Beauty Ultimatte More Taupe vs More Magenta: Which Shade Wins?
Maybelline Ultimatte More Taupe and More Magenta use the same matte formula but serve different looks. One is a muted 90s brown nude, the other is a bright berry pink. We compared them on color, wear and best skin tone so you can pick the right More shade.
| Factor | Maybelline Color Show Ultimatte Lipstick | Maybelline Ultimatte 399 More Magenta |
|---|---|---|
| Price point | Check price | Check price |
| Shade | 799 More Taupe, grey brown nude | 399 More Magenta, berry pink |
| Formula | Ultimatte blurring matte | Ultimatte blurring matte |
| Best for | 90s brown nude looks | Brightening everyday color |
| Skin tone | Medium to deep, warm and olive | Fair to medium, most undertones |
| Availability | Amazon UK listing | Amazon India listing |
Our Verdict
Pick More Taupe if you want a sophisticated brown nude for medium to deep skin. Pick More Magenta if you want a brightening berry that suits most skin tones and adds pop to your makeup.
Allergen and Sensitivity Triggers in Matte Formulas
Matte lipsticks carry specific allergen risks that get little coverage, and buyers with sensitive lips should know what to check. The common triggers: fragrance, which appears in many drugstore mattes including some Maybelline formulas, and causes the stinging or itching that people mistake for dryness. Carmine, the red pigment in many berry shades like More Magenta, is a known allergen for a small subset of users. Lanolin, used in some creamy matte bases, troubles those with wool allergies. Menthol or plumping agents, sometimes added to matte lines, cause the tingle that sensitive lips experience as burning. The diagnostic question: if your lips sting within an hour of application, that is likely an irritant or allergen, while dryness that builds over hours is usually just the matte formula doing its drying work. Telling them apart matters, because the fixes differ, irritants mean switching products, dryness means better prep. The patch test for lip products: apply the lipstick to the inner forearm twice daily for several days, though lips are more reactive than arm skin, so a negative arm test is not a guarantee. For known-sensitive buyers, fragrance-free formulas are the safest starting point, and single-ingredient balms for prep avoid adding variables. More Taupe, being a neutral brown nude, typically carries fewer red-pigment allergens than More Magenta's berry pink, which is a minor point in its favor for reactive lips. If reactions are severe or persistent, a dermatologist's patch testing identifies the specific culprit. For lip care that avoids common irritants, our lip repair guide covers gentle healing options.
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Labels: What They Actually Mean for Mattes
Cruelty-free and vegan claims appear as scattered product caveats, but buyers deserve the full picture of what the labels mean and which matte brands qualify. Cruelty-free means the brand does not test on animals, vegan means the formula contains no animal-derived ingredients like beeswax, carmine, or lanolin. A product can be one without the other: many cruelty-free mattes still contain beeswax, and some vegan formulas come from brands that test other lines on animals. Maybelline, as a large drugstore brand, is neither cruelty-free nor vegan across its matte lines, which matters to buyers for whom this is a dealbreaker. The brands that satisfy both labels in the matte category tend to be indie or mid-size: they formulate without carmine, using synthetic red pigments, and without beeswax, using plant waxes. The performance question is fair: early vegan mattes were drier and shorter-wearing, but current formulations have largely closed the gap, plant waxes now match beeswax for structure. Price is the remaining difference, vegan and cruelty-free mattes often cost more, partly from smaller production scales. Certification matters more than claims: look for Leaping Bunny certification for cruelty-free, which audits the supply chain, rather than a brand's own cruelty-free statement. For buyers who prioritize these labels, the shade decision between More Taupe and More Magenta becomes secondary to the brand decision, and our long-wear lipstick comparison notes which options carry certifications.
Blurring Matte on Textured Lips: How Ultimatte Handles Lines
The Ultimatte formula's selling point is its blurring effect, and on textured lips with fine lines, that blur is functional, not just marketing. Traditional flat mattes settle into lip lines and emphasize them through contrast, the pigment sits in the crease while the surrounding area looks flat. Blurring mattes use light-diffusing particles that scatter light across the lip surface, which softens the appearance of lines optically. In practice, this means More Taupe and More Magenta both look smoother on textured lips than a conventional matte in the same shades. The effect has limits: deep lines still show, the blur softens rather than erases, and very dry, flaky lips defeat the optics, because flakes create physical texture no light diffusion can hide. Prep still matters: gentle exfoliation and a blotted balm base give the blurring particles the smoothest possible canvas. Between the two shades, More Taupe's muted brown-nude benefits more from the blur, because muted shades show texture less anyway, while More Magenta's bright berry draws more attention to the lip area generally. The blurring matte category is genuinely the best matte choice for textured or mature lips, outperforming both flat mattes and creamy mattes for this specific concern. For buyers whose main issue is lip lines rather than shade, the formula choice outweighs the color choice. For more on comfortable matte finishes, our velvet matte lip color guide covers cushiony alternatives.
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