Intense matte lipsticks seem like a natural fit with Urban Decay, which is known for edgy intense colors. So it’s a bit surprising that it’s taken them this long to actually launch a matte lip range.
Still - better late than never! There are 9 new creamy colors (SGD$33) that will launch on 20 Aug in Singapore, each infused with shea, illipe, avocado, olive and babassu oils. Some of the shades are slightly creamier feeling than the others - several of these lean closer to the texture of MAC Satin lipsticks more than typical Mattes - but they all do eventually settle into a matte finish after the excess oils and emollients absorb or evaporate.
The shades are quite creamy and smooth-feeling, so they tend to appear creamier in my lip shots partly because of the bright lights, and partly because they’re all freshly applied when I shoot them.
I grouped the shades into neutrals/warms, and cools. As you can see, these aren't wallflower colors. With the exception of Stark Naked, most of them pack a punch and are quite dramatic looking.
Stark Naked is a peach-toned nude. It's one of the more matte textures in the bunch.
1993 is THE 90's brown tone. And it's quite a creamy satin texture. If you want it matte, you will either need to kiss a sheet of tissue or roll your lips together a few times to get rid of the shine.
Tilt looks tangerine in the tube but goes on with a neon coral undertone. A very fun shade, with more of a matte texture when worn.
Temper is a brick red. Possibly one of the less dramatic deep colors, because it's so wearable. The tomato-brown undertones give it slightly more neutral undertones compared to typical reds.
Bad Blood is one of my faves in the range. It's not actually a matte-matte; it's quite creamy, but it's a gorgeous deep red with oxblood undertones. Very classy and something of a 40s retro-red.
UD's signature purple in lipstick format. Bittersweet might be as creamy or more creamy than Bad Blood even. It takes about an hour or two to settle into a more matte finish. As with all purples it looks much more blue and outlandish on camera. In real life, it's got more pink undertones, and is actually pretty wearable as far as purples go.
If a proper neon pink is more your style, check out Menace. This type of shade never goes wrong in matte texture. Menace is also one of the most "matte" of the range, and you'll get minimal shine compared to the other shades in the collection.
After Dark is special because it's the only matte shade shot through with a frost. This dark plum with a blue iridescence is pretty darned cool to look at. But the blue frost actually doesn't really look that apparent in real life unless you're looking very close. It's just a very dark plum. Also one of the more matte ones among the 9.
The shade that made my heart stop the moment I saw the full range was Blackmail.
Ah, you know I love a good noir. This black-rose shade has plum undertones, but mostly just looks almost-black against the skin. For all the dramatic goth divas only! I've heard complaints that this one goes on patchy but somehow I don't seem to have that problem. Maybe it's just my habit of really whacking on a very thick layer. I didn't have any problems building it up to opacity, except maybe near the center of the lips.
These are relatively creamy and easy to apply, with the exception of a couple pf shades (like Tilt and Menace for me) which feel a bit more like traditional matte lipsticks. They generally don't drag on the lips and feel pretty smooth but - these are highly pigmented lipsticks after all. And in my experience they will all feel slightly dry and look more matte after the first hour or so when the oils have absorbed or dried up a bit.
What shades caught your eye so far?
