Are these new Mac matte liquid lipsticks worth the hype?

Image: (L-R) Lady-Be-Good, High Drama, and Fashion Legacy

Seven times out of ten, I’ll wear a matte lipstick over a glossy or satiny one. The sheer number of brands that came out with liquid lipsticks last year was incredible, and while many of them aren’t available in Singapore, some of the more popular ones can be found on sites like Carousell. Finally, Mac Cosmetics has hopped on board with their very own Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour, and we’ve decided to put it to the test. 

I picked the shade Fashion Legacy, an “intense fire truck red”, according to the Mac website. A little research on other reviews revealed that not all of the nine shades available in this range are created equal, so just as a disclaimer, this wear test is solely based on our experience with this shade. 

How it applied

The first plus point: the applicator. A pointed tip meant that getting a clean and precise line was fairly easy. There was no feathering or bleeding, and the formula went on smoothly. There was a little streaking that was easily smoothed over, but thankfully no patchiness or need for a second coat. 

It dried down fairly quickly to a fully matte finish. If you’ve got a lot of lines across your lips, you might find that the formula may settle into those lines a little, which is par for the course with a liquid matte colour. Liquid lipsticks never apply well on dry flaky lips, so make sure you exfoliate and moisturise them beforehand.

The food test

I ate a jam sandwich in the morning and some cookies with no issue. The colour transferred very slightly when I drank water, but that had no visible impact on how it looked on my lips. About an hour into the wear test, my lips were feeling a little dry as I had applied the lip colour without a balm and was in an airconditioned office, but all things considered, they were not at all dehydrated.

Lunch on the other hand, was somewhat trickier. An admittedly oily salad (let’s blame the vinaigrette) with large crunchy leaves meant that most of the lip colour disappeared, but that’s to be expected when oils and liquid lipsticks meet. 

Was it comfortable?  

A liquid lipstick is never going to feel as good on the lips as an actual lipstick, as it is bound to have drying elements, but this lipstick surprised me a little by not leaving my lips completely parched. I have tried a less drying formula that was more of a cream-mousse texture, but plenty of other liquid lippies have been worse. Even the removal process was pleasant, and only required a cotton pad and my trusty cleansing milk. No harsh scrubbing was needed, saving my lips from feeling raw.

Image: maccosmetics.com

Verdict

While it passed the snack test and wasn’t extremely drying, my lips were definitely missing moisture by the end of the wear test. If you’re someone who’s going to choose comfort over a snack-proof formula, this might not be for you. On the other hand, if you want a truly liquid matte lipstick, the Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour ($39) is one of the better ones I’ve tried, especially in terms of application.