Let me tell you, this lipstick was one hell of a wild ride – from first impression to fully formed thoughts.
I was first intrigued by Maybelline’s Matte Ink liquid lipsticks while watching this video by Bailey B. This unique fiery orange-coral colour is right up my alley, and so on impulse, I picked it up at Walmart.
Price: CAD 11.99
Read on to see my thoughts, and a wear test!
Applicator
The applicator is a pointed doe foot, which serves well to create a crisp lip line. It can have a tendency to make the product apply slightly patchy though (if you apply too much pressure). Additionally, you’ll need to dip once or twice to cover the entirety of the lips.
Colour & First Impressions
Heroine is a gorgeous shade. It straddles the line between orange and hot pink – making it a warm coral. It’s in the same colour family as Rimmel Kate 110 (which has an atrocious formula emphasizing any and all dryness), and MAC’s Relentlessly Red. It is perfect for the summer season, particularly with bit of a healthy tan.
My first impressions of Heroine were not good. First of all, the formula exacerbates every single flake and dry patch on the lips, so if you’re not properly hydrated and prepped, I’d suggest you skip this product.
Moving beyond its emphasis on dryness, it is also hella sticky (for the first little while). DO NOT press your lips together, whatever you do. It just serves to pull up product and make it look unflattering.
Basically, apply Heroine (1-2 coats depending on your desired colour intensity), then don’t press your lips together for about 15 minutes. After that mark, the colour dries down, its stickiness slowly decreases until it ceases altogether, and then it’s actually very comfortable to wear. Unlike a totally matte liquid lip (a la ABH), this moves with the lips and therefore does not have the tendency to crack or flake. It’s sort of similar (but not quite), to Rimmel’s Provocalips (reviewed here).
Wear Test
1:00pm Freshly applied. Very sticky.
2:00pm I can still feel it on the lips, but I can press the lips together and not have them cling as much.
3:30pm The feeling of it on the lips is less obvious now. Almost all the tackiness is gone, and it has withstood drinking water perfectly (no transfer).
5:30pm Looks perfect. Feels fantastic – light, malleable; it’s actually gotten better, the longer it is on my lips.
6:00pm 2 places look patchy ’cause I had to wash my face, but it’s not very noticeable.
8:30pm Had a meal. Still feels great. Up close, my lips are starting to look a little dry – settling and separating in the lip lines.
1:45am Feels lightly drying (but nothing painful or uncomfortable, and certainly not butthole lips); not as bad as some matte liquid lipsticks.
So, to conclude this post, I really like these lipsticks. I don’t think I need or want more than one colour – but this formula is perfect for a statement shade.
Just keep in mind that your lips need to be in tip-top shape, and you need to be well hydrated, let this start to look a bit dry or flakey.
This product will break down if you eat very messy, oily foods, but on the whole, the Matte Inks have excellent longevity and I know I’ll get good use of this lipstick during the next few months!
Bookaholic Beauty 
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