Maychiri's Thoughts: Dark red

Catrice The Great Christmas Advent Calendar Nail Lacquer [C03] Review

January 09, 2025

Hey, wait... oh no... this isn’t plain royal purple like it looked in the back of the calendar. Damn. This is another shimmery nail polish, but it’s very dark red with... purple (?) shimmer? Gosh, why not make it just solid royal purple... I have to say that I am already not feeling this colour at all. Ah well, let’s see what it’s like anyways.

Packaging: square bottle so it looks like a glass cube. It is quite heavy, though. The cap is golden, which goes fantastically with the dark red base of the polish, very eye-catching! The only detail is the Catrice logo, but there is some information in the back. The cap closes extremely tightly, and, since it is not ribbed, it can be frustratingly hard to open. But at least it keeps the nail polish from drying out! I like this bottle design, it is classy and easy to store, even though it is a bit large.

Ingredients: açaí (Euterpe oleracea) fruit oil for nourishment. 3-free (DBP, formaldehyde, toluene). The scent is like any other nail polish, tbh. The expiration date is 36 months after opening.

Brush: oh, another thin brush, just like with C02... this is something between a flat brush and a round brush, and it is... not too good. Which pains me to say, because Catrice are known for having fantastic nail polish brushes. But this brush felt weird to use; like, it fans out nicely but it returns to an almost round shape after you lift the brush, so nail polish isn’t deposited too evenly. And it is hella messy around the edges, which, granted, is equal parts the watery formula’s fault and this brush’s. However, it does pick up a large amount of pigment, though it still wasn’t quite enough. I had to go back to the bottle to finish painting each nail. Needlessly tricky to use brush when they already perfected the game with the ICONAILS brushes... why, just why change it?

Colour: okay, so, the way this colour looks in the bottle is not the same as how it looks on nails. This is a relief to me, as I really didn’t like that deep red with very intense bright purple shimmer that is in the bottle. It’s much more purple on the nails, but still with a noticeable red hue to it, but it is definitely ‘purple’ instead of dark wine red. The base is dark wine red, of course, but the shimmer spreads so nicely that it changes the whole hue, and it has a purple shine to it, which makes it look even more purple. I am still not feeling this colour, I don’t feel any ‘connection’ to it, but I do like it way more now that I see how it actually looks like on nails. The base is a very dark and intense red, almost like mulled wine, which is appropriate for this time of the year.

On top of that base sits the shimmer, which is multicoloured but the purple is most present. The purple shimmer is literally neon violet, so bright that it has the power to change the entire colour of the polish, but it wouldn’t be able to do that without the help of the plentiful lighter red and orange shimmer, which adds so much dimensionality. So, in effect, you have a dark red nail polish with purple shimmer. But when you shine a light on it, it becomes much more sparkly and multicoloured. So it’s quite a festive colour after all! Though I still wish it was a classic royal purple...

Oh god, this formula is very watery. It feels quite cheap, and it applies badly as well. It’s so hard to make it even, and it’s runny, which makes it even harder to use. Really awful formula, but I am glad that the shimmery isn’t chunky like with C02. This formula is watery, but it became weirdly goopy all of a sudden when I went to apply a second coat. Needless to say, I had a real mess around my nails after painting my nails...

One coat is horrible. Like, you cannot wear it like this as it is horribly uneven and semi-opaque. Plus, the colour isn’t as vibrant as it should be. It just looks like rubbish with one coat, sorry. Two coats improves the situation dramatically. Now it’s completely opaque and the colour is as vivid as it should be. Now it’s purple! Also, the shimmer becomes much more 3D with two coats. However, don’t apply more than 2 coats; it started to feel goopy with two, so there’s really no need for 3+ coats. I really think that 2 coats is ideal. The texture is glossy, first and foremost, but it’s not just a glossy nail polish – it is also a shimmery nail polish! The shimmer is extremely fine, so it doesn’t feel scratchy, and it gives the polish so much dimensionality, like, it actually looks deeply 3D!

