It would seem to me, a wave of matt frenzy in makeup ocean would be over by now. I mean, it’s been going on for a while now. But I guess, the Old Hollywood bright and velvety lip and nail look is just too lush to resist. Or maybe, this sweeping matt trend is an answer to all the glossy and shiny lip products we were getting couple years back. Anyway, the trend is here and as strong as ever. There’s a bunch of products in the luxury market that were released as part of this trend. A lot of them even got included in permanent ranges, which means that this trend is here to stay, and that a lot of people do like it.

 

One of the biggest ranges of both matt lip colour and matt nail colour is definitely part of Dolce & Gabbana makeup collection. They started with sexy reds and are now getting into matt pinks and nudes. We’ll talk about those – pinks and nudes that is – when we talk about their spring makeup collection, which will be very soon. For now here’s what I got in their red department. At least, some of it 🙂

 

We’ll start with nail colour. I have to say right away I’m not a fan of Dolce & Gabbana nail colour formula. It’s just too thick for me. But that’s my personal preference. I can’t say I’m ecstatic about matt nail colour period. I like the classic glossy look. Although I’m all for variety, so I’ll be happy to wear matts on my nails sometimes. If for nothing else, then just for a change 🙂 And I like the way shades look in this matt finish. Say, these matt shades by Zoya are lovely Zoya MATTEVELVET collection winter/holiday 2015.

 

The first matt nail colour by Dolce & Gabbana I tried is Dolce Desire 643.

 

It doesn’t even say anywhere on the box that it’s matt. The only way to know it is by this word ‘dolce’ in the name of the shade.

 

So, I try it, and… right there and then I know, the formula is great. I wish Dolce & Gabbana nail colour whole range had the same formula. It’s easy to apply, not streaky, it lasts long enough. I’m really happy. What makes me even happier is that this is by far the best matt finish in nail colour world I’ve seen. It’s matt without being too matt. It’s more velvety. It doesn’t have the shine or gloss. But it doesn’t have the plastic and unnatural kind of look matt finish sometimes gives on the nails either. I mean, this finish is beautiful. Make sure you take a closer look though. If you’re a matt fan, this might not be matt enough for you 🙂

 

And this shade… Oh, this shade. It’s stunning.

 

Dolce Desire is almost too sweet a name for it.

 

It’s cherry red. Not black cherry. Just cherry.

 

Red Bordeaux. It’s so hot I’m afraid to burn myself on this shade. I love it.

 

On top of being the best matt formula and gorgeous in terms of finish, it’s the best cherry red shade I’ve seen in a while.

 

If you like darker shades, even if you don’t love matt finish, take a look at this shade here. It’s worth it. Worth it all the way.

 

If you like reds, you’ll love this one and wouldn’t want to let go of it. There’s something so womanly, so classy, so posh about it. Talk about Old Hollywood.

 

Beautiful. I can’t get enough of this shade. I want Dolce Desire lipstick now, and I’ll be sure to get it.

 

In the meantime, let’s look at the two other nail shades.

 

Dolce Lover 624

 

That’s definitely different from Dolce Desire. Much lighter. More of a raspberry red. Very bright too.

 

. And the formula is the same. Oh, the joy. It works as well.

 

And the finish is the same – so nicely matt. Velvety matt. Awesome.

 

Another good option for those who like red nail colour. Not quite as vampy as Dolce Desire.

 

Dolce Lover is a good name. This hot pink raspberry red does look like a love shade.

 

It’s a classic red shade too, but because of all this pink in it it looks more modern.

 

If you don’t like darker reds or like bright pinks on your nails, you’ll probably like Dolce Lover.

 

It’s the kind of shade that will work everywhere. A walk in the park, café, office, club, red carpet.

 

You’ll be all good and all sophisticated with Dolce Lover.

 

The third shade is Dolce Flirt 621

 

Another red. Only this one has orange mixed to it.

 

Hot red. Glowing red. Fiery red. Or flirty red, according to Dolce & Gabbana 🙂

 

The same quality here, that is an amazing quality for a matt nail colour.

 

And the same finish. Velvety rather than dead on matt. It’s matt for sure, but it’s different than all other matts out there.

