By popular request I’m continuing my series on liquid lipsticks and many of you have asked about my thoughts about the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours ($21 each). This formula has been out for a while but I never tried it until MAC repromoted the formula with their recent Retro Matte Collection. I have a mix of colors I received as press samples along with a few colors I ordered myself. As a neutral lip lover I gravitated towards the more conservative shades versus the greys, teals or purples. My experience with liquid lip colors in general is that what I see in the tube or swatch on the hands often times looks different on my lips. The colors shift when they dry down and for some reason my complexion and lip color make the liquids pull differently.
Colors I have swatched for you include:
- Lady Be Good is a peachy nude, I thought this would be more pink, but it turned out to be more peach
- Cafe Au Chic is as grey/beige as I’ll go, it’s a neutral greyish nude beige
- Sweet Thing is a limited-edition from the MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection from James Kaliardos, it’s the best neutral pink I’ve ever tried for a liquid lip – it’s sold out online but if you can find it in stores I recommend you do
- Fallen Angel is also from the MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics collection and this is the only shade I did not like, I would go so far as to call it a fail, I may have gotten a dud, but this one was streaky, even when I tried layering it was a total mess
- Burnt Spice is my favorite neutral, it’s similar to Lady Be Good, but Burnt Spice is a bit deeper
- So Me is a greyed plum, it looks so good on the arm swatch, on my lips it pulls a bit dusty looking
- Preferentially Yours is a MAC So Select color which means you can only buy it if you’re a So Select member (just sign up online at the MAC website and it will track purchases and give you points), I love love LOVE this one, it’s what I wanted Kat Von D Lolita to be on me
- Topped With Brandy is a deeper dirty rose, I really like this one too, but prefer the Preferentially Yours color
Swatches:
Lip swatches on bare lips:
Formula-wise I was relieved to find they did not dry out my lips nor did they make my lips peel the next day. As with most liquid lipsticks they dry to a matte finish and can make the lips look a bit wrinkly. I swatched these on bare lips but for everyday wear I either prep with the MAC Prep and Prime Lip or any lip balm like the Dior Addict Lip Glow Pomade. They add a bit of moisture underneath and make the lips look a bit less textured. They really do last all day – once they dry they stay put and don’t budge. I didn’t get any color transfer to cups once they fully dried. I think the formula is great for the colors I tried (with the exception of Fallen Angel). Still I’m more of a glossy lip person at heart, but for a liquid lip formula I give these a thumbs up. My top three favorite colors are Sweet Thing, Burnt Spice and Preferentially Yours.
You can find the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lip Colors at all MAC counters now. I purchased some colors online at Nordstrom and MAC. Do note that the MAC So Select colors and MAC Make-Up Art Cosmetics Collection colors are exclusive to MAC online and MAC stores.
Have you tried these? What did you think? Any favorite colors?
Preferentially Yours, Lady Be Good, Topped With Brandy purchased by me, all others sent as press samples for review.
