REVIEW & SWATCHES ♫ ⋆NEW⋆ from Urban Decay ♫ UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks

We developed everything in the limited-edition UD | Gwen Stefani collection in close collaboration with Gwen. Wende and our product development team spent countless hours at Gwen’s house, talking makeup and working with her on every detail of the collection.

Gwen even directed the packaging design, which was inspired by her love of black-and-white graphic prints and antique gold accents. We created everything with Gwen, filling a void by developing all of the perfect shades she always wished she had in her collection. And with these products in your arsenal, you’ll have all the essentials to recreate her signature looks for yourself.

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LIPSTICKS

(8 SHADES)

Gwen knows how to rock a bold lip. Luckily, she was game to get down and dirty with us to mix her perfect shades and ideal textures. She’s worn every lip color in the book, and these are her must-haves. The lineup: eight NEW shades (including two exclusives you can only find here)—from a bright red matte to a shimmering sheer nude and a creamy deep fuchsia. This collection includes our first-ever shade in a finish we’ve dubbed Mega Matte—a super-intense matte that lays down a lot of color in one coat. Every shade features our proprietary Pigment Infusion System™—for a super-creamy texture, rich payout and superior color dispersion. 

 Ex-Girlfriend - sheer nude-rose with pink shimmer

Firebird - deep fuchsia cream

714 - bright red mega matte

Rock Steady - deep wine red cream

Spiderweb - satin red cream

Wonderland - dark pink-red cream

Phone Call - sheer bright pink (UD Exclusive)
Plaid - sheer deep berry (UD Exclusive)

Price: $18

Size: 0.11 oz.

The UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks retail for $18 and contain 0.11 oz of product. Interestingly these lipsticks are actually $4 cheaper than the existing lipsticks in the Urban Decay lineup and contain 0.02 oz more product.

 

The UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks come in a black two piece case and tubes with gold abstract striping with the UD x Gwen Stefani logo printed in the middle. 

The lipstick packaging is kept closed by integral tabs at the base of the tube that fit into the case (cap). The bottom ledge of the tubes are thin so gripping them to remove the caps is a bit awkward. 

The inside tubes are all black with the Urban Decay logo embossed on the side. The lipstick bullets themselves are the traditional shape and are also embossed with the UD logo in the center.

On the bottom of each tube is a color coded label with lipstick name - it's quite handy when grabbing a shade from a size-able collection. 

 

"Every shade features our proprietary Pigment Infusion System™—for a super-creamy texture, rich payout and superior color dispersion."

COLORS/SHADES

The UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks comes in 8 shades of pinks and reds with a sheer nude tossed in for good measure. The shade selection came as no surprise to me based on Gwen Stefani's personal makeup style. 

There are a few varying shades of red here so I don't think any one person needs them ALL but for sure you can find a shade here that is right up your alley.

TEXTURE & FINISH 

The UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks feature various finishes from a Mega Matte (new finish to Urban Decay) to creams and sheer finishes. 

PIGMENTATION 

The UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks have various levels of pigmentation based on the shade and finish - see more under the swatches.

APPLICATION & WEAR 

The UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks vary in wear time based on the shade and finish - see more under the swatches. Overall they all glide on smoothly without skipping or being patchy.

 

The UD | Gwen Stefani Lipsticks are the highlight and most versatile part of the entire collection. There are shades here that will suit the full spectrum of skin tones. If you are not interested in bold red shades then these may not be up your alley...but if you are on the market for a great red tone or you just love red shades on your lips, then this collection is sure to have a fun shade for you.

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REVIEW + SWATCH FEST | 💋 MAC Lip Pencils - Oranges, Reds, Purples, Plums & Nudes 💋

 

Lip Liners/Lip Pencils

A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades.

 Size: 1.45 g / 0.05 oz

Price: $16

 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners retail for $16 for 1.45 g/0.05 oz of product.

