dose of colors liquid matte lipstick- review and swatches

 

Oh, I feel like a lucky lucky lady when I get my hands on hard-to-get makeup brands, especially when they have great colours. Dose of colors released a limited edition Terra collection which consisted of three shades (brick, sand, stone) and it proved so popular, that they bought them back as permanent shades to sell individually. And I had my heart swooning over Brick. So when I got it cheap on ebay, I happy danced for days.

 

dose of colours matte lipstick- brick

 

Look at it! major swoonage.

 



I mean, even the tube looks cool. Modern and funky with space age frosted glass. And as for the formula, I can definitely see why it was so hyped. It applies with a mousse-y, creamy consistency and is deliciously opaque. No patchiness or streaking at all. The drying time is generous and when it sets, it still retains a little moisture so as to make it comfortable to wear for hours on end. I'm currently into my sixth hour of wearing it (including a meal and coffee) and it still looks and feels great. There is a little bit of transfer, but it's so pigmented that it hardly ruins the overall look.

dose of colors- brick

My only niggle with this is the applicator- its curved huggable shape is great but it's a little too flexible and a little too fluffy for perfect precision. Don't get me wrong, it's not impossible, it just takes more care.

 

Overall though, I'm VERY HAPPY BRO. It's such a beautiful colour and I got so many compliments when I last wore it out. Bless me, my head expanded so. xx

la girl glazed lip paint - review and swatches

After loving LA Girl's matte pigment gloss (reviewed here) and luxury crème lipstick (reviewed here), I figured I'd try out their glazed lip paint, which is meant to be a kind of similar product to the Too Faced Melted lippies. I picked up the shade 'coy', which is a lovely violet shade.

 



I'm gonna be straight up here: I didn't like it. The packaging looks pretty cool, but isn't really functional. It's got a plastic slanted tip applicator which makes spreading the colour evenly impossible. It just makes a mess. So, I tried a lip brush. I found the consistency to be thin and liquidy, and to be fair, I liked how it could be applied sheerer or more opaque depending on how much I put on, and I did love the colour. But it bled. Not a huge amount, but if a shade like this has noticeable bleeding, imagine how the darker shades would fare. Not great, I'm guessing.

The worst thing for me was the mintiness. Now don't get me wrong, a little bit of mint scent or taste is fine by me. But this was pretty overwhelming and difficult to ignore, and it was so strong that it made my lips buzz.

On the plus side, it's affordable and a unique colour. In fact, it's a pretty close dupe to Lime Crime's Airborne Unicorn lipstick (reviewed here) , though a smidge darker, and an alternative to Lunatick Cosmetic Labs Apocalipslick in Grave Heart Shift (reviewed here). Me? I'm still not won over.

la girl glazed lip paint- coy

 

 In the above picture, the lip swatch shows LA Girl glazed lip paint in Coy, and the swipes below show comparisons in the following order: Lime Crime Airborn Unicorn, LA Girl Coy, LCC Grave Heart Shift.

 

Have you tried LA Girl's lip paint? What did you think?

 



fyrinnae liquid matte lipstick, blush, arcane magic shadow- review and swatches

 

I'm really excited to share this post with you guys, because there are some beautiful colours coming up. Yesterday I shared a post on Fyrinnae's brand new solid lipstick, but today, it's all (well, mostly) about their brand new liquid matte lipstick. These are available for $10, which is pretty great, though the colour changing ones are $12. I picked up the shade 'cauldron smoke', which I believe is part of their Halloween collection. 

fyrinnae liquid matte lipstick

So there's the tube. It's pretty ordinary, and comes with a doefoot applicator which is firm enough to get clean edges. When I first beheld it, I couldn't help but turn it in the light, marvelling at the sparkle. Because bloody hell. It's gorgeous. Cauldron smoke is described as 'metallic green on black with a hint of gold'. How magical is that?

fyrinnae liquid matte lipstick- cauldron smoke

And look how well it translates on the lips! I was afraid the sparkle wouldn't show up, and that it would look pretty much just black, with a little shimmer only when in direct sunlight. But it showed up alright- the green is very obvious, and looks jewel like, and that little hint of gold flashes through at the right angle. I'm so thrilled. It's such a unique, mesmerising shade.

fyrinnae liquid lipstick- cauldron smoke

 

As for the formula, it definitely requires two coats to get an opaque finish without streaks, but the website suggested that so I wasn't surprised. It has a fairly generous drying time which allows for touch ups of patchy areas, which is a must for a dark shade like this. Thankfully, it layers really well as it has a thin consistency, so no cracking or flaking. Once dried, it lasts ages. I would definitely recommend rubbing some lip balm before application though, as it can feel quite tight and dry without it.

