The first liquid lipstick I bought was a Sephora one. I knew that the feeling would probably vary from brand to brand and particularly from drugstore to higher end, but I didn't know just how much.
So I'm going to jump in and give you my thoughts on liquid lipsticks from Sleek, Sephora and MAC.
Left to right: Sleek Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Cream in the shade "Birthday Suit (436)", Sephora Cream Lip Stain in the shade "Marvelous Mauve (13)", MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in the shade "Dance With Me".
Swatches are in the same order as the lipsticks themselves. From left to right; Sleek, Sephora and MAC.
So first we'll address Sleek.
Out of the three, Sleek is the cheapest brand.
If you look back at the swatches, you can actually see how patchy even the swatch itself is. It kind of feels a bit watered down/liquidy rather than creamy. It's opaque, but you have to be quite careful about application and layer it to get an even distribution of colour.
As for the way it feels... Not great guys. Once it dries it feels chalky and tight on the lips; staying power, also not great, probably a 4 out of 10 for what it is.
All being said, it's not horrendous, if you can't splurge on a more expensive product, this isn't going to break the bank at €6.99, so go for it if you're curious.
Would I repurchase? No.
This is the Sephora one.
This feels creamy and smooth during application, not too thick, not too watery, just right.
It's opaque, easy to work with and, in my humble opinion, pretty fool proof. You're not going to get any streaks, patches, unevenness with this, and once it dries it feels comfortable and smooth providing a matte finish without drying out the lips or causing tightness. Staying power is awesome, it stays put for hours even while eating and drinking!
If you have access to Sephora in your country, I would certainly give these a go, you won't regret it. This retails at $14, so roughly €12.50.
Last but not least, MAC.
I was so excited when I walked into MAC and seen these that, even though I hadn't been planning on buying one, I couldn't resist picking one up.
This is probably the thickest consistency of the three. It glides on like a dream, even and oh-so opaque and beautiful. Once it dries, it turns beautifully matte, even more opaque and really pulls your whole look together. The only thing I was disappointed about was the staying power. The edges stay perfect, but dare you eat or drink and you can say hello to that awful "ring of shame". The product completely disappears from the inner edges of the lips, regardless of how carefully you drink, whether you used a Lip liner or not, it doesn't make a difference. And the contrast between ultra rich, opaque, matte lip of ultimate sophistication and...your actual lip, looks drastic and not at all flattering. It's something to bear in mind because if you're going to be doing anything other than talking or posing for pictures, you're going to need to keep on top of it all day/night.
For the price (€28), I feel ... Disappointed to say the least. I won't be repurchasing, I'll be sticking to their regular Retro Matte Lipsticks from now on!
So, to conclude, out of Sleek (€6.99), Sephora (€12.50) and MAC (€28!), Sephora is leaps and bounds better in my opinion and personal experience!
But have you tried any (or all) of these?? Do you agree/disagree? Do you have a favourite that I need to try? Let me know! :)
