Matte lipsticks are the go-to lipsticks for working women and college students because of their long-lasting and smudge-free qualities. From designer brands like Bobbi Brown and Estee Lauder to affordable options including Revlon and Maybelline, there is a fantastic range of matte lipsticks available in the market.
Matte lipsticks are known for a lasting finish, but their only limitation is that they tend to dry the lips, therefore being stubborn to take off at the end of the day. But lately, beauty innovators have formulated matte lipsticks that are comfortable to wear, feels light on lips, and provides the necessary moisture. To help you perfect your pout with a velvety finish, we've compiled a list of the top 10 best matte lipsticks in India. This article is reviewed by a professional makeup artist Chahat Goyal, so give it a read!
Chahat Goyal is a makeup artist based in Chandigarh. She strives to make a historical mark in the beauty industry through her extensive knowledge of aesthetics and skincare. Her area of expertise lies in luxury bridal makeovers for Indian skin tones. Chahat is professionally certified by one of the most eminent makeup artists of North India, "Ms Parul Duggal."
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Table of Contents
The best way to choose a lipstick is to put it on. The ideal one should complement your skin tone, last longer without making your lips dry. But browsing a lipstick online has its limitations because obviously, you cannot try it on. To help you find your perfect matte lipstick, we are here with a guide to help you choose the one that will go with your skin tone and lip shape.
Understanding your skin tone and undertone plays a significant role in choosing the right lip shade. Not only this, but it also helps in picking up the right foundation, nail polish and contact lenses. In general, women with tan and medium skin tones tend to have warm undertones and can pick matte lip shades from maroon, cherry, red and chocolate.
Those with light or darker skin tones tend to have cool undertones, and mocha, peach and orange lipsticks will work well for them. However, the power of a lip shade is far beyond the skin colour. It's one shade that can take you from dull to glowing in a single stroke.
A single glide of nude and mauve can be worn for everyday office look; add to it a second stroke and a top coat of gloss and you're ready for an evening with friends. On the other hand, shades like red, fuchsia pink and hot pink can be worn for weddings, parties, and festivities.
Try many shades of one colour on your arm and notice how the different undertones look against your skin. For warm tones: If you have warm or yellow undertones or olive skin, orangey-red, brick-red, and terra-cotta shades will enhance your skin.
The best options for blue or pink tones would be a bright cherry red that veers more blue than orange; berry shades like cranberry; or a deep plum. For neutral tones: try mauve shades for medium skin, pinky tones for fair skin, and berry shades for darker skin.
While you might have done your research to understand your face shape, it is equally important to identify your lip shape to choose a lipstick to accentuate your natural feature. From full lips to wide lips, to round and thin lips, there are many different shapes that one can have. If you have full and plump lips, congratulations, you are probably god's favourite child.
A simple swipe of any dark and bright matte lip shade will make you look stunning. If your lips are thin and you want more of a fuller appearance, you might want to add a lip liner outside the lines before applying the lipstick, creating the illusion of a fuller lip. You can also use lip plumper before putting on nude colour, or a pink or a red shade to create a volumised pout.
If you have uneven lips or a sizeable difference between the lower lip and the upper lip, a matte brown lip liner or a lip contour could be a lifesaver! You may overline the thinner lip to make it appear bigger.
Similarly, you can contour inside the edges of the thicker lip to make it appear slightly thinner. You can also use a clear lip gloss and apply it to the centre of the lips to achieve that lustrous pout.
Over the last few years, liquid lipsticks have become more popular as compared to the traditional bullet ones. However, some old school women still prefer traditional lipsticks because of their familiarity and comfort. But it is important to understand what liquid formula has brought along that might actually be good, or not.
Liquid lipsticks are highly pigmented and are known for their longevity. They are ideal for quick application as they create crisp lines without the need of using a lip liner. However, the cons of a liquid formula are that it dries up pretty fast and are tricky to remove. Therefore, using a lip balm before the application of lipstick keeps the lips moisturised.
With some traditional lipsticks, you may have to touch them up on an hourly basis, whereas once liquid lipsticks have dried down, they won’t smudge, transfer or fade. However, applying liquid lipstick is a skill that requires a steady hand.
And if you haven’t mastered the art, you may suffer from wonky lines and uneven coverage. Most bullet lipsticks can be removed with water-based solutions. For removing liquid lipsticks, choose an oil formula to tackle it and wipe it right off.
While some of you might apply lipstick with a brush, others might wear it directly from the stick. Depending upon your preferred style of application, you can choose differently-shaped lipsticks.
