BEST & WORST | Drug Store Matte Lip Creams! (Under $10!!)

I have been planning this post for months! Matte lip creams became very popular this year because of brands like Kylie Cosmetics, Jeffree Star, and ColourPop. They've been available from other amazing brands (mostly high end) before that, but this year matte lip creams really became the lip product to wear, which caused drug store brands to start releasing their own versions. Which is amazing, because I don't know about you, but I 1) don't have the money or patience for a Kylie Lipkit and 2) don't particularly like ordering makeup online.

In this post, I will be reviewing five different drug store matte lip creams. While I like all of them, some are definitely better than others. I will be comparing each one to the typical matte lip cream formula you expect, such as drying fully matte, transfer proof, and long lasting. I will also be commenting on the texture, scent, and color. I chose mostly pink neutral colors for this post so you can see how similar colors look differently. Each product is swatched both on the lips and on my arm. I'm wearing a natural pink lip liner underneath all of these products, and I strongly suggest wearing a lip liner under all of these products, but they do also look nice without lip liner. I have very pale skin, so unfortunately I can't show the products swatched on a variety of skin tones, but I will link to the product which will hopefully have a variety of skin tones. Let me know if in the future you would like different skin tone swatches and I can try my best to do that! Anyway, enough rambling, let's get into the products!

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor

This product was... disappointing, honestly. In my opinion, this was the worst drug store matte lip cream that I tried.
Dries Matte: It definitely dries to a matte appearance, but not the same as a typical lip cream, more of the appearance of a regular matte lipstick.
Transfer Proof: This is not transfer proof at all. It never fully dries down.
Long Lasting: This is not long lasting at all. You will need to reapply within an hour or maybe even sooner.
Color: The color was honestly the only rewarding part of this product. Mine is in the shade Devotion. I still wear it every once in awhile just because I do like the color. The color is very pigmented and not patchy.
Scent: There is a very prominent scent, it is like a fake sugary scent, similar to a sugar cookie candle.
Texture: This product feels sort of chalky to me. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but it is a thick formula and the brush is sort of spongey which makes it weird to apply.
Wear Tip: This lasts longer and appears more matte when you apply a very thin layer.
Final Thoughts: If you treat this as you would a normal liquid lipstick and you aren't expecting the typical matte lip cream formula, it isn't bad. It just doesn't fit my standards for a matte lip cream.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid

This was also not my favorite product and did not live up to my matte lip cream expectations. However, I do like this product a lot for what it is and I still wear it often.
Dries Matte: This does not dry matte, it has more of a demi matte finish. It does appear matte, but it also has a bit of a glow or satin appearance.
Transfer Proof: This is not transfer proof. It never fully dries.
Long Lasting: This is not long lasting, you will need to reapply within an hour.
Color: This is a really pretty color. It seems like it is going to be sheer, but actually has a good amount of pigment. The one I have is in the shade Nude Flush, and it's a blush toned pink.
Scent: The scent for this is a dramatic fake sugar scent. Smells more like a typical cosmetic than sugar.
Texture: The feel of this is different than all of the others, which I think is why I like it. It has more of a gel texture than a cream texture. Feels more like a lip gloss.
Wear Tip: Wear a lip liner underneath for a slightly longer wear time. In general, just bring it with you if you want to wear it all day because you will need to reapply.
Final Thoughts: I actually really like this product for what it is, a pigmented matte lip gloss. However, it does not fit my standards for a matte lip cream.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

