Rant & Rave: Liquid Lipstick
Tell us what you love and hate about...
Liquid Lipstick
I love the kind that don’t fully dry down; I’d prefer the type that has a moderate dry down, so they are still quite long-wearing, but the the flat,
matte finish isn’t a look I personally love on me most of the time!
— Christine
There really isn’t much that I do love about liquid lipsticks. I only buy them if the color is really unique and is a shade I can wear. Every liquid lipstick that I own parches my lips, makes my lips look crusty and gross. I always use a balm both over and under my liquid lips so really defeats the purpose of them being liquid lips. The one and only positive that I can say is that they don’t travel outside of my lip lines which I do like because I have several vertical lip lines from using straws for nearly 60 years. I have tried not putting a balm all the way to the outside margin of my lips but that just results in a lipstick ring that isn’t a good look either. I do use a wax pencil around the perimeter of my lips to decrease the lipstick travelling but the effectiveness is not 100%. Luckily, I don’t mind reapplying my lipstick every couple of hours.
I think that there are some really unique colors available in the formula. But true liquid-to-matte liquid lipsticks are definitely NOT my favorite. I bought some because they were really popular the last few years, but most are too drying and too much of a hassle for me. But I really love more of the “liquefied” lipsticks, like the Kylie x KKW creme liquid lipsticks, and if I ever tried them I’m sure I’d love the Bite Amuse Bouche liquid lipsticks and the Too Faced Melted liquefied lipsticks. I never got the chance to try the Nars Velvet Lip Glides before Nars gave up their CF status, but I think that formula would be similar too. The Colourpop Ultra Satin lipsticks and Kylie Velvet lipsticks are sort of in between the two formulas, and I just wore a CP USL yesterday and was pretty pleased.
What I love is how long-wearing they can be and you don’t need a lipliner to make a perfect line. They are also great to carry in your purse when you’re going to be outside for a long time in hot weather, as they won’t melt like bullet lipsticks.
What I don’t like is how you have to remove them to reapply and how they can sometimes be too dry and flaky. My favorite liquid formula is ColourPop Ultra Satin because although they’re not transfer-proof, they aren’t overly dry in either feel or look.
Also on the negative side — and I know this is may sound shallow — it’s not very glamorous to apply lipstick with a doe foot applicator. Picture Audrey Hepburn using a sponge wand in the back seat of the taxi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It’s just not the same.
I love liquid lipsticks that dry down to a flat matte finish. Contrary to the general consensus, I love the powdery, dry lipsticks, since they usually come with opaque color payoff and long wear time. I always use a little lip balm before I apply the liquid lipstick, and make sure I drink a lot of water to combat dryness. My current favorite liquid lipstick formulae are the Anastasia liquid lipsticks. The only time when I don’t like a liquid lipstick is if it is not opaque enough.
Hate them. They look and feel so dry and uncomfortable. I keep hoping this trend will go away!
I like that they stay intact through drinking and (some) eating. Also, I like the doe foot applicators.
Overall though, I won’t buy anymore liquid lipsticks. I don’t like the dryness and the harsh lines involved with them. I’ll use and enjoy the two that I have, but I’ll stick to bullet formulas in the future.
I love the idea of liquid lipsticks in the sense I love opaque color that’s long wearing and doesn’t transfer. However, I have rather small lips and liquid lipsticks seem to make them appear even smaller as they dry them out and make them look dry and crusty. I also hate how they can wear off in the middle of your mouth to give you the ever so classily named “butthole lips”. I love the way they look in photos, just not in real life.
I really don’t like liquid lipstick on me. It’s too dry and opaque when I look better with shine and translucency, and it just feels awful. I have a few because there are times in life where you need your lipstick to last forever and wear all day, but they are rarely used. I’m super excited that brands are starting to offer a wider variety of pigmented glosses and non-matte lipsticks again.
I love lipsticks that don’t move. So when it’s a soft matte like Bare minerals or the Melt ones, I love them but hate that they don’t stay put. I’ve tried a ton and my newest obsessions are the YSL and lipsense (yes, I was a naysayer forever but then I tried them and I fell in love).
