Hello zillas. This year started rather slow on the blog as I haven’t been posting regularly. I have been extremely busy at work and life in general leaving me no extra time to sit down and gather my thoughts, let alone write a decent post for y’all. But I’m here, just taking one step at a time so please bear with me. Now that’s out of the way, let me fill you in with my newfound obsession on liquid lipsticks. Last week, I brought you Anastasia (review here) so as a sequel, let’s probe if MAC Retro Matte is right up my alley.
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As some of you know, I love bright, uber-pigmented matte lips. Those were my jam in the 90s so seeing the modern-day reincarnation reminds me of my heydays. There are 15 shades in the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick line ($20), I purchased four: Oh Lady (berry), High Drama (blackened berry), Back In Vouge (nude peach), Feels So Grand (bright red).
As you can recognize, the cap is a doppelgänger of their regular lipstick line, not so inventive in my opinion as I expected an edgier packaging considering it is MAC’s first foray into liquid lipsticks. The wand is shorter in comparison to Anastasia and the applicator is flat on both sides with a pointier tip, which for the most part, gives me better grip and control versus Anastasia.
Formula-wise, I enjoy Anastasia better because it does not feel heavy and tight on my lips the way MAC does. As with other matte formula though, it is imperative to hydrate your lips prior to application to prevent dryness and over-emphasis of unsightly lip lines and/or cracks. These apply creamy but dry matte within seconds. The wear time is commendable; unless you wipe off aggressively or chowed down a hefty dose of grease, these liquid bellas stay and don’t feather out. I like Oh Lady (berry is my kind of shade) and Feels So Grand (what a stunning red!), so-so with Back In Vogue (peach nude does not seem to compliment my skin tone), and a tad disappointed with High Drama because it applies patchy so I have to reapply several times which inevitably left my lips feeling heavy.
what’s your go-to liquid lipstick?
These look fab, but I'm not sure if I would pick up any, as I hardly ever wear matte lip
Laura
Pink Frenzy
These are so gorgeous on you, but heavy and tight on my lips is a deal breaker. Lip products that have that effect on my lips tend to dry them out and chap them– even if I prep them beforehand! They look so amazing though!
I agree, to drying cheapens the product and look overall
I think Oh Lady is my favorite on you! My lips don't do well with these type of lip products though.
Although I know I couldn't wear these, I love the shades you chose and High Drama is absolutely amazing on you!
I have Oh Lady and High Drama, and I love them!! These look GORGEOUS on you! <3
These would murder my lips but they sure are pretty. Feels So Grand and Oh Lady are YOUR shades.
I actually love Back in Vogue on you! It's a pretty, wearable shade. Too bad High Drama was patchy.
Hgh Drama, Feels So grand and oh lady are my faves of the four.
Love the intense colors on these. I am a Jefree Star matte fan when it comes to these long lasting lippies !
That brand has been on my radar, too bad the shades I want are out of stock
I was very curious about these since they came out. So far I only tried a couple other brands of liquid lipstick, and many of them left my lips very dry.
Back in vogue is gorgeous!
I have to admit, the classic lipstick topper makes me want to buy it lol. I'm a sucker for packaging! I have dry lips though, so I think i'm going to pass on this one, but that pink nude is stunning and so me!
I was surprised to see the nude peach in your haul since you normally seem to pick out the more dramatic shades. It's nice to read the comparison of Anastasia and MAC.
I wanted to love these, but I feel like the colours they brought out were so boring! Hopefully they'll expand the shade range soon. I would love a colour like Stone in lipstick form!
I agree. The shades are pretty common. So far, only High Drama is the most intense
Welp I made a typo in my original comment. I meant *liquid form!
I wish I could wear matte lips, but I have too many lip lines.
I bought several of these and have been LOVING them! I need to get more.
I am loving Oh Lady and actually think Back in Vouge looks great on you. I've been all about liquid lipstick lately but haven't tried these just yet.
The colors look great… but back in the day when they had liquid lippies and I worked there, I hated the formulation. These sound so nice that I would totally try them.
It's always such a let down when a high-end brand doesn't have the perfect formula. I really love the look of Oh, Lady, but I don't like a tight or heavy matte lip. Thanks for the great swatches and honest review!
These definitely look interesting, but I don't think the colors would be great for me.
I have Dance WIth Me and I really actually love it.