There's just something about women who can pull off a lip color. I don't know what it is, but, there's this part of me that admires anyone who can wear a lip color and not care about what anyone thinks of them. Because, where I live, women mostly just line their eyes, drag along a lip balm and rush out. I'm not saying that's bad or anything; I personally think it suits everyone and all that jazz. But don't you just love that odd woman standing in a crowd, showing off a plum lipstick? A red lip can stand for so many things - a person's strenght, boldness and the way they look at life. A nude lip, to me, is so calming and beautiful (I mean, look at Stana Katic's character in the TV Show 'Castle', Detective Kate Beckett, who almost always rocks a nude lip). I, for one, am a complete lip junkie. And like Kate Beckett, I quite enjoy my nudes and peaches. And like her, every once in a while, I'll wear a berry or a red on my lips. That's the beauty of makeup - you get to decide.
So, in December, I was browsing through a UK-based e-commerce website called BeautyBay and I was just going through rows and rows of makeup, skincare and hair care products. They have brands like Urban Decay, Too Faced, Stila, Pixi etc. Now, we don't get these brands in the Sephora we have at Delhi. Trust me, I've checked. I've sent at least half a dozen people to get things for me and they always gave me the same answer, "Sorry, they don't have it" and it used to irk me very much. Not anymore. Since BeautyBay ships worldwide for free, my problems have been solved for the time being. Sure, it takes quite a bit of time for your product to actually come to you, but, in the end, it's worth the wait. It's free shipping - you cannot argue with that. It was Christmas season and I was checking out different offers and what not on the site when I came across an amazing deal on this 9 piece Collection of Stila's best-selling lip glazes which cost ₹1759.30 (the original price was ₹2841). This is the original link to this particular product. However, since it was a seasonal product, they're currently out of stock. Even so, you can still buy the lip glazes in their original 2.4 ml size here.
The 9 piece collection has a variety of shades in it. From berries to nudes. From permanent colours like Cranberry, Kaleidoscope, Passion Fruit to new shades like Persimmon, Dazzle Berry and so on. The consistency of these 'glazes', so to speak, are sticky, like a normal lip gloss. If I were to use a proper word I'd use tacky - (of a glutinous liquid such as paint) not completely dried and slightly sticky to the touch. But that's what you get with glosses or glazes. They do apply smoothly, though. I mean, they are quite heavy on the lips unlike some glosses out there, but they're rather like-able. And they're all fragrant. I wasn't too sure about their lasting power, but, I had enough time to test them out. They last for a good 4-5 hours if you don't engage in any form of eating. However, if you do end up eating, the glossiness wears off and you're left with a stain. Overall, their staying power is pretty decent for glosses; especially the darker shades.
The packaging is unique. It's got a brush tip and is twist-up. You have to twist the product a good 10-15 times the first time around for any product to come out. However, one or two twists is enough after that. They're protected by an injection like object and you simply have to remove it for usage. These contain 1.5 ml of product as opposed to 2.4 ml of product. Then again, 9 of these, bought in this particular set, cost ₹1759.3 while a single 2.4 ml lip glaze costs around ₹1372. I ended up saving ₹5088.77, had I bought each individually.
Here's a closer look at the 9 shades included in the set. I couldn't do lip swatches or any form of swatches at all because I ended up giving them to my loved ones. I kept a few, sure, but I felt swatching the ones I had left would be strange. I did make the people who received them put it on before me so that I could personally look at the colours.
1. Strawberry Cream - It's a muted pink with a hint of peach underneath. It's matte and goes on to become almost nude on the lips. It smells like strawberries, whoo. I rather liked this one before my girlfriend claimed that it was hers. "What's yours is mine."
2. Kaleidoscope - It is a glimmering pale pink. It smells like bubblegum and goes to become a pretty, sparkly party on the lips. It's definitely one of my favourites from the set.
3. Cranberry - It's a sheer brick red. It's one of the longer lasting colours and is gorgeous on cool-toned people. It smells like a bunch of cranberries, true to its name.
4. Passion Fruit - It's a shimmering bright pink. It's got just a hint of shimmer in it. You can't really tell when applied to the lips. It's another one of my favourites from the set. Moreover, it smells like passion fruit (surprise, surprise)!
5. Dazzle Berry - Much like it's name, it's a dazzling and very, very sparkly plum-ish berry shade. It's got pink, purple and silver sparkles in it and is absolutely gorgeous on the lips. This one went to my girlfriend and she's quite a fan of it now. It smells like berry candy, if that makes sense.
6. Persimmon - Persimmon, for those who do not know, means any of several tropical trees of the genus Diospyros; mainly an orange fruit resembling a plum; edible when fully ripe. The Persimmon in this case is a classic matte red. This one went to one of my sisters, who rocked it for hours and hours when we were testing it out.
7. Wildberry - Another one smelling like berry and wounding up being owned by my girlfriend. It's a rather bright red shade, not anywhere close to being a berry shade. Either way, she likes it and enjoys its matte finish.
8. Amaretto - It's my absolute favourite from the set. It's a nude shade and it smells like caramel candy. I've worn this several times and I love how it makes my lips more, well, dressed-up. What makes it my favourite out of the bunch is the fact that it's matte, perfect for everyday wear and smells of caramel.
9. Melon - The final piece in the collection, Melon is a beautiful coral shade. It smells like, wait for it, melons and looks gorgeous when worn. It's such a beautiful summer shade. It eventually went to one of my friends.
Overall, this entire set was a delight to receive and to try on. I loved the colour range of the products and their packaging. I also enjoyed their fragrances and I was impressed by their lasting power. I'd probably never buy an individual lip glaze, but they're often sold in sets and I suggest you keep an eye for those and try them if possible. When bought in sets, they're a great value for money. But I honestly wouldn't bother otherwise. They're, ultimately, good lippies.
Rating: 7/10.
Until next time,
stay glossy.
~AB.
