Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour Review | Allure

It seems like every day there’s a new liquid lipstick on the market promising to deliver the best smudgeproof, long-lasting wear with incredible coverage. But more often than not the results are drying formulas that compromise the hydration and happiness of your lips. Not cute. In the war of matte liquid lipsticks, Chanel’s Rouge Allure Ink Matte comes out on top. To be frank, it’s not your typical matte liquid lipstick. It glides on like a gloss but dries down to a smooth velvety finish. I’d actually call it more of a suede finish than a matte. Made with plant oils, polymers, and waxes, it’s pretty moisturizing and feels comfortable on your lips all day long — this isn’t one of those formulas that feels like shrink-wrap. And luckily, you don’t have to exfoliate or prep your lips with a primer and balm before using it.

Hannah Choi/Allure

It comes in 12 shades including classic brick red, bright coral, and deep chocolate brown. I tried Choquant, a blue-based crimson I thought would be similar to my all-time favorite red lipstick: M.A.C. Ruby Woo. And it was. The color was rich and pretty much matched my expectation to a T. The consistency, however, was more on the watery side. The pigment is semi-opaque and goes on sheer, yet it’s easily buildable, so it took me about two to three applications to get full coverage. Granted, I have very full lips, so if you have a smaller mouth you should be fine with just one to two swipes. The doe-foot applicator is easy to maneuver on your lips and makes it easy to create a crisp line along the perimeter of your mouth.

Corey Olsen