Table of Contents
We have carefully evaluated over 65 matte-finish lip products currently in production in 2017. Below is a detailed analysis of the top matte-finish lipsticks on the market today.
Update: Matte-finish lip products grant the wearer a classy, more natural look than most other types of lipstick, but come at the cost of a characteristic dry, flaking finish. However, advancements in the cosmetics industry within the last 8 months have allowed for the production of new “hydrating” matte-finish formulations that counteract this effect.
What is Matte Lipstick?
A lipstick with a “matte” finish has little to no shine. It usually comes in bold, highly pigmented shades. Matte lip products range from the most common solid sticks, to tubes of liquid.
Top 5 Matte Lipsticks
| Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick | Dose of Colors Matte Lipstick | Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits | Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick | ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips |
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Editor Rating | 99 / 100 | 87 / 100 | 85 / 100 | 79 / 100 | 73 / 100 |
Customer Reviews | |||||
MSRP | $20.95 | $17.95 | $29 | $24 | $5.95 |
Editor Review | |||||
Made in | Italy | USA | USA | Italy | USA |
Packaging | 0.23 Fl. Oz. / 7 mL Clear Glass Bottle | .16 oz / 4.5 g Plastic Bottle | 0.11 fl oz. Lipstick + 0.03 oz Lip Liner | 0.08 fl. oz. Glass Bottle | 0.11 fl. oz. (3.2g) Glass Bottle |
# of Colors / Shades | 17 | 16 | 23 | 20 | 57 |
Texture / Consistency | Creamy matte | Thin fluid, moussey | Creamy matte | Creamy matte | Creamy matte |
Applicator | Sponge-tipped standard doe foot | Short, curved doe foot | Long brush made of synthetic hair | Sponge-tipped standard doe foot | Sponge-tipped standard doe foot |
Setting Time | 1 minute | 5 minutes | 1 minute | 5-10 minutes | 5 minute |
Finish | Ultra matte finish | Velvety matte finish | Bold matte finish | Bold matte finish | Bold matte finish |
Longevity | Up to 8 hours | 6 hour to fade | Up to 8 hours | Up to 6 hours | Up to 8 hours; fading after 6 |
Scent | No Scent | Faint vanilla scent | Strong butterscotch / vanilla smell | Sweet scent | No Scent |
Skin Types | For all skin types | For all skin types | For all skin types | For all skin types | For all skin types |
Return Policy | 30 Days | n/a | none | n/a | n/a |
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Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick
| Dose of Colors Matte Lipstick
| Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits
| Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
| ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips
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Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick
Overview: Too Faced is not only known for their eye shadows, but they’re now also competing in the matte lipstick arena. This lipstick glides on like a gloss, but dries to an ultra-matte opaque finish. $21
Why It’s On The List: Too Faced gives matte lipsticks a makeover with their innovate formulation. This lipstick feels like a lipgloss on initial application, but dries up to a solid, matte, opaque finish.
Review Summary
Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipsticks offers a whole new level of quality to the market making it extremely popular among makeup experts and enthusiast. While most matte lipsticks feel dry and clumpy on initial application, this product applies like lip gloss. It dries cleanly, leaving the lips moisturized, smooth and matte all throughout the day.
Positive Features
- Perfect all-day matte finish
- Contains antioxidant-rich avocado oil and vitamin E
- No-sting plumping effect
- Hyaluronic filling for smooth finish
- Moisturizes lips
Negative Features
- A little pricier than its competitors as it falls under the higher-end category - Sephora retails it for $21 USD
Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick is our top pick matte lipstick of 2017. Offering the best balance of look, quality, and staying power. This is the best matte lipstick on the market today.
The Verdict Editor Lei Velasco
More on Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick:
Additional Product Images
Amazon Reviews Analysis ★★★★★
Google Shopping Review Analysis ★★★★
Third Party Review Analysis ★★★★
Rank | Product | Editor Rating | Customer Rating | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick 
| 99 / 100 | $20.95 |
Dose of Colors Matte Lipstick
Overview: Started in 2013 by Anna Petrosian, a bonafide Instagram beauty influencer, Dose of Colors has surely been a buzz around social media nowadays. They are most known for the their matte liquid lipsticks that promises smooth application that lasts all day.
Why It’s On The List: If you scroll around the beauty pages of Instagram, it’s without a doubt that you will pass by this infamous matte liquid lipstick. Top Beauty Influencer swear by this product. They are also vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, and paraben free.
Review Summary
Famous for its very soft and smooth application. Compared to other matte liquid lipsticks which may already initially feel dry on the lips, this glides on nicely like butter on your lips. It’s also long-lasting so re-applying isn’t necessary.
Positive Features
- Very soft and smooth application
- Long-lasting
- Doesn’t feel dry on the lips
Negative Features
- Swatches may seem different in pictures
- Finding this product in stores is quite challenging
Dose of Colors Matte Lipstick is our 2nd pick matte lipstick of 2017. This product has been raved about on social media due to its perfect finish and lasting effect. And because reapplying isn’t necessary, this product is definitely an answered prayer to women on-the-go!
The Verdict Editor Lei Velasco
Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits
Overview: The Matte Liquid Lipstick trend has exploded in the past year, and got even bigger when Kylie Jenner, the youngest of the Kardashian sisters, launched her own makeup line in the start of 2016. Kylie’s Lip Kits are unique because it is packaged as a combination of lip liner and matte liquid lipstick. The two-step application of lip liner followed by liquid lipstick assures the best long-lasting mattified lips.
Why It’s On The List: Kylie Jenner has revolutionized matte lips with her lip kits. With Kylie’s huge following, the initial stocks of the lipkits were always sold out. It’s undeniably one of the most talked about lipsticks for varying reasons. Some love it, while some don’t think it’s worth the fuss.
Review Summary
The lip liner plus matte lipstick combination is one of the most praised qualities of this lip kit. Many people also rave about the lasting power, consistency, and range of colors of her lip kits. One of the unique things about it is how the formulation smells of vanilla bean extract, which makes it a delight to put on.
Positive Features
- Lip-liner and matte lipstick combo
- Lasting-power, consistency and range of colors
- Vanilla bean extract
Negative Features
- Backlash from beauty bloggers
- Formulation tends to be different depends on the color
- Was reported to have defective doe-foot applicators
Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits is our 3rd pick matte lipstick of 2017. Despite the intrigues about it having defective applicators and negative feedback from beauty bloggers, this is still, without a doubt, highly recommended for its consistency, staying-power and interesting range of colors. Though it is pricier compared to its competitors, it being a “Lip-Kit” justifies the price.
The Verdict Editor Lei Velasco
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
Overview: With an array of shades available, Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick is hyped for its incredible staying power, lightweight feel, and beautiful matte finish, making it a favorite among Stila fans and beauty aficionados alike. A highly-pigmented, liquid lipstick that's weightless on the lips and delivers long-lasting coverage.
Why It’s On The List: Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick is one of the few liquid lipsticks that promises up to 6 hours of continuous wear. It has the qualities of the perfect matte lipstick -- creamy, weightless on the lips, and color-rich formula that will not bleed or transfer.
Review Summary
A highly-pigmented liquid lipstick that is weightless on the lips and delivers long-lasting coverage. It is comfortable in texture, does not bleed or transfer, hydrates and softens the lips to look and feel beautiful - some qualities that matte lipstick fans around the world are longing for.
Positive Features
- Intense hydration, long lasting power
- Lightweight on the lips
- Does not bleed or transfer
- Vitamin E and avocado oil enriched
Negative Features
- May be difficult to apply due to intense pigmentation
Stila’s Stay All Day liquid Lipstick is our 4th pick matte lipstick of 2017. With incredible staying-power, lightweight feel and beautiful matte finish makes it one of the favorites among makeup enthusiasts and beauty aficionados alike.
The Verdict Editor Lei Velasco
ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips
Overview: ColourPop Cosmetics are known for their eye makeup, but last year, with their launch of the Ultra Matte Lips, they have joined the ranks of the best matte liquid lipsticks today. Their matte lipsticks are thin and lightweight, easily gliding on the lips, yet leaving a super intense colour and ultra matte finish.
Why It’s On The List: ColourPop is raved about by many not just because of their great lipstick formulation, but also because of their super affordable prices. With over 50 shades available, this $6 matte liquid lipstick is definitely one to try.
