SERIOUSLY, SKIP IT: Butter London Lippy (in Snog + Dupes)

I love Butter London. I love their logo, their website layout, their packaging, and their nail polish. It's square. Squares are excellent shapes for basically everything.

I tried really hard to like the Lippy Liquid Lipstick. Like, really hard. I put it on in the morning and I ate with it and then I was so grossed out I wiped that stuff right off.

Look at that cute rectangle.

The packaging is fantastic. If I could scrub out all the pink gunk and pour in a different product, I totally would. Although now it's more likely I'll put it in my box of lip products and pull out every now and then, quietly admire, then put back to resume gathering dust.

The product itself is totally confusing. I have no idea what I own. It's called a Lippy--but so is every lip product from Butter London. Is it a lip gloss? Is it a liquid lipstick? I have no fucking idea. From the packaging it looks like the Lippy Liquid Lipsticks, but the little sticker at the bottom assures me I'm holding a lip gloss that's 0.24 fl oz. The box, on the other hand, corrects me: "no, honey, it's 0.25 fl oz."

Whatever it is, I hate it.

Typical applicator.

The smell, oh man, the smell. When you open the package and smell it, it's ok. It's something between old perfume and a Jolly Rancher. But like if the Jolly Rancher had no sugar. Just that overbearing, synthetic fruity smell. The kind of perfume your elderly aunt has been wearing since the 50's. Color payoff is great, but it doesn't dry either.

The worst part is actually smearing this glop on your mouth. The texture is really thick and liquid lipstick-y, but boy howdy is this thing sticky. It stays in place, but I feel like I stuck one of those weird sticky strips you find on the back of samples but on my lips. You know the ones. Like clear boogers attaching your already-tiny primer sample to unnecessary cardboard.

And then you start to taste it. Imagine walking though the perfume department right as someone sprayed a bottle, and the perfume gets in your mouth. And then you eat a bar of soap. That's exactly what this Lippy tastes like. When I ate some sandwich I couldn't taste anything but soap--and it was a damn good sandwich too. Even after you remove it, the smell lingers for a good, long while.

Because I hate myself, I photographed it on my lips. No flash.

There are the sacrifices I make in the name of blogging.

As much as I wanted to test the lasting power of this thing, I just can't keep this slathered on my lips. The perfume scent is so overbearing and I don't want to perpetually feel like someone shoved a bar of soap in my mouth.

Like any responsible blogger, I bring you less disgusting dupes. I have entirely too many lip products, mostly drugstore, so I quickly managed to pick out a few similar shades.

L-R: Butter London Snog, Maybelline Color Elixer in Celestial Coral (~$9), Maybelline Superstay 14HR Lipstick in Continuous Crandberry, Eternal Rose (~$9), Revlon Super Luxurious Lipstick in Pink Velvet, Love That Red, Fire & Ice (~$8). 

L-R: Butter London Snog, Maybelline Color Elixer in Celestial Coral (~$9), Maybelline Superstay 14HR Lipstick in Continuous Cranberry, Eternal Rose (~$9), Revlon Super Luxurious Lipstick in Pink Velvet, Love That Red, Fire & Ice (~$8). 

Flash, same order as above.

I wouldn't call any of these identical in the swatch, but on the lips, it's a lot harder to spot the differences. In person, Continuous Cranberry is a lot redder. The closest dupe is the last one, Fire & Ice. The undertones differ slightly, but again, on the lips the difference is imperceptible.

I would spring for Revlon's Fire & Ice and toss Snog right in the trash. The color is so great, but everything else gets a sad emoticon from me.

The Lippy Liquid Lipstick retails for $18 for 0.24 fl oz ($75 per ounce). In comparison, OOC Lip Tars are $19 for 0.33 fl oz ($57 per ounce) and are much better quality. Revlon's Super Luxurious lipsticks are ~$8 for 0.15 oz ($53.33 per ounce).

Bonus:

To make up for the mediocrity of this 'lippy', here's a picture of the bun showing off her weird rabbit feet.

The thing she's chillin' in was intended to be a litterbox, but she decided it makes a better bed.

