February 21, 2011

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Review, Swatches, Photos

When I think matte, I think Dita von Teese. That girl wears red matte lipstick like she was born with it on her mouth. Stunning, simply stunning!

However, when I try to wear it, well, it’s far from stunning and more in the realms of hello Bozo the Clown. Plus it tends to migrate around my mouth, onto my chin, up my cheek, and across my forehead. Needless to say, it’s messy as hell for some reason and I can’t pull it off.

As with eyeshadow, lipstick and lip creams in a matte finish just don’t get on well with me for some reason.

Maybe NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream can change my mind!


NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams aren’t a lipstick nor a lipgloss but a soft, long lasting lip cream with a matte finish!


At first glance and swatch I was a little skeptical as I was sure these would migrate around my mouth in a wickedly bad way.

Formula is incredibly soft and silky with incredible pigmentation. How a matte lip product manages to come across so smooth, silky, and moisturizing is beyond me but NYX gets the texture down well on these. The formula is emollient enough to wear smoothly even on my dry lips. The formula is lightweight and silky with that touch of a silicone feel but nothing uncomfortable.

I think pigmentation will really seal the deal for those who want a very bold lip look. I tried two shades both of which came across crazy bold in finish. Monte Carlo is a bold, warm true red and Tokyo is a nude peach which also has excellent pigmentation even though the shade is considerably lighter and softer.

11 different shades selections and a six dollar price tag promises a little something for everyone particularly those on a beauty budget seeking an excellent matte formula that’s wearable and dramatic.


They tend to wear away within three to four hours of wear but manage to leave behind pigment so your lips aren’t completely bare once product disappears!

  • Those with dry lips who like matte lip product finishes (if your lips are dry and you avoid mattes because of it, the texture of these should wear comfortably even on dry lips!).
  • Those who want a dramatic, bold shade of matte on lips!
  • Those who like a more classical look (if you’re one for simple eye makeup and prefer a more bolder lip choice, these are dramatic and vibrant enough to make lips pop).

  • Those seeking a long wearing matte lip product (three or four hours wear limits these a little bit).


Overall, NYX Soft Matte Creams could easily change your mind about matte finishes. These wear very comfortably and have an incredibly beautiful finish with plenty of pigment. I can easily sport Monte Carlo with a little black liner for a very classy, minimal make up look. I was quite surprised as I’m not one for reaching matte lip products (or matte anything when it comes to makeup) but these really wore quite comfortably and beautifully.

Well worth a pick up if you love mattes!

The budget price of $6 makes them a rather fabulous deal.

Tried ’em?

Love ’em?

Do share!

Available from Cherry Culture, Ulta, and www.nyxcosmetics.com

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Wendy

    Glad you liked these — I got Tokyo and just couldn’t get it to work. I exfoliated right before applying and it just gunked up on me and felt SO dry. I also didn’t like the smell… really perfumey/old lady like… haha, gross! I love the red, it’s such a shame 🙁

    • the Muse

      really Wendy!? my lips are AWFUL for the apst two weeks and these weren’t bad at all. They wore surprisingly smooth on my flaky lips. No perfume smell either?! strange! I got a vanilla cake batter type of smell ;D! sorry they didn’t work so fab on you! I couldn’t get Tokyo to work on me either, too NUDE! but Monte Carlo rocked ;D

    • the Muse

      sorry Suzanne I get busy sometimes and don’t always have a chance for pics of every item on lips ;-D

  • Felicia

    oh wow, lovely colors! NYX never cease to tempt me with their inexpensive yet decent quality products. I just can’t seem to imagine how matte would look on lips though ._.

  • Tina

    I love these lip creams.

    They are a tad dry but what do you expect from something called “matte”? Nothing a little lip balm can’t solve.

    I like how silky smooth they apply and it doesn’t leave my lips tight at all.

    Istanbul is a shade higher than Tokyo so if you don’t want a deathly look Istanbul might be something you might like.

    Oh, and, don’t you just hate it when lip products migrate to your forehead?!!! Happens to me all the time!

    • the Muse

      LOL tina ;-D yes! damn it how did it get there?! ;-D ha!

      Oooo no I can’t do the living dead girl look so I try to avoid beige-y nude shades ;-D I can’t wear Tokyo so well so I doubt I’ll be able to pull off Istanbul. I was surprised at the formula as I expected SUPER dry but it was quite nice overall ;D!

  • Krys

    Stop reading my mind! LOL I’ve been looking for these, but local stores that sell Nyx don’t have the soft matte available yet 🙁 I wish Nyx would open an actual store here in Manila.

    • Kari

      Hi Krys, I’m from Manila too and there are a couple of NYX stores here already: one in Serendra & another in Glorietta. The HD makeup line isn’t in yet but they’re working on it there; in the meantime you can try getting these from online stores.

      Muse, I have one in Milan, it’s a bright pink I think. I have very dry lips and I found it alone did not look or feel good, but I tried slicking on a layer of lip balm underneath and it settled in nicely!

      • the Muse

        hey kari! balm always helps ;-D I actually tried it alone sans balm and it worked pretty well, I was surprised since matte finishes normally make my dry lips look gross and flaky as hell 😛

    • teacherjane

      Here in the Philippines, I think they’re also available online but I haven’t bought one yet.. I like the Montecarlo shade! =)

  • Melissa

    I bought Tokyo and just couldn’t get it to work for me. Trying to get an even smooth application, I felt like I was just pushing product around on my lip. It just sat very uneven on top of my lips.

