Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Amsterdam, Monte Carlo & Tokyo

It takes a certain person to like and wear mattes. I don't really care much for matte, because of the drying factor and my lips tend to be dry without them. I only have one matte lipstick that I like but its quite drying. Matte looks great and really reminds me of the vintage 1950's look: barely-there shades of eyeshadow, cat wing eyeliner and sexy red lips. Its the perfect minimal look! Rather than using drying matte lipsticks, I bought NYX's Soft Matte Lip Creams. These won Temptalia's Editor Choice Award for 2012, so you know these have to be great.

L to R: SMLC01 Amsterdam, SMLC03 Tokyo, SMLC10 Monte Carlo

Minimalist packaging is the key here. A black satin top on the doe-foot wand with a sleek tube showing the color of the product. The tube color isn't an exact match to the product itself however. On the tube is the NYX logo, name of the product and a little blurb about the product. "Its not lipstick nor is it gloss. Its like nothing you've experienced. Its lipstick cream that goes on silky but looks soft matte." On the bottom is a black sticker that tells you the shade, number (which is very important here!) and product amount.

Oh how true this is.

Now the product itself is a soft creamy, well, cream! Its not thick, really quite thin, nice pigmentation and the doe-foot applicator works nicely to apply the product to your pout. It feels wonderful on the lips, silky and easy to spread before it dries down to a semi-matte finish. Its truly not drying in comparison to some matte lipsticks and actually it hydrates lips throughout wear. It doesn't fully dry all the way on the lips so expect a little transfer to glasses, straws, food. It won't transfer to your boyfriend though, don't worry. (I tested it with Ze Boyfriend, who doesn't like sticky glosses but is pretty okay with my lipstick.)

It has a vanilla frosting-like smell, definitely not overpowering but a bit unpleasant and it goes away. Its only there if you smell the tube, so maybe you should give it a whiff? I promise, it doesn't have a scent on the lips so if you're sensitive to scent, you should be okay with this.

Doe-foot applicator

Sorry its a bit blurred! Still readable though. Nail varnish is Illamasqua Raindrops

As for the colors, I have three of the 13. NYX also added two new colors, Buenos Aires (SMLC12; "soft coral") and Sydney (SMLC13; "soft lavender"). I have Amsterdam (SMLC01; "true red"), Tokyo (SMLC03; "bubblegum pink"), and Monte Carlo (SMLC10; "deep cranberry red"). I thought I would love Amsterdam since NYX says its true red and the reviews I read said it was a blue-based red. Unfortunately, it pulls more warm and orange than cool to me! Even swatched next to my Holy Grail red, NYX Electra (said to be a dupe for MAC's Russian Red), it looks orange next to the blue-based Electra. So disappointed. I opt for Monte Carlo when I use these. As stated above, NYX says its a deep cranberry and its definitely cranberry but it looks quite red on my lips. Then there's my problem child... Tokyo. It just doesn't work for my skin! I bought it along side Strawberry Milk (a dupe for YSL Rouge Volupte #7 Lingerie Pink) for the days I don't want to wear lipstick. I just can't get Tokyo to work, even when I have my face 'perfected' with full-face foundation and minimal, simple eye makeup. Big sigh. I have to wonder if its the color of my foundation, because it isn't a perfect match for my face but I can make it work. The reason the product looks glossy in the swatch is because it was a bit heavy and didn't have enough time to dry down properly. I promise, they turn into a soft, pleasing matte.

I do my best to wipe off excess product on this interior

No Flash.  L to R: Amsterdam, Tokyo, Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo looks odd here.

Flash. MUCH BETTER! Same order as above!

Bare lips, just lip balm (the lip balm prevented these from going matte)

Tokyo (Hello, Corpse!)

Monte Carlo (slightly darker in real life)

Amsterdam (still not loving it)

Aside from my small gripes, these are a great product. Definitely pick them up if you want a nice matte lip look without that horrible drying that can be associated with matte lip products. They're $6.00 at NYX's website, and $5.99 at Ulta. These are often apart of the "BOGO 50% off." Ulta doesn't have the two new colors, Buenos Aires and Sydney.

Every time I go to Ze Boyfriend's house, I seem to get distracted! Wish he could have taken these lip swatch photos for me, with better lighting and maybe flash.

SPOOKEHDOOM