ColourPop Are & Be Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is described as a “rich mauve plum.” It’s a soft, medium-dark plum with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had rich color payoff with a thin, spreadable texture that went on evenly. It dried down to a flat, matte finish that did emphasize the texture of my lips somewhat. It lasted for seven hours and faded more noticeably from the center of the mouth for me. The formula was lightly drying. Makeup Geek Tomboy (P, $12.00) is lighter, glossier (95% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty Vinyl Dream (P, $30.00) is glossier (90% similar). Smashbox Spoiler Alert (P, $24.00) is darker, cooler, glossier (90% similar). NARS London Calling (P, $26.00) is darker (95% similar). ColourPop Viper (DC, $6.50) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). ColourPop Lumiere 2 (DC, $6.50) is lighter (90% similar). ColourPop Back Up (P, $6.00) is lighter (85% similar). Kaleidos Mercury Wave (P, $12.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). ColourPop Bijou (LE, $7.00) is cooler (85% similar). MAC Winifred (LE, $19.00) is darker, more muted (85% similar). Makeup Geek Urbanista (P, $12.00) is darker, glossier (85% similar). NARS Dirty Mind (P, $27.00) is darker (85% similar). Anastasia Vintage (P, $20.00) is brighter, cooler (80% similar). NARS Pussy Control (P, $27.00) is lighter, cooler (80% similar). KVD Beauty Susperia (P, $20.00) is lighter, brighter, cooler (80% similar). Urban Decay Double Crossed (P, $18.00) is darker (80% similar). ColourPop Panda (P, $7.00) is darker, warmer, glossier (80% similar). Anastasia Dusty Mauve (P, $18.00) is lighter (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

ColourPop Cheap Thrills Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is described as a “dusty lilac.” It’s a muted, medium-dark mauvey lavender with neutral-to-warm undertones and a semi-matte finish. It looks a lot darker and cooler in tone when it dries down than it looks in the tube (I did a few double takes there). The texture was thin, almost watery, but applied smoothly and evenly with full color coverage. It dried down to a a transfer-free finish, but it had a slight sheen to it–it wasn’t quite matte and had a very, very subtle tackiness to it for about an hour. The color lasted for six hours with a bit of color flaking more from the center of the lip. It was lightly drying over time. NARS Dominique (P, $34.00) is lighter, warmer, glossier (85% similar). ColourPop Lumiere 2 (DC, $6.50) is darker (90% similar). NARS Pussy Control (P, $27.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar). Bite Beauty Thistle (DC, $26.00) is lighter, warmer, glossier (90% similar). Sephora Off-Limits (38) (P, $8.00) is cooler (85% similar). Anastasia Dusty Mauve (P, $18.00) is darker, more muted (85% similar). ColourPop Femme (P, $7.00) is darker, more muted (85% similar). MAC Rossy (LE, $19.00) is darker (90% similar). Makeup Geek Savvy (P, $15.00) is darker (80% similar). Maybelline Concrete Jungle (P, $7.49) is darker, cooler (80% similar). KVD Beauty Ayesha (P, $20.00) is darker, cooler, less glossy (80% similar). KVD Beauty Requiem (P, $20.00) is lighter, less glossy (80% similar). Sephora Taffy (P, $14.00) is brighter, warmer (80% similar). NARS London Calling (P, $26.00) is darker (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

FORMULA OVERVIEW | ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is a long-wearing, pigmented lipstick that starts off glossy and dries down quickly to that super flat matte finish. They have minimal transfer with some of the lighter shades having almost none for the first few hours of wear, but any time you’ve had a meal, they lose that transfer-resistant quality to a noticeable degree. They tend to wear anywhere from six to ten hours with darker shades maintaining better color coverage and wear over a longer period of time. Some shades get a little drying about two-thirds to three-fourths through the wear, while a few shades have been fairly non-drying even many hours into wear. They fade away evenly with most color loss occurring from the center of the lips if eating a more oil-based meal but the majority of color survives a meal. Reapplication has been hit or miss and tends to depend on how well it wore away and how easily the shade applies normally, but reapplication tends to emphasize the lip’s natural texture significantly compared to initial application and gives lips a very wrinkled, dried-up look. I’ve layered gloss on top of some shades with moderate success, though it will obviously lose the matte finish and will transfer and I’ll get tiny flakes where the matte lip color has lifted by mixing with gloss but has been pretty minimal. The formula had no discernible taste or scent.

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ColourPop Are & Be Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Are & Be Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Are & Be Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Are & Be Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Are & Be Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Are & Be Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Cheap Thrills Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Cheap Thrills Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Cheap Thrills Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Cheap Thrills Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Cheap Thrills Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Cheap Thrills Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick