Disgustingly late 2019 lipstick empties: swatches and reviews

It's a-me a-Mario.

Somehow, I managed to be EVEN WORSE than last year. A 2019 lipstick empties post on the eve of April 2020. I've neglected this blog for so long but somehow, I don't want to consign it to the dustbin of history. Not while I'm still mega OCD about lipstick and hoard my depleted tubes like a tally of mates I ain't got.

Plus, we're in the middle of a dystopian pandemic that's forcing us to confront our archives of procrastinations. So, to you, my only reader, I present:

The Seven Lipsticks I Murdered Last Year

1: Primark Beauty P.S.. Workout Lip Fix. 

Primark Beauty PS Work Out lip fix- warm up

This is the shade 'Warm Up', which is a toasty gentle terracotta. It's an effortlessly flattering shade on my warm olive complexion, which is why it got a lot of use. It's a typical liquid to matte affair with a doefoot applicator, and it was two quid. Not sure about wearing lipstick to hit the gym but I won't knock it coz I ain't tried it. 

2: BareMinerals Gen Nude matte liquid lip color.

BareMinerals Gen Nude matte liquid lip- Icon 

I already did a full review on this badboy here, so I won't go into detail on this one. It's cute and comfy. The shade is 'Icon'. 

3: Essence Cosmetics Matt Matt Matt longlasting lipgloss.

Essence cosmetics Matt Matt Matte longlasting lipgloss- Beauty Aprroved

I love Essence! They do such cute and affordable makeup. I don't care that I'm 26, gimme that ridiculous palette. This particular cutie has a moussey texture that eventually settles down to a matte finish, though it retains some squishiness and doesn't fully dry. This is the light rose pink olive skintones pray for. This is the shade 'Beauty Approved'. Or it was. These are now sadly discontinued. 

4: MUA Cosmetics Power Pout colour intense tint+balm. 

MUA Cosmetics Power Pout colour intense tint+balm- Rendezvous

I am LIVID that this stick of balmy gorgeousness has been discontinues. SEETHING. Good job I bought a backup. Oh yeah, I love it that much. I even bought one for my mum, who loves it even though she is very fussy about lip products. Ok, so I've only ever tried this shade- 'Rendezvous'- and bought it again and again because it's just so perfect that I saw no point in further wandering. Like a sheer, moisturising, easy to wear nude that doesn't make you look dead? Like a just-bitten raspberry pink stain? Like an adorable transition period between the two states of bliss? Well I do. I bloody well do. 

5: Creme Cosmetics matte lipstick 

Creme Cosmetics matte lipstick- Devoted

Erm, I can't give much detail on this one because the brand- an indie affair I stumbled upon on Instagram- has vanished without a trace. But isn't it so lovely? Happy and feminine. The shade is called 'Devoted', in case you care about shade names like I do. Oh, and it was in one of those clicky pen tubes but I broke it, so I depotted into the little palette in the squad pic. 

6: Look Beauty Fat Lips! Intense Colour balm and stain. 

Look Beauty Fat Lips!- Snog

Shoot me, it's another juicy pinky balmy crayon. I've been a fiend for the moisturising lip stuff for a while now. I've developed eczema which means my face is often like parchment, so anything that can allow me to smile without cracking my entire mug is a is instantly in my good books. This is a cute coral-pink, though unexceptional I guess. And guess what? It's another discontinues brand! You're very welcome. Oh, and the shade is called 'Snog'. 

7: Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick.

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick- Girl Gang

Hnng. Well I do love my budget lippies, but this sassy lady from Smashbox really won my heart. Such a deep, velvety purple, and really comfy wear for a liquid matte. It looks dry and patchy in this pic, but that's just because there was barely anything left to scrape out. I took it right to the finish line and beyond. This shade is 'girl gang' but I own a couple of other shades and they are excellent too. Rrp £19, but they go for cheaper on various makeup sites. 

And that's that. If I survive the virus, I might check in around these parts again. 

2018 empties post and long overdue check-in.

She offers a tentative 'hello'.

She offers ten thousand excuses.

(Skip to the first image of scattered empty lipstick packaging if you want the reviews and not the tedious preamble).

