I think I can safely say I have a growing affinity for matte lip products; they leave little to no tackiness and feel as if I had applied nothing onto my lips while being insanely pigmented in color. But the ones I have tried so far have been on the pricier end of the spectrum, ranging USD $20+ per stick of pigment.
The sensible side of me has kept me from splurging on more of the JUNGSAEMMOOL High Color Lipsticks. The frugal side of me took the chance to stack coupons and deals in order to test different colored matte lips. Maybelline's SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in 15 Lover seemed to have a big fanbase, judging solely by number ratings, and the muted pink shade looked perfect for everyday wear.
MAYBELLINE's Description:
SuperStay Matte Ink™ Liquid Lipstick gives you a flawless matte finish in a range of super saturated shades.
Ink your lips in up to 16 HR saturated liquid matte. SuperStay Matte Ink™ features a unique arrow applicator for precise application and is available in a range of super saturated shades.
Directions
1. Apply liquid lipstick in the center of your upper lip and follow the contours of your mouth.
2. Glide the liquid lipstick across the entire bottom lip.
Ingredients
DIMETHICONE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, ISODODECANE, NYLON-611/DIMETHICONE COPOLYMER, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, C30-45 ALKYLDIMETHYLSILYL POLYPROPYLSILSESQUIOXANE, LAUROYL LYSINE, ALUMINA, SILICA SILYLATE, DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, LIMONENE, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, PARAFFIN, BENZYL BENZOATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, CITRONELLOL, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE [+/- MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR CI 45410 / RED 28 LAKE CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE CI 15850 / RED 7 CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES CI 45380 / RED 22 LAKE CI 15985 / YELLOW 6 LAKE CI 19140 / YELLOW 5 LAKE CI 42090 / BLUE 1 LAKE CI 15850 / RED 6 CI 17200 / RED 33 LAKE MICA] F.I.L. D197345/2
Lipstick tube 5.0 ml / 0.17 fl. oz.
Maybelline (MSRP): USD $9.49
Packaging
Comes in a sturdy opaque plastic tube. One end is colored to match the liquid lipstick. There is a click-lock protrusion to stop anyone from over-tightening the tube. The applicator is arrow-shaped and hollow in the middle.
Since the applicator is bulbous in shape and there is a stopper bit near the top of the tube, it takes a slight tug to release the wand portion of the lipstick from the bottle. When done too quickly, liquid lipstick can fly out. When done slowly, the stopper acts as a scaper of sorts to slightly remove excess product from the tip.
Color, Texture, Finish, & Scent
Maybelline doesn't describe any of the colors of this line on their website. Lover, in my eyes, fall in the dusty rose color category. It leans cool-blue in most situations, purple in certain lighting. When applied in a light, very light, layer the blue tones aren't as apparent.
The liquid lipstick is very sticky and tacky. I saw it the moment I tried to pull the applicator wand out and was greeted by a string of dangling lacquer. No matter how thin or thick a layer I apply, the lipstick never fails to act like a glue keeping my lips together.
True to its name the SuperStay Matte Ink dries matte. There is an initial sheen if applied in a thicker manner but it eventually becomes shine-less.
There is a scent. I can't quite pinpoint what it is but it is definitely not an unpleasant one. I want to say it is like shea butter but that isn't an ingredient on the list.
How I Apply
Gradient // Scrape off most of/all the excess product from the applicator. Lightly swipe the arrow-shaped tip onto the inner portions of my bottom lip only. Smack my lips together to distribute some color onto the upper lip. Feather out the edges with my fingertips.
Thoughts & Recommendations
One thing I know for sure, I love the color of Lover when applied in a light-handed manner. Pink without being overbearing. It is my ideal MLBB shade (if that is still a thing in the beauty world).
The other thing I really like about the formulation is the lack of transfer. I don't have to worry about dirtying mugs, reusable bottles, scarves nor think about reapplying lip color. It only comes off when I eating something oily.
That said, the formulation is also the downfall. I have adjusted to my lips sticking together throughout the day. But the same tackiness makes it difficult to reapply. New layers are always uneven and blotchy. At the same time, the thicker the initial layer the more gluing power there is. Plainly said, don't apply a lot if you talk a lot.
While I can agree with Maybelline on the "saturated shade" part of their description, "16-hour wear" is a bit of a stretch. I am assuming they tested that on someone who did not eat or drink anything with even a tiny bit oily. The SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick does stay a very long time—the lipstick is difficult to blend once it has settled. But when it meets oil, bye-bye!
My biggest pet peeve with this particular product though is the way it wears off on my lips...in flakes. It always looks like peeling paint after a meal with the inner lip areas the most naked. Paired with any of the cons I mentioned above, it is impossible to remove without carrying around extra makeup remover and unideal to reapply more color without starting with bare lips.
This wasn't a bad buy considering the price I paid (nearly half the suggested retail). I had a bit of a learning curve. Once I got over the hurdle, it didn't feel as terrible. I reach for this tube of liquid lipstick often now just because of the color alone. If high color pigmentation and transferability is most important, go for it.
I wanted to share an update on how Project Make a Dent was going but realized many of the products don't look much different from my first post since it's only been two months. The next best option was to show how I have been incorporating the chosen items into my makeup routine during this time period.
Dusty rose was a trending makeup look a while back on YouTube. I was always a little apprehensive towards one-color trends because it felt kind of tacky, like wearing head-to-toe in one color and becoming a walking crayon sans the costume. It might look chic if white, gray, or black; anything else takes someone more fashionable than me to pull off. Throw a pink shade into the mix and it could easily make my face look blotchy instead of put-together.
