Matte Impact: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo

I realize this blog has been gradually creeping into the high-end territory for the past couple years; you guys may not remember but things were pretty low key on here in the beginning. I think the primary reason for featuring more expensive products recently has been my shift from quantity to quality, which came with the 2 products a month allowance I enforced on myself in January 2013. Not to say that you can't find good quality products in the drugstore - I guess they're just a bit less covetable for me these days. But one of the first affordable brands I've ever written about on Rocaille Writes was NYX, and now I have another product of theirs to show you: the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo ($5.99 for 0.27 fl. oz/ 8 ml) - so we've come full circle.

I'd been wanting a vampy matte lipstick to add to my collection for fall and while browsing at Ulta (you guys, last week was the first time I've ever set foot in a physical Ulta store - oh, the thrill of it!), I remembered that NYX had a variety of matte lip products in some pretty intense shades. I picked out Monte Carlo (SMLC 10), a deep cool red, although I also had my eye on Copenhagen, which was unfortunately sold out. With some smart usage of store coupons, I scored my new pretty for $2! I think taking advantage of deals and coupons is at least half of the fun of shopping at the drugstore.

I've been reading rave reviews about these Soft Matte Lip Creams for years, but you know that I sometimes tend to shun overly hyped up products. The Soft Matte Lip Creams are in fact liquid lipsticks with a standard doe foot applicator. The consistency is rather dense although the product spreads easily on the lips: in fact, the formula quite reminds me a bit of Fyrinnae Lip Lusters. The NYX Lip Creams smell a bit artificially of a vanilla-flavored pastry, but the scent doesn't linger.

I find that the doe foot applicator comes especially handy in applying the intense shade evenly and precisely along the lip lines. While at first, the Soft Matte Lip Cream formula has a nice slip and creaminess to it, once applied to the lips it sets to a matte finish and doesn't budge. I'd just make sure you're not applying too much product, because it then takes a longer while to set and in the meantime, I managed to get some product on my teeth. To me, since the product actually sets on the lips, I'd call it a stain rather than a cream - or a creamy lip stain maybe? :)

L-R: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo, Avon Make Out Red, Revlon Superlustrous in Cherries in the Snow (very close dupe), Wet n' Wild Deep Wine

Unfortunately, as with most stains and longwearing lip products, I find the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream to be very drying on me. I wore it on bare lips for about 4 hours and removed it as soon as I got home, but my lips were already in tatters. I will experiment a bit more with layering it over and/or under a lip balm, but I definitely have to reserve it for special occasions only. The upside is that the product really stays put and doesn't migrate, feather or transfer easily - so much so that I couldn't fully get rid of it with a micellar make-up remover.

Wearing NYX Monte Carlo with the Rouge Bunny Rouge Chronos palette on the eyes and Hourglass Luminous Flush on the cheeks.

If you're looking for a bold, unusual shade in a longwearing matte formula to wear once in a while, the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are a decent choice, especially if you can get them on sale. I'm thinking that I'll definitely be reaching for Monte Carlo to wear to the upcoming Holiday dinner parties, when I need my lipstick to last through a meal. Have you tried any matte lip products from NYX? What is your favorite matte lipstick formula from the drugstore?