NYX: Soft Matte Lip Cream

One huge trend right now is using a pop of color in one's make-up look. I've been on the lookout for a matte lip cream that is highly saturated but comfortable to wear.

Cue NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. It is marketed as being a silky not-gloss-but-not-lipstick moisturizing lip cream. I bought "Monte Carlo", which looked like a deep red.

The application was fine (maybe one small clump of product while the rest was creamy). Within three minutes of being on my lips (undisturbed, no eating or dabbing), the cream looked like an opaque stain that resembled a light magenta rather than a deep vampiric red.

In the past, that bright magenta resulting from a deep red product tends to occur when the product is more of a stain, or a formula meant to react (to some extent) to one's body chemistry. At this point, I figured that reds tend to be difficult when it comes to such a formula. I would give NYX soft matte lip cream another chance; thus I exchanged that "deep red" Monte Carlo for the color Milan, which looked like a peachy buff, hopefully a more natural color.

This time I only painted my bottom lip to show my natural lip color by comparison.

So while the saturated cotton-candy-pink color was quite cute, it certainly didn't look like the natural buff color that was presented to me on the tube.

While the NYX soft matte lip creams are decently moisturizing and so temptingly cheap (about $5 when not on sale), I personally wouldn't trust the colors on the tubes. It is definitely not true to color. (Maybe it's a body chemistry reaction, or maybe these formulas just run a little vibrant-cool-pink.) Also, I should note that the color isn't "kiss-proof"-- it will rub off.

As a side note, NYX also disappointed me before with their NYX Butter Lip Balm in Marshmallow.

The butter lip balm is a little chalky, yet still a bit moisturizing. Once again, the color was just not what I was hoping for.

I won't give up on NYX products, but these NYX lip products have me a little wary about exploring further in their lip department.

L'Oréal Paris: Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain

One huge trend right now is lip stains. Lip stains pack a punch of color (which is often long-lasting), and often come in an ink-like formula, sometimes packaged as pens/markers or liquid stains that look like lip gloss. Of course lip stains are also produced in solid forms, too, but I haven't been super-moved by most stick-forms of drugstore brand "lip stains"; more often than not, they don't offer much color and/or they're far from moisturizing.

I did find one that I actually do like: L'Oréal Paris: Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain. (A mouthful, I know.)

The tube is mysterious, and I honestly didn't know if I were buying a stick or a liquid when I first bought it. It's advertised as a lightweight, non-sticky, glossy stain.

The texture of this product is thinner than a gloss and it doesn't feel sticky when you first apply it. (It almost feels dewy on your lips.) If you do layer it on, it can get sticky while it's trying to set on your lips. But if you treat it like a nail polish-- just one coat and let it set for a minute or two, with a possible second coat for richer color-- it has a lovely, lightly moisturized feel and a shine that looks wetter than it is. I like to think of this as a semi-opaque watercolor version of a lip gloss.

You can search Google for more swatches, but I went ahead and provided my own for the four colors I currently own.

As far as lip stains go, this applies smoother and more evenly, but still needs to be treated as a stain: if you purse your lips too much before it's set, the pigments will be pushed to your outer lips.

Finally, there is a definite scent to this product. To me, it smells like a light rosy fragrance, perhaps added to enhance the experience...? I personally like it, but those who are sensitive about scents on their face, you may not enjoy this product because of that reason.

This is honestly one of my favorite lip color products as of recent. For a long day of working and talking, I find this is moisturizing without getting clumpy or collecting in the inner rims of my lips (as many lip glosses love to do). It's easy to reapply, even to dry lips, and it feels like effortless beauty.