MAC Select: Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Preferentially Yours and Private Reserve

Last year, MAC introduced their new customer loyalty program in North America called MAC Select. MAC describes MAC Select as their "prestigious members-only program for the makeup-obsessed. The more you purchase, the more covetable privileges you earn and the higher you climb our three elite tiers." You can read all about the program and its three tiers here, but essentially, if you shop at MAC at all, whether online or in their free-standing stores, it's worth joining. It's free and the more you spend in a calendar year, the more perks you get. (Unfortunately, MAC Select is only available in the US and Canada right now, but it will be rolled out internationally over the next year.) A perk of MAC Select is that there will be "exclusive members-only products," which will all be limited edition. All you have to do to purchase these products is become a member. Yesterday, MAC released their first member-exclusive products of the year: two new and limited edition shades of Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour, which is MAC's liquid lipstick formula described as "a lip colour that provides a splash of colour in a liquid-suede finish that lingers." They are housed in regular clear tubes with black caps that have the MAC Select logo on it and black MAC Select secondary packaging. Each Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour contains 5 ml, and retails for $25.
Preferentially Yours and Private Reserve
Preferentially Yours and Private Reserve

Preferentially Yours is a medium-deep cool rosy mauve-brown in a suede-matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a lightweight, mousse-like texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is warmer and more pink than So Me, lighter and more pink than Topped with Brandy, slightly lighter and more pink than Viva Glam III, and darker than Whirl.

Private Reserve is a medium-dark warm vibrant reddened pink in a suede-matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a lightweight, mousse-like texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. It is similar though more sheer than Relentlessly Red, more pink than Last Minute Versicolour Stain, darker than Impassioned.

So far, MAC has released three Select member-exclusive launches: a lipstick, a lip palette (not reviewed), and now two liquid lipsticks. These are available online through MAC's website, but if you want to swatch or try these on in person, these two shades of Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour will be available while quantities last for the next couple months at North American MAC Stores only (as MAC Select is a Store-only program, these will not be available at partnered locations). Those who love their rosy browns will definitely want to take a look at Preferentially Yours, but I do suggest checking your stash first to see if you have anything similar as there has been an overabundance of this type of shade flooding the market recently. If you picked up So Me or Topped with Brandy from MAC's Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour shade extension launch last month, you might find Preferentially Yours to be too similar to be worth buying (though I personally prefer the warmer, rosier tone of Preferentially Yours to the other two), so I definitely recommend comparison swatching in person first.

Private Reserve, on the other hand, gives a totally different look than the current range of Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour. It offers a sheerer wash of colour that dries matte which makes it more of a true stain than what we expect from today's liquid lipsticks. The colour itself is a bright fruit punch pink that, along with the semi-sheer colour pay-off, is in-line with the popsicle stain look that is all the rage in Asia right now — and there's nothing similar to it in the Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour formula (the Versicolour Stain in Last Minute is fairly similar in colour and pigmentation, but the texture is very different as it goes on like a gloss and will dry down to a stain over time). Whatever your lip preferences are, both shades here are widely flattering on all skintones from fair to deep dark, so if you're interested in either one or you want access to future member-exclusive products, remember to join MAC Select online or in store — it's free and won't take more than 30 seconds. (This sounds like an ad, but I swear, it's not. It's just that not a lot of people talk about this loyalty program for some reason. If you shop at MAC, you'll have nothing to lose and all the perks to gain by joining — you can even opt out of e-mails if you find them annoying.)