Hello everyone. It's me, the are-you-even-a-blogger-anymore blogger, coming at ya with a 2018 lipstick empties post. In motherfunkin JUNE 2019.

Honestly, I don't know if I am into this beauty blogging thing anymore. The change in the Instagram algorithm really put me off the whole scene. What I liked was the sense of a community and connectedness. The feeling of harping on about silly lipstick-related things to fellow enthusiasts. You know. Engaging. 

With my engagement having dropped drastically and fewer and fewer people even seeing my posts, it started to feel like I was spewing thoughts and swatches into an ever-irrelevant void. There's also the fact that I have become increasingly busy with cat rescue on what is now essentially a full-time basis (my insta account for my cat shenanigans is @help.meowt.bro) and so a lot of my brain-space and money is too taken up by that to leave much room for lipstick.

I've also been tied up with lots of grown-up life things. I got married, honeymooned, and am newly moved out and moved in. My dad has been in hospital several times, my cat died, I've been sofa-surfing a lot, my anxiety has at times been debilitating. In short, a bit of a whirwind. It's also been a bit of a bummer being broke. My feed is always flooded with exciting new releases that I know I won't be able to afford, at least not until they go on sale several months down the line. And who wants to read reviews that are too late to the party to be worth anything? Everything has already been said.

Meh. So I've been toying with throwing the towel in and bidding farewell to the, like, three people who still follow me. But then I find myself missing the old, safe ritual of swatching and reviewing. So I've decided that for now, I'm just gonna play it by ear. Post as and when I want to, however late, however irrelevant. Don't if I don't want to. Today, I want to. So without further ado:

THE GLORIOUS EMPTIES!

Nine used up in 2018! Not bad going at all, especially considering one of them was an entire palette. Now, forming an orderly queue....

1) Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip lacquer in 'charm offensive'.

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip lacquer- 'charm offensive'

Mmm. Look how slick she looks! I don't often bother with glossy products because I hate stickiness and can find them messy, but this lacquer by Soap & Glory got into my good books. I wore it mostly because it was a very flattering shade on me, but the formula was also pretty good. It was surprisingly opaque. It lasted a while because while it did transfer, it was pigmented enought to still leave a lot of color behind, and just blotted down through wear to a more satin finish. It did feel 'thick', but didn't feel sticky. The wide paddle-shaped applicator made for an easy, streak-free finish. Inoffensive vanilla scent. Balmy and moisturising, and the wet-look glossiness made for a juicy looking pout. Top marks all round. It's £7 and well worth it in my opinion.

2) Baviphat Urban Dollkiss I Love Tint in 'cherry'.

Baviphat Urban Dollkiss I Love Tint- 'cherry'

I actually reviewed this in full way back here, where you can see the adorable apple shaped packaging in all its glory. I had to depot it into a little pot though because the wand was too short to reach the product beyond the halfway point. I've layered it up for this swatch. It's pretty sassy, no? I continued to like it, but I do have a few cons to add: the formula has a chemically taste. And a chemically smell. Other than that, it was cheap and cheerful and cute and you can't go far wrong with picking it up for a few quid on Ebay.

3) Yaby Cosmetics Lip Colour Refill in 'disagree'.

Yaby Cosmetics Lip Colour Refill- Disagree

Oh snap, it's another one I've previously reviewed. Here is the post. Oddly, this was a very difficult shade to photograph well, but I assure you it looks punchy and even in person. This was an easy product to use up because 1) I love the colour and the comfy formula, and 2) there wasn't very much of it. Such a tiny lil pan. I transferred the product into the rounded pot in the pic so I could throw it in my bag rather than having to pop it into a palette where it would be out of place and forgotten about. These refills cost £3.95.

4) Sleek Makeup Wonderlast lipstick and gloss duo in 'berry blush'.

Sleek Makeup Wonderlast lipstick and gloss duo- 'berry blush'

I love Sleek Makeup, but they were absolutely right to discontinue this product because it was a binfire of bad. The colour was lovely, but it was very streaky and dried to a crusty, flaking, bumpy clumpy mess that the gloss did nothing to gloss over. It only looks semi-tolerable in this pic because the lipstick was pretty much used up and I could only get enough on the brush to use as a stain. I tried. I tried again and again to make it work because I did like the colour. But yeah, I'm glad it's a goner. I will depot the clear gloss though, because there's nowt wrong with that end of the stick. Silver linings.

