I bought the bright coral-pink shade, #408 (She's So Matte). And I quickly learned that, despite the fancy name, there's nothing particularly splendid or "riche" about this product. For starters, the tip of my brand new LeMatte was smooshed to bits, even though it was still factory-sealed in the package. I was able to mold the tip back in to usable shape, but the damage meant that I had to deal with chunks of product coming off on my lips the first time I used it. I was in the college bathroom dabbing bits of LeMatte off of my chin as fast as I could, trying to prevent smears...not amused, L'oreal.
The actual application and color of the product seemed nice, however. The formula has a lot of slip; it actually feels like a silicone-heavy face primer, which was interesting. It's definitely matte and comes off true to color in one swipe. The pencil format makes it easy to apply this product, even if you're new to bright lipsticks. It doesn't feel any more drying than other matte lipsticks, although you'll probably want to prep your lips with an exfoliant and some balm beforehand.
But that slip isn't all it's cracked up to be, because the LeMattes actually slip right over any part of your lips that isn't super-duper soft. The very inner portion of most people's lips is, in my experience, slightly harder in texture and more prone to dryness. As you can clearly see in this picture, the LeMatte wouldn't apply smoothly to that inner portion of my lips. It applied in dry, patchy-looking sections, caking up in a few cracks and crevices and just barely staining the rest. Regardless of how much product I applied or how much rubbing I did with my lips or fingers, I couldn't get the color to apply evenly.
I also found that She's So Matte feathered almost instantly. Again, it's like the product has a little too much slip. Any bright lip color that smears and feathers, even with a dryer formula, is a no-go in my book.
I will say that the color is incredibly beautiful. It immediately reminded me of MAC Party Parrot, and when I swatched them up against each other, BOOM! Dupes! She's So Matte is maybe the tiniest smidge more red, but even super-fussy-about-color-nuances folks will be hard-pressed to tell the difference between these two on somebody's lips...at least when it comes to color. The extreme difference in application and texture would be a dead giveaway.
So what do the LeMattes have going for them? Not much. Someone with truly perfect lips or an intense obsession with finding a Party Parrot color dupe may be able to make better use of them than I. But at $9 each, and with little staying power and poor application, these aren't a limited edition item I'd go nuts over. It might be better to stick with the LeLacques, L'oreal's glossy pencil, if you want anything from their Fall collection.
RATING: 1 out of 5.
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