In the beauty world, we’re pretty oversaturated with products that are virtually the same, just in different packaging. So it’s like seeing a unicorn amidst the pack when you spot something new and totally unlike anything you’d ever experienced before.
The brand new Smashbox Insta-Matte Lip Transformer is that rare mystical beast! As a matte lip obsessor, this has gotten me a little overexcited!
So what is this thing then? The Insta-Matte is a soft transparent gel that can be applied to your cream lipsticks (not for use with glosses, lacquers or balms) to transform them into a matte lipstick. It won’t change the colour of your lipstick either!
The Insta-Matte is also a really comfortable light-weight product that feels cushiony on the lips. It doesn’t add the dryness that most matte lipsticks have and it maintains the colour perfectly. I can liken it only to the new-ish matte formulas that have started to circulate in the beauty world… they have a bit of a gel texture, but they feel soft on the lips.
Application-wise, I apply my lipstick first, then pop a little bit of the Insta-Matte on to my finger tip and blend that in directly onto my lipstick. I discovered that less is better – one time I applied too much and it got a little bit gloppy on my lips. So stick with a small amount of product and add more as needed to mattify your lips. (A little goes a long way, so you won’t need much!)
Anyway, you’re here for the lip pictures. Let’s see the Insta-Matte in action!
Insta-Matte Comparisons
The Insta-Matte is recommended for use with cream lipsticks, so I went straight for my Too Faced La Creme lipsticks. The difference between the two sides is astounding. I applied the lipstick to my whole mouth, then applied the Insta-Matte to the left side. You can see the instantaneous transformation AND that the colour of the lipstick stays true to itself!
Now that I know this works like a charm on cream formulas, I decided to give some of my other lip products a try. This is MAC’s Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick (limited edition several years back, but it’s the only lustre formula I own) and it worked out just as well as the Too Faced one!
And because I feel like instructions are meant to be tampered with, I decided to see how far I could push this product. The lip product above is my Revlon lip butter in Peach Parfait. This is where the Insta-Matte starts to struggle a little bit. It does work to tone down the sheen of Peach Parfait (which is one of the most reflective lip butters I’ve ever owned), but it’s not something I’d wear with regularity.
This last shot was just for fun. The Insta-Matte definitely says it’s not to be used with lip gloss, but I wanted to see what would happen. And as you can see… the results aren’t glamorous. NYX’s Peach Cobbler butter gloss actually maintains its colour but it starts to go crumbly and chunky.
Final Thoughts on the Smashbox Insta-Matte
My mind is totally blown by the Smashbox Insta-Matte – it’s a really incredible product and unlike anything else of its nature. I never liked the idea of applying powder to my lips to mattify a lipstick (like ew, hello, crunchy and powdery? Gross!) and this is a solution that will actually work for everyone. Although the instructions say to apply liberally, I would encourage you to start out with a small amount of product, and then build on that as needed. The best part is that this actually feels comfortable on the lips – it’s not drying which can be a chief problem with matte lipsticks (as a note, this does not make your lipstick transfer-proof!). So if you couldn’t tell by my post, I love this product – it works well, it’s comfortable to wear and it doubles your cream lipstick collection!
The Smashbox Insta-Matte is available now and can be purchased from Sephora.ca for $26 CAD and on Sephora.com for $24 USD.
The product featured in this review was sent to me for consideration.
