While I am not shy in saying that my fave matte lipsticks are the Maybelline ColorSensational Creamy Mattes, I’m not afraid to try out another brand’s take on matte lipsticks.
Today I’m talking about the Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipsticks.
This collection contains eight shades that set to a matte finish. Including nudes, reds, and bold shades, Essence’s Matt Matt Matt collection might just have a shade that’s right for you.
The packaging is the classic Essence lipstick tube in the colour that matches the corresponding shade of lipstick (which is helpful when shopping), topped with the Essence logo.
The lipstick bullet is a standard lipstick shape with the Essence logo embossed on the side.
“Natural Kiss” is a rosy coral neutral. It dragged a teensy bit during application.
“Perfect Match” is a brown dusty rose.
“Wow Effect” is a garnet pink. This shade along with “Perfect Match” are the two most wearable everyday shades in the collection.
“Pink Up Your Life” is an electric pink. The pigmentation on this one was stand-out.
“Red-y Or Not” is an orange-toned stop sign red.
“Kiss Me If You Can” is a blue-toned chili red. In addition to this red having a different base than “Red-y Or Not”, this shade has more grey to it.
“Purple Power” is a sangria purple. While this is the type of shade I lean towards, the formula is a bit sheer, so I’d recommend wearing “Purple Power” with a lip liner.
“It’s A Statement” is a hot chocolate crimson red. Usually the darker shades in a lipstick collection are patchy, but with a few coats I achieved pretty even pigmentation.
I’d say that the Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipsticks have a pretty consistent formula. The product was stiff at first, but when I warmed up the product and got past that first layer of product on the bullet, it applied easily. It didn’t set too quickly, so I was able to rub my lips together and distribute the product the way that I liked, and within about a minute, it set down to a matte finish. After 2.5 hours the product settled a bit in the cracks of my lips, but it didn’t stray outside of my lip lines.
If I were to change one thing about these lipsticks, it would be the production of the lipsticks – when the lipstick bullet was twisted all the way down, sometimes the bullet would be totally hidden, and other times it would still poke out, which makes it easier to dent/break off the bullet when you’re removing the cap, so watch out for that.
Press samples featured