Lime Crime Lippies

I am aware of the controversies that have been circulating about Lime Crime over the years, but I decided to give their lipsticks a try anyway. There are two types of lipstick that I purchased: the Unicorn cream Lippies and the liquid lipstick. Although I have more colors in both finishes at my parents' house, these are the only three that I have at my place currently.

Personally, I prefer cream lipsticks to liquid lipsticks, even if that puts me in the minority. However, I will nonetheless try to remain as objective about the positives and negatives of both finishes as possible.

When I checked the Lime Crime website today, I noticed that the only Unicorn Lippie in the cream finish that seems to be available currently is the yellow New Yolk City lippie. It seems that Lime Crime has moved on to concentrate mainly on their Matte Velvetine liquid lipsticks.

Arm Swatches



My Lips with Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask for swatch-prepping purposes (for reference)


Unicorn Lippies (cream finish)
Mint to Be

Even though this color is completely impractical, I had to have it because I love greens - especially mint. As you can see, it can be built to fully opacity quite easily, and it is quite creamy. Again, even though this is not a practical color, I was very happy to have been able to purchase this while it was available.


Coquette

Coquette is a beautiful nude color that would might look good on some lighter skintones, but I find it to be a bit too light for my taste. As you can see, it does not apply fully opaque if you have any remnants of lip balm on your lips, but because it is not extremely drying itself, you may not need one before applying it, as long as your lips are properly prepped.


Matte Velvetines
Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a gorgeous rusty color that is one of my favorite lipstick colors. Application is fairly easy with the applicator, but a lot of product comes out, so you have to be careful not to apply too much. Really, you do not need a lot to cover your lips, but if you put too much on, it will simply take longer to dry down to a matte finished, which can be seen in the picture above.


Summary
Overall all of the lipsticks are nice, and I appreciate that there are very interesting colors available from Lime Crime. They all smell lightly of vanilla cream, and the Matte Velvetines are quite impressive regarding their opacity, wear time and comfortability. If you are on the hunt for good liquid lipsticks in unique colors, Lime Crime's Matte Velvetines will not disappoint.


Disclaimer:
I purchased all of these lipsticks myself, and I did not receive any financial or material incentives for this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.


Related Website
LimeCrime: https://www.limecrime.com/en-us/pages/lipsticks

Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tint (Black Currant) - Swatch and Review

The Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tints are basically like lip balms that offer a hint of color. They are comfortable to wear, and they smell of sweet berries, which I find to be pleasant. The other colors that I have are currently at my parents' house, and therefore, I will only be reviewing Black Currant today. Nonetheless, this one provides a nice example of how the others are. As a short aside, I have had my eye on the color Tangelo for about a year, but it is never in stock. Bite, if you are reading, please bring Tangelo back!

My Lips with the Bite Agave Lip Mask for swatch-prepping purposes (for comparison)



Black Currant

Black Currant is the darkest of all of the lip tints, and it provides a hint of berry color to the lips. Although I really like these, I could see why people might be a bit disappointed by the lack of color that actually shows up on the lips, since there are a number of lip tints out there that are much more noticeable than these. For me as a lip balm fanatic, these are perfect, especially considering that I had been on the hunt for cruelty- and gluten-free lip balms anyway.

Evidently Bite is coming out with an Agave lip balm that is thinner than the lip mask later this month, and I am very excited about that. Nonetheless, that lip balm looks like it is only available in clear, which makes the Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tints still a good accessory to have in one's makeup arsenal.


Disclaimer
I purchased this on my own and was offered neither financial nor material incentives for this review. All opinions contained herein are my own.


Related Website
Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/lush-lip-tint-P307011?skuId=1406107&icid2=products%20grid:p307011

NARS Audacious Lipsticks - Dominique and Deborah

The NARS Audacious Lipsticks are magical. They are so creamy and opaque, and they last for quite a long time for cream-finish lipsticks. They have no noticeable scent to them, and they are so comfortable to wear.

The only (minor) issue with these lipsticks is the price. At $32USD for 0.14oz./4.2g, they are quite expensive for the amount of product that they contain, but considering their high quality, I find the price to be fully justifiable in this case.

In addition to these two lipsticks, I have about four more at my parents' house, but these are the only ones that are here for now.


My Lips with the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask for swatch-prepping purposes (for reference)


Deborah

Deborah is a nice brown that appears darker in the picture than it does in real life. Since I have quite a few red-toned browns, I had purchased Deborah because it seemed more neutral to almost yellow-toned in comparison. In the picture, it appears more neutral to almost red-toned, but rest assured, in real life, it is much more neutral-toned.


Dominique


Full Face with Dominique

Dominique is a gorgeous cool-toned lilac purple that I had been eyeing for a long time before I actually bought it. I wasn't sure how wearable it would be for everyday office attire, but as it turns out, it is not too out there, as it is a lighter shade. It is similar to Bite Beauty's Spritzer, but on me Spritzer is lighter and pinker.