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are among the cheapest lip liners in the mid-end makeup brand range. They also contain more product than the average wooden lip pencils on the market. There are definitely cheaper alternatives in the drugstore bracket - NYX, Jordana, Milani, etc. However, the M∙A∙C Lip Liners come in at a great price point that is more affordable that comparable brands.

 

 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are currently available for purchase in store and online at the following locations:

• Select Bloomingdale's Stores and on the Bloomingdale's website
• Select Nordstrom Stores and on the Nordstrom website
• Select Macy's Stores and on the Macy's website
• Standalone M∙A∙C Stores and on the M∙A∙C website
• Any other location that sells M∙A∙C Cosmetics

 

 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are simple wooden pencils. Of course these will require sharpening and I recommend a cosmetic-grade sharpener to limit product waste. 

Now, I was always weary of pencils that require sharpening since this leads to shaving off some of the actual lip color product with the wooden pencil. But I realized that twist up pencils, although they eliminate sharpening, come with less product overall - YES only about a 1/4 the size of a wooden pencil (see above). In addition, the twist up pencils dry out a lot faster than their wooden counterparts. Plus it is easier to sanitize wooden pencils with a quick sharpen and alcohol. Overall, I do believe wooden pencils are a better value for money PLUS shelf-life is much longer.

 

"A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades."

COLORS/SHADES

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners come in a wide range of colors (40+) and there are also many limited edition shades that debut throughout the year in different collections. The range was recently expanded to include some fun and popular colors. 

There are numerous nude shades, reds, pinks, purples, burgundy/wine shades and a couple of coral/orange tones. I do think the line could be improved with the addition of more coral and orange colors which have become very popular in the last few years - (hi MAC, I'm talking to you).

TEXTURE & FINISH 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners all (or mostly) have a matte finish. 

PIGMENTATION 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are fully pigmented colors that can be worn alone or under lipstick or lip gloss. 

APPLICATION & WEAR 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners have a drier formula which makes them long-wearing but that means they can tug on the lips during application. If you find them too dry, a good tip is to pass them under a blow dryer for a couple seconds to warm up the product. You can also run the pencil on the back of your hand to make the application a little smoother. Overall once they are warmed up they glide easily over the lips.

M∙A∙C Lip Liners can be sharpened for crisp lines or used with a rounded tip to distribute the product all over the lips.

Wear time is what makes these lip pencils amazing! These can last 12+ hours without budging or moving. Obviously if you add gloss or a creamy product on top they will not last as long but you still get a full 8+ hours of wear without any issues. They are almost long-wearing to a fault....I need a makeup remover wipe and lip scrub to get the richer colors off my lips.

 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are my favorite lip liners and they are a favorite among lip product lovers for good reason. They are pigmented and long lasting with a full range of colors to choose from. They are also some cult favorites with celebrities and makeup artists.

Have you tried these lip liners?  Interested?

 

 ★ Oranges ★
Fruit Cocktail – clean light peachy coral
Temperature Rising – neon orange

★ Pinks ★
Silly – bright pink
Candy Yum Yum – neon pink
Talking Points – bright blue fuchsia
Embrace Me – vivid pinkish fuchsia

★Purples & Plums ★:
Heroine – bright purple
Magenta – vivid pinkish purple
Nightingale – mid-tonal cream plum
Cyber World – intense blackish purple
Currant – intense reddish purple
Vino – intense violet purple
Nightmoth – blackened plum

★Reds ★:
Chic Trick – Amped up fuchsia
Redd – clearly red
Cherry – vivid bright bluish red
Ruby Woo – very matte vivid blue red
Follow Your Heart – vivid bright bluish red
Kiss Me Quick – yellow red
Beet – vivid reddish pink 

★Nudes★:
Boldly Bare – dirty red brown
Rosy Rim – muted rosy tinted pink
Soar – mid-tone pinkish brown
Dervish – Pinky mauve
Whirl – dirty rose
Hover – Rich caramel brown
Spice – pink cinnamon stick
Oak – soft beige brown
Cork – muted golden brown
Stone – muted greyish taupe brown
Hodgepodge – neutral brown
Chestnut – intense brown