I finally got my hands on some of the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours that were released in January, and I’m so excited to be posting about them! I feel like I’m forever on the hunt for a matte liquid lipstick that doesn’t make my lips look like the life has been sucked out of them, yet still looks matte and doesn’t transfer easily. Did I find that in the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours?
Yes and no. Let me elaborate a little… I received four shades to try out:
- Lady Be Good (a warm mid-tone nude)
- Feels So Grand (a true red)
- Recollection (a bright violet)
- High Drama (a deep dark plum)
Some of these shades performed entirely differently than others. Let’s talk about shared characteristics first! They all dry to what MAC describes as a “liquid-suede” finish, which is pretty matte, but not a super dry looking matte. I found these all set very quickly on my lips, and they were basically transfer-proof while drinking my coffee which really impressed me. This is the first liquid lipstick I’ve tried that hasn’t transferred at all onto my coffee cup.
Now, how do these differ? Lady Be Good and Feels So Grand went on without any issues. I had no problems with patchiness at all and they wore beautifully on me for the couple hours I had them on. Of the two, I would say that Lady Be Good did feel drier, but wasn’t anything terrible. With Recollection, I experienced a bit of unevenness (as you can see in the swatch below), but I didn’t actually notice that at all until I was looking at these up close shots.
Unfortunately this time, I’m not saving the best for last. High Drama, while it’s such a gorgeous color in the tube, just did not work out for me at all. I wanted to love it so badly. It was by far the hardest to apply and I had to keep dipping back in the tube to get more product and applying it over sections that went on uneven. Eventually, I got everything covered and it was looking really good and I was really happy about it. I even took some sips of my coffee and was all excited that it didn’t seem to be transferring… then I went to go on Snapchat and flipped the camera to my face only to realize there were full on chunks of my lipstick missing, haha. I guess because I had to apply layers of the lipstick to get full coverage, it was more likely to flake, and flake it did. I’m so sad about this one because as I said and as you can see, the color is stunning, but unfortunately I just can’t recommend it.
I’m glad I had the chance to try a few shades and not just one, because while High Drama didn’t work out well for me, I do love the other shades- especially Feels So Grand! I plan to purchase Dance With Me and Oh Lady next, because I’ve seen them on YouTubers I watch and oh my goooosh, are they ever pretty.
The MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours retail for $20USD/$24CAD, and you can find them at Nordstrom and on the MAC Cosmetics website.
Have you tried any of the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours?
Liz says
I tried ‘Divine Divine’ and wasn’t a huge fan. I found it way too drying and patchy that I ended up returning it. I’ve heard that different shades almost seem to have a different formula which is a bit disappointing. I really wanted to love these because I love MAC lipsticks but this one was not for me!
xo, Liz
http://lipstickandconfetti.com
Chelsea says
Yeah, the formulas seem to differ quite a bit between colors which is odd! I’m glad that some of them are good though, because I LOVE the ones with the good formula!
Allison says
Your lip swatches look fabulous even High Drama. I have a similar shade to High Drama from Milani and I couldn’t get it to apply evenly at all. I love the no-transfer benefit of liquid matte lipsticks, but none of them work on my super dry lips. I’m hoping this trend will pass one of these days, lol
Chelsea says
Thanks! High Drama looked great at first, but about ten minutes into wearing it, it flaked off in big pieces in some spots when I took a sip of my coffee. I believe it was the sections where I had to layer on the product to get the full coverage. It’s too bad, because the color is so stunning! I’m just glad the other shades preform so well. And I agree, I have permanently dry lips too so it’s extremely hard to find matte liquid lipsticks that work out decently for me. The finish of these really wasn’t bad on my dry lips in comparison to other brands I’ve tried!
Alicia says
It’s a bummer that the High Drama shade didn’t work, that one was so pretty! After reading this I definitely want to check the product out, I have a lot of MAC lip colors and I’m curious to see how this would work!
xo, Alicia | Alicia Tenise
Chelsea says
So sad, right? It definitely would’ve been my favorite if it worked out! I definitely recommend checking these out, just read reviews for whatever shade you want to buy first to play it safe. I guess you can always return it if it doesn’t work for you anyways!
Zoë says
oh yeah seeing that one on snapchat…not pretty! but there are definitely some great long lasting shades available, just have to check out the reviews by shade i think!
Chelsea says
Yep I think that’s key too!
Lauren says
These look pretty on you, but for me I just can’t do the matte lip trend. I cant stand the cracked, flaky look! Maybe my lips are too old! ha!
Chelsea says
Hahaha, I get you! I have quite dry lips naturally, no matter what I do, so the matte lip trend is hard for me as well. There are very few matte liquid lipsticks that don’t sink right into my lip lines and make my lips look incredibly dry, but these actually preformed quite well in comparison to other brands (excluding High Drama)!
January says
I have so been wanting to try these! Thank you for the review. I can’t wait to pick up the Feels So Grand color!!!
Chelsea says
It’s my fave, SO pretty and very comfortable to wear!
Molly says
That purple is so fun but it would be hard to pull off!
Molly and Stacie
Chelsea says
I think once it’s spring and warmer weather when people are wearing more bright colors, it wouldn’t seem too crazy! Right now, while everyone is still wearing plums and berry shades it might seem out of place, totally understand! :)
Memory says
I love the purple one. Obsessed with matte lipsticks and the price isn’t to bad either. They all look great on you.
Jaime says
I had the exact same problem with High Drama! It was SO difficult to get even application – every time I went back to even it out, it removed what I had already applied.
Heather @ The Nerdy Fox says
I’m currently so obsessed with matte lipsticks. I love the purple! I don’t think I can pull it off, though.
Julie says
I have such a love/hate relationship with matte lippies. My lips are dry, so they aren’t usually kind to me, but some of the shades are just so pretty. What a shame about the one that flaked, such a bummer!
Kristina Padgett says
I have been hearing so many good things about MAC’s liquid matte lipcolour! It looks amazing I can’t wait to try :)
kristinacamille.com
Christine says
I saw your snapchats about these and the High Drama had me like WOW!!!! It looked so splotchy and not so great, even though I loved the color! There’s something about fair skin and dark lips! I love it!
Allison jones says
These colors are GORGEOUS! MAC lipsticks are my favorite. I have to try these! I didn’t no they had matte liquid lipsticks.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
Renu says
I didn’t know these existed! Lady Be Good is so pretty, and you are rocking that violet!
Summer Telban (@SummerTelban) says
I love the color of Lady Be Good. I’d rock that everyday. These are great!
Amber says
I don’t know if I could pull off the bottom two shades, but trying on lipstick is always fun. It kind of reminds me of being a kid again and playing dress up. I can be whoever I want to be! :)
Melissa says
I too am always on the hunt for a liquid matte. I think all the swatches look gorgeous on you though! I am going to have to try a few out! I just tried the gerard cosmetics hydra matte liquid and am really liking them. But I am used to pretty drying mattes :) I’d love to know how they compare.
Sammi the Beauty Buff says
High Drama is such a gorgeous color! Too bad it didn’t work out. This sounds like a relatively promising line, though, especially for the red and the nude.
Lisa says
Love your photos. I think the red and nude lean too warm for me, but I’ll keep my eye out for some of their other shades.
Kristina | The Feminine Files says
These are so pretty! Thats too bad about high drama, but you made it look good in your swatch. I’d say Feels So Grand is my favorite of the 4.
Cara says
So pretty! I really love the two colors on the left!