When I look back on the early years of the beauty boom, and I consider the makeup trends of the age, the first thing that springs to mind is matte liquid lipstick. You can date my Instagram photos by how dry my lips looked. Mouth like a cat butt? Gotta be 2015.
The worst offenders, which in my experience came from Anastasia Beverly Hills, Lime Crime, NYX, and of course Kylie Cosmetics, all crumbled off in a really attractive way, and completely disappeared from the centre of the lips while taking about five cotton pads of Garnier micellar to remove altogether.
But it wasn’t about comfort or durability, it was about the shade. Remember when we all wanted to wear a sort of greyish mauve? Or just outright grey? We were pushing the boundaries of colours that could and should be seen on human lips. I even contemplated blue at one stage. It was out of control.
Slowly, then all at once, the tide turned. Gloss was in, and the matte liquid lip was firmly out. Yes, liquid lipsticks still existed, and people wore them, but the brands weren’t really shouting about them any more. Beauty lovers looked back at the heyday of matte lips and laughed. What were we like? We’ll never go back to that crusty, unmoisturised time. We know better now.
But this year, Big Liquid Lipstick has decided to mount a comeback. Rihanna, ever the mastermind, wore the Fenty Beauty Icon Velvet Liquid Lipstick at the Super Bowl. She looked great, didn’t she? See how it held up through all that singing and dancing? You liked that, didn’t you.
A few months later, Charlotte Tilbury launched the Airbrush Flawless Lip Blur. Everyone was intrigued at the thought of a comfortable, smooth liquid lipstick, despite the fact that she discontinued what was essentially the same product a few years ago. Haven’t you noticed that everything is suddenly velvet this, blur that? Matte liquid lipstick is back, babies. And it got in right under our noses.
Am I mad about it? Well, as a lip product enthusiast, I welcome lipstick in all its forms. And in fact, I am among those who never really gave it up – I just got more choosy. And here are four I rate.
Peripera Ink Velvets
I think we can probably trace the “velvet,” “blurred” messaging of the new liquid lipsticks to Korean beauty, which has long been the home of the hazy matte lip. These Peripera lipsticks were sold out in every beauty shop I visited in Seoul bar one, and I can see why. The formula is so light and comfortable, and even though the texture is moussey, the colour clings to the lips like a stain. Since we returned from our honeymoon, I’ve seen so many more products I should have hunted down, so I’m probably going to have to find a reputable K-beauty site. Any and all recommendations welcome.
Lisa Eldridge Velveteen Liquid Lip Colour
To no one’s surprise, Lisa Eldridge has revived the liquid lipstick in an elegant, elevated way. I have Velveteen Dragon, a rusty orange-red I’ve worn loads over the past few weeks, and Jazz, a deep red I’m dying to break out for autumn and winter. The formula is thin and impactful – one swipe is enough, and the applicator is so precise you can practically line your lips with it. On top of that, it lasts well while being genuinely very comfortable, which is always a surprise with this kind of lipstick. The Velveteens have all the elements I liked in a traditional liquid lip, without the downsides.
Rare Beauty Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream
This is a cousin (if not a sibling) of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, which have been around for yonks. Very comfortable, very easy to wear, with a nice, blurred wash of colour. I like these kinds of lipsticks for days at the office, when you want to wear a stronger colour but you don’t want to feel like you’re SHOUTING. It also really shows how the subliminal matte liquid lip messaging worked on me – I’ve had these for ages, but it’s only in the past few months that I’ve been like, you know what I’d love to wear today? A MATTE LIQUID LIP.
Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain (specifically in Always Red)
This is the one liquid lipstick I never actually stopped wearing. I’ve spoken about it before in this newsletter, but it’s a great, vibrant red in a great formula. It’s probably not as comfortable as the Lisa Eldridge one, but at this point, I’m so attached to the colour that I don’t care. I was disgusted to note that even though Feelunique is owned by Sephora and is for all intents and purposes its Irish outlet, the Sephora Collection brand is only available in the UK. We are getting the true Sephora experience in mere dribbles.
Thanks for reading Vanity Project! Are you back on the matte liquid lipstick train? Did you ever get off? What was the wildest colour you wore in 2016? I feel like we can really bond over this. See you soon for the next one!
Very intrigued by the Lisa Eldridge- I feel like she knows our 2015 scars. Plus she seems actually incapable of making a bad product?
The Sephora one is the one Jenna Lyons wears! Good company!