Golden Rose Velvet Matte Lipstick 12

When I was asking about what's good from Golden Rose, these Velvet Matte lipsticks were the top recommendation. I usually feel very overwhelmed in front of a new stand, so I almost always research the shades online before going to the shop and I found a comparison of shade 12 with Mac's Mehr on Instagram. It's not a dupe, but a similar shade and I wanted something like that to see how such shades would fit me. They have an impressive selection of colours, 27 here in Slovenia I believe, and I was right to check the shades before because I really wouldn't know where to turn. I picked shades 12 and 23, but unfortunately they didn't have the latter in stock, so I picked up a dupe colour in the Crayon Matte Lipstick form instead. While I like those, I actually find the lipsticks a bit better.

Texture: Compared to their matte crayons, these are slightly less creamy, but that doesn't mean they are too thick to apply. This shade applies nicely, though if you have dry skin on the lips, it will emphasize patches, so exfoliate before, at least at light shades. It's a nice matte lipstick, quite creamy once you get through the top slightly harder layer and the texture reminds me of a mix of Mac's matte lipsticks and Milani's Mattes. The finish is decently matte, it still has a little bit of a shine, so it's not like liquid lipsticks matte, but pretty good and I like to blot it so I get that proper matte finish.

Colour: 12 is a medium muted pink-rose shade. I can imagine it looking almost a my-lip-but-better shade on medium skin tones, but on me it's like a darker version of my natural lip colour. It's like a darker version of Bourjois' Nude-ist on me, even though when I swatch them side by side, Nude-ist appears darker and brighter. I heard it looks almost orange on some people, but on me it's definitely leaning to pink. 

Staying power: It stays on rather well. I thought it was long gone after several hours of eating, drinking and talking, but it was surprisingly still hanging on. It's not an outstanding staying power like at some liquid lipsticks, but really good.

Scent: It has a gentle warm vanilla scent, but more fake vanilla that cupcake vanilla.

Packaging: A rubberised burgundy tube. Well-made and not flimsy at all.

Price and availability: These cost an affordable 3.90 € in Golden Rose shops/stalls.

I'm a fan of this shade, it's become like my second Nude-ist, so I shade I just grab without thinking because it works well with any look and brings some colour to my face. The quality of this lipstick is fantastic for the price, though I have tried many very affordable matte lipsticks and there are some really impressive ones to rival these. Crayons and Velvet Mattes are similar, even in terms of the shade selection, so you can choose the form of lip colour you prefer, but I like Velvets a bit more because they have a better matte finish. If you happen to stumble upon a Golden Rose shop, these are a nice little buy.

You can find swatches of all shades at Makeup Arena.

Have a great day!

Posted in: Skincare