Best & Worst ~ Lipstick Testing for Mature Lips Round 2

After I posted my 1st round of lipstick testing for mature lips, I received loads of suggestions for other lipsticks to try. These were mainly products that people love, or are curious about because of the hype. So, since I hadn’t found my ‘holy grail’ lipstick in the first round, I decided to give it another go!

I’ve got quite a collection of interesting products this time, including cult favorite Obsessive Compulsive “Lip Tar”, media darling Nars “Audacious”, and $1.99 Wet n Wild “MegaLast”. As usual, the results are surprising.

I don’t use any primer or liner for the tests so the lipstick has to sink or swim on it’s own merit. I apply each one in the late morning, then record how it wears every 3 hours for 9 hours. I compare how the product performs in real life vs. it’s advertising claims, I also note how it feels, how it looks, if it runs into vertical lip lines, if it settles in wrinkles, and how long it lasts. The lipsticks are listed in order from worst to best.

The Worst:

Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tar Matte in Trollop ~ $10 sample kit ~ $18 ~ 43 Shades

The Claims: A liquid matte lipstick with unparalleled pigment intensity and wear time. 

Contains Organic Hemp Oil & Soy-Derived Vitamin E, for a finish that feels as good as it looks! Paraben-Free courtesy of refreshing Peppermint Oil.

 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free.

Application: Took about 5 minutes to apply… difficulty factor is a 10. The brush is very small and the tar is so goopy and opaque you have to apply with a surgeons precision for it to look good. Even after all that, coverage isn’t complete, there are gaps and thin spots. Takes time to set up and finally turn matte during which you should NOT press lips together or it’ll all be ruined.

Wear: Just Awful! Crept up into lip lines within first 5 minutes (and not just the 1, but another 5 I didn’t know I had!!). Settled into lower lip creases after an hour. Stayed goopy and transferred all over cups, people, fingers, chin etc.

The Lip Tar wore unevenly, clumping up at inner lip edges. Got worse as the day wore on, and it never turned matte. The color stains the lips so it lasts a long time (over 9 hours) but it looked terrible for all 9 hours.

Overall: Not good… although I may have put on too much?

Stila All Day Liquid Lipstick in Patina ~ $22 ~ 10 Shades

The Claims: A creamy-matte, full-coverage lip color that delivers bold, long-lasting color and stays in place for up to 6 hours of continuous wear. Delivers superb comfort, the color-rich formula will not bleed or transfer. Enriched with Vitamin E and avocado oil, softens the lips so they look and feel beautiful!

Application: Feels great going on, very silky, but difficult to apply because it’s so opaque. Must use mirror and be very careful at the edges. Dries very matte and very dry feeling, makes lips look very wrinkly. Very true to color.

Wear: Color stays put, no feathering or settling and lasts perfectly for 4-5 hours.

Starts to deteriorate and looks bad after that. Crusts up around corners of mouth and inner edges of lips. Lips look and feel dry and wrinkly.

VERY uncomfortable to wear… it’s so drying I had to put some clear balm on at 7 hours, and couldn’t wait to wash it off!

Overall: Amazing opaque stay put color lasts half the day, but makes mature lips look wrinkly. Too drying and uncomfortable for daily use. Could be good for a short special occasion.

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Juliette ~ $32 ~ 40 Shades (named after iconic women)

The Claims: One-stroke, full-coverage creamy wear. Luxurious texture and enriched with ingredients to smooth and nourish lips. Long-lasting.

Application: Very pigmented but not completely opaque. Creamy texture glides over lips, but doesn’t deliver complete coverage… some skipping and gapping. Unscented. Have to be careful applying to get edges right and fill in gaps. Not sticky, feels nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wear: Needs time to set up before eating or it wears right off and transfers all over the place. Given time to set it wears nicely for about 3-4 hours, but it does settle into wrinkles and vertical lip lines right away.

After a few hours, it makes lips look wrinkly, wears off unevenly, is very drying, and leaves behind a coating of glitter flakes! Not what I was expecting from a $32 lipstick.

Overall: Naughty Nars, must have put all the money into the cool magnetic case and none into making a quality product.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 08 Rosetto ~ $4.75 ~ 9 Shades

The Claims: The 1st Lipstick collection created by Kate Moss High intensity colour for up to 8 hours. Formula infused with Black Diamonds, reflects light like never before. Captures all the flair, edge and timelessness of Kate’s unique look.

Application: Glides on the lips but not as soft & creamy as some… more of a silky texture that’s a little tacky at first. Has a low luster sheen that’s very wearable for older lips. Soft lovely color, but not “high intensity”. Scent is soft herbal but dissipates quickly.

Wear: Color wears for 3 hours or 1 meal (whichever comes first). It ran into vertical lip line and created that horizontal wrinkling on the upper lip.

It felt drying after 3 hours and the color was worn off, but the black diamond shimmer remained. Lips felt dry and peeling after 6 hours.

Overall: Just Ok

Maybelline ColorSensational Creamy Mattes in 660 Touch of Spice ~ $7.49 ~ 10 Shades

The Claims: The Creamy Mattes by Color Sensational deliver a burst of bold lip color and a surge of creamy texture, for mattes your lips will love to wear!

Application: Dryer formula goes on nicely, but it’s not creamy. Not sticky either. Has a soft vanilla scent that dissipates quickly. Opaque color coats lips & looks smooth.

 

Wear: Color wore well for 2.5 hours, but doesn’t last through a meal. No settling, and no feathering!!

Did not feel drying while it wore, but lips did get dry later in the day.

Overall: Beautiful color, great matte finish that looked really good while it lasted.

Bite Beauty Luminous Lipstick in Musk ~ $12 sample size ~ $24 ~ 30 Shades

The Claims: A lush, long-lasting, moisture-rich lip color. Each lipstick contains the amount of resveratrol found in five glasses of red wine. No: Parabens, Sulfates, Phthalates, synthetics, polybutenes, and petroleum byproducts. Made with food-grade ingredients that are healthy enough to eat.

Application: Easy to apply, nice & creamy. Feels great on the lips. Color is semi-sheer and it has a low luster finish, not sticky or goopy. Has a waxy scent. Did not feather or settle.

Wear: Color lasted 3.5 hours through 1 meal and was completely worn off by 6 hours.

Comfortable to wear, non-drying.

Overall: Great all-natural, anti-aging ingredients. Good every day lipstick.

The Best & Winner of This Round!!

Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color in 970 Purty Persimmon ~ $1.99 ~ 26 Shades

The Claims: Lips take center stage! This 4-hour, longwearing lip color leaves a semi-matte, crème finish in one stroke. Glides on easily with rich, velvety color that doesn’t cake, feather, or bleed. Made with hydrating skin-care ingredients: Hyaluronic Microspheres provide extraordinary adhesion to lips, an exclusive polymer complex offers cushion-like feel and texture, and natural marine plant extracts Coenzyme Q10 and Vitamins A & E help smooth lips.

Application: Creamy formula glides on easily leaving semi-opaque, semi-matte comfortable finish.

Wear: Color wore through 6 hours, a meal, tea and snack.

Slight feathering into lip wrinkle, no settling, didn’t make lips look wrinkly.

The color finally wore off after NINE HOURS! After being on the lips for that long, it was a bit drying.

Overall: Excellent quality for $1.99! Beat ALL of the high end products on comfort and color staying power.