Review & Swatch | NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

Without being really aware, I realized I started collecting NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. Well, I only have four of them for now (plus few Butter Gloss I will talk about the next post) but it's only because I don't want my husband to suspect my new addiction ah!

To be honest, I don't like them all and they have some flaws so I thought it would be interesting for you to read my in depth review.

NYX Cosmetics is an American brand founded by Toni Ko in 1999. This lady is so inspiring, check her incredible story here. The brand was initially limited for professionals only. As it started to grow through word of mouth, NYX opened up to everybody eventually was sold to L'Oréal group in 2014. Many products are already popular such as the Jumbo Eye Pencils, the powder blushes, the Butter Gloss and the Soft Matte Lip Creams.

PACKAGING & COLORS

Monte Carlo is a beautiful blue-based dark red.

San Paulo is a nice bright pink.

Milan is a pop violet-based fuchsia.

Stockholm is the typical nude.

As of now, there are 22 shades, from the nude to dark purple.

The pigmentation depends on the lip colors. Among the four I have, Stockholm is the worst. You can see how it looks like on the picture. It's poorly pigmented despite of many layers and no matter how much I spread, the finish is really bad (and for once, my lips aren't even chapped). The other colors are great after two or three layers.

TEXTURE & APPLICATION 

The consistency is more like a soft mousse. Not really creamy, nor liquid it's really surprising when you apply it for the first time. The application is therefore comfortable and the product glides well, plus it's not sticky at all. However, I find the applicator too large on the tip so the application on the edge of the lips isn't precise enough as you can see on my pictures. A lip liner is necessary to get a neat and clean line.

On another hand, I read many reviews stating the lip creams tend to dry out the lips. As I don't wear them on a daily basis, I didn't notice anything similar but exfoliating the lips in a first place is necessary for best results anyway, especially when it comes to matte lipsticks. If your lips naturally tend to dry like mine, I would recommend to apply a bit of lip balm before applying the lip creams.
The drying process is also long, expect at least ten minutes before the lip creams are finally matte on the center and add five more minutes before it dries on the edges. That's a lot yet it is worth it considering the lasting power and the finish...

FINISH & LASTING POWER

Although the lipsticks have a mousse / creamy texture, the finish is really matte once they completely dry. Not the kind of matte finish that gives a cakey look though. However, if the lips are not perfectly super smooth, the smallest flaw is emphasized.

The lasting power is really good, around 5 hours on me for Milan and San Paulo. For some reason, Monte Carlo fades earlier but overall, a thin layer of lip cream and here you go again for beautiful lips. Same for Stockholm which fades very quickly in the center of the lips.

Overall, despite the fail with Stockholm and the general flaws, I do like the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. They are of good quality for such an affordable price. Some colors look amazing such as Transylvania (a super dark purple) or Addis Ababa (a flashy pink), I definitely look forward to adding them to my collection!


Price: 32AED at Center Point.