Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Review

When Huda Kattan announced she would launch "the best liquid lipstick formula ever!", I was excited and at the same time skeptical. Watching her hype the liquid lipsticks up on Snapchat just made me think it wouldn't be that great, and everyone would just purchase for the hype and the name. But boy, was I wrong!

Let me just take a minute or two to appreciate that packaging. A lot of people said she copied Kylie, etc., but I don't find the boxes to be alike AT ALL. Kylie's are just cardboard boxes with separators inside to separate the lip liner and liquid lipstick. The artwork is Kylie's lips with grills (which are actually metallic on the boxes), and the box background is white with drips and information. Huda's outer cover is clear plastic, with her lips printed on it. The actual liquid lipstick is housed in a tray that slides out, and the colour on the inner tray is more representative of the actual colour you will get on your lips. To me, the boxes are very different, but others can naturally have different opinions.

Slide-out trays! So chic.

The bottles are frosted glass and can be laid flat since they are rectangular and not cylindrical.

The liquid lipstick goes on very smooth. It's very easy to spread on to the lips.

Now on to the part you probably care most about - the formula!

Man, these are LUSH! These feel very soft on the lips. They're not one bit drying. They actually feel like lip balm on the lips, much like OFRA. Here's the sole difference between Ofra's formula and Huda's formula - Huda's dries down completely! What sorcery is this?! For a soft, creamy, moisturising liquid lipstick formula to dry down completely is truly a miracle. Most liquid lipsticks that are non-drying don't dry down to a completely transfer-proof finish (think OFRA, TheBalm, Tarte), and most that do dry down are drying on the lips (think Beauty Bakerie, Jeffree Star, Kylie Cosmetics), but Huda's house the best of both worlds. Seriously, what sorcery is this?!

If you really want an explanation to how this is possible, there's beeswax as well as alcohols/ethanols in the formula. The alcohols/ethanols make sure you get a transfer-proof finish, and the beeswax prevents the alcohols/ethanols or pigments from drying your lips out. These two ingredients are listed near the very beginning of the ingredients list.

I got full opacity in one coat, but if I needed to "fix" certain areas by going over them, it wasn't a problem. The formula did not flake if reapplied on certain parts.

These liquid lipsticks smell like chocolate, and I love that they do, because it makes applying them all the more enjoyable!

The liquid lipstick lasted a pretty long time on my lips, and did not flake, crack, or budge. It felt comfortable the entire time I was wearing it. It was easy to remove with oil.

When I used these alone, they were completely transfer-proof, but when I applied a bit of Farsali Rose Gold Elixir underneath, there was some transfer, even though I had let the oil set.

I love the thin, long-handled wands. They make application so easy and precise!

The shades I purchased are Spice Girl, Icon, Trophy Wife, Cheerleader, Heartbreaker, and Vixen. I was hoping for more mauve and nude shades for medium to dark skin tones, but oh well.

Huda Beauty Spice Girl

Spice Girl is a greyish 90s brown with some mauve to it. This was one of my "extra purchases" because it was available and I could not resist! I'm surprised this sells out the slowest, it really is a pretty brown.

Huda Beauty Icon

Icon is a brick shade with some pink to it. On the box, it looks more pink than it actually is. I thought this would be similar to Trophy Wife, but thankfully it wasn't.

Huda Beauty Trophy Wife

Trophy Wife is a mauve pink. I love this shade! I used this with the matching Lip Contour. The Lip Contour in the same shade is an exact match for the liquid lipstick. Using them together gave more precise application, but also felt dryer than when I used only the liquid lipstick.

Huda Beauty Cheerleader

Cheerleader is a bright, warm red. This shade is very close to MAC's Ruby Woo, which is one of my all-time favourite reds, and I'm so glad I've found a liquid alternative in a great formula. I applied Lip Countour first, and still managed to mess application up because I have zero skill in applying red liquid lipsticks. I'd suggest doing the lip corners with lip contour and not applying the liquid lipstick over those areas if you're clumsy like me. Cheerleader and Heartbreaker look very different in real life - Cheerleader is a warm red, whereas Heartbreaker is a cool pink-red.

Huda Beauty Heartbreaker

Heartbreaker is a bright, pink-toned red. If you're expecting a nice, deep red, this is not it. This is more of a raspberry red. I just generally tend to mess up my liquid lipstick application when it comes to red shades. I would advise using a lip liner with this (Kylie's Mary Jo K lip liner works well with this). This is the shade I can see myself using the least.

Huda Beauty Vixen

Vixen is a deep, dark chocolate brown with some red to it. This is very dark, and is perfect if you're into super vampy shades. Despite being a dark shade, it did not stain my lips. I was able to apply this onto my lips decently enough without using a lip liner, thanks to the thin brush which gives good control over application. If you want to wear this but are afraid of messing up application, there is a matching Lip Contour to go with it. This was my other "extra purchase".

Do you need the Lip Contours if you're getting the Liquid Mattes? For longevity, colour payoff, and lasting power, no. But they're great if you want precise application, especially in case of the darker shades.

Below are swatches of all six of my shades, plus my two Lip Contours. I will be reviewing the Lip Contours in a separate post in future.

This is definitely my new favourite formula, and has replaced Ofra liquid lipsticks in my number one spot. These are well worth the price, and are all round amazing. Highly recommended!

You can purchase Huda Beauty Liquid Matte from www.shophudabeauty.com or Sephora for $20 each, or for BDT 2700/- from Shop Online. Subject to availability.

I hope you enjoyed this review and will let me know your thoughts in the comments, on Instagram, or on Facebook!