A while ago I bought the first set of Meet Matt(e) Hughes minis with 6 small versions of the The Balm matte liquid lipsticks. My review of them can be found here, that’s the permanent set that’s still available. This post is on the limited edition version, though when they call it that I’m not sure how limited it’ll be. I have noticed some differences between the formulas of these six and the originals, not just the colours.
This set has six minis, each has 1.2 ml and costs £25 on the Debenhams website. As the full sized ones (7.4 ml) cost £14 each these sets are a great way to test out the colours or formula as I don’t see myself using any of these minis up, though if you know the colour you want these may not be the best option as they cost more for the same amount of lipstick overall. The six colours included in this set are Faithful, Charismatic, Brilliant, Affectionate, Reliable and Romantic which include a good range of colours, though these go more towards the more neutral and muted tones compared to the originals. There are reds but they’re more cool tones and the neutrals have a slight brown tone to them.
The box for these is the main thing that links them to the standard The Balm packaging, there’s the black and white photographs that have the retro feeling. The box has all the information on the ingredients on the back of it and the front has the names of the colours. This set also has mini swatch photos, or photos of the colours on lips, under each of them which is helpful as a few of them do seem to dry slightly different to the way they look in the tube. This wasn’t on the original set and I think it’s a great addition.
The tubes for the liquid lipstick themselves are mini versions of the full sized. I really like the way they’re so easy to control, with the shorter wand and the lid is slimmer so it’s a great size to hold easily and get close control for lining the lips. It’s also a great size for throwing in your bag or for travel. The doe foot applicator is, again, a smaller version of the full sized. The tubes also each have the name on then, something I forgot was on the original ones and makes it easy to know the names if you want to get the full sized one later.
I have tried each of them a few times to see how well they last with different food. Unfortunately my original watches somehow got corrupted so these photos were all taken on the same day so my lips get worse and worse condition with more matte lipstick. Other than that they do show the colours accurately on my lips. They do seem to appear lighter in my lips than on the cloth when I removed them and darker than in the tube.
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Faithful – A deep berry shade that does apply a bit patchy. As it has the slight purple tint it does make my teeth appear a bit yellower than they are but lasts really well and does stain your lips slightly.
Charismatic – a mid tone nude with a slightly orangey toned base. Applies evenly with one coat and lasts well. I find it’s not much of a difference darkness wise to my natural lips but it changes the colour so it’s a nice everyday colour.
Brilliant – a mid salmony pink, does look a lot darker in the shadow than in the light but a nice spring or summer colour to me. It is slightly patchier than some of the others so it did need a bit of touching up when I first applied it but once you’ve got the coverage you want it lasts well.
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Affectionate – a kind of lavender and mauve mid tone colour that reminds me of NYX Embellishment but a bit lighter. It does look a lot darker when not in direct light, it’s odd how some do this more than others. The slight purple tint does add a yellow tone to my teeth and it’s like Brilliant in that you need to touch it up a bit as it’s slightly patchy on first application but this lasts really well.
Reliable – an orangey based brown, one of the darkest in the set and probably a true brown rather than the nude tones that have a brown tint. It does show orangery in light and looks quite bright then. Applies really evenly and opaque, easily covered a dark mole on my arm when I first swatched it.
Romantic – a true dark red, it does seem to make my teeth look yellower so I think there is a slight blue tones that makes it a muted red rather than a classic bright red. The most opaque of the colours and really does stain so be careful when removing it as you can end up with a bright pink stain around your mouth.
The formula for these liquid lipsticks is really nice. For a matte lipstick it isn’t too drying, it doesn’t give that look of drying the lips out even more, but it does benefit from lip balm half an hour or so before you apply it. This set seems to have a drier, thicker formula than the originals. It has a similar look in the tube, the slightly cracked look, that the NYX lip lingerie do. This is because of the the moussy texture of the formula itself and that makes it light and easy to apply with high pigmentation. It does mean that they can be applied too thick very easily, though you just have to make sure you remove any excess on the tube. One plus for this formula over a lot of the matte liquid lipsticks is the scent; it has a mildly minty smell that reminds me of some of the lip plumping products out there without the tingling.
As far as longevity goes this formula is better than the original to me. It lasts well, though it does need reapplication after a greasy meal but it survived sandwiches, hot and cold drinks and things like pasta. Four hours after I first applied it it was still going strong without any food, a bit of fading around the inner lip line but not enough to need reapplying. A couple of hours after that most of them were obviously fading, but an overall fade rather than patchy, and there was still lipstick on my lips when I went to remove my makeup after eight hours wearing it. There was a bit of variation between the colours but in general they lasted pretty much the same under the same circumstances.
I don’t know how these colours are exclusive or if they’ve changed the formula compared to the older mini set but these seem to last better and feel a slightly thicker, moussier formula that applies evenly. I love the mix of colours, the range in this set is definitely greater to me than in the original, and the pinks in this add a different look to the more nude and red based colours in the original set.
I think I’d recommend these as a good set to try. I like the formula, they last pretty well and are comfortable and not drying when wearing or afterwards which is always a plus when it comes to liquid lipsticks. It’s a great range of colours that covers most bases and I think leans on the cooler side colour tone wise. There are definitely a couple in here that I might consider buying a full sized product in, mainly Affectionate and Charismatic, as they’re great everyday colours for me.
If you’re looking for a way to try liquid lipsticks and find a colour for you this is a rest starting point at the price as they’re a good quality lipstick and come to just over £4 each, plus I don’t see these running out any time soon. I also think it’d be a great set as a gift for someone who loves makeup. I would recommend this over the original set but it all depends on which colours you prefer, these are definitely more me.
I was thinking about doing a comparison post between the two and putting all twelve in the same post if anyone would be interested in that. I did originally mean to put it in here but this seems long enough already!
Have any of you tried any of the Meet Matt(e) Hughes? Any of these colours or from the original set or a completely different one? I’m not sure how many there are outside of the set or if there have been any limited edition colours.
Review: Limited Edition Meet Matt(e) Hughes Mini Set A while ago I bought the first set of Meet Matt(e) Hughes minis with 6 small versions of the The Balm matte liquid lipsticks.