5) Anna Sui lipstick palette.

Anna Sui lipstick palette 

I reviewed this palette back over here too! I really put it through its paces and it has seen me through many a wedding. I've also found it very handy for when I needed a specific shade to match a specific thing- just mix up the colour you want, boo. I don't know if this is still available, but I got it a while ago when it was on sale for a tenner (marked down from the £30 RRP) from BeautyBay. I'm definitely gonna make use of the empty lipstick pans and make up my own custom palette. I'm quite looking forward to that actually!

6) Makeup Revolution Amazing Care lipstick in 'electric love'.

Makeup Revolution Amazing Care #happylips lipstick- 'electric love'

This Revolution offering was one of those lippies that have a coloured core surrounded by a balmy outer ring. This does make colour distribution uneven, but it's nothing a bit of lip smacking and smooshing won't sort out. The overall effect is one of a tinted balm: a light wash of colour and and some gel-like moisture. I had it in my bag so got a lot of use out of it, especially because I favour a stick-type balm to the sort you have to dip your finger in. This lippy is now discontinued, but I bet you can get it from Ebay.

7) Topshop Velvet Lips in 'Velveteen Ribbon'.

Topshop Velvet Lips- Velveteen Ribbon

This was pure shite. I only got through it because I kept trying to make it work (loads of lip balm underneath, lip primer, gloss on top, lip liner) until it just dried up in the tube. SO dry and uneven. You basically have to drag it across your lips, and once on, it just crumbles and flakes all over the place. Topshop can be quite hit and miss with their lipsticks. This one was definitely a miss, and they have now thankfully discontinued it and replaced it with a better liquid matte offering.

8) Primark 'liquid asset' liquid lipstick.

Primark 'liquid asset' liquid lipstick

This twist-up lip lacquer is way back from when Primark first started doing makeup. I love the cute pout-printed packaging, the total opacity, the almost latex-like finish, and the fun, girly colour. Needless to say, it has long been discontinued- though there are similar products you can get from most Primark stores.

9) Primark PS Metal Matte liquid lipstick in 'queen'.

Primark PS Metal Matteliquid lipstick- 'queen'

And last but not least, another Primark lippy! In the swatch above, I'm wearing over some darker lip liner. The formula of this metalic matte lipstick is water based, much like the Lime Crime Diamond Crushers. This means it's transfer proof for the most part, but water- rather than oil- removes it. It's very much a true metal finish rather than being shimmery or glittery, and makes for a nice highlighting shade. The only cons are that it does feel quite tight and does emphasise texture- but then I find that's true of metallic lipsticks in general. It's only £1.50, so worth giving a whirl if metallic lips are your jam.

And that's all folks! Who knows? I might even post again before 2000 and never.

Kisses

X

2017 empties! Lipstick review, swatch, and ramble post.

Heyyy. Erm. It's me.

It's been a while hasn't it? The end of 2017/beginning of 2018 was pretty chaotic for me, so I guess blogging took a back seat. Does that mean I neglected my lipsticky adventures? Hell nah. I've been smashing colour onto my gob with uncompromised gusto, and as such, have quite a few empties to proudly display. In 2016 I used up four lipsticks. In 2017 I used up a whopping FOURTEEN. 

I'll give you a second to recover. 

Behold, my spoils of war:

Quite a variety! I got through a good mix of colours, formulae, and price ranges. Some were lovely, others were kind of meh. Are you ready to embark upon a journey of lipstick rambles? Then let us begin. 

Makeup revolution salvation velvet lip lacquer- black heart

This £3 vampy liquid matte lipstick from Makeup Revolution isn't that great formula-wise. It looks and feels dry and can get a bit crumbly into wear. I loved it colour-wise though: a super dark almost-black purple that served as a dupe for 'potion' from the ABH Liquid Lips line. I'm too broke for Ananstasia, so satisfied my need for the shade with the cheaper alternative. 