This effect is incredibly difficult to capture on camera; in person it is much more sparkly and magical and so wonderful!

Longevity is, again, like with C02, excellent! Although it is not quite as chip-proof as C02; it stayed free from any chips throughout the 5 days I had it on, but it started to chip when I went to wash my hair. It had a few tiny chips on two nails, which is entirely okay. However, it did seem to get scratched up after a day or two. The fine shimmer inside helps conceal this remarkably well, so it still had a lot of its initial shine despite this. I honestly expected it to chip much more since it isn’t as chunky glittery as C02, so I am satisfied with this longevity.

Eh, removing this nail polish was... a hassle, let’s just say. I used the best remover I have and it still had a lot of trouble removing this nail polish. It took 3-4 passes to finally start breaking through the top coat, and just as many to remove it almost completely. Almost, because there was still some polish remaining even after all that. So I had to go over all my nails again to fully remove it. Luckily, I was able to somehow avoid damaging my nails in the process. And there was no yellow staining as well! I was positive that there would be, since this is a dark red/purple colour and those almost always stain my nails but this one doesn’t! Now, if only it could be easier to remove...

All in all, not a too bad nail polish – if you fancy very dark red or dark purple nail polishes. I generally don’t like such colours on my nails for multiple reasons so I don’t vibe with this colour, sadly. It’s not a bad colour, but the way it is depicted in the back of the calendar is very misleading. Because it is not a plain glossy royal purple nail polish like it seems; it is actually a dark red base with annoyingly bright purple shimmer inside it. Or, at least, that’s what it looks like in the bottle – on the nails, it becomes much more multicoloured thanks to all the colourful shimmer. It’s not just bright violet shimmer, it also has light red shimmer, and the interaction between the two and the dark wine red base makes the nail polish glimmer magically. I rather like this, despite not liking the colour itself. It looks so magical, which is fitting for Christmas time, when there’s Christmas magic on the air! The photos certainly don’t do it justice, it is much more shimmery and 3D in person. However, for how good this is, the formula leaves a lot to be desired. It is noticeably watery and not the easiest to use, and it becomes slightly goopy with the second coat. And the brush is subpar, it is not that wonderful wide flat brush that Catrice usually use. I have no idea why they changed it when it was so good... the brush is far less precise and doesn’t apply the polish as well as the old brush. One other horrible thing is how extremely difficult this polish is to remove. I did not expect it to cause me this much trouble! I needed to go for like 7-8 passes until I was able to remove most of it, and I was using the best remover so what gives?? It’s not like it is chunky glittery... but at least it didn’t make my nails yellow. Silver linings. I will end in a good note, by mentioning how incredibly long-lasting this nail polish is; it isn’t quite as impervious to damage as C02, but it still remained in fantastic condition until the very end, and survived a hair wash without too much chipping. Just some. So yeah, honestly, a surprise! Listen, I still don’t like this colour, but it’s undeniable that it is nice quality. Albeit with quite a few problems.

Rating: 6/10

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Automatic Lip Liner

Catrice The Great Christmas Advent Calendar Lip Liner [C02] Review

December 10, 2024

Ah, here is the second of two automatic lip liners in the calendar! Again, I haven’t used many Catrice lip liners, though I now have the added knowledge of what the lighter lip liner, C01, was like... and that worries me. However, I will go in blind, like I haven’t used that one, and give my honest, unbiased, opinion! To be completely honest, I am not digging this colour as much as C01, I am skeptical it will look that good on me, but we’ll see, right? Now, let’s see!

Packaging: just like the first lip liner, the packaging is really simple. It also feels just as cheap and kinda flimsy. The exterior is made to match the colour of the lip liner, and, yeah, it pretty good match, though it is a bit too rusty. The actual lead is less orange. Text is light pink, which doesn’t look quite as nice as on the first lip liner, but I do like how it’s a higher contrast. There isn’t a whole lot of information here, you’ll have to go back to the calendar for the ingredients list, for example.

