Hey everyone! Hope your Monday is going amazing. So I’m not a huge makeup person…as you can tell from my blog photos I usually stick to the signature winged liner and whatever lipstick matches my outfit, but my mom bought me an Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick in American Doll (the bright red above) one day and instantly fell in love with liquid lipsticks!  I mean put ’em on once and they last ALL DAY! How can you not love that?

Obviously, high end liquid lipsticks like Anastasia and other Sephora brands are a little pricey, usually around $20 or more a pop, so I went to the drugstore to find some substitutes. I only use my high end ones when I’m going out to dinner, a date, job interview, parties, etc. and my low end ones for everyday use. High end liquid lipsticks do stay on WAY longer, but the look is almost same if you find a good low end one. So far Nyx is the only low end liquid lipstick where the pigment is almost exactly like high end. I wouldn’t say the same for Revlon or L’Oreal, which I’ve swatched at the store and wasn’t too impressed, because they were pretty translucent. They required a few layers and didn’t exactly dry matte but more of like a muted satin finish. Below are my reviews on my liquid lipsticks.

Disclaimer: I don’t see the point in swatches, other than to see how long it takes to dry and how pigmented it is. Looking at swatches on other people is extremely pointless to me unless we have an identical skin tone. Just a tiny difference in skin tone, whether lighter or darker, makes the lipstick look different. If you want to know what it looks like or how it applies, go to a drugstore or Sephora and try it yourself. I highly advise this to avoid surprises!

On to the review…

Nyx Liquid Suede in “Soft Spoken” and “Sandstorm”

Where to buy: Drugstores (London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart), some department stores, online

Retail (CAD): between $9 – $11 depending on the store

My Review:  “Soft Spoken” is my daily go to! I wear it nearly everyday. I actually already bought a second one for when I’m done the first haha. It’s a warm, milky chocolate brown on my lips and just looks very natural but still colored. It lasts around two to four hours if you don’t let anything touch your lips, and it does go away immediately after eating unfortunately. So it’s not long lasting or waterproof. I love it because it’s affordable. I got it on sale for $8 at Shoppers, and except for the short hours it lasts, you’d think it was a high end liquid lipstick from the looks of it. After applying, it dries in about forty-five seconds with a gorgeous matte finish and it doesn’t have a tacky feeling, it actually feels more like a lipstick, where you know it’s on your lips because it feels a little moist, not dried out. It’s also not transfer proof, but it also never flakes off or feels dry (probably because it doesn’t dry 100%). Applying the product is easy, you just need to pull the brush out and brush on lips, it doesn’t need to be put back in for more product. It’s very pigmented, so one coat is enough. Despite the cons of this shade (short staying power and transfers), Soft spoken is still one of my faves.

Weirdly enough, different Nyx Suede shades feel different on the lips. Some are terrible while soft spoken I’m clearly in love with. Some other shades were a fail. I bought the pink shade “Tea and Cookies” and it was extremely tacky/sticky feeling and never fully dried after application. My top and bottom lip kept sticking together. It also was patchy and it was just terrible. I actually returned it (Shoppers returns opened makeup if you have a receipt and it’s still in new condition!) and switched it for the shade “sandstorm.”

Sandstorm is another nude shade, but it’s very a pale brown nude. I actually never wear it because it’s pretty light and has a little bit of an ashy sandy tone which made me look washed out. It had the same feel as Soft Spoken, which was awesome, but yeah, sadly just not my color!

Nyx Lingerie in “Embellishment”

Where to buy: Drugstores (London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart), some department stores, online

Retail (CAD): between $10 – $12 depending on the store

My Review: I was excited to try this out. I’ve seen Raye Boyce from ItsMyRayeRaye wearing the Nyx Lingerie line in her Snapchat. It is very pigmented, like the Nyx Suede, so one coat is enough. It dries after thirty-ish seconds with a matte finish but it’s not transfer proof. It lasts longer than NYX Suede but still only around four hours. This shade looked weird on me, like NYX Suede in sandstorm. I have a warm olive skin tone and the cool grey ashy tones in this shade made me look a little sick haha. It’d definitely look better on cooler skin tones or fairer skin tones. Again, liquid lipsticks look different on different skin tones. Maybe a person with a deeper skin tone would make this look darker and less grey and pull it off. If you like this shade, let me know how it looks on you!

