Updated July 10, 2014
While some of us enjoy a nice, dewy complexion during the summertime, others really want to keep oil and sweat at bay. I’ve got to say, I am the latter most of the time. After all, I live in a city that is beyond humid for about 80% of the year. Thank you, Houston. I’ve tried a lot of mattifying makeup throughout the years. It’s really just part of the humid-living lifestyle.
For me, the best matte makeup goes beyond being able to stay on my face for more than two minutes outside. The best matte makeup are also high quality products for eyes, cheeks, and lips that don’t turn you into a glittery vampire disco ball upon application but still provide a natural flush of color to the face.
I’ve compiled a list of my absolute favorite matte makeup for face, eyes, cheeks, and lips, and of course, I’m sharing them all with you!
Foundations:
Revlon Colorstay Foundation – If you’ve known me, even just for a little while, you know this is my holy grail foundation (first talked about here, used it in this tutorial, featured as my best drugstore foundation of 2013 here, best overall foundation of 2013 here, talked again about it here, featured it in my splurge/steal beauty post here, used it in this video, and probably much more). I prefer the liquid formulation the best, as I feel that the thin consistency really gives the most natural finish. I have rambled on and on and on about how much I love this stuff, so I am not sure what else I can say! Just get it, already.
Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation – This is a great foundation, as well. Certainly not as great as the Revlon Colorstay, but if you are new to the whole matte foundation thing, you should give it a whirl, because it is incredibly cheap! The finish is lovely, and a little lighter than the Revlon Colorstay Whipped formulation. You can see me using this foundation in this tutorial here.
Concealer:
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer – I mentioned in this video that this is my “favorite concealer of life.” I am not joking around. This stuff is so thin and has a paint-like in consistency, but dries to a matte/soft finish that does not crease or budge. I am not joking around when I say that. You can also see me using this concealer in my “Get Ready with Me” video here. Also talked about it in a monthly favorites here.
Powder:
NYX Stay Matte but not Flat Powder Foundation – I don’t really use this as a powder foundation very often, as I actually like to set my foundation with a light dusting of it. You can see me using it in the video here. It does perform very well as a powder foundation, and I find it to be very similar to MAC Studio Fix. I also talked about it more in this favorites video here.
Blush:
Tarte 12-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush – I have this blush in Tipsy (pictured above) and Exposed. These blushes come in a wide array of shades, most of which are matte. All of them are the most gorgeous matte blushes, and perfect for those hot summer days, as they have amazing staying powder. I have talked more about the Tarte blushes here and here.
Bronzer:
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer – This is my current holy grail bronzer. I just don’t care for shimmery/sparkly bronzers because they tend to look too fake on me in direct sunlight. The Too Faced one is perfect for contouring and also warming up the face. It was my favorite bronzer of 2013, featured here, here, and in this vlog.
Eyeshadow:
Too Faced Matte Eye Palette – I absolutely adore this palette. Not only does it have neutral shades, but also includes some purple and blue tones. I first reviewed this palette here, and then used it in this tutorial.
Lip Product:
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream – I got this off of Hautelook (watch my haul video here) in the shade Tokyo, and this is such a lovely lip product. It seriously smells like frosting! It goes on so smoothly and sets without looking cakey. I highly recommend this if you are new to matte lip products and want to get your feet wet.
What are your favorite matte makeup items? Give some of my suggestions a whirl and I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Jill says
Girl I’m with you, wanting to keep oil and shinies at bay. I have no trouble looking dewy on my own, don’t need makeup for that! I’m going to go with great minds thinking alike here, because I’m also a Revlon Colorstay lover and Amazonian clay blush lover too. I switched to it after seeing someone on Youtube use it, and have stuck with it since. It’s the best!
Julie says
Love that blush color! And yes, it’s a fight in a humid area to look ‘dewy’ rather than ‘sweaty’ 🙂
Kate @ Green Fashionista says
Great post! I live in Florida so I hear you on the humidity and my face is a total oil slick! I’m going to look into the NYX Stay Mette but not Flat powder 🙂
Yvonne says
Great post! I recently bought the too faced bronzer too and it’s lovely