Hey lovely ladies,
Yet another day and yet another (or 3) liquid lipstick reviews! I am continuing with the Smashbox liquid lipstick reviews – still have a few more shades up my sleeves. I hope you guys saw the review of “Uncensored” from Fenty Beauty! I was super excited to share that one with you because it was a new release and so hyped! The shade “Baja Bound” has already been reviewed on IMBB by Neetu. So, I will keep my inputs on this short, but would love to share some pics. Let us get on with the review now 🙂
Product Description:
What it is:
An eight-hour, liquid matte lipstick that’s specifically formulated to be comfortable and not dry out your lips.
What it does:
Give lips bold, lightweight color with a liquid matte finish. Formulated with Advanced Polymer Technology, it ensures that your lip color last up to eight hours, and it won’t smudge, budge, or feather. It’s infused with Primer Oil complex to condition lips, and it features a range of vibrant, highly pigmented shades, and a precision tip applicator that perfectly lines and fills in lip color.
It is formulated without parabens, phthalates.
Price:
US $24/INR 2050 for 3.84 ml. The price is slightly higher, while the quantity is on the lower end of the spectrum – compared to the other liquid lipsticks in this range. Like Kat Von D ($20 for 6.6ml) and Huda Beauty ($20 for 5 ml). This does make it an expensive lipstick in its league.
Ingredients:
*Isododecane, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polybutene, Petrolatum, Cyclohexasiloxane, Kaolin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Beeswax, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Carbonate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Flavor, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, [+/- Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Carmine (CI 75470), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Mica, Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 22 Lake (CI 45380), Red 28 (CI 45410), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Red 30 (CI 73360), Red 30 Lake (CI 73360), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15895).
My Experience with Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick – Babe Alert, Dream Huge, Baja Bound:
Packaging: The Smashbox lipsticks come packaged in a cuboid, clear tube with a black cap. The clear tube makes it very convenient for one to identify the color of the product. The outside packaging consists of a black cardboard cover with a color-coded stripe on it. The beauty of the packaging lies in 3 things. One, is the distinct cuboid design with just the brand name emblazoned on it. And two, the applicator which is tear-drop shaped with a small well/dip in the center. While the well allows you to pick up sufficient product for both lips, without having to dip the wand again, the sharp end of the applicator allows you to line your lips with precision. This really helps you to get clean and clear lines. Also, the applicator spreads the product evenly on the lips. Since the size of the tube is small, the length of the wand is also small. This too, allows one, more precise application. Three, the neck of the tube is fitted with a silicone stopper which ensures that the applicator does not get loaded with too much product. It wipes the applicator as you pull it out, ensuring that there is just about the right amount of product on the wand to allow for a clean application.
The 3 shades that I am reviewing today are – Babe Alert, Dream Huge, Baja Bound.
Babe Alert: “Babe Alert” is described by the brand as a “n*de rose” which is apt in a way. It is a medium, warm-toned pink. It is one of those easy shades which you can use for work or just a regular day out. It may not be the shade which will instantly capture your attention, but is actually the kind you will end up using more because it is so effortless. Though warm toned, I feel, this could work across skin tones.
Dream Huge: Described by the brand as a “mauve pink” color which again is an apt description. It is a medium, cool-toned pink. I purposely chose to review the shade Babe Alert and Dream Huge together because unless they are swatched together, they seem extremely similar. They both have the similar level of depth – the only thing which sets them apart is that while “Babe Alert” is warm toned, “Dream Huge” is a cool-toned shade. The coolness of Dream Huge makes it look brighter. I have actually worn them one my lips – half-n-half and they blended seamlessly because the colors in fact are so similar. Swatched close to each other – you can see the difference and pick the shade that would work better for you. Both are easily wearable, day-to-day shades.
Personally, I like “Babe Alert” a tad bit more as I find it more unique.
