Artist Liquid Matte Lip Color in Rosewood (105) by Make Up Forever

I believe this was a recent Sephora 100 point perk selection, and since I had not tried this formula I thought I would give it a whirl. The shade Rosewood (105) is a cool toned mauve pink, and the definite grayish undertone had me a bit concerned. Let's see how that worked out for my fair but warmish complexion.

These claim to be a long wearing, opaque formula that is transfer proof yet comfortable. I'd say that is all true for Rosewood, and while it did not survive a meal, it also did not leave my lips feeling parched or worse for the wear. It did emphasize my lip lines but not to the point that it was a deal breaker for me. There is beeswax and avocado oil in the formula, which contributes to the long wear while keeping your lips from drying out.

The color on my lips and swatched does look darker to me than what is in the tube.  I also see a markedly cool and grayish undertone that was not evident in some of the pictures I saw online, but perhaps that varies by skin tone?  It was easy to get opaque coverage and I do like the formula. Rosewood is right on the border of wearable for me as far as the color goes, as it did not make me look dead and I like it's grunginess, although it's not a color I would find myself reaching for often.

I pulled a few other liquid matte lipsticks from my collection that I thought were similar in color to compare, the Megalast Liquid Catsuit in Rebel Rose by Wet 'n Wild and Dopey by Colourpop.  Dopey is more pink while Rebel Rose is definitely warmer in tone and slightly less opaque. Ignore the specks on the corner of Dopey - I was petting my neighbor's standard poodles over the fence while waiting for the lipsticks to dry, and one of them loves to paw me with his huge feet, so that is a few specks of dirt and not something in the formula :-)

A full size of the Artist Liquid Mattes are $20 and I counted 15 shades on the Make Up Forever site. Bottom line, good formula and worth checking out if you are not already sick of the matte lip trend.  I was late on the scene when it came to wearing matte lips, so my tolerance is still there for them :-)

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Vault

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

NYX came out with several interesting holiday sets, but the one that grabbed my attention the most was the Soft Matte Lip Cream Vault.  It went out of stock at Ulta almost as soon as I saw it.  I was fortunate enough that when it briefly appeared back in stock, I pounced with a 20% coupon that knocked the $64.99 price down to $51.99.

The set includes mini sizes (0.158 oz) of all 34 soft matte creams, plus two shades exclusive to the set, Bangkok (lavender purple) and Los Angeles (mauve tan). My previous experience with the Soft Matte Creams was limited to Morocco (review here), but I liked it enough to want to take the chance on the set.

I've worn a handful thus far, and so far the formula seems consistently good. When swatching, it was apparent that Monte Carlo was runny in consistency, and reviews at Ulta have been a bit mixed in regards to some shades performing better than others.

There are definitely some colors that I will never wear they could be useful for mixing colors), but it's fun to have such a color range at my fingertips. I find the soft matte creams comfortable to wear and appreciate that they do suck the moisture out of my lips.

I'll be housing mine in a container originally meant for storing beads that I picked up from Michaels.  The Nouveau Cheap Beauty Blog had a post on the Toho Bead Tube Holder by Darice , but I couldn't find that one.

This will work well enough for now, although the right side is just the caps of the bead containers in the cover of the set. Those are not high enough to securely hold the tubes, but it does keep them upright.

Zurich

The best 'try on all the NYX soft matte lip cream vault' video I have seen is by mirrorsandhaze, and I would recommend watching if you want to see what all the colors look like on. She is a super talented MUA and I thoroughly enjoy watching her videos.

Rome

Cannes

Budapest

Barcelona

The Soft Matte Lip Cream Vault is currently sold out, and it will be interesting to see if it comes back in stock. I'm glad I picked one up!

PUR Cosmetics Velvet Matte Cream in Key Red

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Well, I think I inadvertently saved the best of PUR's The Perfect Matte set for last, as Key Red is stunning. I had no issues at all with this baby, just intense and smooth statement making color.

I find applying a thin layer of the Velvet Matte with a lip brush followed by an application with the wand works best for the most intense color payoff. The doe foot wand does have a small reservoir that captures pigment and one dip in the wand was plenty to coat the lips.

I mentioned in a review on one of the other colors that the mousse like texture is easy to smooth out, and for the best results I found using a lip brush or my finger to make sure everything was smoothed out worked best. I still need to try these as a cream blush, but just look at how pretty Red Key is completely blended on my arm.

I did line my lips with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics NSFW lip liner, which is an almost perfect color match to Key Red. That helped get a more precise lip line and I had no issues with feathering or smudging.

Be warned however: although these are completely matte upon application, they are not budge proof. They do not "set" like some matte liquid lipsticks do and if you rubbed your lips with your finger outside of the lip line, it will smudge the pigment. Interestingly enough, however, a kiss test shows almost zero transfer.

Topping Key Red with the Agave Lip Oil yields a creamy red that is also lovely. I blotted this after applying the lip oil but it still has a nice sheen that lasted right up until I ate lunch. These will not survive eating but reapplying is not an issue, as the formula is not the type that dries or cracks.

Key Red + Agave Lip Oil

Bottom line, I'm sold on these. The formula is different than the other matte liquid lipsticks I've tried thus far. They are quite pigmented, easy to apply as long as you know how to work with the formula (smooth it out), and did not dry out my lips after 5 days of back to back wear. All of the colors except for Key Red from The Perfect Matte set are available as singles ($20), but I honestly like all of the colors in this set and will wear them again.  Here are links to my earlier reviews on Addiction, Obsessed, and Oh Bae. I continue to hope PUR releases the Agave Lip Oil as a single as well. It's the first lip oil that really does make my lips feel hydrated.

