ColourPop Be-dazzled & Guess Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks

ColourPop Be-dazzled Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick

ColourPop Be-dazzled Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is described as a “deep true purple.” It’s a lightly brightened, medium purple with cool undertones and a vinyl-like sheen. It doesn’t dry down to a fully flat matte finish like a lot of the other shades have. It had mostly opaque pigmentation with a thin consistency that is a little harder to apply evenly. The formula feels clingier and really emphasizes the natural texture and lines on the lips in a way that makes them look somewhat shirveled–it’s not as soft or smooth as the average ColourPop liquid lipstick. I noticed the color flaking away from the center of the mouth after four hours of wear, and it was fairly drying over time, though most of the color lasted for six and a half hours. Estee Lauder Shameless Violet (P, $30.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). Illamasqua Kontrol (P, $24.00) is darker, more muted (80% similar). Illamasqua ESP (P, $24.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (80% similar). Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Belladonna (DC, $18.00) is lighter, warmer, glossier (80% similar). MAC Matte Royal (P, $17.00) is darker, cooler (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

ColourPop Guess Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is described as a “dark blackened violet.” It’s a blackened purple with subtle, cool undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation (one of the least pigmented shades I’ve encountered in the line-up!) that dries down to a mostly matte finish. Unfortunately, as it is a very dark color, that sheerness also came with unevenness. It wore for eight hours without flaking, and it was moderately drying after six and a half hours of wear. Too Faced Melted Villain (P, $21.00) is darker, glossier (85% similar). MAC Smoked Purple (LE, $17.00) is warmer (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Formula Summary: ColourPop Ultra Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6.00 for 0.11 fl. oz.) is a long-wearing, pigmented lipstick that starts off glossy and dries down quickly to that super flat matte finish. They have minimal transfer with some of the lighter shades having almost none for the first few hours of wear, but any time you’ve had a meal, they lose that transfer-resistant quality to a noticeable degree. They tend to wear anywhere from six to ten hours with darker shades maintaining better color coverage and wear over a longer period of time. Some shades get a little drying about two-thirds to three-fourths through the wear, while a few shades have been fairly non-drying even many hours into wear. They fade away evenly with most color loss occurring from the center of the lips if eating a more oil-based meal but the majority of color survives a meal. Reapplication has been hit or miss and tends to depend on how well it wore away and how easily the shade applies normally, but reapplication tends to emphasize the lip’s natural texture significantly compared to initial application and gives lips a very wrinkled, dried-up look. I’ve layered gloss on top of some shades with moderate success, though it will obviously lose the matte finish and will transfer and I’ll get tiny flakes where the matte lip color has lifted by mixing with gloss but has been pretty minimal. The formula had no discernible taste or scent.