Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint

The moment I saw the word 'matte,' I was sold. I'm a huge fan of matte lips, but I find that almost all matte products on the market are drying. Sure, there are those hidden gems that don't completely dry out your skin and lips, but for the most part, matte is equal to drying. These Tarte Matte LipSurgences (not to be confused with their counterpart, the original, non-matte formula) claim to create a pigmented, matte lip AND moisturize.

Months ago, I bought Lucky (light pink) from DermStore and found myself completely let down. However, I recently received Fiery (brick red) for free as part of a Sephora point-perk and I fell in love with the product. My love for Fiery inspired me to try out Lucky again and I really do love it.

First off, the packaging has slightly changed. Though very, very slightly, the lid has been changed in the past few months in order to make the product easier to open. Trying to open Lucky is hell (part of the reason I never used it) but Fiery opens easily (I assume all shades of this product being sold now have the new packaging).

As you can see, the older one on the left (Lucky) has a slightly-concave lid and the newer one on the right (Fiery) is completely flat on top. If you decide to pick up this product in a store, make sure the one you buy has a flat-top lid, it's a million times easier to open!

The pigmentation is beautiful. These pictures really aren't doing the products justice. With one swipe, they are super opaque and crazy smooth. I will say, I feel like Fiery is a touch smoother than Lucky. I'm not sure if it's because it is a new formulation, or if it's simply because of the color of the product. Either way, I think these lipsticks are gorgeous and really do last for a long time. I'd recommend using a lip scrub before putting these on, because they are matte and will stick to any dry skin on your lips. For $24 a piece, I probably won't be buying anymore, but I do love the ones I have. If you aren't concerned with price, these are great! However, if you're cost-conscious, search around for some more viable options.

Have any of you tried these? What do you all think?