I purchased these two shades about three months ago--I can't remember if I got them at Ulta or Target but I know it was one of those retailers, and I think CVS has these in-store too (but don't quote me on that).
NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams
(retail: $6 each, 0.27 oz)
San Paulo, Cannes
Ingredients (from the Nyx website):
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Dimethicone,Beeswax, Glyceryl Behenate / Eicosadioate, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone /Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Talc, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Silica, Aluminium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Isohexadecane,Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Parfum. May Contain:CI77019 (Mica) / CI77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI15850 (D&C Red 6 Na.Salt), CI15850 (D&C Red 7 Ca Lake), CI15985:1 (FD&C Yellow 6 AlLake), CI19140:1 (FD&C Yellow 5 Al Lake), CI45410 (D&C Red 28 AlLake), CI77491 (Iron Oxide Red), CI77492 (Iron Oxide Yellow), CI77499(Iron Oxide Black), CI77742 (Manganese Violet), CI77891 (TitaniumDioxide).
After looking at a zillion swatches of these shades online, I was HOPING that Cannes wouldn't be too brown/tan in person. I was a little scared off by the color of the tube since it looks like terracotta and I cannot do terracota colors with my skintone. But I'm so happy to confirm that this is a very easy-to-wear pinky-brown shade that's almost a My Lips But Better type of color on my medium-pigmented lips. I LOVE it (but you know I'm a sucker for pinky-browns). San Paulo is a touch brighter than I was anticipating, but it's a pretty berry-rose shade that is very cheery and easy to wear as well (it's not a magenta--it really is more of a berry shade with rose undertones).
My swatches above were taken after swiping each applicator about four times on the back of my hand, using only the amount of product that was on the applicator after pulling it out of the tube (I did not go back to the tube to get more product for either swatch). As you can see, pigment is not an issue with these. They're both very pigmented and opaque after just a few swipes. The finish is just as described--these are soft mattes. There's a tiny bit of shine to these, but it's not even what I would call a "shine" really. They're just not SUPER matte, if that makes sense.
Now let's talk about the texture/consistency, since that seems to be where people are divided. I've read some reviews stating that these are drying, but I don't find that to be the case for me personally (tip: I've heard that applying a light coating of lip balm prior to application can help, if you do find these drying). For me, these go on pretty wet (they're thin and creamy), but they set to a consistency that feels very thin and weightless (as in, I can't feel anything on my lips after a few minutes of wear).
During initial application, these remind me of the first step of traditional two-step longwear lip colors (think CoverGirl Outlast Lip Colors). They have the same type of initial consistency to me, but unlike many 2-step lip colors, these never dry down to that sticky, heavy, dry or crumbly type of texture that is so common with 2-step longwear lip colors. Instead, these feel extremely light and there's no stickiness at all. And unlike traditional 2-step longwear lip colors, there's no need to apply a clear gloss/balm on top of these.
Staying power is fantastic for me. I can easily get a full four hours of wear, and sometimes even six hours. The fragrance of these lip colors reminds me of cake batter, which I love, but I don't get much flavor from these. They defintely do not taste like cake batter, and I have heard some people complain that they taste strongly of plastic. I don't get a strong or sharp plastic flavor from these, but then again I'm not super sensitive to that type of thing (it has to be really funky for it to bother me, and these do not bother me).
FINAL VERDICT: If you haven't gotten around to trying these yet, I say do it. I absolutely love the two shades that I purchased, and I'm kicking myself for not listening to the hype and trying these sooner (three years sooner, to be exact). These lip colors are very pigmented yet they're easy to contol, and they're also easy to apply. The staying power is impressive, and I personally do not find these to be drying. I think you do have to like opaque, matte colors to fully appreciate these though, so if you're more of a sheer, shimmery or sparkly lip color type of person, these might not be for you. But other than that, I think they're definitely worth a shot!
I'm guessing that many, many of you already own several of these, so I'd love hear what YOU think of them. Also, please tell us what your favorite shades are in this range!
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
Thank you, G!!! I have been wanting to try one of these for a bit now and now I know they have your "seal of approval" and I can do so fearlessly =)
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome! I so hope you end up enjoying them as much as I do. Please, please keep me posted? :)
DeleteI bought around the time it was released. There weren't many swatches to go off of, nor reviews. However matte lip products are my favorite and I was excited to get one. Again, there was a lack of swatches and reviews so I went off of the online pictures on the NYX website. I got the shade Buenos Aires, and it looked to be of a coral shade. I wanted a orangeish lip product, so I thought why not. It looked NOTHING like the picture online, it is this bright light pink. The coverage was horrible, and no matter how hard I tried I could not get it to be even and it went all patchy. I don't know if it was just a bad batch I recieved or bad color that I picked, but it has deterred me from picking up another.
