Drugstore Makeup Battle: Matte Liquid Lipsticks

I had given up on the idea of wearing lipstick because I kiss Thomas way too much. He's also touching everything these days and he has an obsession with touching my face and lips so lipstick really doesn't make sense. Then I was given a Smashbox matte liquid lipstick from a friend and it was a game changer. I put it on and it didn't budge. I could eat, drink and kiss Thomas as much as I wanted with zero transfer. The only downsides are that Smashbox lipsticks are a little bit pricier than my current budget allows and they are a little too drying on my already dry lips. I'm also still not the biggest fan of matte lips. I've seen a lot of drugstore brands out there introducing matte liquid lipsticks so I wanted to give them a try because while I might not love a matte lip, I could get on board if it meant attacking my child with kisses (priorities).

I decided to give a few drug store matte liquid lipsticks a whirl to see if any of them could become my new favourite. Let the battle begin!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream (06) $9.99: NYX had a variety of matte liquid lips available and it was a little overwhelming to be honest. Especially since the display was a disaster. I decided to go for a light pink and if I'm honest I don't think I chose the best colour for me. Oops. The formula itself was thick and opaque. I felt like it took a lot of effort to get it to look nice on my lips. Since it's so opaque and the colour I chose was lighter than my natural lip colour I felt like it really took time to make sure I couldn't see any of my natural lip colour underneath it. I had to use my finger to blend it out so it wasn't streaky. Once it was on it dried to matte very quickly, it felt nice on the lips and wasn't overly drying.

This liquid lip claims to be moisturizing while still giving a matte finish and since this is really the only thing the lipstick claims, I can't really dispute it. It didn't make any claims that it was long lasting and it really wasn't. It had rubbed off within an hour. I also don't love the NYX packaging. I personally like to be able to see the actual lipstick colour through the packaging so I know exactly what I'm getting.

L'oreal Paris Infallible Pro Matte Gloss (Forbidden Kiss) $13.99: I decided to try a berry colour for this brand and I love the colour. The applicator has a pointed tip which allowed for easy application and it also had a light berry scent. Since I had chosen a darker colour I did notice a bit of bleeding onto the skin around my lips (but I'm 34 so that happens a little more now) but I tried wearing it with lip liner and it solved that problem. I thought it applied really nicely and felt good on the lips.

It claims to be a lasting lip colour and mentions "all day comfort" in the description but it definitely transfers. I didn't test by kissing Thomas but I kissed the back of my hand a few times and each time it left a lot of colour. After it had worn off it did leave a berry colour stain on my lips but I don't know if that's considered long lasting haha.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lip (Nude Flush) $12.99: My first impression of this lipstick was that it was very very creamy and thick. I had to use my finger to blend it  but it really felt nice and creamy on my lips. It dried to matte pretty quickly but it still felt light and soft on the lips. It didn't last very long on the lips though and after my first cup of coffee it had mostly worn off.

The second time I wore it I blotted with a tissue just after applying which just left a very thin pink colour on my lip. I ended up preferring it this way because I wasn't as concerned about it rubbing off and it was just the right amount of colour. It really just claims to be a vibrant lipstick colour which it is and I'm sure the bold colours would be gorgeous. I just didn't see any on my lips after about 45 minutes of wearing it.

And the winner is... Well, since this is a battle of matte liquid lipsticks, I'll have to say that the Maybelline Vivid Matte wins. However, my favourite is techically L'Oreal. So why didn't I give the win to the Infallible Pro Matte? Because it was the least matte looking of the three and that's why I liked it. Call me old school but I just prefer the look of a slightly glossy lip.

I hope you enjoyed this battle! If you have any suggestions for makeup you'd like to see face off, let me know!