NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan

I’m more of a lipgloss and sheen lip finish type of girl, so despite reading many tempting reviews on the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, I resisted and only tried one out when the local seller, Digital Traincase, put them on sale. I picked a friendly, muted-looking color, Milan.

What the company says about the product:

Neither lipstick nor lipgloss—this is matte lip cream. A new kind of pout paint that goes on silky smooth and sets to a matte finish. Soft Matte Lip Cream is surprisingly durable and, unlike some matte lipstick formulas, also moisturizing. Available in 11 colors.

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NYX+Soft+Matte+Lip+Cream+in+Milan2 NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan

That photo above of the applicator is accurate, looking at the wand indoors under dim fluorescent light. The first time I opened the tube, I thought I’d picked a dull-looking, darkish pink shade…but I was wrong. On my lips, Milan is a neutral, medium pink that brightens up my complexion, but isn’t too bright, and looks quite natural. On me, it’s almost like a toned-down bubblegum pink. I find it pretty, and it’s recently become one of my go-to lip colors.

I love how lightweight this feels—it’s not sticky, heavy, or overly drying. I avoided matte lip products because my lips are perpetually dry, and I expect mattes to leave them feeling even more dry, but this isn’t as drying as I expected. It’s a little drying, sure, but a lot of lipsticks are, and I don’t find this overly drying that it feels uncomfortable. On the contrary, this is comfy to wear. It’s got a creamy texture when initially applied, but dries to a matte finish.

I like this a lot, so it’s too bad that it’s not very long-lasting on the lips. It fades off after drinking or eating. And even if you don’t drink or eat, I find that, after a few hours, the pigment applied on the inner part of my lips has faded, so my lip color looks uneven. Of course, I can always reapply.

Edit: posted a more accurate swatch of Milan.

What I like about the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan:

The pretty color! I think it goes well with my skin tone and is great for everyday wear.
This is quite pigmented. Whatever amount is on the wand when I take it out the tube is enough for both my upper and lower lip.
The sweet, foody scent of it, somewhat like vanilla or caramel. Definitely makes me think of eating candy. If you dislike scented cosmetics or sweet scents though, you might find this a little strong.
Lightweight, non-sticky texture.
It’s not too drying. Not at all as bad as I expected for a matte lip product.
Didn’t irritate my lips either.
I think it’s affordable. Got it for PhP 280 on sale. The regular price I think is PhP 340?

What I don’t like about the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan:

It doesn’t last long on my lips.
Application can be a bit tricky—this is a little buttery when first applied, but dries matte, so rubbing the lips together isn’t advisable because the color might slide around and end up looking uneven. I use the wand to apply not too much product, dab lightly on some places I’ve put too much on, and use a cotton bud to wipe off mistakes, then I avoid rubbing my lips together until its dried off.
If you don’t exfoliate and moisturize your lips before using this, flaky areas will get emphasized.
Mainly has to be ordered online. I know Digital Traincase has a physical store, and these are other NYX resellers, but these aren’t easy to come by offline in most places.

Overall:

This is a lot of fun to use and Milan looks nice with my medium, warm skin tone. I enjoy using it and seeing this shade on my lips, and I would buy it again. This changed my impression of matte lippies and I’m more willing to explore them now. I’ve even ordered a soft matte lip cream in another shade and am waiting for more colors to be in stock. I recommend you try these!

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