Although I appreciate the fact that the lip products are allergen-free, I was quite annoyed by the slew of emails sent filled with tips for women on how to apply makeup. At first I thought that the email updates were nice because some contained pictures of the founder's wife and other women modelling the lipsticks, and it seemed like a nice way to model the lipsticks and gear them toward everyday women. However, emails of men mainsplaining to women what women do wrong with their makeup poured in, and I asked to be removed from the mailing list because I found it a bit ridiculous for a man in a business suit who clearly does not wear makeup or really do too much for his appearance in general to be giving tips in articles entitled things like "What Women do wrong with their Makeup" or "How Women waste their Makeup" or something of the like. Other articles with tips on when to throw out your makeup and how not to apply too much of your makeup came, which technically may have been helpful had they been presented in a different way. For example, had the founder's wife written the articles or filmed the videos it also would have been received differently, namely as tips for women by women, rather than men telling women what they are doing wrong in areas that said men have no experience in. Alternatively, had the focus been on "people," rather than "women," since women are not the only people who use makeup, the message may have been perceived in a more positive light. Otherwise, there are very helpful makeup tips by male or female makeup artists that would also have been helpful. As they were, however, it was more like typical mansplaining.
It really is too bad about that marketing faux pas because I will not be very likely to purchase any lipstick from Red Apple in the future because I was so turned off by the onslaught of mansplaining emails. All of that aside, I really did like the products for what they are, which is why I think it is important to review them here.
The balm and the lipsticks are creamy and comfortable to wear, and the lipsticks apply fully opaque in one to three passes. Both the Rallye Balm and the lipsticks are unscented, but they smell a bit like my mother's old makeup - the way I remember it from my childhood. I am not sure how to describe it, but maybe like a mix of petroleum jelly and talcum powder is about how I think they smell. Based on the information on Red Apple's website, neither of those is used in their products, but somehow the lipsticks' scents remind me of them. The scent is not strong at all, but it is noticeable upon application.
Here are some swatches with just the lip products and no liner or primer, so you can get an idea of how they perform by themselves.
Arm Swatches
L to R: Rallye Balm, Exfoliate, Beachside, Gypsy Soul
My Naked Lips (for reference)
Rallye Balm
The Rallye Balm is like a typical lip balm, except that it is in the shape of a lipstick. It is a decent balm, and it is unscented for anyone who is bothered by scents, but I would not say that there is anything that makes it really stand out above other less-expensive cruelty-free balms, other than the fact that Rallye Balm is free of allergens that may be present in other balms. However, seeing as there are other gluten-free, cruelty-free organic lip balms on the market that I prefer, I will most likely just stick to those.
Exfoliator
The Exfoliator stick looks like a typical lipstick bullet, but it contains exfoliating particles. I am not sure what they are made of, but they seem to hold up better than sugar exfoliators that I have. The exfoliator stick smells like mint and leaves a thick, white film with the particles on the lips. I thought that it might be more effective than my sugar exoliants, since the particles do not dissolve, but that does not really seem to be the case.
I really like the idea behind this, but it seems like the formula may need to be changed a bit. Alternatively, as an exfoliant in a jar, the particles may be easier to spread on the lips with your finger to slough off dead skin more effectively than with the bullet.
Beachside
Beachside is a beautiful, creamy, yellow-based nude that applies fully opaque in two or three swipes. Technically, it is fully opaque after the first swipe, but because it is so creamy, a couple off passes are needed to fill in streaks and better define the lines. Obviously a lip liner would help with that issue, but since I did not want to use any liner for these swatches, it took a bit more work to make sure the lines weren't too sloppy. Beachside, being a light color, seems to fade within an hour, but because it feels like a lip balm, I really don't mind the shorter wear time, since the comfort level fully makes up for the lack in longevity.
Gypsy Soul
Gypsy Soul is a sort of raisin-brown color that is beautiful. It applies fully opaque in one swipe, but may need a bit of work to make the lines more crisp, unless, of course, you are using a liner anyway. Gypsy Soul is creamy and very comfortable to wear, as it feels like a lip balm.
Overall, I really like the lip products that Red Apple has to offer, and I appreciate the fact that everything is made free of gluten and other allergens. The only qualm I have with the company is the method of communicating with customers, which, as detailed above, I find to be off-putting. Aside from that, I would recommend these products to anyone with allergies who is looking for a standard range of lipstick colors.
Disclaimer: I did not receive any material or financial incentives for this review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.
Red Apple Lipstick site: http://www.redapplelipstick.com/