Despite hearing a lot of good things about this product, I was disappointed. It might be because of the color I chose, I haven't been able to try a more neutral color. However, in general I wouldn't recommend this product from my experience. I will update if I try a different color with better results.
Dries Matte: This does dry to a matte appearance, NYX is very good about that.
Transfer Proof: This is not transfer proof, however my color is a bright pinky red which is difficult to make transfer proof.
Long Lasting: The most disappointing part of this product was that it was not long lasting. I had to reapply within the first two hours.
Color: The color I chose is the shade Monte Carlo, which looks like a vampy red color but turned out to be a more pinky toned red. It applies patchy at times, but does have a lot of pigment.
Scent: This has a very plain sweet cosmetic scent. Not too overwhelming, but still present.
Texture: The feel of this is similar to the above revlon product. It is a very thick formula and uses a spongey brush which makes for a weird application process.
Wear Tip: Definitely wear a lip liner underneath to extend the wear. Try to stick with the lighter neutral colors because I'm guessing those would wear better.
Final Thoughts: I love NYX and these definitely aren't the worst products, but they aren't my favorite. However, there is a wide selection of colors and this is the only one I've tried, so I would still recommend giving this a product a try.

NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick

This was my favorite drug store matte lip cream all summer. I wore it almost every day and I really like it. It eventually got slightly beat out by the next product I'm sharing, but in general, this is an amazing product and is one of my favorites.
Dries Matte: Yes! As the name implies, it dries to a beautiful suede-like appearance.
Transfer Proof: It isn't totally transfer proof, but it also isn't going to just wipe off any time your lips touch something.
Long Lasting: This product is definitely long lasting, it will last me throughout a whole school day. However, it doesn't last as long if you're eating, sweating, etc.
Color: I love the color of the one I have, it is in Tea & Cookies. It is very pigmented and pretty.
Scent: This product has a very plain cosmetic smell, there is no sugary undertone.
Texture: This product has a similar brush to the soft matte lip cream, but the formula is thinner and I like that better. It's a very silky formula.
Wear Tip: Try to apply very thin layers, the thicker it is the longer it will take to dry and it might not actually dry at all.
Final Thoughts: I definitely prefer NYX's liquid suede line over their soft matte lip cream line, although it does have less product and less color choice. Also, the formula somewat varies between colors. I also have Life's a Beach and Sway. Sway has the same results as Tea & Cookies, while Life's a Beach is patchy and doesn't last as well. So don't feel discouraged if the first one you try doesn't work for you.

 Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme

This was the last matte lip cream I got out of all of these, and I definitely saved the best for last! I've only had it for two weeks but I've worn it almost every day since. This product is the most similar to a typical matte lip cream.
Dries Matte: Yes! This dries super quick and is fully matte.
Transfer Proof: Amazingly, this is almost 100% transfer proof. I can eat, drink, and even kiss my hand without it transferring. However, any sort of rubbing against it or it getting wet will cause it to transfer.
Long Lasting: This product is very long lasting. With a lip liner, it lasts me all day, until I go to bed! The quality will gradually become less and some feathering will start near the end of the day, but it still keeps up a good enough appearance.
Color: The color I have is Precious, which is a very pretty darker blush pink. It has a lot of pigment and is very flattering.
Scent: This has a plain cosmetic scent with a hint of sugary undertone, similar to the NYX soft matte lip cream.
Texture: This formula is decently thick and has a bit of a gel feel, but not as much as the maybelline product. It is very silky and glides on well. It has the same spongey brush as most of the others.
Wear Tip: Since it can be drying, apply chapstick before to moisturize and wipe it off before you apply your lip liner. I definitely recommend a lip liner.
Final Thoughts: This is my new favorite product, I am absolutely in love. I want to get every color.

Here are the arm swatches of each product. I let the swatches dry on my arm for about five minutes, so you can see how matte they appear when dry.

I hope this post was helpful for you! I know when I was looking for videos and posts about drug store matte lip creams, there wasn't very many and they didn't always have the information I was looking for. This was a very fun post to do! I want to do more posts reviewing products like this. I'm thinking about doing a post on the best drug store metallic lip creams and the best drug store highlighters.

Comment down below if you like posts like this and would like to see more! Leave any suggestions or requests, I'm always open to ideas! Also, leave any questions you have about the products I mentioned and I will do my best to reply.

Thank you for reading! I think I'm finally back on a schedule for blog posts. Unfortunately, I'm switching to once a week instead of twice a week, so check back for new posts every Saturday at 4pm PDT!

-Rebecca

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.