Matte Lipstick Series: E.L.F Studio Matte Lip Colour in Praline

Hi everyone!
I'm posting the penultimate part of my Matte Lipstick Series; talking about the E.L.F Studio Matte Lip Colour in Praline (£3.50) today. To catch up on the rest of the series, click the links below:
Part One: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Mauve it Over
Part Two: No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Cherry
Part Three: Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Cotton Candy
Part Four: Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick in Kiss Me
Part Five: Sleek Matte Lipstick in Heartbreaker
Part Six: NYX Matte Lipstick in Tea Rose & NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Alabama
Part Seven: Barry M Lip Paint in 145 Punky Pink

Here are the swatches and pictures of the E.L.F Studio Matte Lip Colour:

I swatched this E.L.F Lipstick when I got it, albeit badly, and I haven't worn it again until now. A large part of this is due to colour choice on my part. The swatch on the E.L.F website really isn't true to colour at all. Praline is a red-based brown, but it's very brown. I don't think I've ever worn a brown lipstick, and it just doesn't suit me at all. I'm sure it would suit other people, but on me it looks dated and strange.
One thing I do like about this lipstick is the packaging. It obviously imitates the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils, but I do like that it is in pencil form, meaning it's just like lining and filling in your lips, allowing you to get a pretty precise line. Plus it's a twist-up pencil which I quite like.

I found that in application, this lipstick pencil has a little drag. I found it quite difficult to apply to the lips because it wasn't very soft - and it took me longer than a swipe with a creamier matte lipstick.
I also found this an incredibly dry matte. It exposed every dry area of my lips, emphasising lines. It didn't feel super dry, but as you can see in the pictures above it looked it. Maybe that's to do with the colour, or maybe they'd work better with a lip balm underneath but I won't be trying it because this colour is so unflattering on me.
Knowing that there are better mattes out there for just a little over the price of this one means that this is a firm miss from me!

Have you tried these lipsticks? Any favourites; do they work for you?

S xx