Ruby Kisses Matte Lipsticks: Buy or Bail???

Matte Lipsticks have been on trend for quite sometime now in the beauty community. Therefore every brand from extremely high end to low end has been cranking them out. I, myself, have always been a fan of matte lipsticks for the simple fact that they last a heck of a long time. They require less maintenance as far as touch-ups are concerned and they usually are highly pigmented. 

So of course, when I saw these bright beautiful matte lipsticks in my local BSS (Beauty Supply Store), I had to try them out.

I started with a few to test out the consistency and to see if I liked them.
Here are the shades that I chose.

MY ASSESSMENT

Packaging|: The packaging is consistent with the brand. It is ok. But they don't spend tons of money on extremely sleek, expensive looking packaging. The features that  I do love though are the clear tops (so you can view the lipstick shade) and the conjoining colored band around the lipsticks. This is super cute. Plus it aides in helping you locate your color of choice more quickly.

Price|: These lipsticks retail for under $3. I purchased mine for $2.50 each. Depending on where you purchase, I've seen these for as low as $1.99.

Smell|: Most matte lipsticks have a vanilla or cake batter smell (in my opinion) and these don't stray far away from that. Surprisingly pleasant.

Feel|: The shades that I chose to purchase have a creamier texture. The only one that seems to feel a bit drying on the lips is the "Purple Affair" color. It's not overly drying though to where it felt uncomfortable. I usually prep my lips with either MAC Prep+Prime Lip or EOS lip balm. So this helps in the way my lipstick goes on anyway. But I did try them on without the primer and they worked just fine. I would, however, make sure my lips are dry or flaky. You want to make sure your lips are smooth and hydrated before applying.


Shade Range and Availability|: There are 24 shades in this line-up. The colors span the unusual colors like Blue, Grey, and Mint. I chose to stick with the more traditional shades to begin. I have seen these sold at a number of beauty supply stores both local and internet based. They aren't hard to find or purchase. They are available in so many places

Staying Power & Pigmentation|: I've worn purple affair and Plum Wine in the past few weeks. Both of these colors have a purple base. They lasted extremely long on my lips. The Plum Wine shade was worn to work and I only touched up mid-day due to lunch. And the Purple Affair shade lasted until I took it off with a makeup wipe. All in all. I believe you can get a good 5 to 6 hour wear with these lipsticks without touching up (sans eating and drinking). 

These are highly pigmented. The red, orange and deep shades are super duper pigmented. The lilac shade, though pigmented, reads a bit chalky. I am going to have to work it out with a liner, I suppose to alter the look of it a bit. But it's still a beautiful shade and it goes on smooth.

Overall Thoughts| I really think these are must-buys. You cannot lose out on getting these. The pigmentation of most of the shades alone rival higher end brands. Though they skimped on the packaging quality, they did not skimp on the pigmentation and staying power. The orange shade "Extreme Coral" is the most awesome shade in my opinion. Reminds me of MAC Cosmetics "Lady Danger" with more pigmentation. And that is really saying something!  I swatched the grey, mint and blue shades in store and the came off a little more chalky so I opted out of buying those but the rest of the colors were amazing. The nudes are really pretty. The price makes them definitely worth it.

If you haven't already, definitely check these out for yourself at your local beauty supply store. I promise you won't be disappointed.

If you've tried these lipsticks, leave a comment below and tell me what you thought.

All comments and feedback are welcome!

Until next post!!

XOXO!