I've not really jumped on the matte train, mostly because all of the matte liquid lippies have been incredibly drying. So I didn't have much hope for a 'solid' matte lipstick to be honest.
The packaging is lovely, sleek and it feels like a great quality product. It's also less 'old lady' than previous Max Factor packaging. I will admit, I tried to open the very bottom, do see if it was a wee pottle of product like on some brands - but I don't think it is. (I resisted the temptation to try and pry it off with a knife!)
I tried the nude shade - a pinky nude, that's great for day wear.
The lipstick smelt lipstick-y, in that I couldn't detect any distinctive scent. A great sized bullet and the square lipstick casing means you're less likely to nick the bullet when replacing the lid.
The lipstick applied well, both straight from the bullet and with a brush, and I found it wore well through the day, requiring the usual after-eating touch up. It is definitely less maintenance than a liquid matte lipstick.
The finish was, hmm, mostly matte, with a slight sheen. I found the sheen more apparent when teaming this with the Universal Lip Liner than by itself.
Over all, a nice, non drying, very-close-to-matte formula. I'm looking forward to more shades!
I was excited to try this as I don't wear lipstick a lot as I can never find the right colour. I got the Nude and it was perfect! So now I've been wearing it all the time. I found that it didn't keep your lips very moist so I was using a lip gloss first then the lipstick, that suited my lips better. It latest for about 3 hours before I had to reapply. And definitely had to reapply after eating. If you want a little bit of colour with being too much, the Nude is perfect. I will definitely be buying again one I run out!
Tips: Put lip gloss on first then lipstick to keep lips a bit more moist. And use powder over your lips first before doing anything to help the lipstick last longer