 

This shade is happy and vigorous like all those spice shades.

 

If you like orange reds, Dolce Flirt is right up your alley.

 

Just like Dolce Lover, it’s not a dark red, it’s a more modern take on red.

 

If you like orange shades, you might want to check this one out. There’s a good deal of orange in it, so it might look orange enough to you where you’ll want it.

 

And sometimes this shade all of a sudden reveals pink red undertone.

 

The lipstick shade I got is Dolce Flirt 621.

 

So, I have a perfect match here of nail colour and lipstick, which is very Old Hollywood like in the first place.

 

Let’s see what this matt lip colour is all about.

 

The boxing is Dolce & Gabbana style – black with golden lettering. The word ‘Dolce’ is what’s different about it.

 

Wow. I love this roundish square black tube with a golden detail and a word ‘Dolce’ on it. All good so far 🙂 I love holding it in my hand.

 

DG logo is etched on the lipstick itself.

 

The catch about matt lipstick texture is that it can get very dry on the lips. I don’t know what it is about it, it just usually does. Well, this formula feels nice and soft on the lips. At least, at first. It definitely feels softer on the lips than pretty much all matt lipstick formulae I’ve ever tried, and that’s a lot 🙂 But underneath this softer feel there’s still dryness. It’s hard to explain. This dryness kind of lingers in the background waiting for a chance to get you. And it does get you eventually. So, I’d say this is the best matt lipstick formula in terms of your lips feeling comfortable when wearing it, still there’s no escape from the fact that matt lip colour is not hydrating in any way. The way to deal with it is wear lip balm or any favourite lip care product of yours underneath. The problem is, it tends to dilute the shade and make it less matt. The bottom line is, if your lips are dry to begin with, it’s tough to pull matt lipstick. You can probably only wear it for short periods of time. I’d say, better go for liquid matt lip colour. Like Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro.

 

If the finish of Dolce & Gabbana matt nail colour is different from the rest of matt nail colour out there, I’d say the finish here is quite similar to what you expect when you’re getting a matt lipstick. It’s matt, velvety, not shiny, maybe, a little bit satiny, but only a little. It’s strikingly bold and bright. Basic in a way that we are not used to anymore, because there always seems to be some shine, gloss or sparkle to distract us from what lip colour actually is. Or was when it was designed initially. This is a way to go back to the beginning and get all the benefits of a classic lip colour formula.

 

The vintage feel continues here in a strong powdery vintage scent this lipstick has. It’s similar to typically Dolce & Gabbana cream lip colour scent. To tell you the truth, I was hoping, it wouldn’t be there or would be lighter. But nope. Here it is. So, be careful, if you’re scent sensitive. All in all, this scent makes more sense in this texture. It’s yet another element in this lip colour that brings us back to the basics.

 

The shade Dolce Flirt 621 is in tune with what I expected after I saw Dolce Flirt nail colour.

 

It’s red with a distinct orange undertone to it. A bright red that’s classical enough to the point when you can wear it anywhere you want.

 

This red is a glaring red. But it’s not overpowering. If you wear reds and oranges on your lips, this shade might be your kind of thing. Very hot. Very womanly.

 

At some points of time in all this orange and red glory, depending on the light or on the inner chemistry of this shade, some pink shows up and comes through all of a sudden in a very bold fashion.

 

It’s like a fire, where sometimes you get red flames, sometimes orange flames and sometimes, just sometimes, raspberry kind of flames. That’s what happens here. Still, in its base and in its essence this is a red lip shade. The most womanly lip shade on the planet.

 

My conclusion after I’ve tried these matts by Dolce & Gabbana is simple and clear. I love nail colour finish. It’s just so-o good and interesting. I absolutely adore Dolce Desire shade. It’s one of the greats. The lip colour formula is fine, but it didn’t get me all excited. It might be a little better in terms of feel than other matts around, still no one’s been able yet to fight and beat this dryness about the formula to the point, where I’d say – here we go, finally, there’s the one that doesn’t get my lips dry AT ALL.

 

The lush feel and look of this finish on both lips and nails is worth it though for me to venture into this world and texture from time to time. It’s yet another addition to my makeup rotation, and those new additions are always welcome 🙂