Sheer, glossy, satin, cream, high shine – there are as many finishes as there are colours when it comes to a woman’s fastest weapon for boosting confidence: the lipstick, that small bullet of pigment that can transform looks and turn days around. Of them all, the most powerful yet unforgiving is perhaps the matte variety – its lack of lustre an assertion of power in itself, its powdery finish a flat message to not mess with its equally no-nonsense wearer who need not glitter nor shine to stand out.
Matte lipsticks are notorious for unnecessarily highlighting lines and, if you’re a victim of dry lips, certain formulas may not be the most comfortable to wear for prolonged hours. Thankfully, recent formulas have banked on the latest technology and ingredients for matte lippies that can be pretty to see and comfy to wear while hosting a string of other nourishing benefits.
Here are 7 of our favourites.
Guerlain Kiss Kiss Tender Matte
Formulated with shea butter and rose petal extracts that serves up an extra dose of tenderness for 16 hours, Guerlain’s KissKiss Tender Matte will have you bidding adieu to the feeling of tightness that typically comes with wearing a matte lip. Add to that hyaluronic acid and lips are left smooth, plumped, moisturised and absolutely pout-perfect. To create that tender, blurry look, a mattifying powder is encapsulated in shea butter in this unique formula. From the first swipe across the lips, KissKiss Tender Matte will leave an unexpected lightweight and bare-lipped sensation with its second-skin non-drying effect that is like no traditional matte lipstick. W sephora.my
Rouge Hermes Matte
The literal Hermes of lipsticks, the Rouge Hermes is a comfortable, hydrating matte lipstick with a second-skin effect. Its velvety, powdery finish delivers intense, long-lasting colour, while its high concentration pigments release their imprint in a single application. Created in 1925 for leather, the shade Rouge H (pictured above) is a popular favourite because it is an emblematic colour of the house of Hermes. A very elegant dark red with a hint of brown, verging on burgundy, it suits a plethora of skintones and can carry from day to night just as easily. W hermes.com
Dior Rouge Dior
Rouge Dior is the Dior lipstick with couture colours and true floral lip care being enriched with red peony and pomegranate flower extracts of natural origins. Rouge Dior dresses the lips in bold colours in 4 finishes: satin, matte, metallic or velvet. The matte, in particular, ensures a long-wear lipstick that stays on up to 16 hours on the lips with complete comfort without feathering. More modern and luxurious than ever, the new Rouge Dior lipstick is adorned with a new signature band featuring the CD initials, as an echo to the fitted waists of the House’s catwalk look. W dior.com.my
Tom Ford Lip Colour Matte
Gliding on in a luxurious velvet matte finish, this long-wearing Tom Ford lip colour dispenses a powerfully sophisticated look of unadulterated colour. Formulated with rich pigments enriched with squalane, wheat germ extract, soybean extract, barley extract, coconut seed butter, chamomile flower oil and shea butter, it delivers hydration while staying powdery matte for a bold lip that never feathers, bleeds nor smudges. W sephora.my
Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte
Full colour payoff and silky smooth texture belie the most matte finish with this Huda Beauty crowd favourite. Buildable and moisturising with beeswax, it’s unparalleled comfort has many beauty gurus raving about it. W sephora.my
Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick
This ultra slim lipstick with a longwearing, petal-soft matte finish comes in a rainbow of 16 weightless, colour-intense shades, each designed to flatter all skin tones. The ultimate light-as-air textures glides on creamy and stays put – no bleeding or feathering after application – with a velvety, soft matte inspired by a rose petal finish. And thanks to Mattemoiselle’s chic, slim design, you can effortlessly define lips with the ultimate control, for lips that look fuller with every stroke. W sephora.my
YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Slim
The first super-slim square couture lipstick that provides YSL’s most luxurious, ultra-full and longwear matte colour yet, in couture inspired shades developed for every skin tone by creative director Tom Pecheux, the Rouge Pur Couture “The Slim” saturates lips with ultra-rich, high-pigmented matte colour that feels weightless and incredibly comfortable on the lips. The non-drying, creamy formula glides on effortlessly and stays put all day so you don’t ever have to worry about bleeding, cracking or reapplying. The couture slim square bullet design, inspired by the iconic designs of the Yves Saint Laurent Couture House, allows you to achieve a neat, clean and beautiful result in just a few swipes. W yslbeauty.com.my