I mentioned recently that I’m always on the hunt for the perfect lip stain. I expect it to be long wearing, pigmented, buildable, smudge proof – you name it. Well you guys, I think I’ve found it!
I recently hauled these on eBay (see that post here) and I’m obsessed! As soon as they came in the mail, I ripped open the packages and swatched them. I immediately wore one for the remainder of the day, and I’ve been wearing them pretty regularly ever since!
I picked them up in 4 different shades – Liquid Kiss, Cupid’s Breath, Baby Boo, and Sweet Apollonia. I won’t spoil things for you in the intro, so let’s just get into it!
SHADE SELECTION
These come in 7 shades, however one of them, Neo Aura (a honey brown shade) just didn’t appeal to me, I haven’t ordered two others yet. Here’s what I did pick up;
With Flash L to R – Cupid’s Breath, Baby Boo, Sweet Apollonia, Liquid Kiss
Without Flash L to R – Cupid’s Breath, Baby Boo, Sweet Apollonia, Liquid Kiss
Cupid’s Breath – a warm peach shade
Baby Boo – a beautiful rosy pink shade
Sweet Apollonia – a deep plum shade
Liquid Kiss – a middle of the road sheer red
PACKAGING
These come in a matte black tube with the Vincent Longo name and logo on the front, and .25fl oz of product. The only way to tell the colors apart is the shade sticker on the bottom of the tube. The applicator is a traditional doe-foot applicator, which picks up the perfect amount of product so you can build the intensity instead of over-applying and blotting most of the product away.
FORMULATION
Just as the name suggests, this is a water based gel stain. It’s advertised as extremely long wearing and perfect for someone with an active lifestyle. The product is a richly pigmented sheer gel formula that delivers a perfect amount of color to the lips, but it’s also buildable when allowed to set for a minute or so between swipes. It goes on wet and glossy looking, of course, but dries completely in under 60 seconds. I did notice that these have a slightly sweet fragrance to them, almost like a vanilla cupcake. It’s not overpowering by any means, and once on the lips it doesn’t really have a taste at all.
APPLICATION & WEAR
I didn’t moisturize or even exfoliate my lips prior to applying this product. They weren’t horribly dry either, but if you’re prone to dry, chapped, cracked, or flaky lips I would recommend one or both steps. I haven’t noticed any feathering, bleeding, or settling into lines which is a common problem with some other lip stains I’ve tried in the past.
Wearing Sweet Apollonia
Wear time on these is phenomenal! When I tried them on my cheeks, I fully expected they would pull a disappearing act on me in a matter of just a few hours – they stayed put! But be mindful that to really get them to show on the cheeks, you’ll need to apply a few dots, blend, let it set, and then repeat probably two more times. On the lips, even with eating and drinking, they didn’t budge. Color me impressed! I thought for sure they would break down if applied under a lip balm – nope. In fact, when I got them in the mail, I opened and swatched each one, then did some dishes, washed my face later, and tried to scrub them off with my cleanser – they stayed on. Finally, something that stays put all day long without touching up!!! I think I’ve hit the mother load, guys!
These do retail for $24 each on vincentlongo.com, but I picked mine up on eBay, and paid less than $20 total, with free shipping!
Have you guys ever tried these? Or do you have a favorite lip and/or cheek stain that I’ve yet to discover? Leave me a comment and let me know!
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