Lipsticks never got their major moment this year. With all that mandatory face mask-wearing, it’s tough to even muster the desire for a bold red flick, for fear of that regrettable transfer onto our masks. What a waste of a good lipstick collection! If you, like us, still like to swipe some colour on anyway while working from home, or are surprisingly hosting more dinner parties than ever thanks to your newfound domestic goddess skills, you’re in luck.
Meet our latest obsession — soft, fluffy, airy matte lipsticks that deliver on colour, while giving your lips a soft-focus filtered effect, and the illusion of a fuller pout. Other than how long-lasting mattes tend to be, these also embrace powder pigments for a lightweight texture that don’t weigh down on your lips, while modern formulas keep dryness at bay too. Ahead, some of our favourites, both old and new.
NARS AIR MATTE LIP COLOUR
A matte that moves with you, promises NARS in a sensual whisper, which also kind of describes the way these mattes fall on your lips. While we previously had the Powermatte Lip Pigments’ liquid formula, the new limited edition Air Matte Lip Colours ensure even more comfort while gliding on like a dream, with soft-touch matte tubes to match. Cushiony, air-kissed pigments give the most lightweight texture, while a Colour Diffusion Complex creates what they’re calling a “soft-focus finish with a creamy feel” — here, silk polymers and micropowders blend together for a long-wearing matte lip colour that will look amazingly plush. A custom-designed applicator also allows you precise precision on NARS’ famous liquid formulas.
NARS Air Matte Lip Colour, $40. Available in 10 shades at NARS counters.
HERA SENSUAL POWDER MATTE LIPSTICK
HERA’s lipsticks are hard to beat in the k-beauty world, and while we’ve had various finishes in the past, this one’s a resurgence of an old favourite: the HERA Sensual Powder Matte lipstick. As seen on Blackpink’s Jennie, the lipstick now boasts an “urban soft matte” texture — this gives a soft and deliberate smudge effect, with keen technology that keeps the lips matte on the outside, but moist on the inside. Again, rich, plush lips are very attainable indeed. The brand also delivers on a colour range inspired by vintage shades of the past, though of course, now modernised across red, beige and orange hues, HERA’s interpretation of a warm romanticism, and one we instantly warm up to.
HERA Sensual Powder Matte, $43. Available in 6 shades at the HERA ION boutique and on HERA Online.
SUNNIES FACE FLUFFMATTE LIPSTICK
If there’s one thing the Insta-revolution from Philippines, Sunnies Face, is known for, it’s their Fluffmatte, touted as a weightless modern matte lipstick. So we’re quite glad that they’ve recently expanded into the Singapore market, offering millennial-friendly makeup at pocket-friendly prices. It could be how intuitive the beauty brand is about the slew of nude and modern shades in the collection, but we’re also admiring how the fluffy texture of the lipsticks look on models of various skin tones. A silk-structure technology gives comfort in one easy swipe, and need we mention that oh-so-bougie velvety texture too? The terracotta, rusty tones are particularly lovely to behold, so much so that we’re constantly spoilt for choice.
Sunnies Face Fluffmatte Lipstick, $15.99. Available in 9 shades, online at Lazada.
M.A.C COSMETICS POWDER KISS LIPSTICK
A powdery kiss might not sound all that alluring, but we promise you that this divine product from M.A.C Cosmetics surpasses all expectations. There’s something about a dreamy, romantic blur on the lips, and the M.A.C Powder Kiss Lipstick, one of the earliest innovators in the market, is known for giving you a matte pout while still keeping your lips well-hydrated, even for a bullet formula. This one contains moisture-coated powder pigments for a change, so you won’t have to compromise, and goes on like a lightweight balm. We only wish we look as effortless as Lisa, again from Blackpink — but with a touch of the soft Powder Kiss in Mull It Over, it looks like we very well can.
M.A.C Cosmetics Powder Kiss Lipstick, $34. Available in 15 shades, at M.A.C counters and Sephora.
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