color range. OK, there’s a big choice with 15 shades but I find that the range revolves too much around certain colors: 4 red shades, 4 pink shades and 3 warm nudes. Not a single cooler nude, which I would have loved and honestly, who needs a salmon pink ??? (I’m not objective here, I hate this color and I have trouble imagining that it can look good on anyone) (feel free to show me the result on you if you love the shade, I’d be very curious to see it :D)

Regarding the colors I purchased, it was not entirely a success (the joy of online shopping without being able to swatch the colors) (I couldn’t see myself wait at least four months to see them in store in Dubai).
Feels So Grand is a sumptuous true red, it’s probably one of the most beautiful mat red of my collection (and since I love red lipsticks, it says something wink ): not too orange or too pink, it’s stunning!
For Oh, Lady however, I totally messed up in my choice and I’m quite disappointed. I was expecting a pinkish dark plum (I actually hesitated a lot with To Mate With Love) and also not as dark but it darkens a lot when it dries. On me, it looks like a dark purple and I don’t like… sad

– Application: a liquidy, but creamy texture that allows an easy application and the applicator is very well done, quite precise, allowing to draw sharp contours easily. Don’t over load it with the product though, because it may bleed.

– Comfort: bad surprise, it’s a very drying formula. Not as drying as the ColourPop Ultra Matte liquid lipsticks but close. They dry very quickly after application on the lips and leave a very very matte finish. I guess that’s why they aren’t comfortable. I noticed that the formulas which remain a little sticky on the lips (like the Dose Of Colors for example) are usually more comfortable.

– Lasting Power: here neither, I wasn’t convinced. First thing, even if it’s completely dry on the lips, it’s not 100% non-transfer nor totally waterproof. So soon as you eat or drink, the inside of the lips disappears. And after about 3-4 hours, even if you are super careful and only drink with a straw for example, it would disappear anyway. I especially had this problem with Oh, Lady and I think it’s because I have to layer 2 coats to obtain a consistent result on the lips, which in turn probably negatively impacts its lasting power.
However, one good thing is that it’s very easy to do touch-ups, you can easily layer it (unlike other formulas that crumble when you retouch them, like the Colourpop ones for example).

– Value For Money: they’re sold $20 and honestly, I don’t think they worth it. Let’s say that I expected a better formula and also a better choice of colors for MAC, especially when they took their time to provide their own version of matte liquid lipsticks. I really hope they will improve their formula and widen their range of colors.

Finally, here are the swatches:

And on me:

– Feels So Grand:

– Oh, Lady:

In summary:

[wprs-pros][wprs-cons]

The MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipsticks are available on MAC website for $20 dollars.

And you, did you try these MAC Retro Matte lipsticks? What did you think about them?

Photo credit: bonnie-garner.com