Estee Lauder Rock Candy Pure Color Sheer Matte Lipstick ($25.00 for 0.10 oz.) is bold, brightened orange with hints of red in it along with a frosted, matte finish and warm undertones. Hourglass Muse is more coral, redder. MAC Scarlet Ibis is darker, redder. Estee Lauder Wild Fire is redder and luminous. YSL Blood Orange is glossier and sheerer.

This is the final shade I tried out in the formula, and it fell in the middle of the spectrum; not the worst, not the best. I’m still surprised that Estee Lauder didn’t put out a better formula, because the brand has better lipsticks in their house, not to mention the numerous lipstick formulas across other brands under the Estee Lauder umbrella.  Rock Candy has excellent pigmentation–full, opaque color coverage–but the consistency is a bit dry and not creamy enough, so it does tug on the lips when you apply it.  The other issue I had was that it is drying.  It wasn’t the most drying lipstick I’ve tried, but it was more than just a little drying after wearing it for six full hours.

Estee Lauder Rock Candy Pure Color Sheer Matte Lipstick

Estee Lauder Rock Candy Pure Color Sheer Matte Lipstick

Estee Lauder Rock Candy Pure Color Sheer Matte Lipstick

Estee Lauder Rock Candy Pure Color Sheer Matte Lipstick

Estee Lauder Rock Candy Pure Color Sheer Matte Lipstick

Estee Lauder Rock Candy Pure Color Sheer Matte Lipstick