Revlon has slant shaped lipsticks, whereas MAC lipsticks are generally pointed ones and Nykaa lipsticks feature square shapes. Each brand has designed the lipsticks differently, keeping in mind the consumer and their application style. Let us understand how these shapes affect the everyday application.
Slant-shaped lipsticks are one of the most common ones you will find in the market because they are easy to apply. You can place the stick against your lips and drag it in one-go for a neat and quick application.
Estee Lauder, Fenty, Lakme and Maybelline are some of the brands that make slant-shaped lipsticks. If you are new to makeup and wearing matte lip shades, you should probably start with a slant-shaped lipstick for precision and comfort.
These lipsticks help prevent the lip colour from budging and are much more convenient and user-friendly. They work across the slanting shape of the lips exactly as if they were designed to paint them.
It’s not necessary to use a lip contour or a lip liner when going in for slanting lipsticks. The result looks amazingly natural and effortless. Using slanted lipsticks will save a lot of time since they provide a seamless, natural finish in a single swipe.
Pointed lipsticks are the best-shaped ones for a smudge-free application, especially as matte lipsticks are prone to spreading. You need to place the lipstick in between the lips and run it back and forth to add colour to both lips at the same time.
One fail-safe motion and you have a desired amount of colour on your lips. If you have fuller lips, which does not require much of a definition, a pointed MAC lipstick in matte would be an ideal fit for you. It will also make application easier when you are in a hurry.
It's always better to start applying a small amount of lip balm to prep and prime the lips. The next step should be carefully placing the top of the pointed edge like a lip-liner and using it to outline the lips roughly.
At this stage, the lipstick can be applied in the centre of the lips first and slowly sweeping it across the entire lips to achieve an even finish. Pointed lipsticks helpline the lips without having to use an actual lip liner or a lip contour. This does save a lot of time and money.
If you are a lip brush user, then square-shaped lipsticks will come handy for you. You can build up the colour by applying a layer on layer, which helps in case of a matte lipstick.
Thin square lipsticks are also trending these days because they are easy to apply on the outer corners of your lips (without a lip brush) than using a lip liner. Nykaa has an exciting range of square-shaped lipsticks to choose from.
If you have thin lips, these cigarette-shaped lipsticks are your must-buy product. Since the surface of these lipsticks is also narrow, they perfectly sit on thinner lips. Having said that, if you have thicker or fuller lips, then you may use a lip brush to apply the product from the lipstick directly.
The surface of these lipsticks is done luckily so that the lip brushes can pick up the product with minimal effort. These are versatile lipsticks that anyone may use directly or using a brush.
If you are into ultra-matte lipsticks, like the Modern Matte Powder Lipstick from Shiseido, then you have got to have an angular flat-topped lipstick tube to stay inside the lines. This unique square and tapered tube cover most of the lips in one go, giving them a full-proof finish.
Many brands are coming up with unique lipstick shapes to make it easy for you to add colour to every inch of your lip, without the need of using a lip brush.
This is a relatively newer lipstick shape that has just mushroomed recently as a beauty trend. Angular flat-topped tube lipsticks are the new thing. They are super comfortable to use and are available across many popular brands like Shiseido & YSL.
This will help the lip colour stay within the lines and will prevent it from budging or bleeding. It’s basically a lipstick shape that will add to the precision during application.
Lipsticks are made of a variety of ingredients, but some of the materials worth checking are oils, wax and emollients. Animal-derived oils such as lanolin are quite common in lipsticks. Fish scales have also been used to boost shine in lipsticks. All these products lead to safety issues in humans, therefore must be avoided.
Though the times are changing, it’s always a wise decision to scout the ingredients and keep an eye out for cruelty-free and paraben-free matte lipsticks. Instead, go for the ones enriched with Vitamin E, jojoba oil, shea butter and sun protection.
Avoid lipsticks with parabens. The popular brand MAC is paraben-free. Parabens are used as preservatives to further the shelf life of beauty products. MAC still contains preservatives, but not parabens.
Try to get your hands on vegan and cruelty-free lipsticks which contain essential oils, wax, cocoa butter, or Shea butter, organic essences, and natural fragrances.
If your primary concern while purchasing a matte lipstick is dried out lips after using the product, Maybelline's Creamy Mattes range has a velvety matte cream and honey nectar formula to keep your lips moisturised throughout the day.
From vibrant violet to firecracker red and barely nude, the lipstick is available in 35 gorgeous shades. For a comfortable, creamy finish, apply lipstick in the centre of your upper lip and glide it across the lip to cover the top and bottom lip.