 



fyrinnae arcane magic eyeshadow- the alchemist

 

Right, so the next thing I got in my little haul was a free sample of one of the arcane magic duochrome shadows in the shade 'the alchemist'. Fyrinnae's shadows tend to be of a semi-loose consistency, in that they're not completely powdery and do settle together a little. Personally, I'm a really big fan of their formula as it translates to less mess, easier pick up on the brush, less fallout, and better adherence to the skin. Anywho, this shade is divine. It's described as 'striking green-aqua shimmer over a black base. closer to light or angled, it turns blue to purple, then pink'. Wow. Just wow. There's no way the above swatch can do this shade justice, but I hope it suggests a little of what a chameleon it is. And that colour shift! urgh. I'm also super chuffed that it's lip safe- I reckon it would look magical over a black lipstick. The full sized arcane magic shadows are £$7.30, which is well worth it for so much beauty. Ugh.

 

fyrinnae blush- greek goddess

Last but not least, I ordered a sample size of Fyrinnae's loose powder blush in the shade 'greek goddess'. It beautiful as a blush- vivid, easy to blend, complexion flattering- but I chiefly bought it as a lip shade, as demonstrated above. Yup, this is lip safe too. I just patted it over lip balm, and look how great it turned out! Such a vibrant, matte coral. And it lasted aaaaaages, with hardly any transfer. Another winner! The full size costs a very reasonable $10, and the sample size (which has a generous amount of product) is a mere $1.75.

Overall, I'm thrilled with everything. Fyrinnae is definitely my favourite indie brand, and it's completely vegan and cruelty free. I can't recommend it enough. If you're interested in their other products, check out my review of their regular shadows and finishing powder here, and their absolutely gorgeous lip lustres here. xx

fyrinnae lipstick- review and swatches

 

My morning was fabulous because I got my Fyrinnae order in the mail! I love Fyrinnae, especially their lip lustres (reviewed here), though their shadows and illuminating powders (reviewed here) are great too. So I had to put in an order when I saw they'd released new products. I ordered one of their new liquid matte lipsticks, a blush sample, one of their new lipsticks, and got an eyeshadow sample as a freebie. I'll cover the other products in the next post, but today I'm focusing on the solid lipstick. Let's get to it then. 

 

fyrinnae lipstick-indulgence

I picked up the shade 'indulgence', which is described as 'deep purple topped with a shimmering gold highlight'. I love it! The gold iridescence makes this shade dynamic and unique, and I love the way it catches the light, particularly in the centre of the lips, to create an illusion of fullness. The purple base is very punky- just how I like it. And perfect for autumn!

Now, the site states that being vegan, the formula is going to be 'very firm'. It certainly is- it has a stiff, waxy texture- but it doesn't apply too bad. It definitely doesn't glide on, but there's no uncomfortable drag. On the plus side, the texture makes it pretty longlasting- it's not gonna slip right off or transfer ridiculously. I found it to have medium but buildable coverage. Because it's such a dark shade, one pass of the bullet will likely leave you with patchy, murky looking colour. With a few more swipes though, I was more than happy with the overall look. I can't stop staring at the tube! it's such a unique shade.

fyrinnae lipstick- indulgence

Fyrinnae's lipsticks are a very reasonable $10 and are available in unconventional and 'normal' shades. And for me, they're a win. Go check em out!

lonely planet co silky matte liquid lipstick- review and swatches

 

I'm all about supporting women bosses and small businesses, so when a woman-owned small business knocks it out of the park with a great product, you can bet I'll have my happy pants on. Lonely Planet Co is an indie cosmetics company on Etsy, and they have loads of gorgeous liquid to matte lipsticks which I obviously just HAD to try. In the UK, they cost £9.93 with £4.56 for shipping. For a handmade small batch high quality product, that's more than reasonable. I picked up the shade 'brick city'. 

 

lonely planet co matte lipstick- brick city

Isn't that just a gorgeous colour? I love rusty brick shades! And it's practically autumn in a tube, so I know I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it for the next few months.

The packaging is fairly simple with a standard doefoot applicator, though it does have a cool lonely planet logo on the gold lid. But with this one, the beauty really is on the inside. What a formula! I can see why it's got 'silky' in the name- its mousse like texture glides on all velvety and soft, and dries down to an opaque finish without any crumbling or flaking. And it's quite comfortable too.

It differs from other liquid matte lippies though in the removal stakes- this one doesn't require oil or makeup remover. I good rub with a tissue will get it off easily enough. That said, it's still got impressive lasting power and barely any transfer.

So in a nutshell: I love it. Go give it a shot!

xx

Stila stay all day liquid lipstick- review and swatches

Stila Stay All Day Liquid ipstick in the shade Beso. Is. everything.

Seriously guys, this is it. This is the perfect red. We can all go home and relax now, because the search is over. Urgh. My camera can't even capture the true depth, but even in my shitty swatches, it's easy to see how glorious this colour this. And these swatch pictures were taken after a pizza and ice cream feast, so you can totally count on the 'stay all day' claim. It hardly faded at all.

The thing is, I have a lot of liquid to matte lipsticks.

