So, even though I wouldn't exactly call myself a Katy Perry fan - not that I dislike her, I just really feel neither here nor there about her in general - I was pretty excited for the release of her new COVERGIRL collaboration, the Kitty Kat Matte lipsticks. I actually really love the shade selection in the line, which includes all of the usual wearable shades as well as the fun brights and deep vampy shades that you would expect from a collab with Ms. Perry. It would have been reason easy to go a little bit mad with power and pick up several shades, but I decided to hold off and see how I liked the formula before I went all in. I'm trying this thing where I don't go mad with excitement before I know if I like something! Anyway, I chose a shade I knew I'd wear, a simple pinky nude called Sphynx.

Okay, as usual, I want to talk a minute about the packaging, which I actually really enjoy aside from one small nitpick. First, I love the cat ears detail above the shade name, because it's adorable an on theme and... yeah, just adorable. Second, I love the actual look of the packaging. The matte white cap and the simple, sleek black branding are very modern overall, and the plastic window at the base of the bullet is very true to shade. My only real issue with this packaging is the fact that I really don't feel like I can just toss it in my purse because I feel like the white matte is going to get scuffed and dirty in no time flat. Like I said, small nitpick but one that I'm very aware of.

Now for the formula... Like the description said, this isn't a true matte but is actually a demi-matte, which for me falls somewhere between a créme finish and a true matte finish, leaving behind a little bit of shine and staying more hydrating on the lips. This applies really smoothly to the lips, without any tugging or pulling and never really gets that tight, dry feeling that a lot of traditional matte lipsticks do. I do feel like this has really good wear time for a traditional lipstick, clinging to the lips well without being dry or sticky. It's obviously not going to have the wear time of a liquid matte lipstick, but it does wear well and fades quite evenly, at least in this shade.

Now, there is one aspect of Cover Girl lipsticks that I've never been particularly into and that's the taste, and I feel like this is very similar to other Cover Girl lipsticks that I've tried in that regard. I couldn't really tell you what it smells like, but I'd say it's sweetish and a little bit fruity with an undertone of plastic, and I find that when wearing it I get little hints of that plasticiness as well. Definitely not my favorite formula in that regard.

At first swatch, I worried that this was going to be a throw away shade that would get lost in my collection, but once I'd applied it and worn it for a while that completely shifted. While I do own a lot of pinky nude shades, I do feel like this one is different than a lot of the others in that it almost seems to meld with my lips as it warms into them and sheer down just slightly to create a really natural looking nude lip that will be perfect for every day and work nicely with a lot of different looks. Now, for someone who has really pigmented lips, this can either be a selling point or a deal breaker, because I feel like this definitely won't give fully opaque coverage to the lips and will therefore look quite different on everyone. This might be something you're into and it might not, I think that's all a matter of personal taste. Either way, I'm a little in love with this shade.

While this isn't a perfect lipstick, as far as I'm concerned it's a really good one and one that I will likely get a lot of wear out of it. Because of this, I have every intention of heading out and picking out another shade in a more fun shade for the summer - possibly Cosmo Kitty, the bold lavender shade in the collection! If you're interested in trying these out, I would say that this formula is definitely worth a purchase!

Thanks for reading!