Avon colortrend lip and cheek blush stick- spark

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is this barely-there, ultra-sheer, balmy baby pink multi-use rouge. It's awful as a blush (unless you like having greasy frog cheeks) but dandy when used as a kind of matte lip balm. It's emollient but not shiny, tinted but not obvious, and worked great applied on top of overly-dry liquid matte lipsticks. I found that it barely disturbed the colour or the longevity of the base colour while making it a whole lot more comfortable. So that's why it got used right up. This particular product is now discontinued, but I believe Avon has replaced it with something similar in their new 'Mark' make-up line. 

MDM Flow liquid matte lipstick- mink

Oh gosh. This is one of the worst lipsticks I've ever tried. It's SO sticky. The first time I put it on, it glued my lips together. I mean really glued. It took actual effort to prise my lips apart, and the result was a manky patchy mess left clinging to my unfortunate pout. Shudder. So why did I use it up? Because I loved the summery happy colour, and found that slicking some clear gloss on top eradicated the stickiness without budging the lipstick itself. To be fair, reviews say that this particular shade is the worst for stickiness and that the other options are not bad. And apparently MDM Flow are reformulating their lippies anyway. Either way, I'm glad I bought it cheap off Depop and not for the £19 rrp. 

Avon ultra colour perfectly matte lipstick- red supreme

Ok, so this was a mini sample, so maybe not so impressive that I used it up. But it's lovely! Both the colour and formula really wowed me- so much so that I bought a full sized tube in a different shade. A comfy matte with impressive colour payoff and a wide shade range. Yup. Not much else to say. 

Jeffrey Star velour liquid lipstick- I'm nude. 

This is a VERY pale nude. I've worn it a few times with a deeper lipliner, but mostly it served as a mixer shade: to ombre, to lighten, to neutralise. The formula is good in that the finish doesn't look chalky and streaky, and it feels comfortable. I got this in a Depop swap. I wouldn't personally purchase any Jeffree Star's lippies just because I don't support his brand, but I don't hate on people who do. 

Dose of Colours matte liquid lipstick- brick

Sigh. I was so sad when I used this one up. I absolutely adored the shade and the formula. This earthy terracotta brown was so flattering against my complexion. If I didn't already have a mountain of lipsticks, I'd definitely repurchase. In fact, I might repurchase anyhow. Argh. Stop me. 

Velvet 59 matte to the max liquid lipstick- pink cadillac

Meh. This lipstick is just meh. I don't recommend it. It's very white-based and stark, so I could only make it work with lipliner or gloss or both. And the formula was pretty dry too. In fact, I only really used it up because it ended up in my bag, which rendered it the default for out-and-about lipstick emergencies. 

L.A. Girl glazed lip paint- coy

I was always pretty conflicted about this cheap-and-cheerful lacquer. I adored the electric, punky purple shade. It was utterly unique and I didn't have anything like it in my collection. And I quite liked the glossy finish. And I liked the stain it left behind. But I didn't like how minty it was, or the fact that it bled like a bitch unless the services of a clear lipliner were employed. I guess the pros outweighed the cons on balance though, or else I'd still have a full tube. 

Eccentric Cosmetics liquid matte lipstick- aurora australis 

Another mini sample size, another win. Look at that gorgeous colour! Eccentric Cosmetics is a gem of an indie makeup brand that sells their wares on etsy. Liquid and bullet lipsticks, loose and pressed eyeshadows, eye primers, highlighters, lipglosses- all the fun stuff. Everything I've tried has been high quality, unique, and very fairly priced. I'm a fan. As for the liquid lipstick formula, its wonderfully pigmented and lightweight and transfer-proof. I don't have a bad thing to say. 

Kiss Australia lipstick- smitten

I nicked this lipstick off a cousin ages ago and I'm pretty sure the brand doesn't exist anymore. It's basically a lip balm with bells and whistles: translucent pink with shimmer. I mostly used it as a lip topper, often over dry-feeling liquid lipsticks. In the swatch above, it's worn over a nude lipliner. 

Rimmel apocalips lip lacquer- luna

I actually hated the Apocalips lippies when I first tried them, mostly because the smell was gag-inducing. I guess the scent must have faded over time because when I returned to my surviving tube, it was tolerable. I think I kept reaching for this because of the shade. I was on a major peach kick and suffered severe fomo thanks to Too Faced and their pricey peachy products from peachville. 

