This fall I absolutely fell in love with (almost) everything matte. There's just something about mattes that seem so polished and sophisticated.
Although I love the look of matte skin on others, matte foundations just make my dull, dehydrated skin look lifeless and chalky. I do love a natural/satin finish though, which for me is close enough. My two favorites are the Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup SPF 15 and the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation. Both have a similar finish, with the Dior being slightly lighter coverage than the NARS. They're both unbelievably beautiful products, and while they both have the word "glow" in their names, for dehydrated-skinned gals like me it translates to more of a natural luminosity that just looks like your skin but better.
I really like wearing matte blushes because it means I can go a little overboard with the highlighter on my cheekbones (my favorite part of my makeup routine) without looking like a total disco ball. My most worn one is (you guessed it) the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed - it's just the most beautiful, wearable shade that goes with anything and looks super subtle. Another option that's perfect for spring is theBalm's FratBoy Blush. It's the perfect peachy-pink shade with no sparkle whatsoever. And this stuff is crazy pigmented - I only have to lightly tap my brush into the pan and I've got both cheeks covered. This stuff will last forever.
Eyes and lips are where I really love me some mattes. I just recently got the Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette (review here), and it's been the perfect everyday pick to throw in my makeup bag because you can create any look with it - neutral, plum, or a classic smoky eye. Before I got my hands on the Tarte palette, I was always reaching for the Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Palette. I love the cool tones of this palette, and it's so small and compact that it's perfect for travel (I'm going away for a few days next weekend and will most likely be bringing this with me). Underneath these shadows, I love wearing the Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather in Creamy Beige - it's a perfect neutral color that looks lovely on its own or works really well as a base. I've always been a fan of the original Color Tattoos, but this one from their more matte collection has really blown me away.
My lips tend to dry out fairly easily, but I just can't give up on matte lip products. My most-worn matte lip products are all similar colors - I really jumped on that Kylie Jenner/90s nude bandwagon when that started. I've been fully converted into religiously wearing lip liner, either as a base for lipsticks or on its own. I love the MAC ones of course (Soar and Whirl are on a constant rotation), but Rush from Urban Decay and Eastend Snob from Rimmel are both constantly on my lips as well. All of them give that "my-lips-but-better" effect while really enhancing them despite me not overdrawing them. Some other great mattes (all in just about the same color again) are the Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry, the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color in Touch of Spice, and the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita (currently dying to get my hands on the liquid lipstick version of this). They all just give a nice color to the lips without being too bold.
Are you a matte lover like me, or is it shimmer all the way?