REVIEW: Joe Fresh Matte Lipstick in "Berry"

late last year, i started dabbling with darker lipstick shades. i put aside my corals and pinks and sought out wines and plums.

i picked up Joe Fresh's Matte Lipstick in "Berry" (3.3 g) on a whim - i could not really find any swatches of it online and there was no tester either - so i based my decision solely on the color of the label.

so imagine my surprise when i opened it and found that it was so dark and so purple! there's nothing in my  lipstick collection that even compares to it.

seeing the color of the lipstick, i applied it to my lips with the utmost caution. i breathed a sigh of relief when i saw the color was actually not as scary on!

top to bottom: natural light; with flash

"Berry" is a purple wine color. i don't usually take lip pictures with flash since you can see every imperfection on my face so clearly - it adds depth to my pores like you wouldn't believe... but i wanted to show you that even though this is a matte lipstick, there is actually a slightly shiny finish after you apply it. you can also see how the light reflects off the actual lipstick in the tube in the pictures above.
the lipstick applies easily to your lips too (there's no tugging) but it eventually dries to a matte finish. it doesn't feel overly dry on the lips though (as in i am not frantically searching for a lip balm). the color starts to fade after a couple hours of wear - mainly around the middle of the lips but it does leave a stain behind.

i would suggest a lip liner as well as a lip balm prior to applying this shade. if you look closely, you can see that this lipstick emphasizes the dry patches on your lips. applying the lip balm beforehand will also make the lipstick apply sheerer if you desire a softer look.

i was too afraid to apply more than one layer of it on my lips but on the swatches on my hand, the left swatch is one layer and then i built it up on the right.

natural light; with flash

oddly enough, i decided to google this color to see if it is sold on the Joe Fresh website and found my own link to another Joe Fresh matte lip product - a lip crayon - in almost the same color ("Plum")... which i have almost forgotten about. but what a weird coincidence! maybe i should always google a lip product before purchasing to make sure that i don't already have a similar one...

 Joe Fresh Matte Lipsticks are $6 each at Superstore. when i picked up "Berry", i was also considering "Brick" but can Joe make it any more confusing for a girl?