Too Faced Melted Matte in “Cool Girl”

Where to buy: Sephora, online

Retail (CAD): $25

My Review: On to the high end brands! This Too Faced liquid lipstick I purchased at Sephora. It’s a gorgeous cool nude colour called “Cool Girl.” This liquid lipstick dries fast and feels extremely light on the lips. It’s not drying and you actually don’t feel it at all! It’s also very pigmented, one coat is enough and it lasts 6 – 8 hours. It does come off after eating though. So far it hasn’t flaked on me, so I’d say it’s a great purchase. I wish they had more warm pinks and browns in their colour selection though!

Anastasia Beverly Hills in “American Doll” and “Kathryn”

Where to buy: Sephora, online

Retail (CAD): $25

My Review: Finally, this is my favorite liquid lipstick brand (along with Kat Von D). Some people find them drying, but I guess that depends on how moisturized your lips are before applying. I don’t find it drying at all. The red one (American Doll) also literally lasts 24 HOURS. I once applied it at 10am, worked, went home, went out to a restaurant, fell asleep at a friends with my makeup on (I know– terrible!), and when I woke up the next morning, my lips were still bright red! Only a tiny bit on the inside of my lip was faded, but you could barely tell. It’s amazing. Both shades are very pigmented, needing only one coat. It lasts through everything, drinks, eating, a kiss, brushing your teeth, etc. American Doll is a classic bright red. Kathryn is a deep mauve shade. I love it too. Kathryn actually doesn’t last as long as American Doll, it fades away a little from eating.

The shade Ashton (not pictured above) is beautiful. It’s a dark chocolate brown on my lips and it dries like the two above. Sadly, it’s lasting power sucks. Two hours after applying it I ate lunch and it all came off! I was very disappointed.

I’ve also tried the Kat Von D brand from a friend, a bright red one like American Doll, but I don’t own it. For the record, it is very similar to ABH, at least comparing the two bright reds, and lasts just as long. I believe they’re $24 at Sephora. There are a ton more brands out there I’d like to try like Tarte, Dose, Colourpop, Stila, Kylie, and more. If you’ve tried any other great ones, let me know!

August 22, 2016 UPDATE: I’ve recently purchased two ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks. They are in the shades “Limbo” and “Beeper.” My thoughts on ColourPop are that the darker the shades, the more opaque, however, even some dark shades apply patchy (will do review on all my Colourpop lippies soon). I don’t know why, but many companies do have inconsistency because some shades have different formulas. Limbo is a beautiful deep chocolate brown color. Beeper is a cool, mauvy, nude that is similar to my Too Faced liquid lipstick in “Cool Girl” but just a little bit deeper. ColourPop has great lasting power, especially with “Limbo,” I had to scrub so hard to get it off and it had zero transfer after it dried, so I was impressed. “Beeper” had a tiny bit of transfer if I pressed hard and it washed off a lot easier, so again, inconsistent. If you have to choose on a low end liquid lipstick, I’d recommend ColourPop. For Canadians, Colourpop is around $7-8 a pop, and with a flat rate of $15 shipping, it would be smart to purchase a bunch to keep that unit price low. I’ve actually just ordered a bunch of ColourPop lippies and eye makeup, so stay tuned for a review on that when I receive them!

Some things I’ve learned about liquid lipsticks that seem to apply to all of them:

• Different shades look different on even the slightest difference in skin tone
• Red and dark brown liquid lipsticks (in my experience) are the most long lasting and pigmented
• Adding a second layer after the first has dried will make it look cakey (relevant for most brands) and can sometimes peel the first layer
• Swatch the color on your lips– the color in the tube and swatched on the back of your hand will look different than the color on your lips because of the tone of your lips

Thanks for checking out my review, I will keep my liquid lipsticks up to date when I get other brands! Have a lovely week!

Disclaimer: If you want a fully negative review on a product, my blog isn’t the place to go. When I try something I don’t like, I immediately return it, give it to a friend, or just never buy it again. I don’t feel the need to give a bad product, that I used my money on, more of my valuable time (time = money). The only time you’ll see something negative is if I like the product but there are cons that I need to express also or if I was directly given poor customer service.