I’m never one to back down from mocking myself, and if there is basis for it, my friends are more than welcome to diss me as well – I guess this explains the #onefaceonly hashtag that’s been posted on my Instagram account by pals all too often (and even by some followers who’ve come to know my hoarding habits well). I know very well I have wayyyyy too much makeup – it’s somewhere up there in terms of crazy along with Tom Cruise jumping on sofas, but but but – there’s no way I can have just one shade of each item, especially when it comes to these pretty lippies!
This lipstick utilises a magnetic closure, so I was having some difficulty in getting the top and bottom halves to stay still during the photo – they either kept attracting each other, or repelling each other (bah humbug to you, North and South points of the magnet)
- Corals to Reds: Envious, Impassioned
- Mauves to Plums: Powerful, Dominant, Irresistible and Rebellious Rose
- Nudes to Browns: Insatiable Ivory, Potent and Impulsive
- Pinks to Berries: Defiant Coral and Infamous
I say…
The Packaging: It’s a rectangular tube with a slightly curved surface, which prevents it from rolling off and plunging into the abyss of Broken Lippie Land. It is significantly heavier than other lipsticks I have (much heavier than Etude House’s plastic casings, slightly heavier than Dior’s plastic-and-metal casings, and on par with YSL’s metal casing), which I’m guessing is because of the magnets (for its magnetic closure). It’s easy to snap shut, but if you’re a klutz (or a violent hobo) like I am, it can be opened from the sheer force of an impact (for example, dumping my bag onto the floor – not easily opened, but possible ).
The Texture: The color is relatively intense and payoff is good – you don’t need to apply too many layers to get the color you want. It also glides on smoothly, and (as promised in their press release), hydrates and moisturises the lips. In the swatches above, I did not apply any lip balm prior to the lipsticks, and most of the richer colours managed to cover the chapped portions pretty effectively.
The Verdict: The winning point in this lippie (or any other lippie for that matter) for me is its ability to cover dry/chapped lips – my lips are seriously the shits (not like African-American lingo “da shitz” where it means good, but more of crappy lips). The texture is smooth, doesn’t drag on the lips and doesn’t bleed either. I also love that it leaves a rather natural tint after it wears off without clinging on to the flakey bits of the lip. My personal favorite for the mo’ is Defiant Coral (although tbh it doesn’t come across as looking very defiant) as well as Infamous. Surprisingly, I’m quite taken with Impulsive too – it gives a plumped-up illusion to the lips without making me look too washed out and pale. If you’re looking for a slightly more affordable alternative, try Esprique’s lippies which have a higher color intensity and almost similar gloss factor.