Review: Lipstick Queen Lip Nouveau Set (Sinner, Saint, Butterfly Ball swatches)

The best way to kick off a blog is by offering the internet a much-needed review on a pretty set of lipsticks.

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.

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. 

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.

L-R: Fly, Berry, Red. No flash.

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.

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.

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.  

No flash.

With flash.

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.

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.

Her eyes are evil-looking only with the flash. Also bunnies have no necks, according to mine.

Review: Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Heather Moon

Clinique. When you hear it you probably think pricy faux-scientific skincare. I think of Cintiq, the equally pricy drawing tablet that costs more than my first-born child. And even after that I visualize my boyfriend's mom, with her pretty eyeshadow palettes and PhD and list-writing. She's a lady who's really got her shit together. So maybe if I buy enough high-end makeup, I too can seem like the list-writing and PhD-having type.

Source: http://us.wacom.com/en/shared/products/pen-displays/cintiq/cintiq-24hd-touch/multitouch/
Look at that majestic beast.

I strolled into Sephora the other day in a half-hearted attempt to siphon some perfume samples and find a high-end dupe for my nifty ELF lip pencil. Not quite a perfect dupe, but now I own the Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Heather Moon. For some bizarro reason, Sephora calls it "Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick".

The packaging, like other Clinique products, is pretty cute and reminiscent of spring. The lipstick itself reminds me of what your finger might look like if you wrap a tight rubber-band around it. Still, it looks luxe and feels heavy, well worth the $15. I wouldn't be ashamed to whip it out in the restroom of a 5-star restaurant.

The color for Heather Moon on the website is kind of misleading. In reality, the color is like a dark plummy-silvery shade.

Source: http://www.clinique.com/product/1605/5404/Makeup/Lipsticks/Long-Last-Lipstick
Yeah, that's a pink. Unless they photoshopped that to appear like it's taken with flash. 

L-R: No flash, flash. Now these are more like it. On macro and flash this guy is gorgeous. As a swatch, though, this lipstick is more sheer than a full on plum.

No flash.

Flash.

On the arm, Heather Moon looks like a nice purplish plum. On the face it applies really smooth and buttery. Reminiscent of all the 'lip butters' and 'super moisturizing' lip products on the market. You can apply it sheer (or just dab away color), or you can layer this sucker and get a more concentrated punch.

Heather Moon on my awkwardly posed face.
If you're wondering why my eyebrows are different colors, that's for a different post.

Disembodied close up.

It's hard to get a perfect photo of this shade. In person, it looks more purple than above--and has a subtle silver sheen to it (the swatch is rather accurate, though). My lips are pretty pink naturally, so the color comes off more red than the swatch. If you have really mauve and dark lips, this'll probably appear more true-to-swatch. I imagine this would look gorgeous on dark skin.

The lasting power is alright; most lipsticks marketed as 'moisturizing' behave the same. I ate some dinner, smeared grease on my mouth, wiped it off carefully, and voila: there's still a bit of color on my lips. It was sheered out maybe a good 60% and the silver shimmer was gone, so this would be a good time to reapply (which is a breeze that doesn't require 10 minutes in front of the mirror). All in all, it's pretty and doesn't take much time out of your day to slap back on your lips.

Clinique Long Last Lipstick retails for $15 for 0.14oz, or $107.14 per ounce. MAC's regular lipsticks retail for $16 for 0.1oz ($160 an ounce).

Bonus:

Here's my stylish bun posing.

Metal and cold.

Hiding from the metal and cold in her castle.

Skip It: Sephora Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color (Fig Luster + dupes)

Come on, Sephora. Why must you throw so many words into your product names. It's like you're trying to fill another page of essay but have nothing more to say. "Matte! Luster!" a Sephora executive exclaims, hitting his fist on the conference table. "Dammit, Jimmy, we need more words!"

This product isn't inherently terrible. It's not even 'awful'--but it sure as hell isn't worth the $16.

Why? you ask your screen, looking befuddled. Well, fellow reader who most likely googled 'sephora review' and was redirected here, I'll tell you.

