LA BIOSTHETIQUE Sensual Lipstick M404 Ginger

M404 Ginger is a shade of Sensual Lipstick Matt, the matte bullet in La Biosthétique's lipstick range. It reaches a full matte finish in a single coat, with a velvety texture the brand describes as surprisingly soft on the lips — which is the trade-off most one-coat mattes fail to make. M404 Ginger does not appear on La Biosthétique's current published Matt shade charts, so treat it as a legacy shade.

What's in it

• Vitamin E acetate — an antioxidant ingredient carried in the base.
• Lady's smock extract — a moisturising plant extract; La Biosthétique credits it with supporting the skin barrier on the lips.

How to use it

Outline the lip line first with a liner matched to the shade, then apply the lipstick with a brush. That is La Biosthétique's own method, and with a one-coat matte it is the difference between a clean edge and a hard one — a brush gives control at the corners that a bullet cannot.

Worth knowing

Coverage is opaque and staying power is what the formula is built for, so it behaves differently from a sheer lipstick: it sets where you put it. Prep matters more than usual — dry, flaking lips will show through any one-coat matte, this one included.