Saturday, February 21, 2015

She Likes Lipstick

I have a sickness. It's called lipstick addiction and it damages lives. It's so horrendously irrational I don't know where to start. On a recent, seemingly innocuous trip to Priceline (first mistake there), I was only planning on checking out the new Maybelline Colour Drama Lipsticks, but I spotted a buy one, get one free offer on She lipsticks. Nothing sucks me in faster than a good ol' BOGOF. I haven't heard much about the She brand and never paid particular attention to it. But when it comes to lipsticks, I'm an equal opportunity lover and judge not on hype, popularity, or packaging, but the product itself. So long as the shade's right and the texture/formula works, then it's a winner in my book. I started swatching...




After an abnormal amount of deliberation (seriously, my hand was COVERED in lip product swatches), I decided to purchase Hush and Angel. Which is hilarious because they're the quintessential peach and pink shades I perpetually gravitate to. It's like each time I shop for a lipstick, I conveniently forget the multitude of nearly identical colours I have at home.

The She lipstick range comprises mainly safe, "wearable", not too in-your-face shades. I steered clear of the frost finishes and was momentarily tempted by the milky, pinky-lavender Atlanta until I came to my senses. The gold exterior reminds me a teeny bit of the YSL Rouge Voluptés, but thinner, paler, more streamlined — not as weighty and decorative.

Both Hush and Angel are somewhat glossy in finish and decently moisturising on the lips. They're not uber pigmented, but have fairly good colour payoff with one layer. I would say the texture/finish is comparable to MAC Lustre lipsticks, though the She lipsticks are thicker in formulation. They do have a tendency to settle into lip lines, which is why I prefer to apply a thin layer straight from the tube then dab my lips with my finger to work the product in. My other gripe is they have a distinct "old lipstick" smell. (Probably because that's what they are, given I doubt they were flying off the Priceline shelves.) When I first opened them, they had a pleasant lavender fragrance, but now they mostly have an off-putting plasticy-floral smell. It's not so strong that it's intolerable, but it's definitely a downside.

l-r: Hush, Angel



l-r: She Hush, L'Oréal Nude Vibrato, MAC Shy Girl, Revlon Juicy Papaya, Revlon Smoked Peach

Hush is a light-to-medium, peachy nude with salmon pink. On the lips, there's a slight pearl to this which I dislike intensely, but it's not too noticeable (the lip swatch doesn't capture it at all). I find Hush to be most flattering with quite a flawless base, which is surprising given it seems to be a fairly low maintenance, "throw on" shade. If my skin isn't concealed and there are still areas of natural redness showing through, Hush seems to draw attention to that.

The colour is right up my alley but admittedly, not very unique. I'm actually surprised I don't have more existing dupes of it (unlike the next shade — you'll see what I mean). Hush is basically the same shade as L'Oréal Colour Riche Extraordinaire in Nude Vibrato except slightly dustier and darker, and without gold microshimmer. Obviously the textures are different — the L'Oréal is a liquid lipstick, so wet and shiny. MAC Shy Girl is a lot paler and more pastel, less red/pink. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya is brighter in tone, more neon orange. It also has a more emollient and glossy finish. Revlon Matte Lipstick in Smoked Peach is more of a burnt orange, not as pinky-peach and also somewhat more neon in quality.



l-r: She Angel, Maybelline Juicy Bubblegum, Revlon Primrose, Revlon Pink Pout, Australis Jive

Angel immediately makes me think whether there's any reference to the MAC lipstick of the same name. It's your typical slightly mauvey, dusty, cool-toned pink. When I tried this on in the store, I was overcome with a "had to get it" feeling, despite the vague notion I already owned similar shades.

Honestly, mega fail. Forget "similar shades", they're the same! I'm not even going to convince myself they're different. But here we are. Angel is probably the warmest in this family. It's barely distinguishable from Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Jive, except Jive is a touch more muted/dusty. I always thought Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose and Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout were the same, but Pink Pout seems slightly more yellow-toned. But let's face it. I have a problem.

The funniest part of all this is I left Priceline that day with not two, but four new lipsticks. That's right, on top of these She lipsticks, I bought two more lipsticks from another brand. And get this ... both pink. All will be revealed in a blog post in the near future, but in the meantime, I need to learn self-control. It's just increasingly difficult with monstrously hyped lip launches (hello Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks) and my new favourite YouTuber KathleenLights doing an entire "Lip Swatch Week" (is there a colour she can't pull off?). Maybe the trick is reorganising my entire lipstick collection so I can better see and remember what I already have. At least so next time, I don't buy the same shade of pink five times over.

59 comments:

  1. I like the look of Hush. I love Juicy Papaya lip butter :)

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  2. This really made me giggle. We've all been there with lipstick swatches up to the forearm! X

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  3. What a funny post! And I definitely agree with you, the formulation of these lipsticks leaves little to be desired. I have shades Charm, Joy and Sheba which are all slippery and settle into lip lines. I just couldn't go passed the colours.

    ofmymemories.weebly.com

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    1. That sucks that to hear it's a common problem across the board. I didn't anticipate they would be such an issue when I tried them on the store but I guess you live and learn :p

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  4. oh dear god, same problem here, I fell ya sis

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    1. Haha, only fellow beauty obsessives would understand :)

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  5. They're both beautiful colours, but imagine the amazing pinky nude it would make if you mixed the two together. Maybe hush on the lips with a touch of angel in the centre then blend it in
    xx
    http://diamondsandtulips.blogspot.com.au

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    1. I've never tried them together. Might have to give that a go - thanks for the idea!

