Monday, June 20, 2016

SMASHBOX + Lilly Singh Collaboration - Always On Liquid Lipstick in "BAWSE" ::: Review and Swatches!!!

Finally, a product to write an enthusiastic review for! Whatever products I have been investing in these past few days has been getting very dreary reviews from me! Anyway, today I am talking about the brand new Always On Liquid Lipstick from Smashbox Cosmetics! The shade I have it is “Bawse” – it is a collaboration between Smashbox and YouTuber Lilly Singh! You may know her by her YouTube name ||SuperWoman||, with an unbelievable 9 million subscribers. I have not subscribed to her yet, but I have no hesitance in admitting that I do have a soft spot for her; mainly because of our Indian connection! I feel pride in her achievement; I feel so happy that an individual with Indian origin has established herself with incredible success in an area that is considered unconventional and atypical for “Indians” J, and has gained so much love worldwide!


Besides, Red is my all favorite shade to wear. I remember back in the days when I was so uncomfortable about wearing red. But now I love every single shade of red! Some of my very favorite red shades are Mac Ruby Woo, NARS Cruella, Stila Beso, Bite Beauty Coulis and many more! :-) “Bawse” is definitely getting up there in that list :-) I firmly believe every one of us should own a kickass red lipstick. Every time I wear red on my lips, it makes me feel confident and powerful.

This lipstick comes with 0.13 fl. oz. of products at a retail price of $24. It is quite interesting to see how the price and amount for liquid lipsticks varies among different brands (e.g. Stila All Day Stay Liquid Lipstick is $24 for 0.10 fl.oz., Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick is $22 for 0.22 oz). You can buy these lipsticks from Sephora and Smashbox Website.


It comes in a very robust rectangle tube, made of plastic, but very sturdy. I love the outer packaging as well, which actually contains all the information like ingredients and amount of product. I would have preferred if the actual lipstick tube would have more information on it like at least the total amount of the product near the name of the shade. I absolutely LOVE the wand! It’s like a flat doe-foot applicator but with a pointed tip which makes it so very convenient to apply the lipstick, and to get a very precise edge! I have to mention that the tube is a bit bulky so it may not fit in a typical lipstick holder.

Let’s talk about the formula. I have dry skin, and my lips are starting to get a bit wrinkly with age. So, liquid lipstick is not always my best friend. But, I think this formula definitely works on me. It’s a thicker, mousy kind of formula that has been infused with their primer oil complex; I think that makes it achieve such a nice consistency! Its SUPER opaque, glides very smoothly and one swipe is enough to apply on both lips. But it is easy enough to layer as well. Like with any liquid lipsticks you will have to exfoliate your lips. I have worn it on “not so smooth” lips and I saw that I had parts of the lipstick missing from my lips. It was simply my fault, because my dry lips were peeling off at some places :-) Next day I properly exfoliated my lips, and the lipstick wore so nicely.


It is formulated without parabens, phthalates and sulphates. Smashbox claims up to 8 hrs. of smudge proof, budge proof application and I find that to be true! Unless I am eating something very oily and greasy, this lasts more than 8 hrs. Yesterday, it was around 80 F, I wore it in the morning, went out and about for shopping, walked around 3.5 miles and spent about 1 hr. in the kitchen. My day also involved a few cups of water/tea and two meals! But my lipstick definitely survived; it faded around the center after the dinner but by then it gave me 9-10 hrs. of wear. I reapplied to see if I can layer without any discomfort. And I am happy to report that it did that perfectly even after so many hrs. of wear. It dries really fast, feels lightweight on my lips and it does not dry my lips, at all! I can see myself wearing this without discomfort for 3-4 consecutive days. It bleeds a tiny bit on the edges and that’s why I like to wear a lip liner underneath even though it is easy to get a precise application with the wand itself. I also like to spread my mouth open while applying it so that the product gets into all the cracks of my lips :-) Overall, I am very happy with the formula.



Bawse is a deep true red. Beautiful shade! If you have skin tone that is similar to mine, this will suit you perfectly. In fact, I think this is a red that will flatter every skin tone. :-)  I have added a swatch comparison of a few of my favorite red shades for your reference.


I am absolutely enjoying the product and I am so eager to test out more shades but I am trying to control my expenses! I think I will hold off for now :-) But if you LOVE a good red lipstick I highly recommend you to check this out.

Love,
~Arrru

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