So many in fact, that I spent a long time avoiding Stila's offerings, telling myself they were unnecessary and probably overhyped. But they really aren't. They deserve every bit of hype they've been getting.

What sets them apart is the formula. It's a true cream consistency that applied incredibly opaque. And it has a generous drying time that allows for flawless application. It doesn't ever look patchy or crumbly. And unlike other liquid mattes, it doesn't dry down to ashy moisture-sucking doom. It's not moisturising, but it's definitely not drying at all, and it doesn't accentuate any existing dryness. All that fabulousness delivered by a flexible, long applicator that spreads the product like a dream. No need for a lip brush at all.

I honestly have nothing negative to say. Truth be told, when I stepped back from the mirror, I gasped at the beauty.

What more can I say? I one million per cent recommend this. .

etsy give me glow liquid matte lipstick in dark denim (dupe for jeffree star abused)

So I've heard loads of great things about Jeffree Star Cosmetics' Velour Lips formula, and have been dying to try it out for myself. Unfortunately, the shade I wanted most had a problematic name that I can't bring myself to support. Abused.  Jeffree himself has given the reason for the name (something to do with Marilyn Manson lyrics) and for that reason I won't accuse him of being intentionally offensive. But the thing is, not everyone will have read his explanation. Most people will take the name at face value, and see it to glamourise and fetishise abuse. And that's pretty insulting to survivors, myself included. I'm not bashing the company as a whole, I just think the name of this particular shade was insensitive and in poor taste.

So I was pretty stoked to find a dupe for it! GiveMeGlow is a seller on etsy who specialises in dupes, and she did a great job of matching this shade to Abused. It's called Dark Denim. Behold:

Ok, so the packaging is nothing special, but it's functional and sturdy and has a handy mirror the side. And the doefoot applicator is stiff enough to get clean lines (my swatches are applied solely with the applicator- no lip brush) so no complaints there. Anyway, it's an indie brand with limited funds for snazzy production, and I'm interested in what's on the inside.

Give me glow cosmetics liquid lipstick- dark denim 

And holy wow, it's amazing. No streakiness here at all, and a generous drying time that allows for touch ups and corrections and- though you probably won't need to- easy layering.

The best thing is, it's so comfortable! Although it dries down, it still retains a bit of moisture and never becomes powdery, so it's much more easy on the lips than other liquid to matte lippies. Wear time is great too, with minimal transfer.

Honestly, I'm so glad I discovered this shop, and Brandy (the owner) deserves all the success she's getting. I'm all for supporting small businesses and women bosses so Give me glow is a double whammy for me. Go check it out!

collection work the colour matte lip butter- review and swatches

Summer may be over, but you can bet a juicy bright lip shade will always be in. Collection cosmetics have recently launched their new line of matte lip butters (I've reviewed their galactica lip butter here) some real pretty colours to tempt ya. I picked up 'pumpkin pie', a stonker of a coral.

Look at that shade! Oh it's a thing of beauty. I can tell I'll get a lot of wear from this one, not least because the formula is pretty pleasing too. If it looks like Revlon's matte balm, that's because it really is very similar (though without the mintiness). While I think 'balm' or 'butter' might be pushing it a bit, it is pretty comfy as far as a matte lippy goes.

collection work the colour matte lip butter- pumpkin pie

And as you can hopefully tell by the swatches, it packs a punch on the pigment front! And no streakiness at all. For a mere £2.99, it's an absolute steal and triumphs over its pricier Revlon counterpart. Overall, I'm so glad I picked this up and definitely recommend checking out a shade or two x

George asda stay put lip gloss- review and swatches

Everyone and their dog is coming out with a liquid to matte lipstick these days, and I'm not complaining because I love 'em. Even George at ASDA have created their own version, though I ignored it for ages assuming it was a regular lipgloss. Nope, it isn't. It's a liquid to matte, and I snapped up the shade 'Sweetheart' for a mere £3.

As you can see, the tube is a little battered and worn from adventures in my bag. It's small but practical and slim so will slip easily into a purse or pocket. The doefoot applicator is stiff enough to do the job just fine.

 

Look at the colour! I love it. The formula is sheerer than most liquid to mattes so that's great for those of you who find them too bold. You can get a sweet wash of colour with this one, so it's really wearable. Fear not though pigment lovers, because opacity is definitely buildable, as shown in my swatches. I think that's an impressive punch of colour, me.

So yeah, it definitely does dry down and lasts really well, though there is some slight stickiness to the touch. It's really not bad at all though, and it doesn't bother me a jot. The best thing is, like the LA Girl matte pigment gloss (reviewed here), it's not drying in the way other liquid-mattes are. That's a huge plus for me, because crumbly desert lips are never a good look.

 

Overall, I'm really pleased with this little steal. If only they were specified as liquid-mattes rather than glosses, I think they'd be a whole lot more popular!

 

 

What do you reckon? Will you pick one up next time you do the weekly shop?