Nicka K vivid matte lipstick- sea green

My sister in law snagged this lipstick for me because she knows I dig weird colours. This lipstick is shit. It's weirdly rubbery and draggy and impossible to apply evenly because each stroke removes product as it's applied. The above swatch took a ridiculous amount of time to paint, and it still looks shitty. I tried lip primers, I tried powdering before application, I tried warming up the tube. It just would not co-operate. So why did I persist in applying it to death? Because the first time I put it on, my brother said green lipstick was ugly. So I put it on every day just to spite him. What can I say? I'm a git. 

Kiko Milano lipstick 

The sticker fell off this now-discontinued Kiko lipstick so I don't know the name or the number, but it's a very pretty sheer orange with subtle shimmer. It accompanied me through a short stay in a mental home (lol) so it got worn out pretty quick. 

Primark matte lipstick 

Finishing on a high note, I present a stonker of a red. This powder-matte, ultra-pigmented showstopper was from way back when Primark first started doing makeup. It's long been discontinued, but will always have a place in my heart. You have served me well, comrade. 

And that's a wrap! Let's see how many lipstick casualties 2018 brings...

X

Another bumper lipstick review, boyyy

Hello from the other side.

Yeah yeah, I'm the worst blogger ever. But I'm back. With another excuse! I had a bunch of issues with my phone and have also been busy rescuing various downtrodden cats.

Of course, I've still been lipsticking. So I thought I'd do another roundup review, this time of a bunch of traditional lipsticks, so as to put something like a dent into my lipstick review backlog. Roll up, roll up!

Oh it is satisfying to see all my ducks in a row.  Let's go left to right, shall we?

Maybelline color sensational mattes lipstick- siren in scarlet

Pow! So this powerhouse of a red is the shade 'siren in scarlet', from the new(ish) matte collection of Maybelline's color sensational lipstick line. The only difference- apart from the finish, obvz- is that the cap is a translucent black. It's a good look.
And the lipstick itself is lovely. Velvety smooth with zero drag, not drying, no streaking or patchiness, no bleeding. A lovely plush matte. I suppose it doesnt last quite as long as more dry-textured mattes, but that's to be expected really. This particular shade is rumoured to be a dupe of MAC's iconic 'Ruby Woo', but I haven't compared them myself. This lippy is £6.99, which I think is very reasonable.

Wet n wild megalast matte lip cover- rose-bud

And now to something even more reasonably priced! Wet N Wild's megalast lipsticks are a steal at roughly the £3.50 mark. The packaging is unsurprisingly basic, but the formula is great. I'd say it's more of a satin than a matte, and it applies smooth and opaque. It looks and feels moist, not dry in the least. As for the 'megalasting' claim, I'd say it's a stretch. The formula does last fairly well, but that's more because it's so pigmented rather than due to a particularly grippy texture. I also own the shades 'don't blink pink' and 'purty persimmon', and they perform similarly- though I've heard some shades from the line are exceptions, being chalky and streaky.
'Rose-bud', which annoys me because it's unnecessarily hyphenated, is an adorable rosey pink. I can't decide if it's cool toned or warm, so I guess that means it's neutral. I love it.

Stila shine lip colour- Pam 

Another red, baby. This is the shade 'Pam' (why though?) From Stila Cosmetics' Shine lip colour line. Sadly I think this shade is discontinued, or at least unavailable in the UK. Which is a bummer, because it's gorgeous. Still, you can cop the sweet texture in other shades innit? It's sweeeet: it glides on without being too slippery, isn't streaky in the least, and makes your lips look all juicy and yummy. I expected the colour to be sheer, akin to a tinted lip balm really. But it packs a punch! It's not opaque, but it's more than just a shy rumour of colour.
And can we talk about the packaging? It's so pretty. The inner tube has this oh-so-pretty floral design on it that I swoon over each time I look at it. The price seems to vary between  £6 and  £22, which is odd. Shrug.