Summary
These lipsticks are beautiful, creamy, opaque and comfortable to wear. They are not as long-wearing as other matte lipsticks from Nars, such as the Velvet Matte Lip Pencils, but they are also not as drying as those pencils. They are rather pricey, but given the pigmentation and wear, they make a good addition to anyone's lipstick collection.


Disclaimer
I purchased these myself and was not offered any financial or material incentives for this review. All opinions contained herein are my own.


Related Websites
Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/audacious-lipstick-P387906?skuId=1846898&icid2=products%20grid:p387906

Nars: https://www.narscosmetics.com/ 

ColourPop Lippies and Lippie Pencils - Oranges and Reds

ColourPop lippies and lippie pencils are a great addition to anyone's makeup collection because they are high-quality cruelty-free, gluten-free products, which, at $5 USD a piece, are very affordable. They are generally highly pigmented and buildable to full opacity.

The lippies come in different finishes, ranging from matte to hyper glossy to créme to satin. They have a scent like vanilla which is not overpowering and seems to fade over time.

Oranges and Reds

L to R: Brunch (Lippie + Pencil), Luau, Chi-Chi (Pencil), Frenchie (Lippie + Pencil), Jingle, Confetti, TGIF, Poison, Cheers, Lady, Tutu

My lips with just a lip mask to prep for the swatch-fest to come


Brunch (Lippie to Go Lippie + Pencil Duo)

Brunch is a gorgeous neon coral color that is a close dupe for Bite Beauty's Tangerine from the Luminous Crème line. Personally, I had been getting worried about finding a good replacement for my Tangerine lipstick, which is running low, but I was excited to see that this is such a close dupe for it. Unlike many of my other duos from ColourPop, this one is creamy and not as drying as the rest. In that way, it feels like most of the normal lippies.

Luau (hyper glossy)

Luau is a lovely, yellow-toned orange that looks very nice, but it applies very sheer and streaky and takes quite a bit to build up to an acceptable opacity. Due to its sheerness, I would probably not buy this again myself, but it might be nice for people who want a sheerer orange.

Chi-Chi (Lippie Pencil)

Chi-Chi is a beautiful orange-red pencil that is quite matte and drying by itself, but as a liner for similar colors, it is fabulous.

Frenchie (Lippie to Go Lippie + Pencil Duo)

Frenchie is a beautiful, bold, true red that is unfortunately a bit drying but beautiful, nonetheless. The formula of the lippie is likely less drying than in the duo, as many of the duos are strangely stiff and drying, but I cannot confirm that for a fact, since I don't have Frenchie as a full-sized lippie.

Jingle (matte)

Jingle is a creamy, bold red that is softer than I had expected, hence the sloppy lip lines. It is quite a nice color, and it is comfortable to wear.

Confetti (hyper glossy)

Confetti is a blue-toned, sheer red that takes a bit of work to reach opacity. It was very soft, which made the edges turn out rather sloppy, but surely a liner would help this quite a bit.

TGIF (matte)

TGIF is a brick red that is lovely and applies easily. This one was stiff enough not to make the lip lines so difficult to define, yet soft enough to glide on effortlessly.

Poison (matte)

Poison is a nice brown-toned red color, but it applies quite unevenly and settles quickly into lines. As you can see, it also was a bit streaky, even around the edges of my lips.

Cheers (matte)

Cheers looked like a basic red in the tube, but as you can see, it turns out to be more of a fushia color on my lips. The color is lovely, nevertheless, but it is a bit streaky near the center of my lips.

Lady (matte)

Lady is a brown-based color that looks more brown-red in the tube than it does when applied, but I rather like the way that it applies quite a bit better than what I had imagined it to be.

Tutu (matte)

Tutu looks like a dark brown-red in the tube, but it applies as a rich berry color. It is a nice, plummy red berry that I think would look suit a variety of skintones nicely.

Summary
The ColouPop Lippies and Lippie Pencils are great, especially given their affordable price point. Some of them are stiffer or softer than others, and I have to say that I much prefer the matte and crème finishes to the hyper glossy finish, because I find the hyper glossy lipsticks to be sheerer and streakier when applied, even if their bullets are quite stiff.

Disclaimer
All of these lip products were purchased by me, and I received neither financial nor material incentives for this review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Related Website
ColourPop: https://colourpop.com/pages/lips

Portland Black Lipstick Company Lipsticks

I had been really excited about trying the Portland Black Lipstick Company's lipsticks because they are available in such unique colors and they look like lip balms. As a life-long lover of lip balm, I think I was drawn to these because of their packaging, even though this shape is actually not particularly practical for applying the colors to lips precisely. These smell strongly of mint, which is generally a nice scent in my book.