The cap closes pretty tightly, with a click. The retracting mechanism is a bit easier to use than with C01, but it still feels stiff and requires effort to get enough lead out. At least it’s not messed from me toying with it... so yeah, feels cheap.

Ingredients: vitamin E for nourishment, no parabens. Oh yum, the scent is delicious! It smells like a mixture of vanilla cake and rich chocolate! This is the same scent as C01, but I enjoy it just the same! It’s rich and so yummy and... ah, just amazing! Though it doesn’t match the colour quite as well as C01, this isn’t a very chocolatey colour. The expiration date is 12 months after opening.

Here’s a very nice swatch for now, until I form a complete opinion on this liner, although I do have an idea what it’ll be like; if it is at all similar to C01, I won’t have a great time. But I won’t poison the well just yet, I’d rather give it a chance to, in a manner of speaking, speak for itself. You know, review each one objectively and stuff.

Colour: identical to the Full Shine Lipstick C02, as it makes a set with it. Although it may look a tiny bit darker because this liner is matte, not shiny like the lipstick. This is a deep, intense rose kind of colour, with an almost neutral undertone, just perhaps a bit warm. It’s muted but also vibrant, somehow. Like, it looks a bit faded, but it’s also so intense. In terms of named colours, it is quite similar to ‘China rose’ and ‘raspberry red’. It’s a dramatic, but very elegant colour, and one that is fitting for the 1920’s style the Advent calendar is going for.

I love this colour! It’s a fair bit more dramatic than the lip liner/lipstick C01, so this one could be used for evening activities, while the C01 could be used during the day. Or you could absolutely wear this during the day, it’s very classy! It really pops on my pale skin!

Pigmentation is much, much better than what C01 had. This liner is so pigmented that you really have to be careful how you use it, as it only takes a light touch and already there’s a lot of colour! This one looks great with a single layer, though, of course, it benefits greatly from having multiple layers; then it becomes super intense and vibrant! Although, I would be careful with multiple layers, as it has most of the same issues the C01 variant had. Fantastic pigmentation, really! Wow!

This liner is a fair bit easier to apply than C01. For starters, the formula is quite a bit different at the start, so that, of course, impacts the application. This liner applies very easily as it glides across lips, even the more dry parts. It doesn’t really tug at the lips like C01 does, it just feels so soft as I am applying it! And it doesn’t skip over parts of lips a lot, though I would still suggest having exfoliated, smooth lips, just because of the texture and finish.

I love how smooth and creamy this liner feels while I am applying it, but one thing I don’t like is that it starts to pill and crumble if you try to apply new layers on already dried layers – and trust me, it doesn’t take long for them to dry. But it’s less severe than with C01, at least so far. However, aside from that, there aren’t many other problems; the pigment is deposited evenly and richly and I had no issues filling in my lips all over. This is important, as this isn’t a forgiving colour! Wonder why C01 and C02 feel so different to use when the ingredients list is almost the same?

This is an automatic lip liner, so, as expected, it is very precise. Though, once the initial sharp tip is used up, the lead will be blunt, which might create issues with sharply defining the cupid’s bow. But it can still sharply define the lips, so it isn’t much of an issue. I do believe they are more sharply defined than with C01, and I am so happy for that! This colour needs the precision, so I am really glad that this liner is this precise!

Oh my, the formula feels substantially different to the one C01 had. At least, at first. It feels buttery smooth and soft, and it melts into the lips wondrously, giving you intense colour with no effort at all! Why is it so buttery? Doesn’t matter, I adore it! Oh... but that doesn’t last long. Like I thought. Soon after applying, it changes from that amazing buttery smooth formula into a very powdery dry one. It never feels occlusive though, not even when it’s initially buttery soft.

