{"id":515,"date":"2025-04-20T22:23:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T22:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/?p=515"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:27:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:27:20","slug":"does-loreal-color-riche-matte-lipstick-actually-feel-comfortable-or-is-it-just-another-dry-crumbly-disappointment_","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/?p=515","title":{"rendered":"Does L&#8217;Or\u00e9al Color Riche Matte Lipstick Actually Feel Comfortable, or Is It Just Another Dry, Crumbly Disappointment_"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c7d02f5a0d51.91767590.jpg\" alt=\"Does L&#039;Or\u00e9al Color Riche Matte Lipstick Actually Feel Comfortable, or Is It Just Another Dry, Crumbly Disappointment_\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c7d033059fe1.63673058.jpg\" alt=\"Does L&#039;Or\u00e9al Color Riche Matte Lipstick Actually Feel Comfortable, or Is It Just Another Dry, Crumbly Disappointment_\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c7d0350f5699.58959822.jpg\" alt=\"Does L&#039;Or\u00e9al Color Riche Matte Lipstick Actually Feel Comfortable, or Is It Just Another Dry, Crumbly Disappointment_\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c7d037d32629.53410690.jpg\" alt=\"Does L&#039;Or\u00e9al Color Riche Matte Lipstick Actually Feel Comfortable, or Is It Just Another Dry, Crumbly Disappointment_\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So I was standing in the makeup aisle at Target last week, right? Staring at this wall of lipsticks that all promise the same things\u2014long-lasting, comfortable, bold color\u2014and honestly, I was overwhelmed. My lips have been through some trauma. We&#8217;re talking about years of matte liquid lipsticks that felt like paint, bullet mattes that crumbled after one coffee, and &#8220;hydrating&#8221; formulas that somehow made things worse. But then I kept seeing L&#8217;Or\u00e9al Color Riche Matte pop up in those &#8220;best drugstore lipstick 2024&#8221; lists, and I thought, okay, let&#8217;s see if the hype is real. Best matte lipstick review, comfortable matte formula, L&#8217;Or\u00e9al lipstick swatches&#8230; these search terms were basically haunting my browser history, so I grabbed three shades and decided to test them properly.First impression? The packaging is surprisingly heavy. Not in a bad way, but it feels expensive when you pull it out of your bag. That magnetic click when you close it\u2014satisfying. I know that shouldn&#8217;t matter, but we&#8217;re using makeup partially for the experience, right? If I&#8217;m going to reapply in public, I want to feel somewhat classy doing it.Now, the texture. This is where things get interesting. I tried shade 348 Brick Vintage first because, well, it looked like the kind of red-brown that works for literally everyone. And the glide&#8230; it actually glided. Not that waxy, dragging sensation some mattes have where you feel like you&#8217;re pulling your lips forward with the bullet. More like a soft, velvety deposit of color that somehow sets down matte but doesn&#8217;t feel like concrete. I kept pressing my lips together expecting that tacky resistance, and it never came.<strong>But what makes the texture different from other drugstore mattes?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>This is the question I kept asking myself after the first wear. Because I&#8217;ve tried Maybelline&#8217;s mattes, I&#8217;ve tried NYX, I&#8217;ve tried Revlon&#8230; and they all have that slightly powdery aftermath. You know, when you rub your lips and little balls of product start forming? Color Riche doesn&#8217;t really do that. At least, not in my experience over two weeks of testing.The formula is being marketed as &#8220;matte without the dryness,&#8221; which sounds like marketing fluff, but there&#8217;s actually something to it. It contains jojoba oil and vitamin E, which\u2014okay, every lipstick claims to have oils now\u2014but the ratio seems different here. It&#8217;s like they figured out how to suspend the pigment in enough emollient base that it doesn&#8217;t suck all moisture out, but not so much that it turns glossy.I made a comparison chart after wearing these side-by-side with some other popular options:<\/p>\n<header data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\" style=\"position: sticky; left: 0px; top: 0px;\"><span data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\u8868\u683c<\/span>  <\/header>\n<table data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<thead data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Aspect<\/th>\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Color Riche Matte<\/th>\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Maybelline Matte Ink<\/th>\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Revlon Super Lustrous Matte<\/th>\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">MAC Matte Lipstick<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\"><strong data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">First application feel<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Creamy, almost balm-like<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Liquid, then dries tight<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Slightly waxy<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Smooth but drier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\"><strong data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Dry-down time<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Immediate, no waiting<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">2-3 minutes to set<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Immediate<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Immediate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\"><strong data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Transfer proof?