Packaging




Arm Swatches



My Naked Lips (for reference)



Blood Red

Blood Red is a perfect rusty-red color that I love. I am a big fan of this type of shade, and I am happy that I purchased this one, even though I do not really wear this lipstick much. This one is a lot stiffer than the other one that I bought, which makes it difficult to apply, but it has a matte texture that makes it more long-lasting. On a side note, Blood Red smells significantly less of mint when compared to Coffee, Black.


Coffee, Black

Coffee, Black is a great, deep brown color that is almost black. For some reason, I have far too many lipsticks in dark brown, which although I like them, will not get as much use as most other colors.


Artificial Amethyst

This color came as one of the two free samples that I got with my purchase of the above two lipsticks. This one is beautiful, as I am a giant fan of purples. However, the issue with this one is that it is shimmery, which is not generally my thing.


Chaiborg

Chaiborg was the other free sample that I received. I would not have picked this color for myself, but it has been fun to try this one out, as it is such a unique color.


Summary
Overall, these are beautiful, unique colors, and I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for something different. Due to the lip balm packaging they are a bit difficult to apply from the bullet, but other than that, they are a nice addition to any lipstick collection.


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


Related Website
Portland Black Lipstick Company: http://portlandblacklipstickco.com/products/lipstick/

Ardency Inn Modster Long Play Supercharged Lip Color in Black is Blue

I had been eyeing Black is Blue from Ardency Inn's Modster Long Play Supercharged Lip Color line for quite a while before I bit the bullet and bought it. Although I do not see myself wearing this very often, but I love how unique the color is. I have a few blues that are somewhat similar, namely Illamasqua's Disciple and Kat von D's Poe, but because I was thoroughly disappointed in Disciple and Poe has too much glitter for my liking, Black is Blue seemed like a great alternative.


Arm Swatch

Even though the swatch was fairly opaque with one swipe, this is two swipes because the first one was a bit streaky, and I wanted to even out the color a bit.


My Naked Lips (for reference)




Black is Blue

Black is Blue is a beautiful pulple-y navy blue color that has a creamy texture and applies mostly opaque. At normal viewing range, the finish appears to be opaque, but in this close-up, you can see that it is a bit streaky. Because colors like this really need to be fully opaque to work, I find that a lip primer usually works well for keeping this in place and helping it reach full opacity without the streaks and without settling into lines, although even a primer will not fix the streakiness problem entirely. Due to its creamy texture, this lipstick is quite moisturizing over time, which is a nice change from other blues that I have.


Summary
Black is Blue is a gorgeous color, and if this is a good indication of the texture of other lipsticks from Ardency Inn, it has a nice, comfortable, moisturizing texture. The only issue is that because of this texture, the opacity seems to suffer a bit, and the color tends to gravitate toward lines. If a primer is applied, however, it seems to help the situation somewhat, especially at a normal viewing range. However, close-ups will reveal that the lipstick may not be as opaque as it appears from afar. Because this is a color that needs to be fully opaque to work well, it is advisable to cancel out your lip color and prime before application.

Honestly, I would not purchase this color again, even if I were to use this blue enough to warrent a repeat purchase. If this is any indication of the opacity and pigmentation of other colors in this line, I would also hesitate to buy any more either, as they run at $27USD a piece, which is quite high for a lipstick with less-than-stellar performance.


Disclaimer
This lipstick was purchased by me, and I received neither financial nor material incentives for this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.


Related Website
Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/modster-long-play-supercharged-lip-color-P382250?skuId=1619709&icid2=products%20grid:p382250

Buxom Big & Sexy Bold Gel Lipstick

I was very excited to try this lipstick, as I had been eyeing the Buxom Big & Sexy Bold Gel lipsticks for quite some time before purchasing a lipstick kit from Sephora that contained a number of different lipsticks from different brands. This lipstick applies smoothly and has a creamy texture, and it has a nice vanilla scent that I rather like.


My Naked Lips (for reference)



Sinful Cinnamon

Sinful Cinnamon is a beautiful brown-based nude that smells wonderful and adds a nice hint of color to my lips. It is said to have a matte finish, which is not entirely true, but it is not as creamy or satiny as other lipsticks, so I would describe the finish as more of a semi-matte finish. Over time, I find this lipstick to be slightly drying, so I always need to have a lip balm on hand. However, it is a nice MLBB color for people with lighter skintones.


Summary
I really like this color, and I love the way that this lipstick smells and feels. The only thing that gives me pause about buying more of these in the future is that I am not sure whether these lipsticks are gluten-free or not, and because my lips tend to dry out inexplicably with this one, I suspect that they may not be gluten-free. This, however, remains unconfirmed, as my internet search has ended inconclusively, and I have not yet contacted Buxom to check.


Disclaimer:
I purchased this lipstick as part of a larger kit, and I received neither financial nor material incentives for this review. All opinions contained herein are my own.


Websites:
Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/big-sexy-bold-gel-lipstick-P398927?skuId=1740075&icid2=products%20grid%3Ap398927

Ulta: http://www.ulta.com/matte-big-sexy-bold-gel-lipstick?productId=xlsImpprod13631023