Tuesday 12 December 2017

My Matte Liquid Lipsticks Collection

08:40 Unknown No comments

Out of all makeup products, liquid matte lipsticks are my favourite (though fragrances come close), so I've tried a lot of them and don't plan to stop any time soon. My lips are rarely dry and I can wear pretty much anything (for those who don't know, I've been using only Palmer's Swivel Stick and Flipbalm for years), so don't expect a type of an overview post where I'll say this one is great and this one sucks. The truth is that none of these are bad and every single one works great for me, however, yes, there are some that are more matte and I can assume that the formula won't work for those with more sensitive lips. Also bear in mind I only buy stuff that I see a good review of or I find interesting when I swatch them in the shop, so for that reason I don't have Catrice, Essence or even the otherwise praised L.O.V.'s version because I saw in the shop that they aren't matte. So following are 14 different types of matte lip creams from 13 brands. Still on my wishlist of brands to try are Deborah Matte Effect, the newest Rimmel's Stay Matte, Lancome Matte Shaker in Vintage (that shade is just gorgeous, but it's not completely matte) and Stila Stay all Day.


THEBALM Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick
Finish: Velvet matte
Quantity: 7.4 ml
Price: 19 € in Müller, 16.50 € on Salma, 18 € on Feel Unique
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 4/5 Staying power: 4/5 for Committed & Charming, 5/5 for Adoring

I've mentioned several times so far that these are my favourite liquid lipsticks. At most lip creams the pigmentation is excellent, so that's nothing special, but these apply beautifully, dry to a lovely matte finish that to me isn't at all dry and they last great on the lips. I have three shades so far, but I want to expand my collection with at least Sincere and Dedicated, maybe also Loyal. They have a lovely minty scent and even tingle for a minute or two for that non-present plumping effect. Committed is one of my favourite shades ever, a muted peachy-pink nude, Charming is a medium rosy-brown shade and Adoring is a deep burgundy.


SEPHORA Cream Lip Stain
Finish: Velvet matte
Quantity: 5 ml
Price: 10.95€
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 4/5 Staying power: 3.5/5


I originally didn't think much about these, but now after several months of owning them, I consider them my second favourite formula. They are certainly one of the more comfortable ones out there, but still with a nice matte finish. Staying power is the only thing isn't quite as good as at some others, but here you get comfort instead of colour that's practically cemented on your lips, so these are also easy to remove. 13 Marvelous Mauve, a medium pinky-mauve, is one of the most popular shades and Strawberry Kissed is a similar warm pinky red as Frambourjoise from Bourjois.

MILANI Amore Matte Lip Creme 
Finish: Proper matte
Quantity: 6.2 ml
Price: 9.96 €
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 2.5/5 Staying power: 4/5
Review: Gorgeous


This was one of the earliest lip creams I got that dries a proper matte finish in a short time after application. I still only have one shade despite planning on getting more, but once I found theBalm, I focused more on those though I'd still love to have several shades (Attraction, Precious). It's a type of formula that as I said dries fast and perfectly matte, so those with frequently dry lips might not enjoy these as much because it creates that uniform layer of product and though it's comfortable to me, my friend said it's terribly drying on her (she likes Bourjois' though). This originally had a lovely fruity vanilla scent, but now after over a year, it's more plastic. I have the shade Gorgeous which is a deep magenta-purple shade.


REVLON Ultra HD Matte Lipcolour 
Finish: Creamy shine, in time semi-matte
Quantity: 5.9 ml
Price: 12.25 €
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 5/5 Staying power: 3/5
Review: Devotion


In my opinion this has a completely wrong name because it's certainly not matte, instead it has a creamy, almost glossy finish, however with time (I mean hours) as it becomes a sort of a stain, it is matte (I have a picture how it looks after hours in my original review). But it's so nice that it even managed to convince me and I'm far from being a fan of anything shiny/creamy. It's comfortable, smells amazing like vanilla-strawberry-chocolate ice cream and it's fully opaque. My shade is Devotion which is a warm, muted pink shade that also has quite nice staying power.

MAYBELLINE Super Stay Matte Ink 
Finish: satin matte/ properly matte with time
Quantity:  5 ml
Price: €6.99
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 2.5/5 Staying power: 5/5

These are conflicting and that's because there are tons of raves about them being super comfortable and long-lasting. While I 100% agree with the last part because these look the same on the lips after 12 h (yup, tried and tested. Scrubbing them off with a waterproof remover is not that fun, though), I find these are really not that comfortable. The formula is thick, so even application isn't as easy as with others, though it depends on the shade and these are super sticky for the first half and hour. They basically glue your lips together when you press them, but once the set, they really set like a cement of the lips and don't budge unless you decide to attack them with a copious amount of oil. These feel most like a layer on the lips, but I can't tell you whether they are drying, I can only say that others feel more comfortable. Once they dry on the lips they feel fine and as I said if you need something truly long-lasting, these are your best choice out of all liquid lipsticks I've tried so far. I have two shades, the rosy-mauve Lover and the gorgeous cool red Pioneer. 


