A Fall Transitional Lippie: Sephora Luster Matte in Coral Luster | Review & Swatches

Sephora Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color in 'Coral Luster'

Hello, and happy October!  It wasn't until after I had edited and uploaded these pics that I realized that whoops, this particular shade may not be available anymore! Lo and behold, upon looking at Sephora's site, though, I heaved a small sigh of relief to find that this shade is still available! It is, however, one of the steeply discounted shades in the line (it's $7 as of right now, originally $16) so it's probably on its way out the door soon. Grab it while you can, because it's a beauty! 

In a nutshell: If you take a liking to liquid lipsticks that yield more of a satin finish than a complete matte, but are still moderately long wearing, akin to the Colourpop Satin Lips, then you may find these to be to your tastes!

Wearing 'Coral Luster', within 1 hour of wear

Wearing 'Coral Luster', after 5 hours of wear

     

     Oh yes, darlings. Let the pictures speak for themselves! This is a beautifully long-wearing lip product, and when it fades, it does so in the most perfect, most even way, leaving behind a beautiful flush of a soft coral shade. There was absolutely no lip liner worn with these swatches, and I did snack around with dry, non-oily foods and just drank some water and went out in the elements for a while when wearing this, but that's the extent of other factors that helped break down this product on the lips. Let me now break it down in terms of a review, and different components of the product that will explain why I love it so much (along with other colors I've tried in this line!) Keep reading! 

Shade & Pigmentation

The shade 'Coral Luster' is a stunning, moderately bright but wearable medium pumpkin orange with very minimal pink tones, and I must say, it looks a good bit deeper and more orange in the tube than it applies on the lips. As in the nature of a good majority of other liquid lip products, this is pretty opaque with one swipe. 

Formula & Finish

This feels so weightless on the lips, it's like I'm wearing next to nothing, considering it being a matte product. Needless to say, with that, it stays extremely comfortable throughout wear-time, and it's described as a nourishing formula that will not dry or crack. I have to attest to that, and am pleased that it does neither of those. It's creamy, and not mousse-like in any way. It's formulated with rose hip seed oil, which contributes to the lightweight formula and the satin finish, and I believe it's the reason why my lips never feel dehydrated after this wears down. However, upon first applying this (as this was the very first shade from the line that I tried), my lips did sting a bit, and swelled up and became chapped the very next day after wearing this. I suppose I can chalk that up to being an initial allergic reaction upon using this product, but I never noticed it happening again when wearing this color or any of the others I have tried, so it was more than likely a false alarm, and had nothing to do with this product. Just mentioning this because if you have a knowledge of being sensitive or allergic to this ingredient, then of course, I would stay away. 

This stays a certain degree of a satin finish, and doesn't dry down completely, so it still transfers a bit, which some people may have qualms with. It can be a dealbreaker in that respect, but for me, the finish helped in regards to the product never looking cakey on the lips or settling into lines, but at the same time, this obviously won't last as long as an ultra-matte lip product will. 

One other thing to note: I detected no scent with these! 

Wear

I found that this particular color wears on average around 4-5 hours (sometimes a mere 3 hours, if oily foods are involved) before the pigment begins to break down and eventually becomes that natural flush of color pictured above, upon which time some would feel the need to reapply. The wear time may be a dealbreaker to a lot of people, but I honestly don't mind, only because it fades so evenly, and I love the worn-in effect it gives after that 3-5 hour mark, so I don't feel that I need to reapply unless I want that full-opacity pigment. Just to note: the wash of color that is left behind is indeed a stain, and the color doesn't melt away completely until, of course, you deliberately remove it with an oil-based remover. It applies well in layers without caking or feeling heavy. You can apply this liquid lipstick over itself once it fades to that even wash of color, and you won't need to remove what you already had on. Still pretty impressive that my lips still feel comfortable after that time has passed, and I never have any strong inclinations to rub it off and apply lip balm at any time. 

Packaging

The packaging is pretty sturdy, and more lightweight than Colourpop's liquid lipstick packaging. I will say though, that the stopper on one of the Sephora Luster Mattes I own was faulty from the start, and the product started leaking almost instantly. 

I also have a minor qualm with the applicator. It's a double-sided flat paddle-shaped applicator, and I just find that application would be so much easier if so much product wasn't dispersed on each side. I find that one swipe of one side of the applicator is more than enough for one application. Nonetheless, it fits the curve of my mouth nicely, and I'm never left with a streaky, messy application, which of course is a big plus. 

Do  I Recommend?

In a word, yes!  I absolutely would, especially since this particular shade is only 7 bucks right now! Right there with Colourpop and NYX prices! It's a perfect lippie to transition from summer to autumn, in my opinion, and I feel it's an orange that many skintones can pull off, even winter white skintones like mine!