    • the Muse

      aw sorry melissa 🙁 don’t give up! try another shade! tokyo is a hard shade to pull off!

  • Melissa

    I am in love with NYX. I just started trying the line and so far everything is great. I’m sad I missed the hatelook sale but I’ll check these out the next time I’m at ulta -tyvm

  • Harleygirl

    Have you tried the Revlon Colorstay Overtime lip products? They run about $10 or so, but they also apply matte especially if you even it out with a finger and it stays put all day even through drinking and eating. I don’t like using the gloss end, so I just apply some lip balm (like Rosebud salve) to give a little shine and keep my lips hydrated.

  • Tina

    I got 5 of these when there was a hautelook sale and I think they are so cool! Its definately something different than the usual matte lipstick. 🙂 Thanks for talking about them! 🙂

  • Tigress

    I saw these at Ulta today and they seemed interesting, until I smelled it. I have a super sensitive nose (it’s annoying) and I wouldn’t be able to get past the scent no matter how much I may have liked them. Sigh…..I did purchase my first NYX eyeshadows though! I need to depot those little suckers b/c the packaging is craptastic, but the shadows are very nice.

  • Nessa

    I passed these up at Ulta the other day and I wish I didn’t! These sound lovely, but I have so many lippies I have to wait until I use some or throw them out 🙂

  • irini

    does monte carlo look like a wine red on the lips?
    and THANK YOU for reviewing this muse, I was debating whether to buy them or not 😀

  • Ana

    I just picked this up at ULTA in Sao Paolo (a medium, wearable fuschia). I will admit, half the reason I bought it was for the smell… JUST LIKE CAKE BATTER! haha I am usually not such a sucker for scents but I just love the cake batter scent. I’m usually not into the matte look but this is pretty great… not too drying.

    I thought it was funny that all the stickers for Sao Paolo were mislabeled ‘San Paolo’ (although it was correct on the display) LOL. I think this is my first NYX product… I asked how much they cost because there was no price on them. I like the packaging, kind of reminds me of higher end packaging for some reason. I was pleasantly surprised by the 5.99 price 🙂

    So my trip to ULTA was a success even though they were out of that new ULTA muti-colored glitter polish I want so bad! I also picked up the new ULTA precision felt tip liner – probably the best felt tip liner I’ve tried!

    Sorry muse, don’t know why I’m rambling so much tonight. Thanks for another great review!

    • the Muse

      ramble away ana ;-D your thoughts, review, and comments are appreciated ;-D the misspelling made me laugh lol ;-D Victoria’s Secret does this alot with their products too! I liked them too, def got the cake batter taste/smell too!!!!!! I haven’t tried the ulta liner but sounds fab! wish I had the skill for application, such at linking ;D!!!!!!!!!! my pleasure and thank YOU!

  • Farah

    I got stockholm and milan and I hated them! They gunked up so bad and won’t even stick on my lips! They kept slipping off and got clumpy easily. Smells like old makeup too. Maybe I just got a bad batch. 🙁

  • Kira

    Muse,

    If you get the chance, can you look on the tube and tell me in what country these were manufactured? NYX seem to do some items in France, but a lot in China (which I’m too uncomfortable to buy).

    Thanks.

    • Ana

      Actually it does say on mine “Made in P.R.O.C” … Haha I guess they’re hoping some people won’t know that is China? Lol. Kudos to you for being a conscious shopper!

    • Debbie

      I know that NYX lipsticks and lip glosses are made in Taiwan and lip liners are made in Germany. To me I have pretty good faith in them as I’ve bought 10 lipsticks and love them all. Never seen any of them made in China though.

  • Quinctia

    I looked at these at Ulta! But I really didn’t feel drawn to any of the colors, I think something would have to be the perfect color for me to wear it in a matte. I think I was looking for a my lips but better shade in these.

    Sooo…I just picked up two Diamond Sparkle lipsticks (Beige, Amber) and one Round lipstick with some insane gold microshimmer (Rose Bud) instead.

    I have an “issue” with shimmer, haha.

  • Elizabeth Peremans

    I have kept away from lipstick for a very long time and decided out of the blue to try these and I LOVE THEM!!!! The secret for them to last longer is to wear a tinted lipstick or cheap stick under it… My favorites are Sao Paulo and Addis Abbada (sp?). Lipstick has become my favorite accessory since I’ve discovered these 🙂

  • Nadya Sadri Mulok

    Have a few! A store called Shop@Sarah’s in Brunei sells Nyx products.

    I loooove these Soft matte creams. My first one was Buenos Aires, but I gave it to a friend cos the colour didnt suit me. I gave Amsterdam to my sister, she suits matte red well. I have Abu Dhabi (fave!), Antwerp, Ibiza, Istanbul (fave!), Milan, and San Paolo. Beautiful matte lippies, and they go with any clothes I wear.

    They wear off after I eat or drink. But they last longer when I dont eat hahah like a good 5-6 hours. And yes, a lip balm first ma’am, and some lip exfoliation can make them more noicer!

    I am waiting for restocking at the store, cos I am eyeing Stockholm and Cannes! *clap hands!*