The Mouth of Matteness — New Maybelline New York ColorSensational “The Creamy Mattes” Lipsticks

For several seasons now, matte lip colors have dethroned frosted and satin lipsticks on fashion runways, beauty magazines, and the real-life catwalks known as city streets. And while several luxury brands had unveiled matte lip color collections — Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artiste Matte lipstick collection, NARS Cosmetic’s Pure Matte Lipsticks and Velvet Matte Lip Pencils, Hourglass Cosmetics’ Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick range, and so forth — no drugstore beauty brand had released a full-on collection of matte lipsticks. Revlon did release the spectacular Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm collection last year, but these came in jumbo pencil form rather than being developed as traditional lipstick tubes. Enter the Maybelline ColorSensational “The Creamy Mattes” Lipstick Collection ($7.99 at mass food and drug retailers nationwide or visit Ulta.com), the first complete collection of creamy lipsticks in highly pigmented shades — all with demure matte finishes.

The Maybelline New York ColorSensational “The Creamy Mattes” collection consists of 10 shades ranging from barely-there nudes to punchy fuchsias and vamp-y aubergines. The ten hues are: Nude Embrace, Daringly Nude, Touch of Spice, Lust for Blush, Ravishing Rose, Faint For Fuchsia, Mesmerizing Magenta, Craving Coral, Siren in Scarlet, and Divine Wine. Since I love bright and statement-making shades, I gravitated towards the five most audacious hues in the collection and swatched them for you lovely readers!

First, let’s start with the pink hues. The collection technically incorporates four pink shades: Lust for Blush, Ravishing Rose, Faint For Fuchsia, and Mesmerizing Magenta. That said, Lust for Blush is significantly more subtle than the other three shades, practically falling into the nude category, so I focused on the three more intense pink hues: Ravishing Rose, which is a blue-toned, lavender-tinged, medium-intensity pink that’s almost reminiscent of a pink gumball; Faint for Fuchsia, an electrifying hot pink that will make every ’80s-loving girl swoon; and Mesmerizing Magenta, a raspberry pink with cool undertones that’s so deep, it almost borders on being a full-on red. Below, you’ll find swatches of all three shades:

Lovely, right? Well, next we have two even more audacious shades: Craving Coral, a Sunkist orange color that’s clean, crisp, and summery; and Siren in Scarlet which, true to its name, has the warmth and depth of a traditional scarlet red. Just looking at these two shades makes me dream of summertime (and crave some Skittles)!

Now, as you can see, all the colors are intensely pigmented and offer full coverage. Their texture is really creamy (as opposed to some matte lipsticks, which you have to kind of tug and yank along your lips since the pigment doesn’t melt on the lips as easily) and that translates into the lipsticks’ finish since you can really see that velvety smoothness. Also key: these lipsticks won’t dry out your lips, which is a common gripe regarding matte lipsticks. If you glance through the list of ingredients, you’ll notice these contain sesame seed oil (rich in fatty acids that replenish the skin and fortify its moisture barrier) and honey (a natural humectant), which likely account for how comfortable these matte lipsticks feel on the lips. Another great quality: while the finish is matte, it’s not flat and lifeless but, rather, has some depth and dimension. I personally prefer matte lip colors (if executed correctly so that they have the dimension I mentioned and don’t dehydrate the pout) since I feel that they tend to be bolder and splashier, and these did not disappoint!

The one drawback to these matte lipsticks is that they don’t stay in place nor are they particularly long-lasting (unlike, say, the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks which adhere to the lips and don’t let go). If you opt to wear a bright color during the remainder of winter, when sub-zero temperatures call for you to bundle up from head to toe, I strongly advise that you be careful with your winter scarf since it might unwittingly smear the lipstick all over your face (yes, it happened to me). And if you drink or eat while wearing one of these colors, you’ll want to do some routine mirror checks to assess whether you need to reapply  (some colors do leave behind a slight “stain,” which I actually love, but the high-intensity pigment does wear off throughout the day).

Overall, these are an excellent alternative to more expensive matte lip colors and should ensure you have the boldest pout in the room!