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Some transfer on cups<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Very transfer-proof<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Moderate transfer<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Moderate transfer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\"><strong data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Comfort after 4 hours<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Still comfortable<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Starts feeling tight<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Slightly dry<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Noticeably dry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\"><strong data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Reapplication<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Layers well without buildup<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Gets crusty if layered<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Okay, but fades unevenly<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Can look patchy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\"><strong data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Price range<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">$9-12<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">$7-10<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">$6-9<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">$19-22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Looking at that, you can see why I was confused. The Color Riche isn&#8217;t the most long-wearing\u2014that honor goes to liquid mattes\u2014but it&#8217;s the one I actually wanted to keep wearing. There&#8217;s a difference between &#8220;stays on&#8221; and &#8220;feels good while staying on,&#8221; and I think we forget that when we&#8217;re chasing 12-hour wear claims.<strong>What about the shade range? Are we getting actual variety or just five versions of red?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>This mattered to me because my skin tone is&#8230; complicated. Olive undertones that shift depending on the season, sometimes looking warm, sometimes looking almost gray. I bought 348 Brick Vintage (that red-brown I mentioned), 103 Blush in a Rush (a dusty rose), and 666 Matte-ison Avenue (deep berry).The Blush in a Rush was being recommended everywhere as the &#8220;perfect nude,&#8221; and honestly? It was too pink on me. Not terrible, but not that effortless my-lips-but-better look I wanted. Brick Vintage, though\u2014chef&#8217;s kiss. That one understood the assignment. It made my teeth look whiter, which is always a bonus, and it didn&#8217;t pull orange after a few hours like some warm reds do.666 Matte-ison Avenue was the surprise winner for evenings. Deep without being goth, berry without being purple. But some friends want to know about the lighter shades, and from what I&#8217;ve seen swatched online, they can be slightly streaky. The pigment concentration seems higher in the mid-tone and deep range, so if you&#8217;re going for a pale nude, you might need to work with it more.<strong>How does it actually wear throughout the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get real about this. I wore Brick Vintage to work\u2014eight hours, multiple coffees, one sad desk lunch, lots of talking. By hour three, the center was fading. Not dramatically, but that inner ring thing was happening. By hour six, I needed to reapply if I wanted to look polished. But\u2014and this is crucial\u2014my lips didn&#8217;t feel destroyed. They felt like I&#8217;d worn a regular creamy lipstick, not like I&#8217;d been in a desert windstorm.The fading itself was&#8230; graceful? Is that a weird word for lipstick? It didn&#8217;t leave that harsh outline that some mattes do, where you look like you drew your lips with liner and forgot the middle. It just sort of softened evenly. I could get away with not reapplying if I was just running errands, but for a meeting, I&#8217;d want to touch up.<strong>Is it really worth the price when there are cheaper options?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>This is where my personal opinion gets messy. Because if you&#8217;re strictly budgeting, yeah, there are $5 mattes that look similar in the tube. But I&#8217;ve been burned by those too many times. They look good for an hour, then they settle into every line, or they feather, or they just feel awful.With Color Riche, you&#8217;re paying for the texture research, I think. L&#8217;Or\u00e9al has been making lipstick forever\u2014they know what they&#8217;re doing. The bullet shape is angled nicely for application without a mirror. The scent is that classic, slightly powdery vanilla that reminds me of my mom&#8217;s makeup bag in the 90s. Nostalgic, but not overpowering.I bring you this detailed setup method, let&#8217;s take a look at how I apply it for best results: exfoliate lightly first (I just use a wet washcloth, nothing fancy), apply a thin layer of lip balm and blot most of it off after two minutes, then apply the lipstick straight from the bullet. No lip liner needed, which saves time. The blogger often uses this technique with bullet lipsticks to get that soft, diffused edge that&#8217;s trending right now.<strong>Final verdict from someone who has trust issues with matte lipsticks<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Would I buy more shades? Probably. I&#8217;m eyeing that coral shade for summer, even though corals usually terrify me. The formula has earned enough trust that I&#8217;m willing to experiment.Is it perfect? No. If you need something that survives a makeout session or a greasy burger, this isn&#8217;t it. You&#8217;ll want a liquid matte for that level of commitment. But for daily life\u2014offices, coffee dates, looking put-together without suffering\u2014this is being added to my regular rotation.The beauty industry keeps trying to convince us that comfort and longevity are mutually exclusive. That we have to choose between a lipstick that feels good and a lipstick that stays put. Color Riche Matte doesn&#8217;t completely solve that paradox, but it comes closer than most at this price point. And sometimes, &#8220;pretty good for the price&#8221; is exactly what we need. Not everything has to be luxury to be worth wearing.Hope this helps you decide whether to grab one on your next drugstore run. Your lips might thank you. Or at least, they won&#8217;t hate you, which is honestly a win in the matte lipstick world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So I was standing in the makeup aisle at Target last week, right? Staring at this wall of lipsticks that all promise the same things\u2014long-lasting, comfortable, bold color\u2014and honestly, I was overwhelmed. My lips have been through some trauma. We&#8217;re talking about years of matte liquid lipsticks that felt like paint, bullet mattes that crumbled &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[77,75,76],"class_list":["post-515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-loreal-makeup-review","tag-crumbly-disappointment_","tag-does-loreal-color-riche-matte-lipstick-actually-feel-comfortable","tag-or-is-it-just-another-dry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":520,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions\/520"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}