PUPA I'm Matt Lip Fluid 
Finish: Satin, in time matte
Quantity: 4 ml
Price: 15.79 €.
Pigmentation: 4/5 Comfort: 4.5/5 Staying power: 3/5
Review: 012 Nude Rose.


This one has a soft and mousse like formula that's a bit like someone had mixed Bourjois' Nude-ist with theBalm's Hughes . It needs more time than others to set, but ends up looking satin matte on the lips, which feels quite comfortable. Staying power isn't as impressive as at other brands and similar shades, however, if your lips are prone to dryness, this is one of the formulas I'd say is the closest to being suitable for you. My shade 012 is a peachy nude.

MAKEUP FACTORY Mat Lip Fluid 
Finish: Matte
Quantity: 6.5 ml
Price: 14.49 €
Pigmentation: 4/5 Comfort: 3/5 Staying power: 3/5

Formula is similar to Sleek's Matte Me, which is one of the most matte ones I have, but MF's is creamier and it's less pigmented, so it can be worn also more as a stain if you wish, which looks very beautiful. It dries quite fast on the lips, in a few minutes to a matte finish that again similarly to Sleek's feels like a layer on the lips, but to me it's not uncomfortable. It can be drying, especially as time passes, so those with lips that tend to get dry, take that into account when deciding whether to purchase one. When it's new it's got an awful scent, but that disappears with age and staying power is decent, though it doesn't survive eating that well. My shade is Velvet Rosewood which is a beautiful rosey-brown shade, like a lighter Charming from theBalm. 

SLEEK Matte Me Lip Gloss 
Finish: Perfectly matte
Quantity: 6 ml
Price: £4.99 / 9.95 €
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 2/5 Staying power: 3.5/5
Review: Birthday Suit 

I'm fairly certain that these won't be most people's cup of tea because apart from Colourpop Ultra Matte, this is the most tight-feeling and (potentially) drying formula I own. However, if you're looking for a proper matte finish and you can deal with it feeling like a layer on the lips, you'll manage with this one just fine. The texture at application is very oily and the clumsy, big applicator doesn't make it easy to apply it nicely, so it's not the best formula out there, but after about 2-3 minutes, it sets to a perfect matte finish. I'm a fan of the shade, Birthday Suit is actually one of the shades that was very popular a couple of years back and it's one of those rare ones that doesn't look ugly brown-peachy on very pale skins, instead that rosy-mauve tone is actually present. 


JORDANA Sweet Matte Liquid Lip Colour 
Finish: Perfect matte
Quantity: 3.2 ml
Price: 5 €
Pigmentation: 4/5 Comfort: 2.5/5 Staying power: 4.5/5 (consider I only have hot pink which are always longlasting and stain)


I regret I have this only in this one bright shade because apart from being in a less pretty packaging, this is Milani's Amore formula. I hear they are sister brands so that shouldn't be surprising, but I have both formulas in bright shades, which always tend to be much better than nudes and natural shades, and it's at those that you really see the difference at quality. It takes mere seconds to set to a perfect matte finish and after that it doesn't budge. It does feel like a layer, just like Milani's, so for some it will feel drying, but it's fine to me. It's slightly thicker than most lip creams I tried and it's also a touch sheer, which means that the first coat is an even pinker shade, while the second makes it redder and warmer. This one is deceiving because in the tube it looks warm red, but on the lips as you can see it's a warm pink fuchsia colour that's mega bright. Due to these strong pink tones, it means staying power is exceptional, in fact it's a bloody pain to remove, so you really need to be committed to wear this colour. 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream 
Finish: matte, but with a semi-translucent texture.
Quantity: 8 ml
Price: 6.50$
Pigmentation: 3/5 Comfort: 4.5/5 Staying power: 2/5

This is one of those formulas that stands out in my selection and it's actually the first one that I tried now many years ago, so I have plenty of experience with it. The formula of these is somewhat creamy, but mostly quite liquid and a bit oily. The older these get, the more sheer and liquid the formula gets, but the pigmentation right from the start, it's not on pair with any I mentioned above and for full coverage, you'll need to put on extra coats. They also need a lot longer to dry, up to 10 minutes, but because of that, they are also a lot more comfortable than most liquid lipsticks and I've head even those with lips prone to dryness, like these. Staying power is its main fault and it doesn't survive eating or drinking. But Cannes is one of my favourite shades ever because it looks incredibly natural on me. That semi-coverage looks like my lips are naturally tinted like that if I apply one coat. I used to own three other shades Tokyo (white based pale peachy-pink), Istanbul (a medium pink, used to be my most worn shade) and Addis Abbaba (a hot pink). If you have dry lips often and you fear these type of products, this might be the best way to start. This or Pupa.

