Liquid Lipstick Roundup

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I was sooooo late to the game on the liquid lipstick trend it’s not even funny. It’s been what, like two years or so since people started losing their minds over them? At first I wasn’t interested because my lips are on the dry side and super-matte lipstick seemed like a bad idea. And then the ‘big’ ones were either from drama-stirring youtube beauty gurus like Jeffree Star or Instagram-fueled brands like ColourPop & Kylie Lip Kits, which again, yawn. I’m suspicious of anything with huge amounts of hype that I can’t try in store, but now that the trend is making its way into the more mainstream brands, alright, I’ll play. I sort of unintentionally gathered up a bunch in different price ranges so I figured I’d do a little compare & contrast.

Top row: Maybelline SuperStay in Keep Up the Flame and Constant Toast, Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Vivant, Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Berlin and Bachelorette

Bottom row: Armani Lip Magnet in #504 Nuda, Dior Diorific Matte Fluid in 001 and 002, Bite Beauty Cashmere Lip Cream in Sancerre, L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Gloss in Aphrodite Kiss and Nude Allude

Maybelline SuperStay: Keep Up the Flame & Constant Toast

Let’s get these out of the way first: I got them in an Influenster box (meaning I didn’t pay for them) and boy am I glad about that. Off the top of my head I can’t think of any makeup product that I hate more. They have great coverage and they’re very transfer-proof. Unfortunately that doesn’t make up for the weird plastic smell or the fact that they flake off in huge patches after a few hours. But when they start to wear off just take it off, right? WRONG. When I was testing these I tried removing the remaining lipstick with micellar water (nope), vaseline (nope), olive oil (nope) and finally resorted to good ol’ fashioned scrubbing. When I was taking the swatches off, I had to do so much scrubbing that I actually bruised my arm. No lipstick is worth that amount of trouble to me. Surprisingly the lip balm on the other side does keep them from looking or feeling too dry, and it doesn’t make the color bleed. Keep Up the Flame is a nice (if a little bit generic and flat) red, but the chunky shimmer in Constant Toast is mega-unflattering.

(Ulta, $8.99)

Chanel Rouge Allure Ink: Vivant

This is my newest acquisition, which I ordered mainly out of curiosity. Out of the whole group, Rouge Allure Ink has the best packaging – it’s about the size of a regular bullet lipstick (thumbs up since it fits in my clutch no problem) and the frosted glass feels weighty and high-end. The applicator is extremely soft and plush. Unfortunately the fancy packaging doesn’t completely translate to a top-notch product. The shade I got, Vivant, is a super vibrant orangey coral but it isn’t quite opaque. It takes a couple layers to cover completely, and I have to use a colored lip liner instead of my usual Rimmel clear liner if I want to overdraw my top lip (which I usually do with bright colors). It also has a tendency to settle into lines a little bit, but fades pretty evenly. Overall I like it but I’m not sure I love it – I’ll be trying it over different lip primers to see if that makes any difference. I do love that it’s not drying and the thinner consistency moves with my lips instead of feeling caked on.

(Nordstrom, $37)

 Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick: Berlin & Bachelorette

I got two minis of this formula from Sephora, either as point perks or promo codes (can’t remember at this point). At first I wasn’t in love but as I’ve used more liquid formulas I’m realizing they’re actually one of the better ones. They’re a tiny bit drying and feel a little thick, but the full coverage color goes on evenly and stays in place all day. Transfer is minimal (as lipstick goes) and I only have to touch up after eating. They do stain, so I don’t recommend wearing them if you’re going out for greasy burgers, otherwise you could end up looking like the Joker.

(Sephora, $20)

Armani Lip Magnet: #504 Nuda

I’ve heard SO many great things about these but honestly I’m just not very excited about the one I got. The warm pink color is very pretty, but the lipstick itself goes on very streaky, sinks into lines and shows every little flake if my lips aren’t perfectly exfoliated. I’ve had slightly better luck putting it over primer, but not by much. The applicator is also a little fussy – the felt part is only around the edges of the triangular wand (the middle is hard plastic) so it kind of pools up around the edges as I apply it and makes getting a clean line pretty tough. I’m trying to like it but this one may end up going back.

(Nordstrom, $38)

Dior Diorific Matte Fluid Lip & Cheek Velvet Colour: 001 & 002

I almost hate to include these because they’re limited edition for holiday 2016 and sold out on a lot of stores online. I’ve seen them in store here at Sephora, Macy’s & Dillards though, so it’s probably not too late. The Dior Matte Fluids are one of those weird lines where the formula varies wildly between colors. I hate that – if I love one shade, I want to be able to buy others without worrying I won’t like them as much. I originally bought and fell in love with 002, which is a gorgeous bright pink with an amazing texture. It’s full coverage, doesn’t bleed and starts to fade evenly after about 4-5 hours. It does transfer, but it feels so light on the lips that I’m willing to overlook that. The lighter pink (001) is a whole other ball game. I still like it – it’s lightweight and doesn’t look weird later in the day – but it doesn’t dry quite as matte and is very sheer compared to all the other liquids I tested. I couldn’t even get full coverage in my arm swatch. It’s close enough to my natural lip color for that to be ok but I think I may be saving this one to use as a blush. Side note: I find it weird for things to be labeled as ‘lip & cheek’ colors, for some reason I don’t really want to use the same wand on my mouth and my face.

(Sephora, $38)

Bite Beauty Cashmere Lip Cream: Sancerre

I’ve actually had the Bite lip cream for ages, and it’s still one of my favorite matte formulas. It’s not quite as light as the Dior ones or as bulletproof as Kat Von D, but the color payoff is amazing and it’s really comfortable to wear. It goes on and fades off evenly and doesn’t slip around or make my lips pruney – overall a great balance, especially if you’re like me and not totally sold on the idea of liquid formulas.

(Sephora, $28)

L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Gloss: Aphrodite Kiss & Nude Allude

Ugh, the name of these things seems really dumb but I guess it doesn’t affect what’s in the tube! I really, really like these even if they aren’t 100% perfect. For one thing, both the colors I have are consistent in texture and performance, which I hugely appreciate. The coverage is great and they dry down to a nice satin finish. There are drawbacks though – the scent is a little chemical-y, and they will bleed and feather if I don’t use some sort of liner. They do transfer some, but a quick blot after application minimizes that. I normally try to avoid raving about stuff because it’s great-for-the-price, but I think if I had to choose between these and the Armani or Chanel formulas, I’d go with the L’Oreals.

(Ulta, $9.99)

Wearing Dior Diorific Matte Fluid in 002

Wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Vivant

Wearing Armani Lip Magnet in Nuda

Wearing L’Oreal Pro-Matte Gloss in Aphrodite Kiss

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