While matte lips aren’t usually my thing, they’re fun sometimes. My first matte lip products (and my first nontraditional lipstick) were the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams.
For around $6 a piece and frequently on sale at Ulta, they’re an easy way to try the trend without investing a ludicrous amount of money into something you aren’t familiar with and aren’t sure if you’d like.
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Swatches
Amsterdam, Antwerp, Stockholm
I own three of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream colors – Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Stockholm. The above picture shows them just swiped-on; the mousse-like cream (which, texture-wise is similar to Stila’s Stay All Day lipsticks) looks wet at first but does dry down to a matte finish. They have a unique smell to them – I have great difficulty describing it, so I’m just going to hope you’ve either smelled them or the Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipsticks.
Like any matte lipcolor, you need to care for your lips (exfoliate, moisturize) before applying. They’re slightly more forgiving than a traditional matte lipstick, but if you have flaky lips it will still be obvious, and if your lips are dry, they will readily settle into the natural lines of your lips and look a little…off.
Amsterdam is a rich, bold red. As a red goes, I think it has fairly neutral undertones, neither warm nor cool. The closest thing to it that I have is Stila Beso, but this is a touch darker.
Antwerp was my first and is my favorite. It may not be flattering on all skin tones, though, so if you don’t find warmer pinks flattering on you, skip this.
Stockholm is a nude shade that succeeds in not making me look corpsey. It is similar to Daringly Nude from Maybelline, but isn’t exact.
Wear is pretty solid – you need to pay more attention to Amsterdam than Antwerp and Stockholm as far as reapplication goes, but I think I only had to reapply once in an 8-hour span, likely after lunch. Reapplying over a worn layer isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so if you can swing it I’d probably just remove it entirely and apply fresh. Otherwise, just take care and don’t rush it or else it may look sloppy.
The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream line is pretty big now (from a handful of nudes through vampy shades), and can be purchased directly from NYX or from Ulta (where it is frequently BOGO 50% off!).