Catrice Matt Lover lipsticks

Whenever Catrice releases new lipsticks I’m on it like a hot spell. The reason? In general, Catrice makes some of my favorite lipsticks at the drugstore. Their Ultimate Colour range was my first love, but currently I am loving the Ultimate Matt line. So when the brand released a new line of matte lipsticks in their S/S 2018 collection, I knew I had to try. Meet the Matt Lover lipstick pens.

Catrice Matt Lover Lipstick Pen
070 Unexpected Mauve
020 Tomato Red is Fab
010 So Bordeaux

These lipsticks retail for €4.99 a piece. For a drugstore lipstick that is a good price I think. It comes in 8 different shades, all of them quite wearable. There seems to a be a deep plum, almost purple shade that seems to be the darkest, most out of the box shade. Other than that there are 4 nude/ pink shades, 1 brown, a red and a burgundy. Since the range isn’t too outrageous, I went with my usual selection for trying out a lipstick line and tried a nude, a red and a burgundy.

The Packaging

I like the packaging of these! They are a regular stick lipstick, but they apply like a traditional lipstick would. The lipstick has almost a teardrop shape to it which makes it very easy to apply as it is super precise. Another element I like about the packaging is that this is a twist up lipstick pen, rather than a click one. That means you can twist this up, but also down, which is great if you want to make sure you don’t take too much product.

The Swatches

070 Unexpected Mauve
020 Tomato Red is Fab
010 So Bordeaux

The three shades are nothing new or special. Unexpected Mauve is a pretty mauve shade, with a touch of brown to it. This makes it a flattering nude on me as it isn’t too pale, nor too brown. Tomato Red is Fab is an interesting red. It isn’t a classic red and neither is it too much in your face: a good red if a standard red is a bit much for you. So Bordeaux is a pretty deep wine shade. It definitely has a bit of plum to it, so it’s not exactly a dark red, but it keeps that middle ground between a red and a berry.

Texture wise these lipsticks feel creamy, but they are certainly more matte when it comes to the finish. Pigmentation is on point. They don’t really dry down or anything, which means these are super comfortable to wear. Lasting power wise they do disappear a little more quickly than I would expect from a matte formula. These lipsticks last a good 4 – 5 hours and it is best to touch them up after a meal. It will survive a couple of glasses of water and/ or a snack though.

The Application

070 Unexpected Mauve

Unexpected mauve is a very pretty nude on me. I don’t like nudes that are too beige as they make me look very washed out. This is the kind of nude that suits me. It is still neutral and will go with more intense eye looks, but it doesn’t make me look like a dead person and complements my skin tone nicely.

020 Tomato Red is Fab

Tomato Red is Fab is a pretty red shade, but not the kind of red I love. I wouldn’t really call this a red to begin with. It isn’t quite orange, it isn’t quite pink and it isn’t quite pink. It’s too dark to be a coral and it has quite a yellow undertone to it. It’s one of those in between shades that is still stunning and bright. This will be a great shade to wear for the summer time.

010 So Bordeaux

Where the first two shades when on even and opaque, this burgundy shade emphasis my dry patches ever so slightly. It isn’t noticeable from a distance, but it definitely accentuates things I’d rather it didn’t. The shade pulls more dark red on my lips: I feel this looks lighter on my lips than it did in the swatch. That is of course not a bad thing. As far as dark lipstick go, this is a very wearable shade.

The Conclusion

I think Catrice has hit the mark with these new Matt Lover Lipstick Pens. The shades I tried are all pretty and wear well. As an added bonus these are super comfortable as well. If you are in the market for a new lipstick, then these are certainly one you can look into. Or if you’re new to makeup and are looking for some great lipsticks to start: these are some great budgetproof lipsticks that will be great if you’re not that great at applying lipsticks.

What do you think of the Catrice Matt Lover lipsticks?