Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick Bamboo Review

Hello everyone,

Recently, I did a mini Fenty Beauty haul in which I also picked up the absolutely stunning “Trophy Wife” highlighter which I have reviewed here. Today, I will be reviewing one of the Match stix from the Match Stix medium trio (Bamboo, Mocha and Trippin) that I had picked up from Sephora. The shade that I will be reviewing today is from the matte range and it’s called “Bamboo.”

Product Description:
A magnetized trio of long-wear, light-as-air makeup sticks curated by skin tone, with two Match Stix Matte Skinsticks to conceal and contour, and one Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick to highlight. With Match Stix Trios, take your complexion to the next level without the guesswork. Our pre-bundled sets make it easy to conceal, contour, and highlight on repeat. These light-as-air makeup sticks are expertly curated—and magnetize together—so you’re always ready for anything.

Each set comes with two Match Stix MATTE Skinsticks (conceal, contour), and one Match Stix SHIMMER Skinstick (highlight) —all of which are weightless, easy to blend, and stay put. The cream-to-powder formulas are so seamless, it’s impossible to tell where skin ends and makeup begins. They’re buildable and LIVE to be layered in a range of combos that light up all skin tones. With a magnetic physical attraction, matte and shimmer Skinsticks click to each other, uniting for the total no-brainer, skin-defining package that’s always at your beck and call. It is formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.
Price:
$54 for 3 match stix (also sold individually at $25 each). Sephora has 4 ready made trio for 4 skin shade ranges but if you buy the trio off Fenty website, you have an option to customize with the shades you want.

My Experience with Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick Bamboo:

First of all, the packaging of Fenty beauty products is simply outstanding, especially with the octagon shaped match stix. They have all around magnetized sides and they stick to each other in any way you like, hence if you have a bunch of them, you can make a honeycomb out of them. It is very convenient to travel with and take with you on the go.The retractable stick product does not slip in all the way the tube so you have to be careful putting the cap back on.

Shade and Pigmentation: “Bamboo” is described as a light to medium shade with neutral peach undertones which is a good match for my skin tone. It is not super pigmented and tends to sheer out considerably (light – medium coverage) after blending. If you have heavy dark circles like me, it provides a light even-ness, but by no means covers them completely.

Texture and Application: This is a very, very dry feeling stick. It tugs quite a bit during application and needs to be warmed up to spread fluidly. It dries and sets so quickly that you have to blend it as soon as you apply. I had a very difficult time blending this with fingertips or a brush and found the best way to apply it was with a damp Beauty Blender as the dampness would help work with the drying nature of the product to some extent.

Feel and look on skin: This product is sooooo soo drying on my skin that it makes the Sahara dessert look like an oasis in comparison and this was on the days my skin was behaving better than most days. I have to put 3 layers of moisturizer and oils for it to remotely work with my dry skin, even then, after some time, it tends to look crusty and patchy. Since it is so dry, I can’t even think about setting it with powder (big mistake) as it also tends to crease in the fine lines under my eyes. I applied this product a couple of times and it was an absolute no-no since I have so many better options in my vanity. If you are using this as a cream highlight, it also does tend to exaggerate textural issues on the skin and settle into pores.

Staying Power: I got about 4-5 hours of wear before I started to notice fading and patchiness along with lots of creasing.

Overall, this is an absolute and total “no” for me. I don’t see myself reaching for it at all in the future. If you have dry skin like me, stay miles and miles away from it.