Product: Revlon Super Lustrous The Luscious Mattes Lipstick in Shameless

Date Purchased: Feb. 15, 2020

Grade: A

Revlon has made some truly bizarre marketing decisions in the last decade. The brand built its reputation on lipstick and continues to produce such heritage shades as Cherries in the Snow and Fire and Ice, yet it went about a decade without a proper lineup of matte lipsticks. When I first started buying makeup around 2010, Revlon had a smattering of mattes in the regular Super Lustrous line. Then, in 2013, it phased those out in favor of the Matte Balms (RIP Sultry, the signature shade of my mid-to-late twenties; I wish I’d bought a backup). Then, several years after that, Revlon discontinued the Matte Balms without introducing a replacement. The Luscious Mattes collection didn’t make its debut until early 2020, and it did so with very little fanfare; I knew nothing about it until I stumbled upon the new display in my local Ulta.

Shameless was a total impulse buy, but the amount of time I spend contemplating a purchase doesn’t seem to correlate positively with my enjoyment of that purchase: as I mentioned in my 2020 review post, Shameless turned out to be my favorite new beauty product of the year. (Incidentally, the shade shares its name with a dark purple Matte Balm, so Googling “revlon shameless” or even “revlon matte shameless” brings up a bouquet of pansy-colored pouts. Here’s hoping this post helps correct the algorithm.)

I don’t currently own one of Revlon’s regular Super Lustrous lipsticks for a comparison photo, but the Luscious Matte packaging is matte instead of shiny, and the top of the lid is opaque black instead of clear. No complaints about the tube: not too bulky, closes tightly, doesn’t attract too many lint specks or fingerprints (though it does attract a few, as you can see below). In designing the packaging for its new lipstick line, Revlon drew obvious, if half-assed, inspiration from Pat McGrath:

Shameless looks much cooler-toned in the tube than it does on my skin. In fact, it’s a very ’90s terra-cotta rose that unquestionably belongs in my container of warm-toned lipsticks. It does have a touch of mauve, though, which comes out on people who are warmer-toned than I am (e.g. here). The best descriptor I can find for this shade is cozy: it makes me want to put on an oversized flannel shirt and listen to Tegan and Sara.

Incidentally, I’m surprised that Shameless has never been mentioned as a possible dupe for Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lipstick in Velvet Muse. I haven’t seen Velvet Muse in person, but I’ve checked out some swatches, and it looks very similar to Shameless in both tone and texture.

Here are some comparison swatches; the closest matches for Shameless are Urban Decay Ravenswood, which is pinker, and MAC Smoked Almond, which is peachier but has the same muted, slightly dusty quality.