It takes literally 10-15 seconds for it to dry down into this powdery dry finish, and that’s exactly why it has a tendency of crumbling or pilling when adding additional layers. This extreme dryness is not a good thing, despite being virtually weightless. I may not be able to feel it were it not for the fact that it is constantly forcing me to lick my lips in a vain attempt to rehydrate them. And that causes it to become more waxy. Never tacky, though. So, a bit of bad, a bit of good, I suppose. Though the bad is quite bad. The texture is completely matte, with no shine at all. But it looks velvety soft, not extremely dry like it could. It doesn’t emphasise the fine lines of the lips very much, and makes lips look so luscious and nice! Yay! Although it does start to look more dry with time. But it still looks velvety and super soft!

So... about that dryness. Yeah, it’s very uncomfortable. Like I said, it’s so extremely dry that I am constantly subconsciously trying to moisten my lips, which only leads to them getting drier, ironically enough. But my lower lip is in so much suffering... not only is it dry all over the lips, it creates this awful dry crust on my lower lip that is just more evidence of how drying it actually is. After a whole day of wearing it, my lips feel very dry, to the point where the lower lip starts to crack.

And even worse, after meals and if it becomes moist at any point, the liner becomes waxy, and that waxy crust feels even worse. It’s super lightweight though, which helps offset some of this discomfort, but it’s still not at all comfortable to wear. Man, I will need lip oil sorely after this...

Longevity is, again, not something this lip liner excels at, just like C01. But, where C01 could hide a good deal of the damage due to the very natural, soft colour, this one shows all the damage quite clearly. Now, the basics, does it fade or smudge over time? No, not on its own. The edges stay as sharp as when they were first defined, and the colour stays just as intense throughout the day. There is also no feathering on the edges, so it does its job of being a lip liner very well... until you decide to eat or drink something.

Because it really does not like that. All food will make it fade from the centre, and since it is a quite vibrant colour, the damage is very visible. It is absolutely necessary to reapply it after meals, which isn’t ideal. After all, lip liners should be a good base for lipsticks, and if they don’t tolerate food... you get it. If you just line your lips with the liner, you might be able to get away with not fixing it after meals, but if you fill in your lips with it, half of it will he gone after most meals, it doesn’t matter whether they are greasy or not. Shame. But I was expecting this.

Just like I was expecting this liner to be easy to remove. And it is, it takes but a single swipe with micellar water and it’s already gone! Though it may, potentially, leave a bit of a stain. But in most cases, it won’t. Now time to apply a lot of lip oil... my lips really need it.

Sharpening? Well yes, even automatic lip liners can be sharpened... with the right tool. You, of course, cannot sharpen it with a typical sharpener, you’ll need one of those tiny automatic liner sharpeners that come with many of the more affordable automatic pencils. If you do decide to sharpen it with this tiny sharpener, have a light touch as the lead is quite delicate and prone to breaking.

Just to note that, while this lip liner matches the lipstick perfectly, they don’t actually seem to go together all that well. What I mean is that, since both are drying, the end result is that the lips feel much more dried out than if you were wearing either separately. So, something to look out for. Either deal with that extreme drying out, or apply a lip oil/lip gloss over this liner instead of the lipstick; not ideal, but one way to prevent your lips from being extremely dried out.

