Matte is back! NYX Matte Lipstick review

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Having spent years in the shadow of the gooey lipgloss, lipsticks have roared back to the forefront and matte lipsticks have been at the centre of the trend!  This year, bright, bold matte lips were all over the runway and in every magazine and the trend continues into the autumn/winter.  Years ago, dark, vampy, matte lips were routine but they got a bad reputation because they were often very drying, accentuated any cracks in your lips and generally not comfortable.  Fast forward to now and the formulas have been revamped.  Conditioners have been added to these densely pigmented lip products to make them a lot more wearable.

NYX just recently launched a new line of matte lipsticks in 22 colours.  I ordered 2 of them to start wih from beautyjoint.com and I paid $4.99 each.

The packaging is very nice.  Sleek, matte black casing with white lettering.  There is a clear panel in the middle that shows the actual lipstick which is helpful.

The first colour I picked is Maison

This is a neutral medium brown/taupe colour, neither too yellow or too pink.  It also appears to have some grey to it as well, so I think for those with medium to dark skin, it would work as a nude lip, but needs to be warmed up with a brown liner.  I think it is similar to M.A.C.’s Fresh Brew or Siss.  The lipstick is very creamy in texture, and applies smoothly.  I still recommend pre-moisturizing your lips beforehand because flakes can still easily show up.  At first, it looks a little shiny but dries down to a matte finish.  Of course this is no shimmer.  It is not as heavily pigmented as your typical matte lipstick, which I guess contributes to its creaminess.  So far, this is the only colour that I have worn.  I paired it with M.A.C.’s Chestnut lipliner and I got about 5 hours of wear.  Drank a little, ate some fruit. So I think the wear-time is ok, not great or long-lasting.

I also picked up Merlot.

This is more of a raspberry red colour – a medium pink, with a bit of red.  Again, very creamy in texture, matte finish.  This has a little bit more pigmentation that Maison but still not heavily pigmented.  Nice colour, fairly bright, but not shockingly so.

So overall, I think these are really good products for the price, but I prefer the quality of other brands like NARS and M.A.C.  Definitely check them out, and it will work well for those with very dry lips.

These products are available online at the NYX website, Beauty Joint (which ships internationally :)), other online retailers and at beauty supply stores.

Overall Grade: B

FTC Disclosure: These products were purchased by me, Noire Tropical Beauty.  For more information, please see my Disclosure page.