Baja Bound: This shade has already been reviewed by Neetu. Described by the brand as a “pink coral” – that is exactly what it is. A medium, bright pink-toned coral. I remember a time not so long ago, when I first started writing for IMBB, I used to love such shades. If there was a coral lipstick – I had to have it!! Not that I don’t like such shades anymore, but now, I gravitate more towards purple tones. I think corals are a great shade to brighten any look. They can be so eye catching that you do not need to put much effort with eyes and such and this is a stunning coral.
Texture: These liquid lipsticks are made in Italy. The texture of the shade “Babe Alert” and “Dream Huge” is absolutely identical – lightly creamy, mousse-like, and a little liquid-y. The texture for “Baja Bound” seemed a tad bit thicker and creamier than the other two. Both “Babe Alert” and “Dream Huge” glided on easily and set to a matte finish without tugging at the lips or feeling even slightly dry. They felt almost like a satin bullet lipstick, but budge proof and transfer proof. I really loved the formula of these two shades which makes them super easy to wear and perfect for a work day. On the other hand, Baja Bound seemed a tad bit creamier and applied thicker onto the lips. I don’t know if this was the cause but you did feel the slight tug and pull of the texture as it dried onto the lips. While the first two shades were very lightweight, “Baja Bound” seemed and tad bit thicker. When I pursed my lips, I feel just a hint of tackiness. This made me wonder if the shade had not set and would transfer. However, it was fully transfer proof. It did not budge at all. Once applied, it dries down fairly quickly, and gets totally budge-proof and transfer-proof.
Pigmentation: Pigmentation for all 3 shades is bang on – fully opaque in a single, swipe with smooth, even application. Smashbox has done a good job with the pigmentation of this collection. It isn’t in the Fenty Beauty ball-park, but then, I feel nothing is! For these 3 shades, I did not feel that they turned darker with dry down. The shades seemed very true to colour – to the first swatch/application of these.
Lasting Power: “Babe Alert” and “Dream Huge” were absolutely fab, they stayed put for about 7-7.5 hours of wear time, while Baja Bound did not perform as well. It seemed to start wearing off and crumbling a little form the inner portion of the lips by about 5-5.5 hours. One meal and the lower lip went patchy enough for me to NEED to re-apply if I wanted to leave any semblance of looking put together. All said, it is still below the claims made by the brand, of 8 hours. These shades do not leave much of a stain either. The hint of a stain, which is so light that it is barely there, and does not help in keeping up the appearance of a full lipstick. The only saving grace is that these layer well and so, easy to re-apply. The fresh coat merges seamlessly with the existing coat and you do not need to take it all off before re-application.
Fragrance: There is a slight sweet fragrance. I did not feel its presence while using the lipsticks. I obviously smelled them up close while penning this review. #lifeofabeautyblogger So, while there is a fragrance, it is very subtle and should not be a bother.
To sum it all up for you:
Pros of Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick – Babe Alert, Dream Huge, Baja Bound:
- Beautiful, easy to wear everyday pinks (except Baja Bound of course, which is quite eye catching).
- Lightweight texture.
- Good pigmentation.
- The shades were very comfortable to wear and they didn’t even create any dry patches post prolonged wear.
- The texture became more comfortable as time went on instead of getting more dry.
- Very easy to apply with the applicator and get clean, crisp lines – The applicator is truly amazing!
- It applies smoothly and evenly.
- No feathering or bleeding.
- Decent packaging.
- Easy to identify colour from the tube itself.
- Does not flake.
Cons of Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick – Babe Alert, Dream Huge, Baja Bound:
- The wear time did not live upto the claims made by the brand of 8 hours of wear, but 7 to 7.5 hours is still not bad.
- The quantity is almost half/less than half of other comparable brands in the market, in the same price range.
IMBB Rating:
A 4.75/5 product
(For Babe Alert and Dream Huge. Baja Bound would have scored lower).
“Babe Alert” and “Dream Huge” are both just such easy-to-wear shades. Add to it the fact that the texture of these was probably the best performing out of the lot I have reviewed so far, I think these are a good pick for anyone. I do recommend both these shades!
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