CoverGirlOutlast Forever Velvet Pigment Matte Lipstick

Most Helpful Positive Review

The good, the bad, and the red matte.

This product surprised me a little bit. I actually liked Covergirl's Outlast Forever Velvet Pigment lipstick more than I thought I would. I tend to gravitate toward shimmery and glossy lip balms, glosses, and sheer lipsticks — satin finishes are about as far as I'll go. Mattes and velvets/creams ...are just too heavily pigmented and the color is too flat for my face, which doesn't wear heavy makeup well (with the noted exceptions of mascara and eyeliner). I really didn't think the shade Influenster and Covergirl sent me to review (150 - Cloud Nude) looked half bad though, and even though the texture is definitely that of a velvet lipstick, it still has a nice semi-sheen finish to it, even when it dries down, which makes it somewhat wearable for me (although unfortunately it is not going to make it into my rotation). I have to give it props for how it feels, it's extremely soft, smooth, and luxurious when I apply it — something like a heavy whipped cloud soufflé, maybe? — and the doe foot applicator has a defined pointed tip at the end so you can use it almost like a liner and get a very precise line around the edge of your lips, which is great because the heavily pigmented formula might be difficult to get off your skin if you accidentally slip up (especially in darker shades). I appreciated the staying power; I put it on in the afternoon and it stayed put without any touchups until I took it off before bed (I think it may have stayed on forever if I hadn't taken it off!), but it did make my lips feel pretty dry as soon as it dried down (which was within a matter of seconds after application). This issue (and the issue with matte lipsticks just looking terrible on me) was resolved by applying a nice shimmery gloss on top of the product, although having to reapply gloss all night to keep your long-wear lipstick looking and feeling good does somewhat defeat the purpose of using a long-lasting lippie (however, wearing this product under my gloss decreased how frequently I had to reapply gloss to some extent). The packaging of this product is plastic and cheap feeling, but that's what you would expect from a product at Covergirl's price point, so no surprise there. I have to note that my experience with the second shade I received, 600 - Lava (everyone included in this product test was given Cloud Nude to try and review and was also sent a second, randomly selected shade), was not nearly as pleasant as my experience with Cloud Nude. Aside from matte lipstick, the one thing I really, really can't pull off is red lipstick — and Lavaíj is RED. It did not have any sheen at all when it dried down, felt extremely dry on my lips, and settled into and amplified every little line, making my lips look and feel like the Great Salt Flats. I had to apply a clear, shiny gloss on top of it to even be willing to take a photo, and although the gloss helped a lot with the texture and dryness, the color was still just WAY too dark and intense and heavily pigmented and just…red, for me. Based on my experience with Cloud Nude I would have liked to try another neutral color (or pretty much anything but bright red!), I think it could actually be very pretty with the addition of a nice gloss or balm on top. I won't be purchasing this product, but anyone who really likes matte lippies should give it a try, you may just find a nice, affordable option that works for you!