Fall is a great time of year for colour and texture. The sticky heat of the summer is gone, which means we can start wearing real makeup again and start playing with colours and textures, like reuniting with our lovely fall-hued matte lipsticks that we put away since the last snowfall. But, since there are two new mattes on the block, we took it upon ourselves to test drive the new shades and see which one is going to be a permanent staple right through the holiday season.
The Contenders: Maybelline ColorSensational The Creamy Mattes Lipstick ($10, available at mass drugstores nationwide) and Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick ($19, thebay.com)
The Control: Applied post-lip scrub and put through the same amount of coffees, meals and smooches.
Observations:
Maybelline ColorSensational The Creamy Mattes Lipstick
Pros:
- Provides a creamy non-drying matte coverage
- Tons of colour in just a quick swipe on your lips
- When applied, lips felt hydrated and smooth and not at all dried out
- Great price that won’t break the bank, which means you snag more than just one of the new eight shades
Cons:
- Had to be reapplied a few times throughout the day (just talking alone made this puppy wear out in a couple of hours)
- Once the colour wore off, lips felt a bit dry and lips looked cracked and stained
Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick
Pros:
- Provided long-lasting colour coverage”stayed on for a few hours before it needed to be reapplied
- Left lips feeling soft and smooth after application
- Purchasing one of these lippies means purchasing Clinique’s fragrance-free and allergy-tested promise”an added bonus to this creamy lipstick
Cons:
- Colour pigment isn’t super strong in the lighter colours, so you need to layer it a couple of times to get some colour drama
- A bit more expensive than a normal drugstore brand
The Verdict: This was a tough verdict to give as both the Maybelline ColorSensational The Creamy Mattes Lipstick and Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick performed really well and have definitely given us a good reason to switch back to matte lippies, when so many offer nothing but chapped lips and one-hour wear. Since we had to reapply less throughout the day, the crown goes to Clinique, however the new Maybelline Mattes are something to talk about, too! (Try them both out and see for yourself!)