Lakme 9 to 5 Naturale Matte Sticks Lipstick Review and Swatches

Lakme 9 to 5 Naturale Matte Sticks Lipsticks are priced at INR 550/- for 2.2 gm. You can buy them off Nykaa or Amazon, or over the counter.

I was quite looking forward to this range of 15 Lakme 9 to 5 Naturale Matte Sticks lipstick, since these are supposed to be infused with aloe vera, and, this is one of those rare times Lakme invests in creating a set of lipsticks that are sort of subtly metallic. So imagine a very happy person when she found these in-store and swatched some of them. Was the happiness justified? Read on! 

What Lakme says about Lakme 9 to 5 Naturale Matte Sticks Lipstick

Lakmé Naturale presents the first-of-its-kind matte sticks infused with aloe vera and honey extracts, that help protect your skin from city pollution. Give city life a pop of color with 15 vibrant shades. These unique matte sticks coat your lips with a veil of color for a vivid, city bright look. These luscious matte sticks combine the precision of a lip liner with the intensity of a lipstick. Its intense color pigments glide on smoothly for a long-lasting matte finish.

My Experience with Lakme 9 to 5 Naturale Matte Sticks Lipstick

Overview

Okay, Lakme, what’s with the “Naturale”? I looked this up in the dictionary, and it means, and I quote Merriam-Webster when I say this, “In a natural manner”. Just saying! Its like asking for a review of a product and then setting yourself up for pot shots. Anyway, the thing I really like about the lipsticks in general is the subtle infusion of metallic shimmers into the lipstick formula. The glitter won’t stare back, it will lie in the background, understated, but highlighting your face. I used the lipsticks on at least three people (apart from my humble self) to truly test its range, and I liked the fact that four of the six lippies were quite universally flattering on different skin tones (light with pink tones, medium with golden tones, and dark with olive tones).

I like the packaging because its quite easy to carry around and the gold and green is pretty! I also like the fact that you just have to twist up to get to the product. The tip becomes blunt after a while of using, so don’t rely on these to be your lip liner. That said, the application is mostly smooth, and the finish is not drying but not too hydrating as well. That keeps it from transferring, though this fades from the centre a bit.

At 550/- these aren’t the cheapest lipsticks in the market, but they are quite affordable, especially because the colour palette is mostly reds and pinks (And I LOVE reds and pinks). The two decidedly nude-ish shade I found were “Nude Scape” (rather obvious, isn’t it?) and “Spice Street”.

Here is a brief description of the colours and their staying power:

Spice Street – Reddish brown with a hint of golden shimmer, this one is a fantastic colour at any point of the day – understated and looks good on virtually every skin tone.

Nude Scape – For some weird reason, the nude brown translated to deep mauvey brown on my skin. I don’t know how that happened, but the subtle shimmers also makes this a good option for office wear.

Crimson Town – We cruise right into the crimson zone and this dark red is really deep and spreads very evenly. Quite easy to work with, but stains my lips red afterwards.

Rouge Metro – I think this colour was the hugest revelation for me. I would not, in general, wear this shade, but when I did, I was quite pleasantly taken aback by the striking orange-red shade that just made my face brighten up. Orangey-red with golden shimmers to lift up my mood? Yes, please!

Candy Centre – I like oranges in general, but I found this shade to be slightly weird, and it changes its hue depending on skin tone. I personally liked the transition orange-peach shade but it didn’t apply too evenly, so this one is better for fair to medium skin tone, or those who can pull a shade like this off.

Overall, I would totally recommend Lakme 9 to 5 Naturale Matte Sticks Lipstick, especially Rouge Metro, Spice Street and Crimson Town. These are good value for money, hydrating, and doesn’t transfer much. Shade selection needs work, but the current ones are suited to Indian weather and summer season.

Thank you Iman Ghoshal for clicking the photos. Iman is a Kolkata based photographer and manages Red Packet. Get in touch with her here.

Disclaimer: PR samples sent by the brand.