The product: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick in 152 Sharp Nude, 156 Classy Lace, and 158 Fiery Sienna

It’s been a long time since my last lipstick review. It has also (by no coincidence) been a long time since I liked a lipstick as much as I like the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist ($23 USD/$31 CAD) formula. This buttery-smooth matte formula feels as amazing as it looks, and the light scent is just perfect.

The Rouge Artist formula: Comfort and wear

I’ve tried formulas in the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist line before, and so far, I’ve liked all of them. Their Artist Acrylip is glossy and highly pigmented, with a unique liquid texture and format. The original Rouge Artist Mat lipsticks (being discontinued) are intense and creamy, with perfectly compact packaging and impressive opacity. And, of course, the popular Artist Liquid Matte has a great range of nude shades, with a longevity that’s perfect for wearing under a mask.

Make Up For Ever 152 Sharp Nude, 156 Classy Lace, and 158 Fiery Sienna

This newest Rouge Artist formula has (in my opinion) the best formula of the bunch, but the worst packaging. It’s fantastically comfortable, with a blurry matte finish that feels lightly hydrating. While it falls very short of its 24 hour wear time claims, it lasts for a standard four hours before I need to reapply, and is just as comfortable to wear as a cream lipstick — a huge achievement for a matte.

I mean, really. You want us to believe that these lipsticks are going to provide “all-day” colour and “24 hours of hydration”? I’ll admit that they have a great formula. I’ll admit that they’re one of my favourites of the year. Heck, I’ll even admit that they’re exactly what I want right now, when I’m stuck at home all day and just want to enjoy a comfy lipstick with a great scent! (Light, powdery, and bright, like a fancy dry shampoo.) 

But all day? 24 hours? We’ve been lied to enough this year, thanks. 

Why are the MUFE Rouge Artist Lipsticks packaged like that?

Okay: here’s the only bad thing about the new Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipsticks. Their packaging is designed so that it “mimics the precision of a lip brush,” which makes no sense to me. Lip brushes are all about having a small tip and a controlled amount of product on your brush. Making an extra-chunky, extra-long tube that looks like a lip brush when you click the pieces together does nothing for precision, but means that these lipsticks are too large to fit in a small purse. 

I could easily fit two of MUFE’s old Rouge Artist Mat lipsticks in the space that one of these new ones takes up, or three (three!) of their Artist Acrylip Lip Paints. It speaks volumes to this wonderful new formula that I—and the rest of the internet—seem to just be totally chill with their comically large packaging. 

(But, for the record, their precise, flat lipstick tip does actually mimic the shape of a lip brush. It’s wonderful.) 

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick review: 152 Sharp Nude swatches

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist swatches: My favourite shades

I’ve been battling self confidence swings since quarantine started, so I picked out three Rouge Artist shades I thought I’d like for this review. Normally, I make myself try colours that will help me best review an entire product line: for instance, one nude, one pink, and one vampy shade. But this time around, I just wanted to try some shades that I could enjoy. 

The plan worked like a charm. All three of these cool-toned nudes work well against my skintone, and Make Up For Ever offers plenty of colour options for different skintones. The “cool nudes” in the Rouge Artist line run from 150-172, with warmer options from 100-122. 

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick review: 156 Classy Lace swatches

I like these all well enough that I can’t pick a favourite. 152 Sharp Nude is really beautiful and subdued, and looks like an early 2000’s nude lip on me, but softened for the modern day. It has an almost purply undertone (hell yeah, cool-toned nudes) that looks exactly like my lips in the morning — you know, before I start talking a mile a minute.

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick in 156 Classy Lace is also great. It’s a lot warmer, with reddish undertones that read orangey-pink on my skin. I like it a lot, but I’m guessing that it’ll look much more mauve on most people. Finally, 158 Fiery Sienna is just a beauty. Fiery Sienna is just a hair darker than Classy Lace, but with more brown and less red/pink in it. It’s wonderful, and looks very smooth and natural against my complexion. 

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipstick review: 158 Fiery Sienna swatches

The Rouge Artist verdict?

I loved all three of these Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Lipsticks, despite their chunky packaging. Their formula is comfortable and easy to wear, especially for a matte. While they don’t last for a full day (of course), their four hours feel great. 

If you were a fan of the original Rouge Artist Mat lipsticks, here’s a quick word of caution. The new Rouge Artist is amazing, but it’s a very different formula. They have a softer finish and less opacity than the original, but they also feel a lot lighter — just completely different in every way. I think they’re wonderful in their own way, but they’re not just a repackaging of the same old lipsticks! 

Availability: $23 USD/$31 CAD. Permanent.

152 Sharp Nude

156 Classy Lace

158 Fiery Sienna

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Disclaimer: These lipsticks were gifted for editorial consideration only. This post also contains affiliate links, which help support theNotice when you shop using them!