Fall and lipstick wearing somehow just go together (at least, to me), and when several shades of the new Powermatte Lipsticks from NARS recently arrived for me to test & play with, I was intrigued. Would this formula finally be the one to win me over to the matte side?
Follow @ommorphia YouTube ♦ Instagram ♦ Facebook ♦ Twitter ♦ Pinterest ♦ Bloglovin’
Powermatte Lipstick (CAN $44.00/each) | Housed in slim tubes with that ‘rubberized’ effect NARS is known for, these are highly pigmented lipsticks that come to a soft matte finish. Said to provide 10-hour wear, the formula contains a Power Pigment Complex (a blend of pure pigments and colour-locking ingredients) suspended in rich emollient oils for comfort throughout wear. This new generation of matte lipstick is lightweight in feel and glides much easier along the lips without tugging or pulling.
Available in 15 shades
I have a love-hate relationship with matte lip products; on the one hand, I absolutely adore how pigment-rich the look is and I think they’re amazing for special events where you don’t want to be worrying if your lipstick still looks fine. On the other hand, I’m not a fan of they way they can dry out one’s lips plus when you tend to have quite a few lip lines as I do, anything matte tends to emphasize said lines. So how did Powermatte fare? In general, pretty good … after I tweaked the application, that is. The slim profile of the lipstick bullet makes them super easy to apply with no real need of a lip liner and you definitely get opaque coverage from the first swipe. Initial application feels quite comfortable but within the hour my lips started to feel a tad dry — and while that might just be me, it’s still worth noting. My solution? A slick of balm applied first but then blotted down helped solve the issue and made these lipsticks not only comfortable throughout wear, but all I needed to do was give my lips a quick press to ‘reactivate’ some moisture. Done & done.
- THUNDER KISS – soft mauve
- FEEL MY FIRE – hot coral
- NOTORIOUS – red orange
- SWEET DISPOSITION – pink beige
- KILLER QUEEN – rose brown
- AMERICAN WOMAN – dusty rose
- NO ANGEL – soft brown pink
- TOO HOT TO HOLD – maple red
In terms of formulation, all the shades I received applied beautifully without any patchiness (although I can’t speak for the rest). As far as colour saturation goes, I love the soft-blurring effect they provide while still being opaque. Comfort-wise, once I tricked them out with lip balm underneath, I was definitely won over. Will I drop lipgloss anytime soon? Unlikely, but I’ll definitely be holding onto these Powermattes for when I want long-lasting coverage.
Available at all NARS counters & online
Kindly provided by NARS for my unbiased consideration