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Best Matte Lipstick Formula

What's the Best Matte Lipstick Formula that you've tried?

For ultra-matte, Kat Von D Liquid Lipsticks. For mostly matte, Maybelline ColorSensational Matte Lip Color, new MAC Mattes, Givenchy Le Rouge (more satiny), Urban Decay Matte Revolution, Tom Ford Matte.

— Christine

57 Comments

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Kuávsui Avatar

I dont usually go for matte lips because the rest of my face is an oil slick and the combo is too much for me, but I have tried a few nice low-budget formulas. e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Colors are very comfortable and hydrating, my fave matte lippies by far, Wet n Wild Matte Lip Covers are less hydrating but still easy on the lips and NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are true matte but IMHO a bit drying. All come in a nice variety of shades except the e.l.f. SMLC has a narrower range.

jelena Avatar

Kat von D liquid lipsticks – obsessed with Lovesick shade, nyx soft matte lip creams and for lipsticks maybelline and milani. I haven’t tried UD matte lipsticks yet but I intend to.

xamyx Avatar

Ruby Kisses Matte Lipstick, hands down! They are sooo creamy, yet appear ultra matte, but not dry in appearance. I don’t know (or care) how “long-wearing” they are, as I remove/reapply my lip products throughout the day, but at less than $5, who cares (is anyone really so busy lipstick can’t be touched up?). There’s also a pretty good range of shades, but availability isn’t so great.

xamyx Avatar

I’d heard of the brand through some blogs/vodeos while looking up other products, but only recently ran into them in a beauty supply store a couple of weeks ago. I picked up Blackism, Dark Plum Scene, & Brown Sugar, and I love them all! They are a bit “heavy”, but I personally like that, but they aren’t drying at all; in fact, they feel like a rich lip balm, that has no “slip”.

trudi Avatar

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick all the way! Colors are gorgeous, and flatter so many skin tones, superb formula does not feather, crack or dry lips and lasts all day, through eating, drinking until you actually remove it at night. I am addicted…..So far I have Bauhau5, Mother & Lolita, and will soon purchase Bachelorette, Berlin and Double Dare…Awesome value for my money 🙂

Ginny Avatar

Definitely a tried and true fan of the newer MAC mattes. The color just stays put, they don’t go on with a sandy feel, and they don’t make my lips dried out and flaky. I have liked some higher end ones, like Givenchy Le Rouge, but MAC is more reasonably priced so no reason to dethrone them yet.

Anne Avatar

I was surprisingly impressed with the new MAC mattes (I got WAAAY too many of them). It’s been so long since they really bothered to reformulate anything properly that I was expecting them to be even worse but I wear them all the time now.

Ginny Avatar

Mine are all relatively old, faves being Lady Danger, Diva, Glam, and Viva Glam I. I haven’t bought any from the new release but I intend to. The Retro Mattes are the tough ones.

Anne Avatar

Diva is one of my favorites! It also holds a special place in my heart as it looks amazing on me, my mom, and my sister, and we all have different skin tones so it’s like the family “one size fits all” lipstick XD

Anne Avatar

I also really like how you can kind of build it up. Like I can just pat it on for a bit of a berry-ish stain look, or I can build it up for the more vampy look (I too, am pale…hella pale). My mom is super duper tanned (she lives in the tropics and also got her dad’s “Swiss but for some reason tan” skintone) so it’s more of an almost every-day kind of red, and my sister is somewhere in between so it looks more like a ruddy red-plum on her.

Erin Avatar

I feel like Houglass’s liquid lipsticks rarely get mentioned. (I can’t remember what they’re called — Opaque Rouge?) They’re a lovely formula — more creamy than a runny liquid. They’re kiss proof and last through most meals. Best of all, if you need to touch-up any worn off centre portions, it will go on seamlessly. No weird crumbling or blending issues. Total thumbs up!

Tiffanie Avatar

I was so going to mention the Hourglass liquid lipsticks! I have the colors Icon (best red EVER) and Empress. Very underrated…but kind of overpriced too lol!

Ashleigh Avatar

The MAC Bao Bao Wan matte formula lipsticks have really worked for me. I’m not a fan of hugely drying formulas!
Although today I got my hands on the Milani Matte Lip Creams and I’m definitely impressed with the shade I’m wearing right now, 02 Adore. It lasted well through my lunch and it doesn’t feel super drying. I swatched the darker one I bought and I suspect it will be a little more difficult to work with.

Anne Avatar

The only one of the Bao Bao Wan ones I managed to get my hands one was Burmese Kiss (I really wanted Lavender Jade as well but too bad) and I love the formula of it!