Somehow, one day I played around with the colors I forced upon myself this year and the monochrome theme didn't look as bad as I imagined it to be.
There hasn't been a big change in the steps of my morning routine. The biggest changes from December's "Daily Look" post is a few product removals and a bunch of color swaps.
On this particular day, I still started with a light layer of Clio Kill Cover Pro Artist Liquid Concealer in Green. I followed with a layer of just the foundation in the VDL MULE Ultimate Cover Palette in A03 that was set with a dusting of Kate Lasting High Coverage Powder Foundation in OC-C, focusing mostly on the eye area and T-zone. Afterward, I applied the bronzer shade from MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Skinfinish in Pink Power under my cheekbones and temples of my forehead. I used the Milani Minerals Blush in Sweet Rose on top of my cheeks and lightly over my eyelids. For highlight, I opted to use Urban Decay in Virgin.
I applied Urban Decay in Toasted all over the lid as well to add a bit of shimmer and textural contrast to the eyes. It is barely noticeable but I swept the Hustle shade close to the lash line on the outer corner of the lids, to give my eyes more depth...I think? Then I curled my lashes and applied Clio Hitch Eye-King Mascara in Volume, lined my eyes with L'Oreal Paris Infallible Matte-Matic Waterproof Eyeliner in Deep Brown, and filled in my brows with JUNGSAEMMOOL Refining Color-Bony Brow in Smoky Bony. The finishing touch is always a light coating of Maybelline Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in Lover on the innermost part of the lips.
What do you think? Not bad or tacky? Should I continue this series when I change up my look for the warmer months?
There was a time when I always had a bottle of facial mist in my skincare routine. I think I stopped using them because the ones I tried didn't seem to do much or had a texture I didn't enjoy. Most of the mists I used just felt like glorified, fragranced, and expensive water.
That was then and this is now. I am starting fresh on this mist discovery journey and hoping the new products I try will change my mind towards the skincare category. Lumene's Sisu [Urban Antidotes] Defend & Replenish Antioxidant Mist made some good impressions already as the first contender.
Lumene's description:
Shield your complexion in the polluted urban environment. Infused with Pure Arctic Spring Water, mineral-rich Nordic Birch Sap and Antioxidant Vitamin B3, this ultra-fine mist helps to protect and hydrate to defend and maintain your skin’s appearance of natural luminosity.
Directions
The final step in your skincare regimen, spray all over the face, neck and décolleté to shield skin from the urban environment.
Ingredients
AQUA (WATER), PROPANEDIOL, RUBUS CHAMAEMORUS (CLOUDBERRY) FRUIT WATER, BETULA ALBA (BIRCH) JUICE, NIACINAMIDE, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, BIOSACCHARIDE GUM-4, PHENOXYETHANOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, ABIES PICEA (SPRUCE) EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE)
Mist 100 ml / 3.4 fl oz
Lumene (USA retail): USD $24.99
CVS: USD $24.99
Packaging
Opaque white mist bottle—pretty standard and nothing to really write home about. The mist the nozzle lets out is fairly fine as long as I commit to the full pump. If I only do a half-press, I get a bunch of water droplets instead of a micronized mist.
Kudos to Lumene for having each box wrapped nicely in a plastic sheet. It provides so much reassurance to know if any individual product has been tested since Lumene is typically found in CVS here in the States (for those unfamiliar people love to open and swatch things at drugstores here as we don't get designated testers).
Color, Texture, Finish, & Scent
The liquid is colorless. It feels just like water and isn't vicious or sticky in any way. My skin isn't dewy after the mist is fully absorbed either; just looks like skin. There is a sweet fruity fresh scent straight out of the bottle. But that evaporates after a bit.
How I Apply
In-between skincare steps // Especially between cleansing and toning because I tend to wait a while before toner and my skin gets tight and dry during that time
Through the day over makeup // Rehydrates my skin when I wear drier finish foundations.
On my dry chapped hands // Helps relieve tightness I get during the cold weather without the residue like with lotion.
Thoughts & Recommendations
I am going to refrain from commenting in-depth on the mist's ingredients because I think I spray far too little, on a day-to-day basis, to really benefit from them. That being said, I was surprised to find the ingredients list short and in addition to some trendy components like birch juice and niacinamide. The mist is formulated without parabens yet still has fragrance.
Otherwise, if I am to be completely honest, there isn't much to mist reviews. It either worked or didn't work and, equally as important, didn't irritate my skin or did. As long as I am on the better end of the receiving stick, things like texture and price are the only things that really set the products apart.
There isn't anything negative for me to say about the Lumene Sisu Mist. My skin instantly feels softer and less tight; it looks less dry and flakey as well. I don't show any bad reactions to the formulation either. I love how lightweight and watery the product is. Even though it doesn't leave me glowy and dewy, it also doesn't disrupt makeup while giving me a more hydrated look. This product seems it would fit well with all skin types.
I am not sure if it is worth the full retail price. USD $25 isn't terribly expensive but still a hefty penny for a mist. Sure it has "Arctic Spring water" and cloudberries but it could all just be for easier marketing. I haven't tried enough mists lately in any price range to compare Sisu Mist's overall value versus effectiveness. But since the Lumene brand is easily accessible via CVS, I won't hold its price against it; especially as CVS offers a ton of coupons and ExtraBucks for those with their rewards card.
A part of me wants to believe there is a more affordable option out there that will give me similar results. Until I find that perfect bottle of mist, I may consider repurchasing another Lumene Sisu Mist whenever CVS has a good sale and/or offers me irresistible coupons.
