So this originally started out as a foray into my growing lip collection. And then, I got sidetracked by categorization, as one does when one is a person who enjoys making lists but also enjoys dividing that list a hundred times over until you forget the reason why you started the list to begin with.
And then, the mail arrived with another impulse buy and all became clear: start small and work your way up!
(As God is my witness, I likely will not hold to this and you will see another post from me in which I take exhaustive pictures of every tint, balm and stain currently lined up on my dresser, but I am feeling quite professional at the moment so let me have this.)
As it happened, that package was a sign in more than one way, because this happens to be one of my favorite formulas. Which, if you know me, may come as a total shocker due to the very name of this lipstick line: the Clio Mad Matte.
Dun dun dun!
(Well, that last part is a lie. I don't think any girl enjoys that moment when a particularly cheeky student points out that your lips are rimmed in smudgy, milk-thinned Pink Passion or what have you.)
The harsh reality is that lips like mine aren't really built to relish a matte formula, at least on the daily. As an ongoing example, I am applying my Fresh Sugar Tinted Treatment for the second time today and my lips are acting as though they have spent several years fending for themselves in the depths of the Sahara and are welcoming in the very suggestion of an oasis.
So, what makes the Clio Mad Matte different?
I am glad you asked!
First, let's look at the official background and claims on this baby. In case you aren't in the K-beauty know, Club Clio is a mid- to high-end makeup company that has a lot going for it, including the gorgeous actress Gong Hyo Jin (of my favorite and very first drama, Master's Sun) as their official spokesperson and very persuasive model.
I mean
look
at
her.
And tell me you don't want to try whatever that is on her lips.
Besides their own Clio line, they also have some pretty formidable brands under their umbrella, including Peripera of perpetual lip tint fame (and whose products will get a post of their own, soon) and skincare line Goodal.
TL/DR: Club Clio is anathema to a lip lover's wallet and woe is me for my expensive tastes.
Moving on to the Mad Matte specifically, from the official site:
Clio's Mad Matte Lip delivers the newest Korean innovation in matte lips with a unique formula that includes fine micro pigments to deliver intense and vivid color. This unique formula provides a silky suede-like formula that delivers the ultimate matte finish without sacrificing moisture, for smooth, soft, lips with the perfect matte finish. Perfect fitting with an innovative gliding texture that touches lips with color-rich moisture and delivers a gloss-free matte finish!
KEY FEATURES
1. INSANE COLOR PAYOFF for HD Vividness: Pure color directly to your lips with fine micro-pigments that deliver intense, high-chromatic color payoff!
2. INSANE MATTE for Non-Glossy Finish: This lightweight, suede-like formula delivers moisture for-flake-free, cake-free, crack-free wear and forms the ultimate chic and sophisticated matte lip looks!
3. INSANE ADHESION for a Silky, Glide-On Texture: Velvet powder capsules and rich hydrating oils envelop lips with binding power like you've never experienced, for lasting flake-free, cake-free, crack-free wear!
...That is a lot to chew on, but pretty much, it's promising intense color payoff and a finish that won't tax your lips thanks to whatever these velvet powder capsules are.
Now. I eyed this with a lot of skepticism because, let's face it, the cosmetics industry will promise you the sun and the moon with every product you slather on your lips. But then I happened to see two famed makeup artists heartily endorsing the formula on the Korean beauty show Black Label (video, with a suggestion to look around 7:24, though they end up challenging your grasp on your wallet with a lot of the lip products they discuss) and I gave it a second thought.
And then a good friend of mine and fellow lipstick lover added a few pictures to our group chat once she ordered hers, and what the hey, I didn't need that cash lying around here - take my money and give me the pretty!
(This set me back almost $10 from an eBay seller with fifteen days' wait for my first one, and $17 from Club Clio's official Amazon store for the second because it matched my Eid dress and I ordered late. Never say I am not vain, people. I wear my label with shame. Up to the $20 dollar line is pretty typical for Clio's self-labeled products, though.)
So here we are. If you would like to view Exhibit A at the very top of this blog post, Crimson Rose is on the left and Russet Rose is on the right. The tubes are nothing really impressive to write home about, but then again, I appreciate a tube that tells me what's in it, has a nice minimalist design and won't have me despairing that the pretty will get all scratched up when I inevitably lose it at the bottom of my teacher tote in the middle of the week, so I've got nothing to cry about here.
And if you needed to see the rather sad and battered box, here's a picture for you, too. I lost my first box because I've never claimed to be a designated beauty blogger and yes, that is my shirt dress serving as the background because I've NEVER CLAIMED TO BE A DESIGNATED BEAUTY BLOGGER.
Alas, only wrist swatches are served in this establishment because I've never claimed to be...well, let's be honest. I suck at lip swatch pictures. I'm working on it. Promise.
 |
| From top to bottom: Russet Rose and Crimson Rose. In natural (late afternoon) lighting. |
And guess what: in spite of thinking that it would be an occasional indulgence, I find myself wearing it days in a row. Russet Rose is becoming my trademark "I feel like a put-together office lady today" color, if that makes sense. It pulls, on me, a pretty decent and buildable MLBB mauvish color, if a little darker than my normal lip tone. (The official description, by the way, is a subtle blend of rosy violet, whatever that means.)
One or two swipes does the trick, but last week after a particularly tetchy day with my favorite little monsters (ahem, my middle school students), I reapplied in the teacher's lounge using my cell phone as a mirror and with the belated realization that my warm and muggy office had softened the formulation a little bit.
As a result, it went on heavier and I got a great deal of compliments because the color was a bit bolder. So we're definitely not talking sweet and sheer here, but we are also not dealing with a lipstick that doesn't allow user customization for personal preferences.
I'll probably update this post once I've had some one-on-one time with Crimson Rose (which I literally broke out of the package just for the sake of comparison swatches), but it's described as an innocent rose with hints of lavender pink, which is encouraging as most pinks tend to pull purple against my will on my pigmented lips and feels like it will go with the whole flower child theme I'm trying to pull off for the holiday.
Friday will be Judgment Day, I suppose. Anyway, that's it for now, and don't be surprised if I update this post or my general Mad Matte collection (I'm eyeing Sensual Pepper, which a lot of people describe as a brownish red, and Bare It All, which is a mild pinkish nude. I don't even like nude lip shades, which may tell you how much I actually dig this line.)
And since this is one of the two favorite mattes that has changed my view on the institution, I'll be updating you on the other one very, very soon.
(Maybe as soon as my oil cleanser has gotten the stain of these swatches off my arm. Any day now...)
Post a Comment