Liquid Lipstick – Yea or Nay?

“If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack” - Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel wasn’t far off as she was describing that feeling you have when you’re flaunting a great lipcolor! I’m more of a tinted gloss person for the moisturization it provides, but I do enjoy a good creamy lipstick and seem to collect them all in a neutral rose or warm pink tone. Does anyone else tend to do that as much as I do? I’ll be searching for a fun new lipcolor to try, and immediately my eye is drawn to a shade, and it’s not until I arrive back at home that I realize I have 20 various brands all in nearly the same color as the one I just purchased!

Anyways, back to the purpose of this blog – recently the beauty trend has in favor of matte lipsticks and a close second of liquid lipsticks which are either matte or little sheen. In an attempt to test this trend, I took a trip to Ulta and gathered a few brands, both drugstore and prestige, all in a similar shade. The shade is a neutral, muted, brick-red hue. Below you can discover more about these liquid lipsticks, and my reaction to a few!

L to R: NYX Lip Lingerie Lipstick in “Ruffle Trim”, Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in “Grey Envy”, L’Oréal Infallible Paints in “Nude Star”, Smashbox Always-On Liquid Lipstick in “Babe Alert”, Lorac Pro Liquid Lipstick in “Plum Brown”

It’s truly fascinating how lipcolors which look so similar in tone in their packaging can be vastly different in swatching on the skin! You can see for yourself how distinctive each of them are in my lip swatches – keep reading

“Ruffle Trim” NYX Lip Lingerie – $7

Super cheap and super matte! A little drying (as you may notice in the photo) even though it goes on velvety smooth, but not a bad option if you’re keeping a tight budget and want that fashionable matte pout. The wear is fair, but I noticed it becoming wax- or plastic-like as it peeled off which makes for an unattractive ending to a lipcolor.

“Grey Envy” Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid – $8

Love this shade! This is the fullest embodiment of the term “liquid lipstick” in my opinion. It’s the perfect blend of velvety creamy color minus the stickiness of a pure gloss added with easy application and safe portability (you know that moment when your lipstick cap fell off in your purse and well … let’s just say the deep, dark depths of the handbag saw color for the first time!). The color surprised me too! It looked more neutral-toned in the clear container but applied very mauve, a gorgeous, light mauve at that! I can’t say the packaging was deceiving since it’s transparent, but it certainly wasn’t what I expected.

“Nude Star” L’Oreal Infallible Paints – $8

Great buy! Not matte in the least bit, more of a lightweight, pigmented gloss or creamy lipstick, but it still falls in the liquid lipstick category. It has a warm, neutral to slight coral hue and a moisturizing feel. The tip of the applicator is quite unique and gives incredibly precise application. Very accurately colored outer packaging as well!

“Babe Alert” Smashbox Always-On Liquid Lipstick – $24

True to its name, it IS always on! Though I wasn’t a fan of the dryness (surprise, surprise), I was impressed with its longevity and pure pigment. Two points against it: the color isn’t true to the packaging shade (much brighter and more coral-toned), and it’s not the most affordable.

PICTURE NOT SHOWN

“Plum Brown” Lorac PRO Liquid Lipstick – $19

…because it’s an absolute flop! It looked terrible on; the color, the texture, and the longevity. The color was drab and murky, the texture pulled at each crease in my lips and sucked every bit of moisture out making for a highly uncomfortable feel, and the wear was patchy and peeled as it wore throughout the day. I believe it’s in Lorac’s best interest to stick to eyeshadows because they create them expertly; lip products, not so much.

BONUS – Love this lipcolor! This L’Oreal lip product was bought along with its near cousin, “Nude Star”, because the package’s color was similar in tone to the peachy, reddish nudes I was comparing, but it turned out to be lighter and pinkier-toned than most of them. It was/is gorgeous though:

“Spicy Blush” L’Oreal Infallible Paints – $8