ReplyDeleteTLDR; I had a bad experience, and hate them.
I know which color you're talking about and I swear, the experience you described is what often happens to me with almost ANY lip color I try that's super light. Lol. So many light shades go on patchy and chalky for me. :( If you ever get the desire to try a deeper shade in this line, I would love to know if you have a different experience. These two shades apply very evenly with no patchiness whatsoever.
DeleteThanks! I've been wanting to get Transylvania (just cause. I'd probably never wear it out, but gotta follow the crowd). It's so gorgeous, and your swatches make me cry because I wish I had a great experience the first time around. We'll see what sale NYX has up their sleeve come Cyber Monday!
DeleteI had the same experience you had with Antwerp. For me it was kind of greasy so it looked streaky on me, and it dried my lips out and disappeared really quickly. I adore the color so I kept it as a cream blush but from then on I never wanted to try another matte lip cream :/
DeleteI own Antwerp and Tokyo and was gooing to suggest Antwerp for you, missomayea. I didn't like it the first time I tried it, but maybe it was "user error" and my application skill was better after my first go at it. Tokyo looks so pretty on me at first and then it settles in my lip lines and makes gunk by the corners of my mouth, ewwww! I tried a lighter layer with Tokyo next time and still had the ickies. I wouldn't rule out other shades and with the cybermon sale now might be a good time, eh? ;)
DeleteI really like it !!! I got San Paulo & Tokyo its awesome to wear anywhere !!
ReplyDeleteI've heard from MissLolalynn youtube channel that NYX Cannes is a possible close dupe for KVD Lolita that everyone is raving about! I'm still on the search for it in a local store. Thanks for all that you do & the reviews!
ReplyDeleteWell Lolita is one of the shades that was in the KVD Sephora Black Friday set I purchased, so I'll be able to tell you VERY soon if they're dupes! :) Thank you so much for mentioning that! I'll do a swatch comparison post as soon as my package arrives! :)
DeleteI would love to know if it's a dupe! I have been kind of wanting one or to of these! Thanks G!
DeleteCannes is a possible dupe for the KVD Lolita in the lipgloss form not the lipstick! the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick! Sorry, just wanted to clear that up a bit!
DeleteI've purchased a few of these (twice) and returned them all. :( They're way too drying for my lips, even with a balm. I'm so glad they worked for you! I wish they worked for me; Cannes is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing is with these i DO find darker colors, like Copenhagen, to be super patchy and streaky without a lipliner underneath. ): Just sth to keep in mind for vampy color fiends!
ReplyDeleteIt may just be me but these wear off in about 30 minutes... and transfer onto everything. :(
ReplyDeleteI've even tried them twice.. once when they first came out and again last month after everyone was raving about the new shades. This is one case of "you get what you pay for" and I HIGHLY suggest either the Sephora cream lip stains, Stila stay all day, or KVD everlasting. They don't transfer, don't budge.. will wear off a bit with a meal but touch up beautifully. Each has a slightly different formula but all perform similarly. I'm a DS girl.. I don't pay HE prices for much.. but if you want matte lip cremes it's worth it.
do you use anything underneath it? Like a balm which would break down the formula? Or lick or rub your lips together very often? I find it extremely difficult to believe that they could wear of so soon as I can wear mine all day and they stay perfect(if not eating a meal in them in which case re-applying is a must). And I heard all kinds of reviews of them but never heard of the wearing off so quickly
DeleteCould also be a case of applying very thickly.
Nope, bare lips. I could just be spoiled by my long wear lippies and move my mouth around a lot or something I guess.. but if that is all it takes to wear them off I'll pass. Could be that I go for the lighter/neutral colors. In any case the other brands are far superior. Granted they are more expensive but there really is no comparison. Even the new Maybelline matte lipsticks are far superior if you want a cheap option. I adore the two I have and over a liner they last all day.
DeleteThanks for the review, G! I've been holding off in buying these because I was worried that they'd be too dry on my lips, but I trust your review and that Cannes shade is a must have for me.
ReplyDeleteStockholm is my every day lip colour, it's MLBB! I've gone through a few tubes of it. I have Tokyo but it's a little too pastel of a pink for me and I feel like it doesn't get as much coverage. Amsterdam is another favourite!
ReplyDeletethanks for the review. I have Stockholm and Tokyo. Love Stockholm. Tokyo - color too barbie pink for me. I'll get Cannes that would promising.
ReplyDelete