NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, Antwerp

Before I got my hands on my coveted Rimmel Show Off (or otherwise known as the Apocalips) Lip Lacquers I decided to give a similar product, the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, a try. The description says "NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream straddles the line between lipstick and gloss with a creamy, lustrous formula and soft matte finish that exudes a sensual glow" and "Neither lipstick nor lip gloss, this matte lip cream is a new kind of lip color 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." I got the color Antwerp which is a bright, deep coral color.

It's definitely not a lipstick because it's super creamy and almost "fluffy" in a way... kind of like the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse formulas... and not glossy or shiny. It smells a bit overwhelmingly sweet, kind of like vanilla, but that fades away without much fuss. The cream sort of just sits on the lips and stays better if lightly patted in. It's not uncomfortable to work with, but it's a strange sensation. The mousse-like formula doesn't feel like it dries my lips out but it definitely has a tendency to cling to dry spots and set in fine lines (as you can see on the swatch on my hand), which is why I'd suggest using a small amount and patting it in and going in layers to intensify the color. That's a skipped tick for the moisturizing claim, but that's expected with matte products, no? The staying power is one of the best things about this lip cream. I've worn it to work a couple times and it's stayed put for 5+ hours, didn't wear off from sipping water or talking through meetings, and though it started to fade slightly at meal time it was very even and didn't completely disappear to give me ghost lips.

This isn't a product I grab that often because the color is way brighter than I normally wear and the texture isn't my favorite, but if you're looking for a good color payoff and aren't bothered by sickly sweet scents, a little bit of working with the product, or a flux between matte and mousse-y I'd say go ahead an give it a go! Otherwise, I'm probably not going to repurchase any other colors of this, though I wish it had worked out better because I adore NYX products and was curious to try Istanbul if Antwerp had been as lovely as I had hoped. Welp, you win some you lose some!