Nancy T Avatar

My faves are: 1.) UD Matte Revolution (THE best! ) , 2.) Maybelline ColorSensational Matte lipstick, 3.) MAC mattes, especially their newer ones.

xamyx Avatar

I *finally* tracked down the WnW Megalast shades in Vamp It Up & Cherry Bomb, and I *love* them! I’ve been on a lippy binge the last month or so, after purging 20+ years worth of products from my stash…

alie Avatar

jeffree star ROCKS. im working on collecting every shade. lasts forever, color payoff is exactly what it in the tube, and the price isnt bad – $18 isnt super high end for me personally – and i’ll fork over more than that for something i need to touch up every 6 hours or more. love love love it.

Hannah Avatar

The Wet n Wild Megalast lipsticks range from matte to demi-matte, and all but about four of them dry down to a matte finish. They’re by far my favorite lipstick formula- they’re super-pigmented, have no scent, and wear comfortably. I literally forgot I have naturally dry lips over the past year because I wear these almost every day, and while they aren’t greasy or glossy or “hydrating-feeling” like a balm stain or lip butter, these actually work better for me as far as protecting against dry lips. They last five or six hours if I eat carefully and leave my lips feeling neutral when removed, rather than “more lip balm help me.”
I’ve tried almost every drugstore lipstick formula, and they all dry out my lips or wear away or aren’t pigmented or some other flaw. Something feels so wrong about calling a $2 lipstick line flawless (and some of the light shades do collect in lip lines or apply unevenly), but I have a good 12 shades that are, so far, literally flawless.

Tiffanie Avatar

I do love a good matte lippie! While I do purchase and appreciate different lipstick finishes, I prefer mattes that are truly matte, not satin or demi-matte.
Top Picks:
MAC Mattes and Retro Mattes, Hourglass liquid lipsticks, Kat Von D liquid lipstick and WnW matte lipsticks (Cherry Picking)

Justine Avatar

The colourpop Lippie Stix are great, MAC, the Wet’n’Wild lipsticks. Liquid lipsticks would probably be the Kat Von D ones (however, I am very curious about the Jeffree Star ones, but the exchange and shipping to Canada is preventing me from ordering)

Anne Avatar

I really need to get some of the Lippie Stix already. They’re so affordable. But this summer has been so hot that every lipstick I order shows up melted so I think I’m going to have to wait until like October/November to get some. But then I get to snag some of their 90’s inspired Fall collection so I shouldn’t complain XD

Bonnie Avatar

Matte is not my favorite finish, but I’ve tried quite of few bc of how trendy they are right now! I like Colourpop (Lippie stix Matte), Milani, Maybelline, UD (probably my favorite) and Nyx – but the matte lipsticks, not the SFLC so much. I have some liquid lipsticks but wearing them kinda drives me crazy as I rub my lips together too much (bad habit I guess!) Anyway has anybody here tried OFRA liquid lipsticks? I’ve been researching them a bit and they seem to have a really great formula with amazing unique colors, but this is based on YOUTUBE reviews (who had the products sent to them for free) so I want some Temptalia recommendations before I buy! Christine, have you been sent those?

Eva Avatar

For me, the best ultra-matte – which usually a finish by liquid lipstick – is NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
For mostly matte I’m agree with Christine, I like the new MAC Matte formula, also ColourPop Lippie Stix Matte and NYX Matte Lipstick

Astrild Avatar

I’m not a huge fan of matte lipsticks because my lips are always dry. Besides that, my favorite ones are Rimmel (the ones in colab with Kate Moss) and Milani. I love the feel of the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams, but these ones don’t last very well on me.

chris Avatar

Liquid Lipsticks – high end – Kat Von D.; drug store – NYX Soft Matte Cream
Lipstick – high end – MAC; drug store – NYX

I like the vibrancy of Maybelline ColorSensational Matte Lip Color but they sometimes bleed for me.

MakeupVixen Avatar

I like the new MAC retro Matte, not the old Ruby Woo formula. I like Colourpop Matte Lippie sticks personally but I don’t consider them true Mattes, a Velvet Matte.

Now liquid matte lipsticks are an entire can of new worms. So many to pick from! I love the LA Splash ones, the ColourPop ones and the Kat Von D ones. I have so many. I’m starting to like the Dose of Colors ones but they need more colors, which I heard was coming this Fall.

Still waiting to try NYX liquid suede, they’ve been sold out for weeks.

Anne Avatar

The new MAC matte formula is quite good (especially for the price), the Charlotte Tilbury Modern-Matte Lipsticks aren’t as matte as most but I love the formula, and the Besame Cosmetics Matte Lipsticks are AMAZING! I haven’t tried a lot of other brands (someone get me some Tom Ford stat!) so I can’t really comment on them but I’ve heard good things about quite a few. I feel like as the matte lip has come back in to fashion many brands have had to step up their games (like MAC did with their new matte line).

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