A few days ago I picked up the Lip Nouveau set by Lipstick Queen from Beauty.com for $48. Let me tell you right off the bat that this is a fantastic deal. Just one lipstick from Lipstick Queen retails for $20+, but here you receive 3 full-size lippies.
The lipsticks included are Butterfly Ball in Fly (the pink one), Saint in Berry (the gold tube), and Sinner in Red (black tube). The packaging is wonderful. These are the kind of tubes I want to rub against my face: nice and smooth and metal. They definitely feel and look like $20 lipsticks.
So now I'm sure you want to see some swatches. Swatches are the meat of the post sandwich. Here's my awkwardly-posed arm, for your viewing pleasure.
The lipsticks included are Butterfly Ball in Fly (the pink one), Saint in Berry (the gold tube), and Sinner in Red (black tube). The packaging is wonderful. These are the kind of tubes I want to rub against my face: nice and smooth and metal. They definitely feel and look like $20 lipsticks.
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| The first two tubes are metal, and the last is rubberized. They feel awesome. |
Butterfly Ball lipsticks are said to emulate Butterfly wings, with faint turquoise shimmer. The color here is Fly, a pink with some subtle shimmer.
Saint lipsticks are described as "sheer, with 10% pigmentation." Berry is exactly what it sounds like. A berry.
Sinner lipsticks are the opposite of Saint, with "opaque, 90% pigmentation." The Red doesn't really need a long-winded essay. It's red.
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| Just look how gorgeous the tubes are. |
So now I'm sure you want to see some swatches. Swatches are the meat of the post sandwich. Here's my awkwardly-posed arm, for your viewing pleasure.
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| L-R: Fly, Berry, Red. No flash. |
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| L-R: Fly, Berry, Red. Flash. Check out the shimmer on Fly. |
If you're still in the mood for more awkward photos, just continue scrolling along. I have lots to share.
Here's Butterfly Ball in Fly, with both flash and no flash for those who like checking out shimmer.
On the lips Fly comes off as a nice-looking pink. In the right light you can definitely catch that shine, but most of the time it softly whispers "hey, I'm a pleasant cool pink." It goes on buttery and smooth, really moisturizing too.
The lasting power, though, is pretty shabby. Anything with the texture of balm won't last long. Fly is subtle enough that reapplying it is easy and doesn't require standing in front of the mirror for five minutes.
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| Awkwardly posing in my yard and wearing Fly. |
Next up in the lineup is Saint in Berry.
Just like Fly, Berry is really balmy and moisturizing on the lips. I want to say its a teeny tiny bit less 'balmy' than Fly--but that's not saying much, since its still much more like a tinted lip balm than a regular lipstick. Despite being described as "sheer, with 10% pigmentation," Berry has quite a bit of color. This is my favorite of the set: it's a nice daytime lipstick that adds subtle drama to any outfit.
And just like the Butterfly Ball lipstick, the wear time on this one isn't impressive. I ate a messy sandwich and the color along with it. Reapplying is a breeze, though, so just leave your sandwich and swipe it back on in a second.
And just like the Butterfly Ball lipstick, the wear time on this one isn't impressive. I ate a messy sandwich and the color along with it. Reapplying is a breeze, though, so just leave your sandwich and swipe it back on in a second.
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| In the grapevine, taking selfies. |
I've only got one image of the last lipstick in the set, since it looked basically the same with and without flash. So here you can admire Sinner in Red.
It's a vibrant neutral red that looks fantastic--the pigmentation is definitely 100% on this one. I don't have any 100% dupes for this one (Revlon's Super Luxurious Love That Red is close, but more pink-toned.)
Along with that, Sinner is pretty dry. Drier than the Revlon Super Luxurious Matte lipsticks. It's dry going on, and it dries out your lips. I, personally, don't mind the dryness, but you can easily apply it on top of a good chapstick to throw some moisture in.
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| No flash. |
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| With flash. |
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| 11 hours later (4pm-3am). It faded significantly, but still looks like a stain. |
Although my lips were pretty dry when I took the above picture, reapplying didn't emphasize and stick in the fine lines of my lips.
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| Freshly applied on the right. |
Lipstick Queen's Lip Nouveau set retails for $48, which comes out to $16 a pop, or about $128 an ounce. To compare, MAC lipsticks are $16 for 0.1, or $160 an ounce.
On their own, Butterfly Ball lipsticks are $24 for 0.134oz ($179.10 an ounce). Saint and Sinner lipsticks are $22 for 0.12oz ($183.33 an ounce).
So overall, this is a fantastic set. If you're thinking "man, the price is good, but those shades don't scream my name," then check out Lipstick Queen's other sets.
Bonus:
Reminiscent of Lipstick Queen, my bun is sitting on her pillow like the queen she is, although without the lipstick part.
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| Her eyes are evil-looking only with the flash. Also bunnies have no necks, according to mine. |
LOL @ "Swatches are the meat of the post sandwich."
ReplyDeleteHoly shizballs, I think I need Berry. I was just talking with a friend about how no berry lipsticks look decent on me. I think this one has a shot! So pretty! Thanks for the meaty pictures and review! :)
It's true! I doubt anyone really reads everything and doesn't just scroll through looking for swatches. If you're on the lookout for a purpleish berry, I'd suggest checking out the Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain in Crush. Its a really nice color too! (And thank you!)
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