Overall, eh, I am not too thrilled with this lip liner. However, it is definitely better quality-wise than C01! Why? Well, because, instead of feeling waxy and occlusive at first, this one feels buttery soft and creamy! And lightweight from the start! Plus, it doesn’t tug at the lips as much; it actually barely tugs at them at all! This makes it so much easier to apply, even if the colour is more intense. I had no trouble at all both defining my lips and filling them in, though I get the feeling that this liner is not actually meant to be used in place of a lipstick. Not only does this use up way too much of the lead, but it is also so, so, SO very dry. It feels so powdery dry that it’s making me want to lick my lips constantly and if I do that, they just become drier. So it’s an endless loop of drying out. And then it becomes waxy on the lower lip and creates the godawful crust that I despise so much. Not fun or comfortable at all to wear. Just like C01. It also doesn’t tolerate food or drinks; it fades significantly from the centre of the lips, leaving you with an ugly, half-faded out look. So, obviously, it needs to be fixed after meals, which is slightly annoying. But hey, it’s such a pretty colour, though! To contrast with the C01 set, this one is much darker, much more dramatic, and certainly much more moody. It’s a dark rose, that is somehow both muted and intense at the same time. It’s a great colour of you are going for a 1920’s kind of look! And it’s a great colour overall, and I am sure it will suit many skintones. I do love how it looks on me, so dramatic yet elegant at the same time! It will be awesome for winter, I just know it! It is really such a shame that it’s so drying and dry and doesn’t have good longevity, isn’t it? It had so much potential... but this is one of the few actually decent products so far, so I’ll take it!

Rating: 6/10

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Catrice

Catrice The Great Christmas Advent Calendar Nail Lacquer [C01] Review

December 09, 2024

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Catrice

Catrice The Great Christmas Advent Calendar Matte Liquid Lipstick Review

December 08, 2024

Not what I was expecting at all... but seeing this lipstick in person confirmed one suspicion I had: this is the outlier among the lip products. What I mean by this is that there are 2 lipsticks, 2 lip liners and one liquid lipstick; I expected one of these to not match the lip liners and it turns out it’s the liquid lippy! Oh wow, this is seriously red... it seemed more rusty brown on the packaging, but I really like what I see IRL! But what is it like, exactly? I’ve had a few Catrice liquid lipsticks before and they weren’t too bad, so I am hoping this one is decent as well! I am actually looking forward to wearing this intense darker red, I think it’s going to look gorgeous! Now, let’s see what this is like!

Packaging: pretty simple for a liquid lipstick, but I live the little details! Like the solid gold cap that creates such a magnificent colour combo with the intense darker red of the lipstick. It’s so stunning! The cap is also reflective, but, as always, that means that it’s a fingerprint magnet. You win some, you lose some, eh. Also, note that the plastic of the tube is frosted! What a cool little detail!

These two details are why this lipstick reminds me so much of the Max Factor Colour Elixir glosses, check them out, you’ll see the resemblance. Anyways, there’s a Catrice logo, in gold, in the front and some information about the lipstick in the back. But for the ingredients list, you’ll have to go back to the calendar. Oh, one more thing, the cap closes very tightly, to ensure that the lipstick doesn’t dry out too fast. And the stopper inside is the ideal size, so that you end up with the adequate amount of lipstick on the applicator every time.

Ingredients: vitamin E, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract for nourishment. No parabens. Well, there’s at least something to try and prevent this lipstick from being too drying, which is nice, I guess. The scent is very nice, and not too intense. It smells somewhat like bitter vanilla... perhaps toasted vanilla? It’s a pretty sweet scent but it also has a note of toasted caramel or something. Very yummy nonetheless! The expiration date is 12 months after opening. Cute, it also has a note that it stains the skin, haha!

This is one of those products that requires a lot of detailed analysis to get a thorough opinion on, it’s always like this with liquid lipsticks as they have a lot of parts to them that can be good/bad. Ergo, the swatch for now. What I can point out now, is, that it’s extremely pigmented! Like, wow! And it also feels mega thick and takes literal ages to dry... huh, this is a bit worrying. We’ll see how it behaves on the lips, though.

Ah... this is a flat applicator. I was expecting a doe foot, alright then. I don’t really like these flat applicators for liquid lipsticks – especially such extremely bold, pigmented liquid lipsticks – because they tend to not be very precise. However, this applicator is precise, somehow? I don’t know how or why, but it actually isn’t that hard to line the lips properly and even the cupid’s bow isn’t a problem. This is excellent! This applicator picks up a huge amount of pigment and applies it super evenly across the entire lips; I rarely have to go for more layers, but I still do, because I want to make sure it is perfect. The flat side of the applicator is ideal for applying the lipstick on the entire lip evenly, while the narrow sides can be used to precisely line the lips.

