“Ladies and gentlemen of the graduating class of 1993!
[APPLAUSE]
Wear lipstick!
[LOUDER APPLAUSE]
Specifically, matte lipstick!!
[INTENSE APPLAUSE]
Because if there’s one piece of unsolicited makeup advice I can give to you on this, the beginning of your bold beauty journey into adulthood, it is to wear matte lipstick. Often. Starting right now. Because then, not only will you be partaking of what was one of the hottest fashion trends of the ’90s, but you’ll also be embracing its triumphant return as a trend again now and in the future!
[LONG APPLAUSE]
My second piece of advice for you is this: put down the damn tweezers, because unlike matte lipstick, those full, bushy brows of yours will not return if you whittle them all the way down into pencil thin lines.”
— Anonymous graduation speech
Yes, kids, matte lipsticks, like The New Kids on the Block, are staging a comeback! They’ve returned from the ’90s glam graveyard, and they’ve brought with them some of the era’s most iconic dark brown and taupe shades, like 1993, one of Urban Decay’s upcoming new $22 Matte Revolution Lipsticks.
Dude!! That’s when I graduated from high school. Back then, when I wasn’t wearing my band uniform (BAND GEEK 4 LIFE), you probably would have found me in a plaid shirt, jeans (or Z. Cavarrici pants), a thick black headband, hoop earrings and really, REALLY dark brown matte lipstick. 🙂
Ah, nostalgia… It’s a powerful thing. I think it’s why this shade, 1993, one of the nine shades I’ve seen from the new 11-piece Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick Collection, spoke to me first.
So, what’s the dealio with these?
Well, there are 11 of them (nine shown here), all part of a completely new lipstick line in the UD permanent collection.
Are you familiar with UD’s current crew of creamy finish Revolution Lipsticks? (I just talked about Streak, one of my favorites, the other day.) If you are, these are their matte cousins.
The nine shades shown here are coming soon to Urban Decay counters, Sephora, Ulta, select Macy’s stores and online — deep berry Blackmail, deep red Bad Blood, bright orange Matte Tilt, bright orangey red Temper, dark berry pink After Dark, medium fuchsia Menace, bright purple Bittersweet, light nude Stark Naked and matte medium brown 1993.
The two shades not shown — mauve nude pink Backtalk and warm nude Carnal — will be exclusive to urbandecay.com and Urban Decay stores.
These, as you can imagine, are very much like their O.G. Revolution Lipstick counterparts — similar packaging, buttery texture and smooth application — but they feel more substantial and slightly heavier on my lips.
I don’t mind being able to feel the formula as long as it doesn’t suck every ounce of moisture from my lips.
Yes, girl, I’ve said it a million (or at least a hundred) times before, but MY LIPS ARE HELLA DRY, and it’s a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Most matte lipsticks tear the crap out of my lips and leave me looking like I just got a lip massage from Edward Scissorhands. With these, though, so far, so good. They seem OK. My lips don’t feel dry or tight, and I’ve yet to see any new flakes.
Could it be due to the conditioning ingredients Urban Decay added to the formula, like shea butter, avocado and olive oil?
Hmm…
Maybe! 🙂
Other good stuff…
- These are so pigmented that I can completely cover my lips and reach full opacity with one or two swipes (so much pigment!).
- There are no weird plastic or fake floral fragrance or flavor notes (they’re unscented and unflavored), so I can wear these without wanting to gag or having my tummy turn.
- Wear time seems pretty good — at least five hours — and the formula stays evenly distributed without breaking up or migrating to the outer edges of my lips. The colors will also make it through a meal, sort of, but leave lines of bright leftover lipstick in my vertical lip lines. So after meals, I’ll do a touchup with a thin layer to even things out.
So, yeah! So far I really like these. Totes recommended, especially 1993 (of course), bright pink Menace, bright purple Bittersweet and bright orange Tilt. Those are the ones that make me want to shoop. 🙂
PRICE: $22 each
AVAILABILITY: Coming soon to the Urban Decay website, counters, Urban Decay stores, Ulta, Sephora and select Macy’s
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-/A (if my lips are still in good shape a week from now, I’ll bump that up to a solid “A”)
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Oh too funny, you crack me up. 🙂 I like the sound of this formula. I like After Dark and Menace of these the best.
I really want to get Tilt. I’m searching for an orangy/coral lipstick.
I am mighty late to the UD party having not tried any of the previous releases from the range.. but I am definitely not a matte fan so its the sheers that are calling my name (for a while!:P)
I hope mattes are here to stay. I loooooove matte lips.
Ah these were a surprise launch (I just read about them not too long ago). And by surprise I mean I didn’t budget for this stuff too! Lol.
I really like blackmail and 1993. I have a thing for nudes and vampy shades.
