Fenty Beauty Bordeaux Brat Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick Review & Swatches
Bordeaux Brat
Fenty Beauty Bordeaux Brat Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick ($25.00 for 0.25 oz.) is a medium-dark plum with subtle, warm undertones and a pearly sheen. It had buildable pigmentation from semi-sheer to mostly opaque when applied with a fingertip or brush with opaque coverage achieved in one pass when applied directly from the tube. The texture was true cream-to-powder, so it felt slightly creamy and had some slip initially but then turned into a more powder-like product applied to my skin. I didn’t have any difficulty apply it to my cheeks over bare skin or over base products, as the color applied evenly and blended out well along the edges. It lasted nicely for eight hours on me before fading a bit.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Melt Cosmetics Fire Fury (P, $22.00) is more shimmery (95% similar).
- MAC Wrapped Candy (P, $31.00) (90% similar).
- ColourPop Just Rosy (LE, $8.00) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Laura Mercier Parasol (P, $28.00) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- theBalm Pinstripe (P, $22.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Sleek MakeUP Pomegranate (P, $6.99) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- MAC Here You Go (LE, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- KIKO 104 Pastel Pink (P, $12.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (85% similar).
- Buxom Goa (P, $22.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar).
- Laura Geller Plumberry (P, $26.00) is more shimmery, brighter, cooler (85% similar).
Formula Overview
$25.00/0.25 oz. - $100.00 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to be long-wearing with a “light-as-air,” “blendable” texture that “lives to be layered." They twist-up and are medium-sized with a domed edge. I found that applying to my fingertips worked better than direct application, as it enabled me greater control over coverage level as well as placement, and if you tend to apply over foundation, then this will help keep the Match Stix cleaner, too.
The texture was thin, and it did seem to go from a “cream” in the tube to a more powder-like product once on the skin. They were fairly blendable with a few being more sparkly with less visible base color, which may not be for everyone, and others had a more pearl-like sheen that didn’t emphasize my skin’s natural texture. Most shades applied and blended out without lifting up foundation or pulling into pores (over bare skin), but the ones that did tended to have larger particles in them. They lasted between six and eight hours on me.
A problem I had throughout just swatching each shade on my cheeks for photos was that whatever was exposed was a bit dry, more powdery to the touch, and I felt like I had to really warm the product up and/or swipe it back and forth on the back of my hand to refresh the texture. This is not uncommon with drier, cream-based formulas, but it's still a downside and an area that could be improved upon. Some shades were very pigmented, others were medium and buildable, and a couple were sheerer.
Browse all of our Fenty Beauty Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick swatches.
Ingredients
Mica, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Octyldodecanol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, C20-40 Alcohols, Paraffin, Tribehenin, Polyethylene, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Diisostearyl Malate, Cera Microcristallina/Microcrystalline Wax, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hexylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Isostearyl Alcohol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Malic Acid, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Acrylates Copolymer, Silica, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77499), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I’m so happy that it got a good rating. This is the one I had my eye on. It’s so stunning!
these types of colors are beautiful to look at but never turn out nice on my cheeks, always look like a rash. I don’t know if its my undertone or if my coloring is too light.
Gorgeous! This is the first blush in a long time that has seriously tempted me.
This is a lovely color that I tried in store the day it was released. I was disappointed that it had no shimmer, really, so didn’t buy it.
It may not have been in my top first 3 picks, but it is now! It is gorgeous for autumn and especially winter. Something about a perfect berry cheek during winter makes me think of winter back in NJ and having my cheeks get rosy naturally!
The warm undertones in this came out so strongly when I swatched it that it looked an unflattering bronzey brown on me. I was both surprised and disappointed.
Thank you for sharing this. I guess I’ll have to find a way to swatch it before buying it, or even better, just forget about it, pretty as it looks, and save quite a lot of money.
I was quite surprised, Helene, and it’s the main reason I prefer to shop in person and be able to try things to see how they look. The other one that Christine showed – I think it was called Pink Lemonade – was really pretty but an awful lot like a MAC blush I already own (in fact, I even submitted it as a dupe).
I used to do almost all my shopping in person, then I moved and now I have about 45 kilometers to the nearest makeup store, and it’s tiny. They order things they don’t have for you so you get it in the mail, but then I might just as well order whatever it is myself.
I liked going to Sephora without almost all makeup to try foundations, blushes, highlighters and so on. I like the pampering feeling of someone applying products on my face. It’s a good way to try new products, and then I always asked for samples.
That is a beautiful shade and wasn’t on my radar at all. It is now and when I place my next order, I am getting it. It looks amazing.
Very, very pretty.