The tip, although not too precise, can line the cupid’s bow pretty successfully. The applicator is firm but still feels soft on my lips, so it is quite comfortable to use. I am blown away by how precise it is around the edges of lips! I have no issues adding just a tiny bit more pigment to make it all even, whereas, with plenty of other liquid lipsticks, this is a risk (because it’s easy to ruin the look). I honestly did not expect to love this applicator this much – I guess there is a first time for everything, haha!

Wearing just this liquid lipstick

Colour: dark red, for sure. But it’s not a very dark red; it’s more of a slightly darker red and that is a-okay with me! I prefer these kinds of reds, I think that they are super seductive and gorgeous on pale skin. Indeed, this colour is so sexy, isn’t it? Very seductive and sultry... ooh, I love that! And, best thing? It’s a cool-toned red! It really leans towards bluish tones, which, wouldn’t you know, is my favourite kind of red! So, this red is absolutely perfect for me! In terms of what colour it is most similar to, that would probably be apple red. It’s that luscious, vivid red that you could associate with red delicious apples. Perfect! And a fitting colour for New Year’s – this is surely one lucky colour, one that will bring you hood fortune in the new year. Oh, also, this colour doesn’t make teeth look more yellow; it, in fact, makes teeth look whiter than usual! This is a great thing! As you might know, red lip products can be tricky in this regard, so I am beyond happy that this lipstick enhances the whiteness of my teeth. Okay, I felt that this would be pretty from the start, but I never thought it would be this sexy! Wooow! Well, I am definitely feeling this colour, mhm! I adore it!

Wearing just this liquid lipstick

Oh my, this isn’t what I expected the formula to be like but I really like it! It is very luxurious! It is super creamy and soft, which, of course, means that it doesn’t tug at the lips while you are applying it. And even though it is so creamy, it doesn’t feel too heavy on my lips. Of course, it is nowhere near as light as non-liquid lipsticks usually are, but it could be much heavier for sure. I have liquid lipsticks that feel much heavier and more occlusive than this one. And one thing that I am so very happy about is that this formula can be layered! So many liquid lipsticks become borderline unusable when you try to layer on more layers, but this one doesn’t mind that. This makes it so easy to fine-tune the exact shape of your lipstick, which can be very hard with liquid lipsticks. Such a great formula! I never expected it to be this creamy and easy to use!

Wearing just this liquid lipstick, multiple layers

Ah, I knew something had to be bad. And this is very bad. See, this lipstick takes forever to dry. I kid you not, I waited for 10 minutes and it still wasn’t dry! This is preposterous! Who has this kind of time just to wait for a lipstick to dry? And, you know, I wouldn’t mind this quite as much if it wasn’t absolutely necessary to let it dry completely before doing anything else with your mouth. So you’ll be stuck, forced to have a semi-open mouth for 10+ minutes while this dries. Because, if you don’t, it starts to crack immediately. So no speaking, no eating or drinking anything and certainly no keeping your mouth closed. Very annoying! It doesn’t seem to dry any faster after I spray setting spray on it, either. I have no idea why it literally takes an eternity to dry, but it is not good. Liquid lipsticks should dry quickly, after all! And it seems to be somewhat moist still the entire day, it’s like it never fully, 100%, dries. Which leads to significant problems, but I’ll touch on them a bit later.

Wearing just this liquid lipstick

The pigmentation is astonishing! Wow! I mean, I know that liquid lipsticks – especially matte ones – tend to be super pigmented, but this one is just so incredibly vibrant and intense... I love it! Seriously, one layer is enough to get very intensely red lips, but it doesn’t hurt to layer on a few more layers, as the formula allows that. It will only look deeper, more 3D in a way, if you add more layers. See, this is what a red lipstick should be like! Vibrant, in-your-face red that you cannot help but notice! Yes!

Worn with the Essence In the Bloom’light Shiny Lipgloss [01/Moonlight Glow]

And it’s completely opaque, so you don’t necessarily need to apply a red lip liner underneath. It will help with making sharper defined lips, though. But on its own, this lipstick is so rich and dimensional that it doesn’t care whether there is a red lip liner underneath. It won’t make a difference anyways. I love this fully opaque finish, it helps sell that not-quite-matte finish and makes it look even more luxurious!

Worn with the Essence In the Bloom’light Shiny Lipgloss [01/Moonlight Glow]

So... isn’t this supposed to be matte? Because it isn’t matte, not really. It has this velvety sheen to it that shouldn’t be present if it truly was matte. So I guess it is more like a demi-matte, velvety texture. And I am not complaining! I actually prefer this – it looks incredibly soft and luscious on the lips thanks to this subtle sheen. Were it completely matte, it would look dry and cakey, but this looks so very supple and soft (it doesn’t look cakey even when you apply multiple layers on)! Which goes phenomenally with the sexy red colour... man, I cannot stop looking at this lipstick on my lips! It makes them so supple and kissable, wow! It just looks so dimensional and rich! And it doesn’t exaggerate the fine lines of the lips, despite being drying! Truly magnificent texture... gorgeous!

Worn with the Essence In the Bloom’light Shiny Lipgloss [01/Moonlight Glow]

This liquid lipstick is quite easy to apply; it is certainly much easier than many other matte liquid lipsticks. The formula isn’t runny and it applies so evenly that it doesn’t take a long time to get it to look great. Plus, since it is so creamy, it glides across lips without tugging at them at any point. Also, it is very easy to make the edges of lips sharp, they truly don’t look smudgy or messy most of the time. Truly, the only thing that makes it slightly difficult to use is the whole long drying time, but besides that, it is much more user-friendly than I anticipated! I was very slightly afraid of how it would be to use, but it seems that there was no need for that!

Wearing just this liquid lipstick, multiple layers

Ah, another bad thing. Not everything can be great, unfortunately. This lipstick is very uncomfortable to wear. Not that this is necessarily a surprise with liquid lipsticks, but even then, it is more uncomfortable than usual. Most of that comes from the fact that it stays so goddamn tacky the entire time! Nothing can help matters, not even spraying with a setting spray. I guess the only thing that could help would be to apply a lip gloss but I don’t want glossy lips every time, and that means that I have to suffer through this tackiness. But what’s way worse than this (already horrible) tackiness is just how dry this lipstick feels. It’s okay at first, while it is still mostly tacky, but after an hour or so, it becomes horribly dry. So dry, that it forces me to try and lick my lips to hydrate them, which risks ruining the lipstick. It literally feels like there is a drying layer on top of my lips, which is exactly what it is. No need to further elaborate how this lipstick dries out my lips, I will just say that my lips do not feel happy. They actually feel very dried out, even though they do not look like that. You know, I think I would prefer having a heavier lipstick if it meant avoiding this extreme tackiness and dryness... this is really hard to tolerate. Especially after a while, once it becomes so extremely dry. This is making me sad...

Worn with the Essence In the Bloom’light Shiny Lipgloss [01/Moonlight Glow]

Longevity is good, but not as good as a liquid lipstick should be. Sure, it doesn’t fade or smudge during the day, but it cannot handle meals. Not really. It is still in good shape after one meal, provided it isn’t too greasy, but it starts to crumble after more meals. And then it fades from the centre of the lips, so it really looks messy and needs to be fixed, which... is easier said than done. You’d need to remove the entire lipstick and reapply it again or risk it becoming crusty with additional layers. Liquid lipsticks should be able to survive meals, so this isn’t good. And it also isn’t good how it tends to crack if you touch your lips while it is still moist. It doesn’t crack or crumble on its own during the day though... usually. Although sometimes it does if you’ve applied more layers. I’ve found that it wears much better if you apply lip gloss on top of it, but then you are sacrificing this soft matte texture. Eh.

I have to say that I was dreading removing this lipstick – it does say that it stains skin, after all! But... it’s actually pretty easy to remove? Like, I didn’t need to scrub my lips a lot to fully remove it, all that was need was a firm press and swipe. How weird, it’s extremely long-lasting but pretty easy to remove. Oh and I didn’t notice any stains on my lips – trust me, if there were stains I would notice them! I am allergic to lip products staining my skin, that infuriates me, so I am so very happy that this intense red liquid lipstick didn’t stain my lips! Just a note: I used a specialised gel makeup remover to remove the lipstick, I expect micellar waters to have more difficulty removing the lipstick.

Overall, well it is better than I thought it would be, that’s for sure. Am I that happy with it, though? Nope. Because it has some really bad problems. But let’s start with the good, because there is good to be found here. Firstly, the colour! Oh my god, it’s such a beautiful shade of true red! It’s a more cool-toned kind of red, as it does have a good amount of blue pigments inside, but that is exactly what makes it so gorgeous! Of course, this is all just my preference, you might like warm-toned reds more and then this colour won’t be so stunning to you – that’s okay, we don’t all have to share the same opinions. But man, I love this colour! It’s such a sexy and sumptuous kind of red, that really gives off this aura of confidence and seduction. Wonderful! And it looks so amazing on pale skin – finally, something that does! In fact, I think that this colour looks the best on pale skin! Aside from that, I really like the texture of the lipstick: it’s not truly matte as there is still some shine, but it looks so... meaty? Like, rich and creamy on lips, which matches the creamy formula. It doesn’t exaggerate the fine lines of the lips too much, even after smiling. So it serves expensive, at least in looks. Another good thing, which comes as a shock to me, is the applicator! Yep, I didn’t think I would say this, but this flat applicator is actually fire! Like, it applies the lipstick so precisely! I was able to carefully build up the edges without messing anything up, and even drawing the cupids bow wasn’t too much of a hassle. It also picks up the perfect amount of pigment, so that you don’t have to wrestle with a huge mess. And it’s soft, which is always good! Now, the not-so-bad. The formula. Well, at least, without mentioning the drying time. It is very creamy and nice, and it doesn’t even feel too heavy on the lips! However, possibly the biggest issue is the fact that it needs – no joke – more than 15 minutes to dry! No, that wasn’t a typo, I didn’t mean 15 seconds, and that is with a setting spray! Who knows how long it would take without one! And for the entire duration while it is drying, you mustn’t let your lips touch, so that’s no speaking, no drinking, no keeping your mouth closed – for 15+ minutes! Although it might not even matter because it stays so goddamn tacky the whole day. At the end of the day, it was almost as tacky as when I first applied it. This is extremely annoying, as it means you cannot keep your mouth closed for more than like 10 seconds or the top and bottom lip will stick to each other. Luckily, this doesn’t cause any flaking. However, this does not mean this lipstick doesn’t crack, because it develops small cracks and flakes as soon as maybe 5 minutes after applying it. This could be user error, as my lips did touch within that time, but it shouldn’t happen. And it feels so incredibly horribly dry on lips; my lips feel like dried concrete on a hot summer day with this on. Although, not all is bad; its longevity is pretty good. Excellent when compared to ‘standard’ lipsticks with bullets, but it ought to be a bit better as it is, after all, a liquid lipstick. While it does survive a whole day easily and doesn’t smudge or feather one bit, it does start to crumble in the centre of the lips after a few meals. And this isn’t something that can be touched up, realistically speaking. Not without wiping it all off and starting all over, anyways. So, a pretty decent liquid lipstick, though it has many issues. Oh well, I will wear it again though, I really love the sexy red colour!

Rating: 6.5/10

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