Greetings from a chamber full of fluorescent pink lichen, fellow rogues!
First up: some shameless self promotion! ^_^ I finally decided to join one of Savvyist’s makeup challenges, for Bold and Beautiful lips! I would love it if you stopped by and took a look – voting for me is optional (although much appreciated – you can find me languishing at the bottom of page 2, LOL!) but there are many other awesome contenders to check out too ❤
Right – on with the show!
Gird your loins, fellow adventurers! The process of wading into that enormous pile of miniature loot continues today as we stumble into the fifth chamber of the dungeon! Even leaving aside the sudden, intense feeling that we all need to rock out, this chamber is arrestingly PINK :-D. Susie the Rockbard is totally loving it in here, and the buffs are rolling forth from her lute (which has developed an strangely electric twang). Before I talk about why, let’s just keep everyone in the party up to date on what this little unofficial series is all about, with that handy echo from the first chamber:
‘I should mention first off that a large number of the minis came in the form of the Sephora Give Me More Lip holiday special set, which contains 17 lip products in three loose ‘colour schemes’: red, nude and pink. I ordered this set from Sephora through the indomitable Jaa, who was kind enough to wrangle all the goodies into a parcel small enough that it wouldn’t cost me the contents of Erebor to ship it here. Jaa was also kind enough to take me a couple of pictures of the set before the packaging had to go…‘
The 2014 Sephora Give Me More Lip set (photo courtesy of Jaa)
…and here the inside! So much miniature lip goodness *drools*. The Tarte pencil at the left centre is the only full-size product. Yet more photographic awesomeness from Jaa!
‘I was rather excited when I saw what this set contained, because it was basically a laundry list of brands I’ve wanted to try for the longest time. Since there are so many products here, and because I’m a rogue and we’re funny like that, I’m going to review the contents in spearate posts (or in small groups) so that I can devote proper attention to obssessively photographing each miniature lip product with other miniature things ❤‘
Soooo then, let’s find out what in the name of Corellon and Olidammara is going on with the artefact in this bit of the dungeon (and its curiously synthesizer-esque theme song) – Too Faced’s Melted Liquified Lipstick in Melted Fuchsia!
This one’s so hot, we had to put it on ice! 😀 Sorry, sorry…
I have long been attracted to this particular line of lip products, although more specifically to the Violet (what else?) and Fig editions (AND NOW OMG VILLAIN O_O). The Fuchsia one hadn’t really crossed too far across my radar (I mean, I have at least two other truly fabulous fuchsias in my kitbag), so I was interested to try both the formula and the shade at once.
The back of the tube! I’t all excitement, all the time here at Rogue HQ, you know 😉 It’ll melt your heart.. *badum TISH*
This happens to be one of the samples in the set that does live up to its deluxe claim – the packaging is the same as the full size, and there’s quite a bit to be had in here! I know it’s kind of a pointless observation, but I do really like the pink and gold together on the tube. I don’t know why it appeals to me so much, but for some reason it does! Perhaps it’s the memories I attach to it of Jem and the Holograms, or happy hours spent pretending Barbie was a secretagentgymnastprincessdoctor or something (I’m still incredibly disappointed that they never released a Rogue Barbie – fantasy professions that are not ‘wizard’ are woefully underrepresented in popular merchandising, I feel ;-).
Fuzzy!! And the good kind, not the ‘I just put my hand into the darkness in this dungeon’ fuzzy.
The sample even has exactly the same applicator as the full size – something I was quite pleased about, as this was an aspect of the artefact I’d been particularly intrigued by. I have a bit of a sideline in applicator-conoisseurship – it’s something I don’t really mention often, as so long as the thing is functional there’s really not a lot to say about it, but it’s one of my favourite parts of cracking into a new lipstick or roll of lockpicks with handle extensions or whatever. This applicator is a hard-ish fuzzy bevel, not unlike the shape of a YSL or Too Faced lipstick. It doesn’t move or twist or anything, it just sits there, challenging your perceptions like a paladin who thinks he’s being clever. It’s actually got a feeling on the lips that’s *almost* rough – let’s say, like someone put white flocking on some very, very fine sandpaper. I don’t mean to put you off at all, because it’s just fine (and maybe this is a feature of the sample size?) but I was expecting it to be a tiny bit… plushier? In any case, it gives extremely (almost eerily) precise application… which is excellent for a shade like this!
Speaking of ‘shades like this’ though… we’re moving into the great (if very temporary) mystery of this product…
When I first squeezed it out, I had aspirations of achieving photographic artistry along the lines of The Great and Powerful Jaa (see: here). It quickly became apparent that this was not going to happen – not just because my skills are lacking, or because I have no tripod, so squeezing a tiny tube just enough + super macro + shaky hands is always an exercise in gymnastics and prayer… but because what came out of the holes underneath the flocking was… a bubble of pink juice that burst onto my camera lens. T_T
I cleaned off my camera and squeezed a bit more…and got more juice. I assumed this was maybe how it worked, so I applied some to my lips…for an underwhelming result. Only then did it occur to me to give the tube a good shake! I squeezed again, and, Glory to Corellon, the expected splurt of fluorescent pink goo eventuated (it’s not often you say that in life – at least, happily).
