Hey fellow beautyholics!

I haven’t been blogging much about beauty lately because I’ve been swamped with work and other commitments that makes sitting in front of the camera for more than 2 hours seem impossible. Ever since getting shortlisted as a finalist in this year’s Singapore Blog Awards, my schedule has been packed with events after events as I hope to get the latest scoop on some of the latest beauty products so that I can introduce them to you guys! I will be covering what I’ve tried in more detail soon, but first…

It’s time to review a new set of MAC lipsticks from The Matte Lip collection! Like, finally some Mattes after all the stupid Lustres. As you may already know, this collection debuted last year with just 8 stunning new shades. But this year, the cosmetic giant decided that it should make a huge comeback by expanding its offering of this “classic suede-like finish with 12 new (and repromoted) shades of Matte and Retro Matte Lipstick” on top of 8 other existing Matte shades (some were previously not available in Singapore stores) that will also be included in this collection. Holy moly, great news for me but definitely not my wallet. Being the extreme Matte enthusiast I am, I carted out a record-breaking 7 lipsticks (it was a real challenge to choose) at once on the day of release, thereby starving myself for the subsequent month because I was so, so broke 😥

The lipsticks featured in this collection are Runway Hit, Kinda Sexy, Steady Going, Please Me, Naturally Transformed (new), Velvet Teddy, Men Love Mystery (new), Pink Pigeon, Tropic Tonic (new), Flat Out Fabulous, All Fired Up, D For Danger (new), Stone (new), Whirl (new), Persistence (new), Dangerous (repromote), Ruby Woo, Heroine, Studded Kiss (repromote), Antique Velvet (new), Instigator (repromote) and Matte Royal (new).

All 22 of them are said to be permanent but I don’t know how true this is because I cannot seem to find those that were released last year on the website anymore. And speaking about the website, it recently underwent an overhaul and now it looks terribly user-unfriendly and difficult to navigate. I would need some time to get accustomed to this new design so no screen grabs of official swatches for now.

In general, the colours are gorgeous and one-of-a-kind. My only gripe is the appearance of the bullets. Nearly all of them came with slightly melted sides or clusters of significantly large (gross-looking) white bumps or spots which I thought were mould at first but are apparently what chemists call “wax bloom” – a term to describe the excretion of oils on to the surface of a lipstick caused by a change of storage temperature. It is perfectly harmless but can look quite repulsive at first glance. I’ve had “sweating” lipsticks from my past MAC purchases but never one with wax bloom, which makes me wonder if other lipsticks from the same batch share the same condition. Therefore, it’s advisable that you check the bullet at the MAC store before purchase (that is, if these imperfections put you off).

#1 Whirl

This shade is no stranger to those who have been following the makeup trend sparked by Kylie Jenner, who lined her lips with Whirl (lip liner) to achieve her signature pout (and let’s just ignore the fact that she did lip fillers for a second, alright? 😀 ). It used to be a lip liner-exclusive shade and I’m so glad it’s now made into a lipstick too! It unfortunately accentuates my lip lines a little but it’s forgivable because it’s such a lovely neutral! 🙂 But the last time I checked, Whirl was temporarily out of stock on the website. I’m sure it’s gonna be one of the first few to sell out when it’s launched in stores so make sure you’re fast enough!

#2 Persistence

The nudes in this collection are seriously doing very well! Persistence is another favourite of mine from this release. It’s slightly darker than Whirl and has great coverage and consistency which applies like a dream. It’s quite long-lasting too; I wore this out once and it lasted for more than four hours!

#3 Stone

If you fancy dirty colours, this would interest you! It’s a very unique shade – kinda reminded me of Styled in Sepia because of its rust-like colour – but somehow it makes me look 10 years older (still worth experimenting though). Stone isn’t entirely opaque, I feel, but like the first two neutrals, it’s very creamy and slightly emollient. Take a break from your usual neutrals and try this for a change! 🙂 This is another popular shade that is not available on the website at the moment.

#4 Antique Velvet

As the name suggests, it exudes some kind of a rustic charm and is very velvety, making application a breeze. It has a subtle sheen to it and very evidently, not very drying on the lips at all. It is very opaque and has great coverage, giving my lips a fuller look.

#5 Instigator

This Matte shade looks more like a Satin to me. Smooth but with fairly good coverage, it leaves an uneven finish on my lips. Still, it’s has great colour payoff and this kind of deep plum shade is absolutely alluring, don’t you think? The tiny hint of sheen also makes the lips look hydrated. Instigator was first introduced in Winter 2013 as part of the Punk Couture collection.

#6 D For Danger

My camera couldn’t quite capture the true colour of this shade but trust me, it’s not the usual boring red I had always lamented about in my other reviews. This is a berry red! And it’s so pretty. I have absolutely no complaints about this shade. It has light consistency and good pigmentation, and it wears long and comfortably on my lips. This is the red lipstick to get from this collection.

#7 Matte Royal

I tried to be more adventurous in my choices and went for something more unconventional (although I most likely wouldn’t be wearing it out because I’d get stared down for putting on such a weird and funky colour). Matte Royal, however, doesn’t apply evenly although it has a relatively creamy texture. It took me a few layers to fully conceal some parts of my lips. It also came out rather streaky on me so all in all, this doesn’t live up to my expectations. It is temporarily sold out on the website though 😕

And that’s all from me! I contemplated buying a few more shades from this collection (Tropic Tonic and Studded Kiss are on my list) until I read about the release date for the upcoming Giambattista Valli collection (it’s in early July, by the way!). The lipsticks will cost a fortune for sure, since it’s, you know, designer pieces?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 🙂

 

Thanks for reading ❤

The Matte Lip (2015) is now available on MACCosmetics.com and will be on sale at Singapore outlets from 31 July 2015 (subjected to change).