L’Oreal Colour Riche Matte Lipsticks Review & Swatches

We all know how trends cycle in and out of style, and recently, I’m seeing a resurgence of matte lipsticks! Of course, there’s always been a time and place for a good matte lipstick, but gloss and oils have really been stealing the spotlight lately. Are we ready to bring matte back to the forefront? L’Oreal is, with their new Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipsticks.

The L’Oreal Colour Riche Matte Lipsticks come in twelve gorgeous shades, ranging from every day neutrals to bold pinks and reds. They range from $10-14 in drugstores, and have some pretty lofty claims. 

This matte formula is supposed to last up to 16 hours and is infused with hyaluronic acid to stay comfortable all day. It boasts smudge-proof and feather-proof color with a powdery matte finish. 

I absolutely love the shape of this lipstick. The slimmer bullet definitely lends itself to more precise application, especially around the lip lines. I feel like I have more control, which is a major plus when working with a formula this pigmented.

As you can see, these shades are very intense, even the neutrals! They all swipe on with full coverage without needing to build up. There’s no streakiness, just very even color payoff. 

All of the shades stain— yes, even the lighter ones!— which definitely helps with color longevity. Even as the color wears away, the stain is typically strong enough to fill in any gaps and make it less obvious.

And yes, the color does wear away. Something that really confused me about L’Oreal’s claims about this product is that they specifically mention smudge-proof, but not transfer-proof. And they definitely transfer. Whether I was drinking out of my tumbler cup straw or a can of seltzer, I left color everywhere my lips touched. 

After one meal, the wear was mainly concentrated in the middle of the lips. You can see above that the stain is really doing heavy lifting in that area so that it doesn’t look bare. However, the color also smudged out of place in the corners of my lips. (Joker, anyone??) I was able to sort of push the smudges in, and go about my day without actually touching up with more product.

After two meals, this lipstick looked well worn. It was mostly stain left, and the feathering made the lip lines a bit blurry. 

The thing is, if a lipstick isn’t transfer-proof, it simply can not be smudge-proof either. As color transfers out of place, it can absolutely be smudged outside the lip lines. I will say though, the feathering and smudging was greatly improved in a separate wear test using lip liner, but the lipstick still doesn’t live up to its claims alone.

As far as how the formula feels, it wasn’t the worst… but it also wasn’t the best matte I’ve ever worn. I didn’t feel like they were particularly moisturizing, but they didn’t make my lips feel drier either. Prep is definitely recommended before applying, exfoliating and moisturizing, as the color does tend to highlight any dry patches.

Most of the shades glide on like butter with more of a creamy consistency, with the exception of a couple — including 163 Coral — which felt more stiff than the rest of the collection and tugged a bit on the lips.

I feel like the L’Oreal Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipsticks are very middle of the road. I’ll admit, my feelings are mixed. There are beautiful colors in the collection, the color does technically last a while, albeit relying on its staining power. The smudging is just something you’ll have to account for when applying and touching up. It performs so much better with a liner (I love the lasting power of the ColourPop Lippie Pencils), so if that’s already a step in your routine then you’ll easily be able to make these work for you.

I’ve just become really picky about what I wear, and if I’m going to wear a matte formula, I really want it to be a little less high maintenance.