L.A. Girl Matte Pigment Gloss might be a bit of a mouthful as a product name, but it’s not messing around when it comes to providing a lip-full of colour.

As the name suggests, this lip colour is a matte strongly pigmented gloss–but, it’s
also kind of a liquid lipstick. Matte liquid lipsticks tend to be highly pigmented, long-lasting, and quite dry on the lips, since the matte finish and long-wear formula doesn’t allow for much moisture. The difference with this L.A. Girl Matte Pigment Gloss is that it really does seem to feel like half-gloss, half-liquid lipstick, taking the positives from both formula types to leave you with a comfortable, well-wearing product that stays put, doesn’t smudge and stays vibrant. I tested out 2 shades, Instinct, a vibrant red-tinted orange, and Bazaar, a warm mid-toned pink, to see how they applied and wore.

L – Instinct, R – Bazaar

The formula is relatively thick but not gloopy. Pairing that together with the applicator wand, which is a neat, firm doe’s foot, it makes the application of this lip colour much easier and less intimidating than your average liquid lipstick. I’ve experienced accidental over-applications with thin, runny formula liquid lipsticks that resulted in a trout pout, and messy applications where a too-fluffy applicator gets product where I didn’t want it, but this product was so quick and easy to apply that it took all stress out of painting on the perfect pair of lips. It might sound like a weird thing to favour, but this is my favourite applicator I’ve ever found in a product, since it makes the application so darn easy, and I wish all my other lip products have the exact same applicator wand.

Once applied, it takes a couple of minutes to truly dry down fully, but once it does it has only a slight tacky feeling on your lips, more akin to an almost-dried gloss or a matte lipstick than a liquid lipstick. It’s touch-proof, so that slight feel of moisture means it’s comfortable as well as lightweight, much more bearable to wear for ladies who hate the dry feeling of most matte liquid lipsticks, making this a great alternative for that same sexy, sophisticated matte look.

I was impressed with how well the colour held up to a full day’s wear, needing only minimal touch ups if I ate or drank. It never melted or smudged in the corners of my mouth, as I sometimes find with even matte lip colours, and I even forgot I had any lip colour on for long periods of time. And for only $5.99 a pop, that’s more than little bit of a win!

LA girl isn’t stocked in the UK, so I got mine from Doll Me Up, who stock 5 shades, from soft pink to daring red. They’re a great long-lasting lip colour option whether it’s for work or play, and with more shades coming to DMU soon, they’re bound to be one of your go-to lipsticks in every colour. Doll Me Up offer free domestic shipping on all orders within the USA and ship internationally with affordable shipping options starting from $6.99.