[Swatch & Review] Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in 10 Nude Flush

I'm not going to beat around the bush, this product is odd and disappointing. The color is beautiful, but the formula is perplexing, to say the least.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in 10 Nude Flush

I've had this product for a few weeks now, but I've been waiting to review it until I heard a few other people talk about it because this product had me wondering if I was going crazy or if I had received a bad batch. It very clearly says "matte" in the product name, and even the description on Ulta.com says that the product is supposed to be matte, but there's absolutely nothing matte about this.

From Ulta.com: "Maybelline's Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Color has a creamy liquid base for a soft, cushiony feel. 

Benefits:

• Vivid, matte finish

• Infused with pure pigments for high-impact color

• Glides on smooth and hydrates

• Medium Coverage" 

Swatch of Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Nude Flush on NC15 skin. This was after 10 minutes of waiting for it to dry down, even a little bit. It looks sliiightly more matte on the lips, but not much.
Yes Maybelline, veeeerry matte. *eye roll*

Yo, Maybelline... this is a lip gloss. 

I waited and waited for this to dry down, tried applying heavier and lighter coats, nothing worked. Looking at the ingredients, it contains kaolin clay, which is what's typically used to make lipsticks matte, but it looks like maybe not enough was added to the formula to create a matte finish. 

The texture of this product is very pleasant, like a very lightly whipped mousse. I'd definitely agree with the product description from Ulta.com: it has a very soft, smooth, cushiony feel to it, and it glides on well. It's also adequately pigmented and non-sticky. 

 The wear time was around 2-3 hours, less if you eat or drink. Just taking a sip of water took a decent amount of product off in the center of my lips, and after a few more sips, I ended up with that awkward ring around my lips. 

The scent of this product is ok, it's a generic sweet scent (maybe caramel or vanilla?) which doesn't have that sharp, acrid smell that's fairly common in synthetic fragrances, and I could only just barely smell it while I was applying it. It does, however, make the gloss taste a bit weird and plasticy (I almost feel like I can taste the clay in this in addition to the taste from the fragrance), so if that's something that typically bothers you, avoid this product like the plague. For me, the taste of this is probably the second most off-putting thing about this product after the whole "Maybelline wtf this is a lip gloss" issue. Since the lipstick never dries down and is a bit on the liquidy side, it's really easy to end up accidentally tasting the lip gloss. If that happens, you're about to be in for a real bad time. Seriously, I started licking the back of my hand to get the taste out of my mouth, it was that bad.

Applicator for the Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick.

The applicator is what I would describe as an elongated doe-foot. It fits my lips well, but I think it applies too much product at once. It also has a slight angle, which I think is helpful, but overall, a standard doe-foot applicator would have been a better fit for this product. There's a bit of flexibility to the wand, enough to make it easy to maneuver, but not enough that I felt like I could easily lose control of the wand and start flinging lip gloss everywhere if the wand snapped back too quickly.

There's a slight angle to the applicator.

It's also quite slim and flat

Another problem that I had with this product is that is clung to my dry patches, so if you were hoping this would be a good alternative for dry lips, no such luck. It would work if your lips are just dehydrated, but if you have any flakes, it's a no-go.

I think that Maybelline would have been much better off marketing this as a whipped lip gloss, but trying to pass this off as matte is just ridiculous. On top of that, the longevity is crap and the taste is very unpleasant, to say the least. Such a disappointing product. The only way I can see this being an enjoyable product for anyone is if A) The taste doesn't bother you B) You purchase it expecting a lip gloss, otherwise I'd say steer clear of these.


Oh, and Maybelline, here's the definition of matte from Merriam-Webster since it looks like y'all forgot:

Simple Definition of matte

: having a surface that is not shiny

• 
  

Full Definition of matte

:  lacking or deprived of luster or glossa :  having a usually smooth even surface free from shine or highlights

Hope that cleared things up for you ;)