Long before beauty chemists figured out the ingredients needed to create a glossy pout, matte lips reigned supreme, and while I personally love the lush appeal that this look provides, I’m not so keen on the dryness factor that comes with the territory. The latest foray into this field from Charlotte Tilbury, Matte Revolution Luminous Modern-Matte Long-Lasting Lipstick (10 shades, $38.00) has somehow managed to eliminate the ‘Sahara Quotient’ from the formula, producing a lipstick that feels as wonderful throughout the duration, as it is sexy to look at. Revolutionary, you might even call it. (Matte Revolution-Revolutionary … see what I did there?!)
Putting into play certain illusionary magics she’s used for years (lighting trickery, pigments and powders), Charlotte wanted to create a product that would give lips the look of fullness and a lit-from-within glow, all with just 1 swipe of lipstick. Some of the key ingredients include:
- Lipstick Tree extract – a natural antioxidant, protects lips
- Orchid Extract – offers soothing & hydrating properties
- 3D Glowing Pigments – gives the illusion of fuller & wider lips, lit-from-wthin
- Triglycerides – mixed with oils & waxes for long-lasting colour and a perfect glide
Housed in ribbed outer casing in the brand’s signature rose-gold, another innovation is the classically shaped square tip (inspired by a lip brush), which enables you to cover your lips easily and quickly even at the first stroke, and can also be turned along any of its angles for more precision application. Each of the ten shades offers buildable coverage: one swipe covers fully, but still retains a certain overall luminosity, while a secondary pass gives a more opaque and velvety finish. From the three shades I was sent to try, I was impressed with the lasting power which easily surpasses the 7 hour mark, showing minimal wear along the inner rim of the lower lip only when eating and/or drinking. Another plus is the feel: a good hydrated sensation throughout the wearing and even when the colour seems to wane a bit, a simple press of the lips seems to revive it right back.
*I was also kindly sent these 2 coordinating Lip Cheat® shades to test out with the lipsticks.
Charlotte Tilbury | Matte Revolution Lipstick & Lip Cheat®
Charlotte Tilbury | Matte Revolution Lipstick
Charlotte Tilbury | Matte Revolution Lipstick – Amazing Grace, Bond Girl & Love Liberty
Charlotte Tilbury | Lip Cheat®
- Crazy in Love | Rosewood, warm leaning with a slight hint of burgundy
- Hollywood Honey | Raisin, some brown in the base for depth
The Lip Cheat® formula is one of the best I’ve tried with regards to lip liners; long-lasting, glides effortlessly along the lips without any pulling or tugging (make it excellent for all-over application as well), and displays absolutely no feathering or bleeding into surrounding lip lines.
Charlotte Tilbury | Matte Revolution Lipstick an Lip Cheat® swatches (sunlight)
Charlotte Tilbury | Matte Revolution Lipstick an Lip Cheat® swatches (alternate light)
Amazing Grace | Rosewood coloured, has both cool and warm tones in the base rendering it an almost perfect ‘neutral rose’ hue that can be worn by a wide range of skin tones. Classy and elegant, yet still maintains a young & fresh appeal.
Inspiration: Grace Kelly, polished perfection à la Nicole Kidman and Miranda Kerr
Ingredients: Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Trimethylolpropane Triisostearate, Dimenthicone, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Polyethylene, Polybutene, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, Dicalcium Phosphate, Mica, Ethyl Vanillin, Caprylic/Capric Trigglyceride, Tocopherol, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil (Zea Mays Oil), Pentaerythrityl Tetera-Di-t-Butyl Hydroxhydrocinnamate, Orchis Mascula Flower Extract, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, [May contain/Peut Contenir +/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 6 (CI 15850), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Carmine (CI 75470)]
Charlotte Tilbury | Amazing Grace Matte Revolution Lipstick swatch
Bond Girl | (As though I would EVER resist anything Bond-related?) Rich Chestnut with a strong vein of berry at the core to keep this shade from leaning too far over into brown territory. Absolutely gorgeous and THE perfect lippie to wear when you want nude/neutral, but with a bit of a punch.
Inspiration: Alluring Bond beauties, from Halle Berry, Barbara Bach, and Olga Kurylenko
Ingredients: Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Trimethylolpropane Triisostearate, Dimenthicone, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Polyethylene, Polybutene, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, Dicalcium Phosphate, Mica, Ethyl Vanillin, Caprylic/Capric Trigglyceride, Tocopherol, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil (Zea Mays Oil), Pentaerythrityl Tetera-Di-t-Butyl Hydroxhydrocinnamate, Orchis Mascula Flower Extract, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, [May contain/Peut Contenir (+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 6 (CI 15850), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Carmine (CI 75470)]
Charlotte Tilbury | Bond Girl Matte Revolution Lipstick swatch
Love Liberty | Deep Berry with touches of mahogany playing in the background, cooler leaning but will work equally well on warmer complexions. One swipe provides a rich wine-coloured touch, although I highly suggest taking it up a notch with a second pass for a stunning (& killer sexy) vampy pout, with no goth element to muddy things up.
Inspiration: Liberty Ross, wildly glamorous nights à la Jerry Hall and Uma Thurman
Ingredients: Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Trimethylolpropane Triisostearate, Dimenthicone, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Polyethylene, Polybutene, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, Mica, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ethyl Vanillin, Caprylic/Capric Trigglyceride, Tocopherol, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil (Zea Mays Oil), Pentaerythrityl Tetera-Di-t-Butyl Hydroxhydrocinnamate, Orchis Mascula Flower Extract, Bixa Orellana Seed Extract, Tin Oxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, [May contain/Peut Contenir (+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Carmine (CI 75470)]
Charlotte Tilbury | Love Liberty Matte Revolution Lipstick swatch
I have a love-hate relationship going on with matte lipsticks; on the one hand, I adore the more light-absorbing coverage this finish provides as it not only looks hot, but (and depending on the look you’re going for) can either work to perfectly complement the rest of your makeup, or easily stand alone as the star player. That being said, the dryness levels that some matte lipsticks bring to the party, is usually the deal-breaker for me which is why I was so pleasantly surprised by the feel of this Matte Revolution range; smooth to apply, smooth to wear, and smooth long after they’ve gone. So I’m guessing this now means I need to try them all, right?
Charlotte Tilbury beauty is available at select Holt Renfrew stores across Canada. Find more information via: www.charlottetilbury.com
Press samples kindly provided for my unbiased consideration/post may contain affiliate links
