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Consumer Review

By Diane Kaye
TGForum Consumer Products Editor


As part of this column, I am always interested in hearing from the readers on products they would like to see evaluated by Diane Kaye’s testing laboratory. If you have comments, questions, or requests, please drop me a line at: diane923@tgforum.com
All of us girls have at one time or another experimented with lipstick, trying different colors and brands. Most of us have settled on a couple of our fav colors and brands which we swear are the only ones to use. Well. lately the mid-priced brand manufacturers have come out with a new type of lipstick, one that claims not to come off on your cloths or that drinking glass. Most are in a stick form or skinny tube. There are also those that are a liquid type with a brush applicator.

I decided to try all the "drug store" brands out and compare them critically. I looked at texture, color uniformity, smell, kiss off-ability, smudging, and overall appearance. How, do you ask, could I do all that on one date? Was I in the ladies room half the evening? Well actually, it was all done in the basement of the Diane Kaye research facility of big think. Actually I smeared some on my arm, rubbed it off, sniffed it, put it on my lips, examined it, let it dry and kissed the bottle. Sort of in that order. Examination for feathering was difficult at best, so my results there were not completely sound. I followed the manufacturers directions when given and allowed about a minute and a half before attempting to smudge it. The brands tested were:

  • Maybelline- Great Wear Lip (Iced Mauve)
  • Almay- Amazing Lasting Lipcolor (Tickled)
  • Revlon Colorstay Lipcolor (Raspberry)
  • Loreal Rouge Pulp Liquid Lipcolor (Darling)
  • Cover Girl Marathon Lipcolor (Scarlet)
  • Sally Hansen Colorfast High Shine Lipcolor (Bashful)

The Sally Hansen and Loreal were both liquid lipcolor styles with a brush applicator with a screw on cap, while the others were the standard stick variety with a twist up dispenser and snap cap. Prices were from $3.99 for the Cover Girl to $7.39 for the Revlon. These were all bought at the local Cosmetic Center store which is a discount store of sorts. To summarize the samples tested:

 

Maybelline

Almay

Revlon

Loreal

Cover Girl

Sally Hansen

Kiss Off

Moderate

Moderate

None

Major

Moderate

Major

Appearance

Dull

Wet

Dull

Very Shiny

Wet

Very Shiny

Wipe Off

Moderate

Moderate

Minimal

Major

Moderate

Major

Smell

None

None

Slight Chemical

Strong Raspberry

none

Perfume

Rub Off

Most Came Off

Half Came Off

Half Came Off

All Came Off

Half Came Off

All Came Off

Uniformity of Color

Good

Good

Good

Thin and Streaky on skin, but Moderately Good on Lips

Good

Very Good

Blot Off

Slightly

Slightly

Slightly

Major

Moderate

Major

Feathering

None

None

None

?

None

?

    Kiss Off is from lips to glass.
    Appearance is texture
    Wipe Off is a light brush with a towel after 2 minutes of set time
    Smell is just that
    Rub Off is a scrubbing with the towel
    Uniformity of Color is eveness and density of color
    Blot off is the standard lip blot used to help set the lipstick
    Feathering is the creeping of the color into the crevasses of the lips

The liquid lip colors definitely look hot. They have a great shiny look, however, I fear they also do not stay on as claimed. The directions said to wait 60 seconds before doing anything. After that time I also tried a blotting, which seriously reduced the color density to barely there. I’m at a loss for how this stuff is suppose to work and stay on. Once touched, it looses all shiny texture, which is its claim to fame. Using the brush takes some practice to avoid placing the color where you don’t want it. All brands cleaned up easily. I used some Derma Blend remover I had laying around, but I suspect just about any makeup remover would do the job.

My favorite? The Revlon followed by the Almay. I liked the wet look, but the no kiss off feature was a definite plus, especially when you think of getting it on your best dress and ruining it. The stick features caused some concern since they all flaked off onto the tube with clumps sticking to the end of the barrel. This can cause inadvertent contact and possible ruined clothes, even when placing the cap on. An occasional wipe of the cap rim and barrel sides with a tissue is in order. The brushes were definitely cleaner.

Now with the good stuff out of the way, let me tell you a story about that cheap stuff you can buy for under a dollar a tube.

Most of us own a multitude of lipstick shades to match the occasion and our moods. Those of us that are relatively new to the TG scene want to play catch-up. To this end one may opt to buy less expensive cosmetics so as to stretch the budget. Now quantity and quality don’t go hand in hand, especially where the budget in minuscule. With that said, I’ll begin my tale.


Probably Not The Look You Want

I’m one who is always willing to try a new color out. And naturally I’m one to never to pass up a bargain. On this particular day, I was at the local drug store when I spied a "bargain" section set up in the middle of the floor. Well. I sauntered over and looked the wares over for any good deals. What did my eyes see, but a crate of cosmetics. There was nail polish and lipstick galore. The lipstick brand was "CABOT". I’ve never heard of it, but at 99 cents a tube, what the heck.

I bought a red, a mauve and a brown for grins. Heck, for $1 a tube a girl can’t go wrong. Well maybe not. I got them home and started trying each on to see how they looked. The first thing I noticed was the texture. It seemed like I had spread clay on my lips. Heavy and stiff was the sensation. Well the brown came off OK so on to the Mauve. Same feeling and the color was so- so. Finally I tried the Red. Big mistake. Not only did I look like Bozo’s sister, but it felt really heavy. Now for the surprise. When I went to remove it, it stayed on. Horrors I thought. Can’t have the family seeing me like this. So on with a second generous helping or makeup remover. This time some of it budged, but my fingers looked red, yipes. Another generous helping of remover and a small prayer. Success, the red was just about gone. I hated to think what would of happened had I gotten it on any clothes.

Finally it was gone, and so was the tube. I immediately chucked it in the trash. This girl learned that cheaper is worse, by far. Those collection bargains for $1 are not worth the effort. Now, I’m not going to try anymore cheapo’s, but rest assured, they all have a black mark in my book. You get what you pay for. Hope this little tidbit helps those of you being tempted by the dark side of cheap cosmetics.

As part of this column, I am always interested in hearing from the readers on products they would like to see evaluated by Diane Kaye’s testing laboratory. If you have comments, questions, or requests, please drop me a line at: diane923@tgforum.com

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