Stephie Estie

 

Happy Thursday!  I picked up this set a while back and was finally able to complete my review for this kit  just in time for the Sephora VIB event!  This set contains 16 lip colors, one lip liner, and one lip brush for $59.  Aside from the Benefit sample, all products have a great amount of product in them and yet have a nice array of colors ranging from nudes to pinks and berries to reds-suitable for casual everyday looks and glam holiday occasions.  Read below for a breakdown of the kit and my thoughts.

 

 

 

Nudes

Make Up For Ever Aqua Waterproof Lip Liner Pencil 3C

This lip liner is a medium neutral beige and although it’s small, you’ll get a decent amount of uses from it because it doesn’t rub off that easily.  Great to be paired underneath with the other nude shades to make the color last longer.  Not sure I would purchase the full size as I find M.A.C. or NYX work just as well on me.

Too Faced La Crème Color Drenched Lip Cream in Naked Dolly

This one wasn’t my favorite.  This color, worn alone, made my lips look too pale-almost corpse like.  It has a creamy consistency and is a bit hydrating but I wasn’t impressed.  I used it with the Make Up For Ever liner underneath and the Laura Mercier lipgloss on top to make it more wearable.

bareMineral Marvelous Moxie in Speak Your Mind 

This lipstick is good but not my favorite.  It’s described as a ‘blushing pink’ but can sometimes look pink or pink brown depending on the light-at least that was my experience.  The color payoff is great, and it’s creamy but not hydrating.  I need to put lip balm underneath to give it a more emollient consistency.

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush (rose brown)

A nice, hydrating vanilla scented gloss that works well with a smokey eye or a natural look.  Although I like it, I don’t think I would purchase the full size as there are other lipglosses that do the same for less.

Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss in Nude (pink nude)

I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about this one.  It has a sticky feel, which I’m not a huge fan of but I am guessing that’s the reason the gloss stays on longer. If you have dry lips, you should exfoliate and moisturize your lips beforehand because this will cling on to any dry patches.  The color is a pink nude and as the name implies, gives a vinyl like finish.

Pinks

Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Palomino (magenta)

Absolutely love Bite Beauty products and this one doesn’t disappoint.  This magenta hued lipstick is richly pigmented, has a creamy formula that applies smoothly and is infused with antioxidant resveratrol.  The color will eventually wear off after a few hours especially after drinking or eating but it lasted a good 5 hours.

Benefit  Cosmetics  Hydrating Lip Balm in Posie

Another product that sadly didn’t work for me.  This lip balm boasts hyaluronic acid as an ingredient, and while I am a huge fan of hyaluronic acid for its hydrating nature, for some odd reason, this dried my lips out terribly.  The color is too sheer and there wasn’t much product to begin with in this sample.  I prefer Benefit’s Cheeck and Lip Tint in Posie as the color (poppy pink) is more intensified and lasts longer.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wearing Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia 

The first time I tried the melted lipsticks, I wasn’t a huge fan because I found the formula to be too matte for my taste.  With this kit though I decided to give it a second chance and I am really glad I did.  The color is amazing and it lasts!  On me, it still has a matte finish but it wasn’t uncomfortably dry-you just need to get used to the formula.  These are cruelty free and I would definitely try out more colors from this line.

Tarte LipSurgence Power Pigment in Flush

I’m not sure how this lip tint is different from the Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tints-they seem the same to be with the exception of the design.  It comes in a retractable chubby pencil like form, has the signature peppermint scent, has good color payoff and the color can be worn sheer or intensified.  The website describes it as a sheer berry color, but it looked more pink on me.

 

Berries

Buxom Mini Full Bodied Lipstick in Menace

Finally a lip set that doesn’t include a Buxom lipgloss.  No offense to those who love it but I can’t stand the smell!  Okay, rant over.  Seriously, I am so happy that the set included this lipstick because I probably wouldn’t have ever considered looking at these.  It’s a beautiful  rich wine color that applies smooth-and is great for fall- but it’s not super moisturizing so applying a bit of lip balm underneath helps.  I would definitely purchase this.

Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Berry

A lip balm with a sheer berry tint that has an added SPF 15 added as a bonus-lips need SPF too!  I do love these lip balms as they hydrate fairly well but they are on the pricey side making them a splurge.  Aside from the price, one thing I dislike about these are that they melt easy in the heat.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Moody

One of my favorite shades from Tarte’s LipSurgence collection as it’s a plum color that can be sheer or intensified .  It’s easy to apply, comes in a retractable pencil like form, smells like peppermint and has a lip balm texture.  It’s not as hydrating as I would like and isn’t a true stain but it does last.

Obsessive Compulsive Color  Lip Tar Matte in Black Dahlia (blackest blackened red)

I’ve always seen these but kind of just glossed over them.  I’m glad that this set included included a tube so that I could give these a try.  First of all, they included a lip brush with this set so don’t toss it out-you’ll definitely need it.  The formula is a bit thin but not runny so having using the brush will yield a more precise and even application.  The color is immensely pigmented-a deep burgundy red wine color- that will last a long time.  It fades slightly throughout the day but you’ll still be left with a very nice tint.  Bonus: these are 100% vegan and cruelty free.

Reds

Sephora Collection Rouge Infusion in Red Essence

This lip color applies like a gloss but dries to a stain.  You can apply several layers to intensify the color and the drying time is fast with ample time to apply another coat before it completely dries.  This is a dark red lip stain that does stay on but somehow, it lasted longer on my arm when I swatched it than it did on my lips.  I even used it oil to try and rub it off my arm but I can still see some color on my arm.  So weird.  Despite this, though I do like it and for the price, you can stock up on a couple of shades.  I own this shade in Tangerine Ink and I love it.

 

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw

I love the color on this as it’s a vibrant, pretty red. However, that’s the only thing I like about this lipgloss.  I really wanted to like this lip stain and I gave it a few tries but it just didn’t work for me-it smeared all over the place.

Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in Red Amour

Described as a classic neutral red, this is such a pretty color with a subtle sheen that wears much nicer than the Kat Von D one.  It glides smoothly on the lips and leaves behind a nice stain after it has faded.  This color would work extremely well for a classic red lip, cat eye look.

Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon  (classic true red)

Highly pigmented color that applies like a gloss but dries to a matte finish.  I love the color but the texture is very weird.  On me, it felt a bit dry and sticky as the same time  and will slowly fade after about 4 hours.  The other nice thing about this is that it gave my lips a more poutier look so that’s always nice. I’ll use it until I finish it but probably won’t purchase on its own because of the texture.  We’ll see.

I hope you guys found this helpful!  It really is a great kit and if you’re a Sephora VIB or Rouge member, you get 20% off your purchases.

Tell me, have you tried this kit or any of the products here? Which ones do you like or dislike? 

Stephanie 

P.S. In case you missed it, I am doing a giveaway so be sure to take a look by clicking here.