I like the depth of color in liquid lipsticks, and the Colourpop and Kat von D liquid lipsticks I have right now are gorgeous. But they are super drying, and if I don’t exfoliate and moisturize my lips right before applying them, the look two hours later is almost inevitably flaky and dry. Plus, neither of these supposedly long-wearing liquid lipsticks can stand up to straws, greasy foods, or cup rims. If there’s a satin liquid lip out there, I’m willing to try it, but I’m kind of done with matte liquid lips.
Since I go for comfort over fashion, the only ones in this formula that I actually enjoy using are the CP Ultra Satin Lipsticks, Ofra liquid lipsticks or those newer ones by Smashbox that don’t quite dry down. That said, I do own 2 KVD ELL’S. Sad to say, u hardly ever wear them. Not because they’re horribly uncomfortable, but touch-up’s are a real pain in the rump!
Raves: I love it when they’re not drying. I also prefer if they don’t dry down quite all the way, if that means they’re more comfortable. They’re great for summer, because I don’t have to worry about them melting in my purse. I like that when done right, they can show off glitter and duochromes better than bullet lipsticks (which I usually prefer).
Rants: I find most liquids are drying, not opaque, and patchy. I hate that so many crack, peel, and flake. Even the really good brands can have quite a bit of quality variation within their lines. I find I have to buy and try: Often a brand that works on most people doesn’t on me, and vice versa.
All rants – I don’t like the way liquid lipsticks feel on my lips – sticky and gooey. They often dry down and make my lips totally dry and uncomfortable. I know that generally the formulas have changed and are a lot better than they used to be, but so too have lipsticks and I find them much better to wear.
i’m wearing one of Pat McGrath’s liquid lipsticks right now. I put it on this morning. I touched it up a bit after lunch, it didn’t really need it, I just like doing my lips. It’s now 7:47 and it still looks great. If you like the look to stay all day without having to touch it up then this is it!
I am a traditional bullet lipstick girl through and through, and still have too many liquid lips in my collection. I have found a few formulas I enjoy (read: don’t hate) in Ofra, Bare Minerals, and CP USL (although I don’t really consider those to be matte liquid lips due to the not totally drying down).
I LOVE the Bite Beauty Liquified Lip, Nars Velvet Lip Glides, as well as some drugstore matte gloss type products like the Loreal infallible pro matte glosses and the like.
I have stopped buying any matte liquid lips because I *know* that I won’t enjoy them as much as a dupable color in a bullet.
I don’t like that most liquid lipsticks have long wands. I feel I have less control over detailing when my finger is three inches away from the applicator. No wonder Giorgio Armani’s Lip Magnets, along with Peripera’s liquid lips are my favorites. Those have shorter wands and I feel more in control.
I stopped buying liquid lipsticks a while ago – the ones I’ve tried have been too drying for my taste and tended to flake and crease instead of gently fade away like my favourite bullet lipsticks do.
I like a good liquid lipstick, but experience has shown me that light colors just work better in this formula. They don’t wear off ugly – no butthole lips or vertical lines showing. The same formula that looks great in a pale shade looks ghastly after less than an hour in a brighter or darker shade.
I like ones that don’t flake or bunch up, that’s number 1, and aren’t too drying. Transfer isn’t a huge deal for me, as long as it doesn’t slide all over the place. My favorite formulas are the Kat Von D, Sephora Collection (skinny tubes), and Stila Stay All Day. I also got one Dose of Colors a few weeks ago and like it a lot. Those are all ones that aren’t too drying and don’t crumble off, especially if I layer them (like the Colour Pop’s do).
I like it for some shades, like bright reds and pinks, but I’ve cooled off on them 90% of the time lately. I’ve just been preferring something more hydrating. I have a feeling I’ll be going back though!
I love a liquid lipstick that dries down fully, because I want my lipsticks to be as transfer-proof and long lasting as possible. That said, there are a lot of formulas out there that are very drying and flaky. The best formula I’ve tried would probably be KvD (which is still a little hit and miss), but I’ve fallen out of love with the colour range. But recently I’ve found more appreciation for traditional cream bullet lipsticks, so I think I’ll stick to those.
I absolutely love the colors, the swatches on my hands are beautiful. But even with lip balm way to drying
Am I the only one who absolutely LOVES them?! haha! I love a transfer-proof finish that I don’t have to worry about wearing off in two hours. And I find that if you blot over them with a finger, it gives a more blurred effect that softens away any overly-harsh lines. Dose of Colors, ABH, and Stila are my favorites.