MAC Patentpolish lip pencil- kittenish 

Next up is a similarly textured lippy, though I'd say this one is slightly more glossy. It's MAC's Patentpolish lip pencil in the shade 'kittenish', a somewhat cool toned girly pink. I'm not gonna lie. I got this purely for the name. I like cats, okay?
So it was a huge bonus to find it applied and looked so dreamy. Pigmentation is roughly the same as the Cremesheen lipstick formula, so at about 70% opacity. It's one of those easy to slick on lippies that end up being a purse staple. I like it a lot. It weighs in at £16.20, which is fairly average for MAC prices.

Avon shine burst gloss stick- raspberry glaze

Are we gonna have another glossy juicy lipstick? Hell yeah, but this one has GLITTER. Avon's Shine Burst Gloss stick has microfine glitter specks in it which don't feel gritty in the least and add a bit of sparkly pizzazz to the pretty base colour. 'Raspberry glaze' is straight up summer. A bit bright, a bit balmy, a lot cute. I quite like the chrome tube, and I generally have no qualms about this lippy- particularly as it's only around the £4 mark. Keep an eye out for it as it pops in and out of availability with the various campaigns.

Dior Diorific lipstick- 005 Glory

Aaand for the grand finale, something high end.  Dior's Diorific lipstick looks cool. Buthe weird. Cool weird. You wouldn't think it was a lipstick. But it is a lipstick, and a fine one at that. 'Glory' is somewhere between copper and red and bronze. It's warm toned and very 90's and has a semi metallic finish, though with a matte texture (if that makes sense). It's opaque. It's not drying. It's long lasting, as it seems to really cling to the lips. It's GLORIOUS. If you're minted, you can cop it at a pricepoint between £22 and  £30 depending on where you shop. Or if you're perpetually broke like ya girl over here, get a bargain off ebay.

So that's all for now folks. Hope that was helpful. I've got a few more reviews to get up soon, so stick around yeah?

Love you

X

Liquid matte lipstick bumper roundup review

Yikes. Long time no bloggo, doggo.

It's been a while. I've been recovering from a mental breakdown  (yup, another one lololol), spending time with my animals, and generally trying to avoid any sources of stress in favour of living in a weird bubble of failed-adult denial. Does this mean I've neglected lipstick? Hell nah. Come on. You know me better than that.

I've been playing with a shit tonne of new lippies, so I thought I'd make life easy for all concerned (ok, for me), and amalgamate my rambles into one superramble. Buckle up kids. It's gonna be a wild ride.

Squad goals, amirite. Ok, so first on the chopping block is the Lix Matte Liquid Lipstick by Models Own, weighing in at £7.99. I have the shade 'coral fresh'. It's, er, a fresh coral.

The shade is bright- almost neon- and perfect for summer. The formula is moussey and feels fairly comfortable once dried down, if somewhat cakey. It's transfer proof, though friction will disturb it. It took a bit of faff to get an even and streak-free finish but it was worth it in the end. Just a heads up: this is pretty damn minty. If you love mint, you will go gaga for this. If you hate mint, AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Anyhow, overall this lippy is a win for me. I quite like the fresh and urban packaging too. Swatch!

Models own lix matte liquid lipstick- coral fresh

Up next is the Lip Fix matte long lasting liquid lipstick from PS Workout range at Primark. It's a cheap and cheerful £2, and I believe it only comes in two or three shades, of which I have 'warm up', a nutmeg nude-brown.

The packaging is deceptive. You'd expect the squeezy tube to have that awful slanted plastic tip applicator of shitty cheap lipglosses. But lo! It has a doefoot applicator. The formula itself is good- lightweight, opaque, transfer proof. Very good for two bob. The only drawbacks are that it's a bit drying, and the odd packaging means you can't see how much product is left. And I kind of find the whole concept of wearing lipstick for a sweaty workout sesh a bit weird, but to each their own innit. Overall, another win. 

Primark lip fix work out matte long lasting liquid lipstick- warm up

In a similar colour category, I present to you Nyx Lip Lingerie in the shade 'exotic'. It'll set you back £7.

I hate it. 