Left: Zuh? right: Yowza!
Left: camera yawns Right: camera squeals and shields its aperture.
As you can see, after a good shake, things worked as I had anticipated from other reviews I read – saturated, incandescent colour with a jelly-smooth finish. So saturated and incandescent, in fact, that you can see the reaction my camera had to it! It steadfastly refused to focus 100% properly on my lips until I went and stood in a nearly dark room. Anyway, you get the idea: this is BRIGHT. the formula is incredibly smooth – ‘jelly’ is really the best way I can describe it. I mean, compare those two pictures above – look how insanely smooth the full coat makes my lips look! The consistency is smooth (almost greasy on the initial pass), with a slight translucence that really makes it for me – this is an aggressively bright, 80’s, Barbie pink hot fuchsia, and these colours can be pretty hard for this vampire to wear if they’re flat or matte. You can even build the colour a little, and so keep it slightly less intense if you only go one pass. The picture above has two passes, and I didn’t have to correct the edges at all! Now, I’m pretty good at putting on lipstick, but inevitably something this bright needs a little wipe here and there. Not so with Melted Fuchsia, adventurers! The applicator and the not-too-liquid-once-you-shake-it-up consistency are really, really easy to apply. The shade is also incredibly long wearing too, and fades evenly to a bright stain – it fades so evenly, in fact, that I kind of can’t really tell you with precision how long it ‘lasts’ – I’d say 4 hours for the ‘gloss’, 5 or 6 hours for the ‘lipstick’ look and then ’till the cows come home’ for the stain. It’s also weightless and non-drying. Holy orc bandoliers, people!
One note on the applicator: when I was reading reviews originally, quite a few people expressed concern about the sanitation factor (as you can’t clean/dry the fuzzy tip). Personally, I feel like it can’t be worse than a flocked doe foot applicator that you just plunge back into your gloss tube to marinate in there until your next application – if there is a preservative in the product (and I’m sure there is since the back of the tube says you can keep it open for 12 months!), then the flocked tip of the Too Faced thing should be saturated with that along with the colour, yes? I’m theorising here, and I suppose only time will tell, but there doesn’t seem to have been a big problem with it since these were released. Making sure it’s capped tightly, and not using it when one is sick (as usual for any lip product), should presumably preserve things! If it concerns you (say, you already use disposable wands for your glosses), then the goo consistency means you can certainly squeeze product out onto a brush or disposable wand if you prefer.
Righty ho!
I was really, really impressed with this, and (despite my interest going in) surprised by just how much I liked it! I’m putting the formula and applicator into Ye Olde Holie Graile status – the colour is beautiful, but a little too neon to be HG for me. Having said that, I have my eye on Violet, Ruby, Berry, Fig and Villain, now that I know how awesome this formula is! I’m hoping that these non-milky shades will perform just as well as Fuchsia 🙂 To sum up in pros and cons (or chests and mimics, as I prefer):
Chests:
- Jelly smooth, weightless and hydrating
- Long lasting, with stain (especially on my zombie lips)
- Awesome, fuzzy, precise applicator
- THEY HAVE DARK PURPLE
Mimics:
- You have to shake it up? (could be just the sample though)
- Neon-factor (not a big mimic. Maybe a de-fanged one – depends on personal preference)
- Transfer-potential (the thing here is that I usually wear glossy or creamy lipsticks, so transfer is kind of an accepted part of my life, LOL!)
What do you think, fellow adventurers? What’s your HG lip product (you’re allowed more than one)? Have you tried one of these Melted lipsticks? What exactly *does* an orc keep in their bandolier?
The practicalities: Too Faced Melted Liquefied Lipsticks are usually 0.4 oz and cost US $21 for the full size. Fuschia is a permanent colour, and they can be acquired from www.toofaced.com and www.sephora.com. For those of us in Middle Earth, I believe the Too Faced website does work with NZ Post YouShop! 😀
Until next time, fellow adventurers, don’t forget to check for traps!
Syl
I am an adventuring rogue, not a mercenary for hire, and as such, all opinions expressed here are my own, based on a genuine fondness for/interest in this product. If you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to pin your parchment to the board (contact me) at thepaintedrogue [at] gmail [dot] com., or use the contact form provided! All images and text on this blog are the property of The Painted Rogue unless otherwise stated. If you nick off with any of it, be prepared to find that your morning hot beverage tastes a little…different than usual. Didn’t the rogue say something the other day about that new poison that makes your inner ear itch maddeningly for the rest of your life? I think she did…
The Painted Rogue 