Matte Lip Product Swatches

I'm a big fan of long lasting matte lipsticks, because I'm way too lazy to touch up my lips during a night out. I took the time to swatch my favourite ones. I mainly wear dark shades and am interested in indie cosmetics, so there are many more shades and companies in the matte lippie world, but these are just my personal faves so far.

Top Shop Velvet Lips in Plush, Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 07, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen, Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania, MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Kooky, Fyrinnae Liquid Matte Lipstick in Graffiti, Fyrinnae Liquid Matte Lipstick in Desire, Fyrinnae Liquid Matte Lipstick in Naughty & Nice.

There are differences in the formulas. The Sephora lip stain in very pigmented and not as drying as the other mattes. It also has a slight shimmer to it, not making it completely matte. The Nyx products are also of a satin type of texture. They don't dry down as the rest of the products shown here and can smudge a little bit if you are not careful.

Kooky and Plush are the thickest formulas and feel quite drying on lips, but last well. Fyrinnae mattes are the nicest to wear and apply. They dry to a fully matte finish and stay put just as well as the thicker ones, but they are much thinner in consistency and the tube needs to be shaken vigorously before applying the product. While they look splotchy on my arm, they actually go on the lips very nicely.

Most of the matte products don't allow you to apply another coat. Once you have applied one coat, the second one will melt the first one and make things look splotchy. If you need to touch up a spot, do it by padding the product on, don't brush.

Transylvania is notoriously hard to apply evenly, but I usually wear a dark lip liner underneath it. Normally you should not apply anything underneath the matte long lasting products, as even a coat of lip balm makes them not adhere well. Always apply on clean, dry lips, the only exception is Transylvania, and it loses much of the long lasting feature when applied on lip pencil.

For removal you need a make-up removal product that works for water-proof make-up. I use one by Lumene. Usually the oily ones that separate into two parts in the bottle are the best. If you don't have a good remover, try any oil, like coconut oil. It's more messy than using make-up remover, but does the job. Mattes are water resistant, but oil soluble!