Ok, it feels pretty plush, the shade is gorgeous, the concept of a range of nudes is nice. But it's just SO sticky. Even though it dries to a matte finish, it somehow never feels matte. It remains tacky and had my lips kind of sticking together. Ew. That said, this is from the OG release, and I know some of the newer shades have a different formula. It seems like the formula across the shades is inconsistent, with some being sticky, others being dry and crumbly, and some gloating smugly in that sweet, sweet spot of perfection. My advice would be to search reviews on any shades you have your eye on. I hope you get lucky, comrade.

P.s, check that rogue cat hair chilling on my lip

Nyx lip lingerie- exotic 

NEXT. It's MBA Cosmetics' liquid matte lipstick in 'violet riot', and....

WHAAAT? I just sauntered over to their site to double check the price and I can't find their liquid mattes anywhere. Perhaps they've been discontinued. Oops. 

So in that case, I'll keep it short and sweet. Pigmented, long wearing, no scent, no fancy packaging but a formula that falls solidly in the 'good' category. And the colour is incredible. A proper punky blurple, the likes of which has no comparison. If you like the shade, it's available in their cream lipsticks. And if you like the sound of formula, they have a bunch of metallic mattes, which might well perform similarly. 

Mba cosmetics liquid matte lipstick- violet riot

Moving on to another showstopping shade, it's Gerard Cosmetics' hydra matte liquid lipstick in 'mercury rising', an absolute scorcher of an orange. These are £11 in the UK.  

I'm late to the party with the hydra mattes. They've been around for a while and have long had their praises sung. I can see why. Classy packaging, a yummy vanilla scent, a moussey formula that sets to a comfortable, cushiony-matte finish, a great shade range. It's just really good, ya know? Do bear in mind that because of the somewhat moist formula, it's not quite as long wearing as other liquid mattes. It is still mostly transfer proof though. Just reign in the savage snogging. 

Gerard Cosmetics hydra matte- mercury rising

Next is a lesser known kid, a liquid matte lipstick from Eunique Beauty, a black owned, woman owned indie line based in the UK. You know how I like to support them small businesses. I have the shade 'melanin', a super dark brown, which I snagged for £7.99.

The formula seems to be of a thick cream consistency and is very pigmented, but I feel like the doefoot applicator, which is a little stiff and scratchy, doesn't lend itself too great to smooth application. Regardless, once on, it dries very quickly to a transfer proof matte finish. It's quite tight feeling, so be sure to pat on some lip balm beforehand. It wears well for a couple of hours before it starts to crumble, at which point it's best to completely remove and reapply than to attempt damage control. Despite the niggles with the formula, I still really love this lippy on grounds of colour alone. It's so unique (or should I say eunique harhar) and in that happy place between gothic and sophisticated. I bet it would look killer on deeper complexions too. 

Eunique Beauty liquid matte lipstick- melanin 

The next lippie is the most expensive of the bunch, and also the most disappointing. It's the Urban Decay Vice liquid lipstick in the shade 'studded', which is in the metallized finish. 

Sigh. I wanted to love it. I'm all about those quirky shades. Olive-grey with gold shimmer? Sign me up bruv. But it was SO sheer. It took me three coats plus spot touch ups to get it to look even. And you can still see patches. Wtf. And unsurprisingly, that many layers effect how it looks and feels. Think crispy, tight, dry. I manage to make it work using only one layer over a brown lip liner, but of course that means I have to compromise on the end colour. And I shouldn't have to make a product work. You kinda expect better from Urban Decay. Shrug. Maybe the other shades/finishes in the range are better, but 'studded' is a thumbs down for me. 

Urban decay vice liquid lipstick metallized- studded

And lastly! The cheapest of the bunch. It's Miss Rose longlasting lipgloss (it's a liquid matte lipstick). It doesn't have a shade name or a fixed price tag, but it's between £1 and £5 on ebay. I got mine from Pakistan. 

It's actually pretty good. It has a painty smell (which dissipates once dry) and is a bit sticky, but it's not drying and it doesn't crumble or peel or collect in icky pools or any of that crap. And it lasts like a trooper. All day plus food and drinks plus naps. Plus a zombie apocalypse. 

And I just adore this shade of pink. I think it makes me look a bit cute. A bit. 

Miss rose long lasting lipgloss 

And that concludes our tour through some of my recent lipstick acquaintances. Yep. SOME. I have an entire backlog to get through. Watch this space....

....If you don't have a life. 

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