Blackmail looks gorgeous.
I’m class of 1996 but yeah I was totally rocking deep purple and brown matte lippies at that time! Shimmer was like, so old-fashioned then, lol!
The one thing that looks fresh and new in these recent matte launches compared to my youth, including this UD Matte Revolution, is the addition of a matte coral/orange. Really cool, and not already worn over 15 years ago! (I have no problem going down memory lane and wearing a brown or plum matte every now and then either though!)
Ooo Menace is smoking!
I really like these! You wear brown matte lips so well! I’d pick Menace, of course but Tilt is beautiful too!
Tilt is really pretty! And Stark Naked looks great too. And since I’m obsessed with Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood I guess I need that one too.
Wow, Tilt is so pretty!
Shoop on, girlfriend. Shoop on. These are all gorgeous. 1993 + Tilt + Naked speak to me the most. And yeah, you rock brownie lips so well. Would love to play in these. Before MAC’s matte release, I was anti-matte lips bc my lips are related to the Sahara desert. But, when prime & prepped, matte lips work for me. Glad the matte trend made a comeback. I’m here for it
You haven’t aged at all!
I have never worn brown, it washes me out. But I like temper, tilt and menace. How funny that mattes are making a comeback, I’ve been totally into them for the past year. I’m glad to see more options.
I love matte lipsticks, even though I am class of 97.
oooo stark naked, bad blood and bittersweet are beautiful. I graduated in 2004, but I lived up in the bay area during the 90s, a d remember this look all too well. I remember all of “those teenagers” looking so cool!
Class of ’96 whoowhoo! I lovveeed my cinnamon dark brown lips just as much as I loved my Girbaud jeans and being one of the “cool” kids listening to Gwen Stefani when she had brown hair. I love how the matte trend is coming back. I’ve been using sheer cinnamon colored lip balms. What I love most about the matte lips is the wear time – especially at work since I hate re-applying all the time. I’m going to have to check these out – I really like Stark Naked, Menace and After Dark.
1993 rules!!! I need these lipsticks in my life!
Tilt is awesome! I was a 1991 grad that was a non-makeup girl way back when, so oblivious to the trends (I think I nearly had a unibrow) !
I looove Stark Naked and Temper! I might need to check these out!
Omg 1993 looks amazing on you! I NEED it!! Hell I need After Dark, Bittersweet and Black Mail too. I’m really digging those colors
hey, is that you in the first line of summa cum laude list?
i am not far ahead of ya, but i was never kinda matte person until late 90s, when i wore darks like blackmail daily to work. nowadays those colors make me look more bitchy than i actually am, ha.
Lol, good eye Lena! I wondered if anyone would notice that.
1993 looks like it was made for you!
I’m class of ’92 from SF. I noticed your graduation background…did you go to school in Vallejo? My best friend in college graduates there in 91, his sister in 93 and kid brother in 94 I think. What a small world. I never could rock the Browns…too close to my Nc44 skin tone. But I did get my first Mac lipstick at a mall in Sacramento- the shade, Verushka! Ah, good times.
I am class of 1994, and I only discovered matte lipsticks about 2 years ago, when I tried Chanel La Caline. WOW! It feels as if I am not wearing lipstick! I love it! Temper, After Dark and Stark Naked are calling my name 😛
UMMMM BLACKMAIL!
Tilt, Stark Naked, and perhaps Menace are on my list. I’m very into mattes lately (which is crazy of epic proportions for me!) so this is perfect timing. So is a birthday gift of matte ColourPop Lippie Stix from my sister 🙂
union city represent!
LOL, good eye! Did you go to Logan?!
Do you have to look super in EVERY color? LOL I just opened the email for these this morning and checked out the colors online.
Temper was my first choice, second is TIlt, followed by ALL THE REST. LMAO
I have enough Ulta points to get the Smokey palette for free if I want but I may hold off some of the points for one of these. I really do like the UD formulas lately.
OH, and I was also rocking Z Cavarrici’s in the ’90s but not the brown lipstick. It never really worked for me. I may try 1993 in the store but I’m not gonna cry if it doesn’t work.
p.s. I was also already married and out of school for a LONG time. LMAO
Hi Karen I was just wondering if you knew when backtalk and carnal were being released? I’m so curious about those two! They are not on ud’s website. :/
You look exactly the same!!! Love the 1993 on you 🙂
xo | The Fashion Forecast
Okay so I’m totally late with these and only buying them now since they’re on clearance. I bought 1993 from Sephora because I graduated from high school (Canada) then and started college. Total nostalgia vibes (turns out I like the color). I posted about it on my IG yesterday when I got it. I’m searching for Tilt pics just now and you come up, “Oh yay, I love Karen’s swatches!” Boom, I read your intro and it’s like I wrote it! Lmao!