When I buy something 'high end' I like to think I'm paying for 3 things: packaging, product, and exclusivity. If packaging didn't sell, then perfumes would be pretty ugly looking. And of course if I'm paying $16 for something so tiny, I want it to work better than a $10 drugstore thing. I also don't want to buy something that I already have duplicates of.

For me, Sephora's Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color in Fig Luster get's a big old "Nooope" on all 3 points.


1. Packaging

This packaging is terrible. I'm not even going to sugarcoat it. It looks cheap and it screams drugstore. Imagine a MAC lipstick. Looks nice and sleek and heavy. Now imagine the opposite. Or, you know, just look down. 

Why does the Sephora $16 product look cheaper than the $7 Revlon lipgloss? Let's break it down.

The big chunky words on the cheap-feeling "matte" cap look juvenile. Revlon has a luxe-looking gold band under a shiny, dense cap. Sephora's got those unappealing black letters on the body--while the Revlon is totally clean. The Sephora Luster Matte reminds me of those little lipglosses my 9 year old sister plays with.

All in all, the packaging doesn't scream "I'm high end, I'm $16" to me.


2. Product

This was the section that most tempted me to keep this thing. "But it's $16! It's better than drugstore! I should keep it!" I rationalized.

It's ok. It's decent. It gets the job done.

L-R: wet, 'dry', Clinique's Long Last Lipstick in Heather Moon, $15

With flash version for the picky.

It goes on really smooth and light-weight; I can hardly feel it. Nice. I find liquid products hard to manage, but I did an ok job.

Check out my disembodied lips. I didn't feel like doing a full face of makeup for a B- product.

No flash.

Flash.

It doesn't really dry though. The Luster Matte isn't sticky either--but it still feels wet. If you're planning on drinking, plan on subtly and sneakily wiping off your cup. No bonus points for that.

The wear time is ok. You eat, it starts to come off on your food. You'll have to do some touch ups. Meh. I have drugstore products that give me the same effect, but with more of a true matte.


3. Exclusivity

I don't have a huge lip collection. I still managed to find colors that were close to this one.

First off, look above for the Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Heather Moon. Entirely forgot to add that one to the list below.

L-R: Sephora Luster Matte in Fig Luster, Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Sultry, Covergirl Lip Perfection in Romance, ELF Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose, Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Iconic Iris.

Same, but with Flash.

When I brought home the Sephora Luster Matte and slapped it onto my face I already knew I had a shade that gave me the same effect.

Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry ($9) is one of my favorite shades: it gives the same pleasant end result but is just more pink. And it's a matt crayon. Come on, it's great.

The Covergirl Lip Perfection in Romance ($7) is a really really close dupe to Fig Luster. It doesn't seem like it on my arm, but in natural light it actually looks quite similar.

ELF Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose ($3) is my favorite shade. Like, out of my whole collection, next to aforementioned Sultry. You should definitely go buy it. In comparison to Fig Luster, it's cooler and more purple.

The last one I included is Revlon's Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Iconic Iris ($10) since it's the other liquid product. This one is more of a shimmery brown-red that basically lasts forever. This line of liquid lipstick isn't for the weakhearted. I have to manually scrub this stuff off. The swatch on my arm is still shimmery, too.

So, I have colors that I prefer to the Sephora Luster Matte Fig Luster. It's a nice color, but I don't need it.

3.5: Prices

So I guess here's a bonus category.

Sephora Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color retails for $16 for 0.14 fl oz ($114.28 per fl oz). In comparison, OOC Lip Tars are $19 for 0.33 fl oz ($57.57 per fl oz). The Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick is $10.99 for 0.1 fl oz ($109.9 per fl oz).

If you're thinking "But Veronica: I really like that shade, I don't really care about packaging. The formula sounds good too." Then you're in luck. Run down to Sephora and try it. There are far more exciting colors than Fig Luster that might be original enough to make me and you overlook the ugly tube.

Bonus:

Here's some pictures of this blog's namesake trying on Fig Luster.

Check out that Revlon swatch still chilling on my arm.

She's sulking because that's never coming out.