Review Summary
The lightweight, easy glide on the lips, highly pigmented and ultra matte finish features, not to mention the super affordable prices, made it easy for ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips to join the ranks of the best matte liquid lipsticks today.
Positive Features
- Wide selection of shades
- Very affordable price
- Highly-pigmented and kissproof
Negative Features
- Can be drying on the lips
- Can crack and be uneven on the lips
- No smooth finish
ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips is our 5th pick matte lipstick of 2017. Due to its wide selection of shades at a very affordable prices, and the fact that this product is made in the same factory as Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits, this product rocked the world of makeup enthusiast on social media. At a very affordable price of $6 USD, this one is definitely worth a try.
The Verdict Editor Lei Velasco
Top 20 Matte Lipsticks
Rank | Product | Editor Rating | Customer Rating | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Too Faced: Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick
| 99 / 100 | $20.95 | ||
2 | Dose of Colors Matte Lipstick
| 87 / 100 | $17.95 | |
3 |
Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits
| 85 / 100 | $29 | |
4 |
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
| 79 / 100 | $24 | |
5 |
ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips
| 73 / 100 | $5.95 | |
6 |
Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Matte Lipstick 
| 69 / 100 | $25 | |
7 |
.E.L.F. Matte Lip Color 
| 64 / 100 | $13 | |
8 |
MAC Lipstick - Matte 
| 63 / 100 | $17 | |
9 |
Smashbox Be Legendary Matte Lipstick 
| 61 / 100 | $21 | |
10 |
Marc Jacobs Beauty Kiss Pop Lip Color Stick 
| 59 / 100 | $28 | |
11 |
Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color 
| 59 / 100 | $7.49 | |
12 |
NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil 
| 58 / 100 | $26 | |
13 |
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon 
| 57 / 100 | $24 | |
14 |
NYX Matte Lipstick 
| 56 / 100 | $6 | |
15 | Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream 
| 54 / 100 | $6 | |
16 | Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Color 
| 53 / 100 | $28 | |
17 | Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss 
| 52 / 100 | $4.97 | |
18 | Sephora Collection Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color 
| 52 / 100 | $16 | |
19 | Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor 
| 49 / 100 | $9.99 | |
20 | Lime Crime Velvetines Matte Liquid Lipstick 
| 44 / 100 | $20 |
Available Options
As mentioned, lip cosmetics come in all sorts of forms, shapes, and of course, colours. Solid lipsticks typically come in .1 to .3 oz tubes, and are popular as the easiest-to-use products on the market. Lip pencils are another popular option because of the precision they typically provide. Liquid lipsticks are usually applied with a brush, and are more difficult to use, however they tend to be very versatile tools in the hands of experienced makeup artists.
Research Methods
Research for this article was done via comparison of online reviews and top-ten lists. Aggregate data was then ranked based on a combination of reputation, perceived overall quality, and value for cost. Note that this means the of listed “pros/cons” is not the determining factor for the product rankings, and neither are the randomly selected sample comments.
Google Search Results Analysis
- Overview – Conducting a Google search on the best available matte lipsticks reveals a pattern of brand names towards which customers tend to flock. The search results were then sorted out to come up with the most frequently mentioned products in Eastern and Western hemispheres. The results were tallied and compared against each other to condense the list into fifteen items we believe are the best matte lip products on the market.
- Types of Commentaries/reviews – To give you a fair and unbiased review of each matte lipstick product, we have included both positive and negative comments from actual users. The reviews are randomly selected. As such, the high-ranked products may have some negative comments listed, and low-ranked products may be shown to have the opposite. The consumer is advised to draw conclusions based on all listed data.
Conclusion
With the recent rise to popularity of matte lip products, consumers have never had more options to choose from. Matte lipsticks go with a wide range of looks, from casual, to corporate environment, to high-class formal. The trouble is, with so much versatility and so many choices, it can become overwhelming to blindly choose the product that goes with your style.
Our analysis concludes that the most sought-after matte lipsticks generally have the following properties: 1) Lasting power; 2) Non-drying formulations; 3) Adaptable color selections. Our list of the top matte lipsticks presents great products that either offer a good mix of all three, or greater inclinations toward one at the expense of another. We hope that by providing you with this information, you find yourself a step closer to finding the outstanding matte look you deserve.