L.A. GIRL Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss 
Finish: perfect matte
Quantity:  5 ml
Price:$4.99
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 2/5 Staying power: 4/5
Review: Dreamy


A lot of people really dislike these, but I don't find them that terrible. The formula is a creamier version of Sleeks at application, but it dries to the same type of finish - very matte with a tendency to feel tight on the lips, if you're sensitive to that. It's also sticky, which some see as a big problem, but unless I don't really press my lips tightly together, I don't notice it for the most part. If I press my lips a lot, it becomes very patchy. It's not the best matte lip cream, but it's not unwearable as long as you're not fussy about it being potentially drying. Mine is the lightest shade in the bunch, Dreamy, which is a  similar to Sleek's Birthday Suit (more mauve) and theBalm Committed (more pink). It's that good mix of nude-peachy-mauve and a hint of brown, so it's a very modern shade. I hear dark shades perform better.


BOURJOIS Rouge Edition Velvet 
Finish: satin, in time perfect matte
Quantity: 6.7 ml
Price: 12 €
Pigmentation: 3/5 Comfort: 4/5 Staying power: 2.5/5 (4/5 for Olé Flamingo and Plum Plum Girl)


Like Nyx these also have a different formula than the rest, but this one is more of mousse meets cream type of texture. I have the largest collection of these for a simple reason - they were one of the earliest in Slovenia and easy to get. But although I still adore shade Nude-ist, these aren't my favourite any more, however, they are certainly one of the more comfortable ones. Like NYX's these don't have the same pigmentation like the others and need to be layered, but this also means you get the same "my lips are naturally stained like that" effect. The older they get, the sheerer they are, but formulas differ so much in the line, it's the most inconsistent lipstick formula I know. Nude-ist (vintage rose) is a fantastic formula that always gives a very even result, nice wear time and has nice pigmentation, but needs time to set. Pink Flamingo (hot pink) is one of the best formula and has a proper matte finish quite fast, Plum Plum Girl (reddish plum) is very similar, though needs two layers and Happy Nude Year (nude peachy pink) performs similar to Nude-ist. But Frambourjois (reddish pink) is a good performer for just a year, then it separates and is impossible to use and Grand Cru (burgundy) should be avoided in general because the formula is clumpy/patchy and even when new, very difficult to apply evenly, despite the gorgeous effect it has.


COLOURPOP Ultra Matte Lip 
Finish: perfect matte
Quantity: 3.2 ml
Price: 6$
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 2/5 Staying power: 4.5/5

These are definitely only for those hardcore matte liquid lipstick lovers like me, who don't get dry lips. Others just avoid these and get the Satin Lip version. These dry fast and to a layer on the lips which to most will feel drying, but you get a perfect "Instagram matte finish". I have several shades because these are so affordable and it's easy to experiment with them, but do not base you picks on pictures of the tubes or pictures of fresh swatches. These all look almost the same in the packaging, but once they are on the lips and they set, there are quite big differences between them. Also my only dark shade More Better, transfers and even some of the light shades have this hot pink base that stains quite heavily, so these are not easy to remove. My top picks are Clueless, Sollow and More Better, but now that I've had them for a year, I'm also noticing that the pigments are separating in the tubes, so these are not the best quality.


COLOURPOP Ultra Satin Lip 
Finish: satin, in time matte
Quantity: 3.2 ml
Price: 6$
Pigmentation: 5/5 Comfort: 4/5 Staying power: 3.5/5

Now these are supposed to be more comfortable version of the Ultra Matte and they are, but the formula still sets to a matte finish, it just takes longer. Some still might find these drying, but it's so difficult for me to say since I'm the worst example and I so rarely use lip balms, but these definitely don't give any additional care to the lips. In terms of shades, it's the same deal as at Ultra Matte and beware of the shade Littlestitious which stains like crazy. My top picks are London Calling and Alyssa. 


Quick Recap
Most matte or properly matte: SLEEK Matte Me, COLOURPOP Ultra Matte, MILANI Amore and JORDANA Sweet Matte
Most comfortable: Revlon Ultra HD, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, PUPA I'm Matte, COLOUPOP Ultra Satin and some shades of BOURJOIS (Nude-ist and Happy Nude Year)
Most potentially drying: SLEEK Matte Me, COLOUPOP Ultra Mate, L.A. GIRL Matte Flat Finish, MILANI Amore & JORDANA Sweet Matte
Most long-lasting: MAYBELLINE Matte Inks
Least long-lasting: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream and PUPA I'm Matte
My favourites: THEBALM Meet Mat(e) Hughes, followed by SEPHORA Cream Lip stain, but I like all of them. I only gave away three matte liquid lipsticks, all were sent to me: L'OREAL Lip Paint Matte, BEYU Cashmere Lip Color Mat (I hear the formula changed now) & BORN PRETTY Matte Lip Cream #36 (cheap lip cream formula that's all over eBay and AliExpress).

Have a great day!
Posted in:

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
Design by Free WordPress Themes | Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premium Blogger Themes | Online Project management