MAC RETRO MATTE LIQUID LIPCOLOUR | QUITE THE STANDOUT + OH, LADY
I don't think it has gone unnoticed that MAC recently released their long awaited liquid lipsticks. They are actually permanent so don't worry if the shade you wanted is sold out, it will be restocked. If I must say so myself, I'm not a huge fan of liquid lipsticks because they're so drying on my already super dry lips. But I like the idea of applying a lipstick and have it last for hours even when you eat and drink. So, I must say I'm going to try these out. I might be a little late to jump onto the whole liquid lipsticks bandwagon (just like MAC is), but to be honest, liquid lipsticks are hard to come by here in Sweden. Brands like Kat Von D, Tarte, Anastasia Beverly Hills, ColourPop and Dose of colors can't be found here, only online and usually to ridiculous shipping rates (ColourPop and Tarte don't even ship to Sweden), so I'm actually really excited to try these out.
I only choose these to to start with because they really spoke to me. The nudes and the bright pinks were not for someone with my skin color (I'm an NC35 when I'm pale) and the nude shades were a bit to peachy for my taste. The darker shades spoke to me and these two in particular.
Price: They are pretty expensive. Here in Sweden they sell them for 245 SEK (Approximately 28 USD & 20 GBP)
Packaging: I'm not sure how I feel about the packaging. I understand the concept of using the bulletshaped lid, that is MAC's signature packaging, because it's still a lipstick even though it's liquid... but I find it kind of ugly and not very fancy. I think it makes it look a bit childish. But that's just my personal opinion.
Pigmentation: The pigmentation is actually really good. The colors are very opaque so you don't have to apply half the bottle to get the color that you want. You only really need one coat.
Consistency: Here's where the problems start to kick in. I don't like the consisteny of these. They are beautiful opaque colors, but they are so damn drying that your lips end up looking like raisins after it's dried. It's not a pretty look, because instead of looking plump, your lips look shriveled up like a 90 year old lady's lips would. Plus I don't feel like these dry completely. They stay a bit gooey, enhance lines in your lips and and flake like crazy. After you've worn it for an hour or so it starts to crumble and it both looks and feels nasty. You can feel that you're wearing something drying, thick and crumbly on your lips. It's not a feeling I'm looking for in my lip products. Because if it makes you feel uncomfortable, odds are that you'll also look uncomfortable and feel less confident.
Longevity: The longevity is quite good even though it starts to crumble. I wore if for about four hours and during that time I ate dinner and it didn't budge. But because the consistency feels so uncomfortable, I had to remove it after a couple of hours because my lips were dying. So I haven't been able to wear them for one whole day, unfortunately.
Pros:
- You get a lot of product in the tube
- Beautiful colors
- Opaque
Cons:
- Expensive (at least here in Sweden)
- Drying for your lips
- Doesn't dry completely and stays a bit tacky all day
- Crumbles
- Generally uncomfortable consistency
- Make your lips look shriveled up
All in all?
Yeah, I won't be buying any more of these any time soon. I'm so sad about it because I had been looking forward to these liquid lipsticks for so long and I'm completely underwhelmed by them. I feel like I wasted my money on them. Because they make your lips look shriveled up, I don't wanna use them becuase that's not a look I'm aiming for. But since they were so darn expensive I will have to use them anyways, I don't like to let products go to waste. So my final opinion is that you should save your pretty pennies on these and go get some cheaper and better liquid lipsticks.
What do you think of the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours?