NICOLET Beauty Lipsticks

NICOLET Beauty is a cruelty-free indie makeup company that started on Etsy and now has its own website.The lipsticks are unscented, and they are available in a wide variety of unique colors that have either a satin or a matte finish. I am not sure if the colors rotate over time or if a couple of mine have since been discontinued, but it looks like only Lodi is available on the websites currently. However, just in case the other two become available again, I am showcasing all three here.

Packaging

(without flash) L to R: Batelle-Lodi-Ellensue


(with flash) L to R: Batelle-Lodi-Ellensue
The bullets are fairly standard plastic black. They are made of sturdy plastic, and I have not had any issues with them coming apart in my lipstick bag, which is not something that I can say of all of my lipsticks (ehem Kat von D).

As an aside, I am not sure why Lodi looks so pink in these pictures, since it is not at all pink in real life. It looks more lilac-taupe-greige in the tube than anything close to pink.


Arm Swatches (sunlight)

L to R: Batelle-Lodi-Ellensue

Arm Swatches (indoor lighting)

L to R: Batelle-Lodi-Ellensue
The swatches are much truer to life than the pictures of the bullets.


My Naked Lips (for reference)



Lodi

This is a beautiful lavender-taupe-greige color, and it seems to a bit more creamy than the other two, which makes it a bit easier to apply and reach full opacity.This is my favorite color of the bunch, and it seems to still be available for sale.


Batelle

Batelle is a beautiful grey color that is a bit stiffer than Lodi. For that reason, it applies a bit streaky or patchy, but this can easily be fixed by applying more layers or by cancelling out your lip color with a concealer/primer or a liner. Because this is a rather bold color, a liner is recommended anyway to help keep lip lines crisp.

Ellensue

Ellensue is a gorgeous color that I am not sure how to describe... I'm not sure if it is a bright blue that leans slightly purple or an extremely blue-based purple. I suppose it is a bit similar to one of my favorites - Illamasqua's Kontrol - but Ellensue is even bluer.

When I saw swatches of it online, I thought it was simply a bright blue, which is basically what it looks like in my swatches, too, but the picture here seem to pick up on the purple more than those that I had seen before purchasing Ellensue. Because I missed out on Melt's DGAF, I thought this might be a nice alternative. Although the color is not the same as DGAF, the texture and pigmentation are better than some other blue lipsticks I've tried (ehem Illamasqua's Disciple), and this is just a really unique color that is more wearable than a straight-up blue. Like Batelle, Ellensue is also a bit stiffer, so it applies a bit streaky or patchy, which could be fixed by applying a base layer of lip liner or by cancelling out your lip color with a concealer/primer.

Overall, these are great lipsticks, and although all of mine are matte in texture, they are not as drying as many matte lipsticks over time. Because they are unscented, there are no issues there for people with sensitive noses, and these are available in a large variety of unique colors.



Disclaimer: I did not receive any financial or material incentives for this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Related Websites:
NICOLET Beauty Website: http://www.nicoletbeauty.com/
Etsy Website: https://www.etsy.com/people/nicoletbeauty