PUR Cosmetics Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick in Oh Bae

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

If, like me, you had to look up what Oh Bae means, here is a quick explanation from an Esquire article: an acronym that stands for "before anyone else," or a shortened version of baby or babe, another word for sweetie, and, mostly unrelated, poop in Danish. Thank the deities for the internet.

The mousse like formula, which does have a tendency to be a bit clumpy, seems to be more forgiving when it comes to the lighter shades. Any bunching of color with Oh Bae is less noticeable than with a darker shade like Addiction. Honestly, making sure you smooth everything out on application seems to take care of the clumping, but that and the mixed reviews on Ulta.com are worth noting.

The Perfect Matte Set ($34)

What I am truly loving about these is how comfortable and non-drying they are, plus how light they feel on the lips. I'm guessing ingredients like Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract, Honey Extract, Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, and Vitamin E have something to do with that.

I'm back at work after my 2+ week staycation, and getting back into the swing of things is rough. Putting my makeup on in the mornings is something I actually look forward to, as it's become a kind of calming ritual before I take on the day.

I went with a coppery plum eye look using some of my Kat Von D mattes from the Ladybird palette paired with some Le Metier de Beaute shimmer singles, and I like how it turned out.  I've been using Ladybird quite a bit lately in anticipation of receiving the new Kat Von D Metal Matte palette, as I want to compare the matte formulas between the two.

Ladybird True Romance palette

I also tried samples of the Make Up For Ever Step 1 primer and Ultra HD foundation. I had to mix Y225 (Marble) with Y335 (Dark Sand) to match my skin, not sure how I feel about it yet. Blush is a combo of Estee Lauder's Alluring Rose with Lover's Blush, courtesy of my new Tarteist Pro Wild Animal palette.

Oh Bae is my favorite of the ones I've tried from The Perfect Matte set so far, but Key Red is yet to come, so we shall see. You may not see it until next week, however, as I'm not sure I'm brave enough to wear it to work :-)

PUR Cosmetics Velvet Matte Lipstick in Obsessed

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Today I'll be showing you Obsessed, one of PUR Cosmetics new Velvet Matte liquid lipsticks. Obsessed is described on Ulta as a muted coral, but it looks more like a true flamingo pink on me. Personally, I love flamingo pinks, so no problem there, and considering the temps are still in the mid-80's here in Mobile, it's a color I can wear almost year round. Almost.

Obsessed performed better than yesterday's vampy wine Addiction, which is not a huge surprise considering darker colors sometimes finicky behavior. I had no issues getting smooth and even color with Obsessed, and I applied the first layer with my Lipstick Queen lip brush to line and fill in the lips, and then topped it off with the wand to make sure I had even, opaque color.

The formula of the Velvet Mattes does truly yield a true matte finish, which is completely non sticky and dries down almost immediately. These are transfer resistant but not smudge proof, and Obsessed wore well right up until I ate lunch. The inside portion of the lips wears off when eating, which again is no huge surprise.

Post lunch I apply the Agave Lip Oil that comes in the Matte Perfection set, which transforms the matte lipstick into a cream. It's a great way to extend the life of the Velvet Mattes without having to reapply them, and the pigment of these is concentrated enough that the color stays quite vibrant, even after wearing half way off.

Also, I wanted to show you how the Tartiest clay liner in Navy looks, which is what I was wearing on my eyes that day. You can see my full review of the Tarteist Wing Workers liner set here.  I softened the line with Urban Decay's Danger from the Gwen Stefani palette, but did experience a bit a transfer to my upper lid as a result. The reality of hooded eyes.

So far, I'm really liking the PUR Cosmetics Velvet Mattes. I'm far from a matte liquid lip connoisseur, but these hit the mark for me in that they are truly matte yet comfortable to wear. They don't over emphasize my lip lines, flake, or crack, and Obsessed did not have the obvious pigment clumps that I experienced with the darker Addiction (review here). Now, let's see Oh Bae and Key Red perform well and if I can truly recommend The Perfect Matte set ($34)!

Online Only Matte Lip Color in Natural by e.l.f. Cosmetics

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Now that e.l.f. Cosmetics are at Ulta, I'm dipping my toe in the pool a bit more. I decided to try one of their Online Only Matte lip colors and chose the pale mauve pink Natural. I love the concept of this color and have admired this type of shade on other fair complected lasses, but wasn't sure I could pull it off. Three dollars is not too much to risk, so here I go.

The formula doesn't feel dry and did a pretty good job of covering my darker lips without looking chalky or patchy. The texture is thin and rather emollient, so there is some settling in my lip lines but nothing that scares me. I found the 3 or so hours of wear I experienced to be comfortable, really not bad at all for a matte lipstick.

One potential con is that the thin pencil bullet does not feel very sturdy, so I would not roll out too much when you apply. I'm not sure Natural is the most flattering lip color for me, but neither did I feel like it gave me the dreaded corpse lip look that some pale shades do. Overall, I like it!

Also, I would like to note that Ulta has gotten most of my beauty money this year. I've bought nothing to date from Sephora and will more than likely be letting my VIP status drop. Ulta's loyalty program is just so much better, and I find I'm not really missing the products that are exclusive to Sephora. At least not yet.