In the middle of last month, Urban Decay, on the back of the success of the Vice Lipstick line, launched their new Vice Liquid Lipsticks (RRP €18.50). Admittedly, I wasn't that interested at first.
Liquid lips can be hard to apply, show up every crack and bit of dead skin and can feel really uncomfortable. Plus, the way they wear off generally isn't very fetching. However, the images of spokesperson Ruby Rose wearing the shade Blackmail on the red carpet made me reassess the situation. Suddenly, I wanted to see if Urban Decay could, once again, convert me to a product I normally wouldn't care for.
Well, call me the converted.
The press release made some bold, generic claims, the kind that beauty products almost always do but, as I experienced it, these liquid lipsticks lived up to almost all of them. Intensely pigmented? Check. Non-drying, comfortable wear? Mostly check. Zero transfer? Check.
I was sent the shade 1993 to try out and this was where I hit perception hurdle number two. While everyone seems mad for liquid lips and brown shades, I never cared for either. In my opinion, they often make lips look shriveled and dead. However, this was very much not the case. 1993 has a lovely red undertone that means it looks warm and like a more interesting classic red lip. I particularly liked it as it looks bold and pretty without being too in your face. As my lips are naturally quite plump, the classic red can be a bit overpowering in most situations so this is actually perfect as a nice, toned-down alternative.
These liquid lipsticks really are very pigmented, that is not a joke, but I often find this to be the case with liquid lips. However, where the Vice lipsticks nudge ahead, is in the fact that they are much easier to apply. Highly pigmented liquid lipsticks can be a nightmare to get right and I'm not a liner kinda gal, which ups the danger stakes. As the formula doesn't dry instantly, you can correct mistakes as and if they happen and the shape of the wand really is perfectly designed to both coat the thicker parts of the lip and get into the smaller nooks and crannies for more precise application. Then, once it dries, it isn't going anywhere.
The only downsides? The same non-drying element of the formula that stops the lipstick from looking nasty and highlighting all the cracks in your lips has a kind of tackiness to it that I'm not a big fan of - kind of like a gloopier lipgloss feeling. However, this minor sensory discomfort is a worthwhile sacrifice in order to get that matte liquid lip look without unpleasant desert vibes. My only other minor complaint is that there really is zero transfer but once it eventually does start to wear off, it isn't exactly pretty. Yet, in comparison to other liquid lips I've tried before, it tends to wear from the absolute inside of the lip outwards, giving you plenty of time to correct it and top up or remove the product before it starts looking nasty.
Overall, the price-point, pigmentation, shade, wear-time and application all really impressed me and made this the first liquid lipstick that I could see myself reaching for on a more regular basis. I think if I expanded into some shades that were a little more me, this would be even more likely.
If you've always been curious about liquid lipsticks but fear the desert mouth and tricky application, take it from your uncoordinated, fussy pal here: this shit is good.
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