MATTE FOR LIFE
A FEMINIST IMPERATIVE OR THE KYLIE JENNER EFFECT? EITHER WAY, AN ANTI-SHINE LIPSTICK MOVEMENT IS UPON US BUT WHICH ONE TO BUY?
Since the ancient Egyptians (most famously, Cleopatra) crushed up bugs and berries to create the colour red in their make-up, women have been painting their lips. The point of lipstick, historically speaking, is to enhance evolutionary appeal. It’s for mating, basically. Plump, flushed and moist equals youthful, lascivious, inviting. (Why? It’s all down to the association – use your imagination, people.) This is why a classic lipstick is customarily shiny, and it’s also why women who rouged their lips in Britain as recently as the 1800s were declared prostitutes at best, witches at worst.
We’ve progressed somewhat since then, and the modern-day woman in an age of equality and individualism will use lipstick as any other accessory: to distinguish themselves from others.
What’s happening in the lipstick world is a disruptive reversal of thinking. No sexy, dewy, suggestive mouths on offer for your winter lip make-up kit. Now it’s about dulling them down as much as possible. Mattifying is the way forward.
This is good news for me, a Beauty Director with a distinct dislike of lip gloss. But for the consumer? I appreciate you might have some concerns to consider. For one, will it make you less attractive to the opposite sex? We did some field research – namely a walk over to our friends at Esquire magazine. ‘I’ve never found that lipstick detracts or adds to my attraction to someone,’ says Online Writer Finlay Renwick. ‘If they wear it, shiny or matte, that’s fine, but I’m not fussed if they never wear any.’
Be honest, though, Fin – would you notice if it was shiny or matte? ‘I’d like to say I would, but it wouldn’t cause me to change my opinion of them or their look.’
So attraction is not the issue. Confidence, then? Make-up artist Lynsey Alexander, who used Mac Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour for several SS17 shows (Mary Katrantzou was a standout), agrees it’s a look: ‘Matte colours absorb light so they look stronger. It’s a much punchier statement.’ There’s no middle ground for the professional lip artist, either. ‘For me, it’s either-or. You go full-on shine or full-on matte. Anything in-between is a bit too polite.’
Longevity is already on your side. Matte lipsticks have less emollient (moisture) but more silica (oil absorbent), which means they better adhere the pigment to the lip. It makes it longer-lasting, yes, but at what cost to the comfort? The reason big brands embrace matte today is, according to Lynsey, because of the advances in technology. ‘A few seasons ago, we used
Mac Lip Mix, which is really for the professional – you have to paint with it,’ says Lynsey. ‘But now, brands are coming up with incredible formulas that are really consumer- and wearer-friendly.’
Chances are you’ve seen them – the influx of liquid lips, AKA the dawn of a new lip paint age. The smooth, liquid formula that dries chalky is the lipstick equivalent of Farrow & Ball flat matte paint, and just as prestigious a finish for this season. Hourglass set the benchmark with its Opaque Rouge, favoured by Madonna and Kate Moss, and now that we’ve got our heads around the antigloss movement, we can create a whole new arsenal comprising Chanel Rouge Allure Ink, Mac Retro Matte, Burberry Liquid
Lip Velvet, Ciaté London Liquid Velvet, Bourjois, Revlon, Kylie Cosmetics… The list goes on for as long as the liquid lip lasts.
Back to the hero of the story: the staying power. When there is any shine in a product it moves, so painting on a dry matte is almost like a stamp. A punchy, I-have-make-up-flair-and-I’m-notafraid-to-use-it kind of stamp, and since it’s not going anywhere soon – figuratively and literally speaking– it’s time to get into it.
Matte is for the longer-term commitment, not just a fleeting affair before coffee.