Whether you are looking for nudes, browns, pinks, berries, reds, or corals, Nykaa’s range of mini matte lipsticks has them all. They have all the shades to suit different moods and occasions. What makes it one of our top choices is the fact that the lipsticks are enriched with Vitamin E extract to ensure soft and healthy lips.
The creamy formula of mini matte lipsticks delivers flawless coverage with a single stroke. The size of lipstick is ideal to be carried in a pocket and give a touch up whenever required.
This beautiful collection of mini Matte to Last liquid lipstick collection was launched by Jahnvi Kapoor to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of our country. With a superior all-day matte formula, these lipsticks are feather-proof, transfer-proof and kiss-proof.
There is a total of 18 shades that are an excellent fit for any cosmetic box as they suit all skin types. The lipsticks are not very high on pricing, making them an ideal pick even for college students.
With 30 fun matte shades, Elle 18’s Color Pop Matte Lipstick is an excellent choice for an everyday makeup routine. From red and pink to mauve and chocolate shade, the extensive shade range is suitable for all skin tones and undertones.
The matte colour lasts all day with just a single coat applied in the morning. Even the reviews on different portals, including Amazon and Nykaa have given 5 stars to these matte shades. At just Rs 100, this is one of the affordable options for matte lipsticks in India.
Lakme 9 to 5 is a long-wearing matte lip colour, available in 42 shades. The lipstick comes with a built-in primer to give you an intense matte look that lasts for up to 12 hours without touch-ups.
The lipstick is formulated to keep your lips soft and moisturised throughout the day. The consumers have also given the lipstick a higher rating. But we believe that at Rs 500, this matte lipstick is a little more expensive than its counterparts which have almost the same formula. So, it makes sense to invest in cheaper alternatives.
If you are searching for an absolute matte finish which has a perfect texture and finish, M.A.C is the brand to rely on. This range comes in 6 fabulous shades – Runway Hit, Flat Out Fabulous, Dangerous, Relentlessly Red, All Fired Up and Ruby Woo.
Each shade has its unique character, making it one of the favourites picks to go with traditional and modern looks. The lipstick has a velvet touch to it, which makes the colours look more vivid, bold and pigmented. With a single stroke, you can get full coverage and look like an absolute diva.
If you prefer liquid formula over traditional lipstick, NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream is an ideal pick. With 17 different shades, you are sure to find an everyday go-to shade.
As the name suggests, the lipstick has a soft creamy texture which feels comfortable to the skin. Each colour also has a mild sweet scent to give you a fresh feel around the clock.
With a light-weight, pigmented formula, Faces Canada's Weightless Matte Finish range is light and easy to apply lipstick. Enriched with almond, jojoba and vitamin E oil, the lipstick comes in 15 flawless shades.
Whether you are looking for luscious vibrant pink, subtle nude, or eye-catching red shade, there is a range of simply irresistible colours to complement your style. Each colour is designed to different skin type, tone and texture to make you look bold and stunning.
With a creamy matte texture, these Colorbar lipsticks offer a smudge-proof application. The rich, intense and highly-pigmented colours last for up to 5 hours, which is a little disadvantage for office goers.
To your advantage, the lipstick is enriched with vitamin E, jojoba oil, shea butter and broad-spectrum sun protection. Considering the lipstick is cruelty-free and moisturises lips, it is not a wrong choice.
Nykaa’s lip crayons come with an extreme matte formula that allows one stroke application which lasts for quite a few hours. It is a cruelty-free and high-pigment formula that ensures your lips are comfortable and coloured up.
The lip crayons are priced at Rs 699, which is quite a high price as compared to the other similar matte options. But there are quite a lot of colour options and texture of the lipstick that you might not find in the other brands.
Now you know which brands have matte lipsticks that keep the lips moisturised. But if you are still worried that the creases might be visible after the lipstick dries out, you must prep your lips before applying the product.
Step 1: Exfoliate your lips with a delicate lip scrub
Step 2: Apply a lip balm to keep the lips hydrated
Step 3: Use the lipstick in a single stroke to reduce the appearance of lip lines
Following the above-mentioned steps will also prevent dryness of the lips and will keep the shine on.
We know you would do anything to make your pout shine, trust us, we would too. Now that you have perfected the art of choosing the matte lipstick, it’s time to check out more pout-perfecting products.
Well, there you have all the information that is required to buy that matte lipstick online. Whether you are looking for one that keeps your lips moisturised or a lipstick that has UV protection to it, we have named them all. We hope this helped you make a wise buying decision.
Author: Srishti Sikka
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