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  6. We both seem to have the same addiction! These are both gorgeous shades of lipstick. It makes me want to go out and buy even more peach lipstick!
    - Lauren-lee
    www.laurenleegrace.blogspot.com

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    1. Haha ... oh no! I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that you have more than enough lipstick ;)

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  7. I put myself on a lipstick ban and suddenly found myself with a huge influx of lip liners in my collection LOL. The colors look really pretty and are indeed very "you", shame about the unimpressive formula. I'm glad you brought up juicy bubblegum again because everytime i fall back in love with it, i fall back in love with it hard. Digging it up to wear tomorrow c;

    Chloé⎪ status.chlo (previously à la foliee)

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    1. Juicy Bubblegum is such a good shade! Really nice formula too. I haven't delved into the world of lip liners but I'm afraid of doing exactly that, haha. I'll try to stay away for the meantime. I definitely wasn't impressed with the formula of these which sucks because I do like the colours.

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  8. I am a huge fan of pinker shades and I am loving all of those swatches! Amazing stuff <3

    zaras-bowsandpearls.blogspot.co.uk

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  9. LOL. Don't be so harsh on yourself. We've all been there. :)
    The problem is I can't possibly remember what I have in my stash when I am in the cosmetic isles.
    The best thing for me so far is to sort out and purge leaving only the favorite formula or the favorite packaging from the same color family - She lipsticks are likely to survive in that sense. Pretty tubes! :)

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    1. I should ditch the inferior dupes and just leave my preferred formulas/packaging. Every now and then I do get rid of a portion of my makeup stash and it always feels liberating (albeit incredibly wasteful). I have lipsticks that I bought in high school still stashed away so clearly I could do a lot better with ruthless culling!

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  10. I love this post! I love pink lipsticks just like Angel and own many similar shades to it too but I just love them and like you said gravitate to them for some unknown reason. I love your swatches and can't wait what other lipsticks you bought.

    Jackie | fashionxfairytale | bloglovin' |

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    1. I definitely will have that post up about the other two lipsticks I bought up soon :)

      I always seem to be drawn to the same shades over and over again!

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  11. I wish we had these lipsticks in the UK, the colours look gorgeous!

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    1. I'm sure you could probably find something similar in the UK. You guys have such awesome drugstore brands that I wish would be brought here to Oz!

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  12. Oh my goodness on the pink swatches. Hahahaha. But I'd definitely do the same for an unknown brand. I'd rather it be a familiar shade. But I love the SHE packaging. And the colors are nice formula seems ok from your post. :)

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    1. I wasn't expecting the pink shades would be SO similar, it was horrifying, lol. If only I could use up just one of them before likely committing the same mistake and buying another identical pink lipstick :p

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    2. Maybe you should keep a picture in your phone, so whenever you see a pink lipstick you can check it first. :P

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    3. Good idea! Need to get my lipstick colour families organised first.

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  13. Oh man, I know what you mean about getting a similar shade to what you already own. It gets difficult to keep track when you start having a collection of lip products. Hehe. I have to say the packaging of the She lipsticks look gorgeous though.

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    1. It's definitely a sign my collection has spiraled outta control! When it's so large you can barely remember what exists in it. I also don't wear lipstick that often which is another factor contributing to simply not remembering what shades I have.

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  14. ooh these are gorgeous colors for spring! Love the creaminess of them!

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    1. They are certainly very typical spring shades! The formula is very emollient, almost to a fault.

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  15. Never heard of this brand before - I assume they're not sold in the UK yet! Those colours look beautiful though x
    http://cocoamay.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. I think the brand is only stocked in Australia through Priceline (kind of like the equivalent of Boots or Superdrug).

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  16. Hahahhaah I used to complain to my mom that she has too many lipstick in her make up collection and she always answered, there's no such thing as too many lipstick shade for a woman. So I guess you both shared the same obsession hihihi..

    Kisses,

    Adrian FS.

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    1. I guess we do! Though I have to say there is such a thing as too many lipsticks - but it is a VERY large number :p

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  17. Today I'm swatching all my MAC lipsticks to get rid of any unflattering shades. After that I'm going to swatch ALL my lipsticks to weed out dupes. I'm now okay with having a larger than average makeup stash but it drives me nuts when I can't remember what I already own or not. And yes, all of this is prone to fly out the window in a second if I come across a good BOGOF too... :x

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    1. Haha ... I was so tempted for a moment there to swatch my entire lipstick collection and then re-organise everything into colour families (nudes, pinks, reds, berries, etc). But that would be an extremely time-consuming exercise that might not end up a successful venture regardless. For one, my current storage leaves much to be desired. BOGOFs target the bargain-hunting Asian within, lol!

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  18. I always forget how stunning some of the Revlon lipsticks are!

    Annabel ♥
    Mascara & Maltesers

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    1. Such a brilliant drugstore brand for lip products!

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  19. Replies
    1. They are precisely the shades I always find myself drawn to!

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  20. These two shades are seriously stunning! I would totally steal hush from you! I've been slowly trying to buy more brown nudes because I need these neutral lip colors for easy pairing! Thanks for the comparison swatches! It's so helpful!

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    1. Hush is a nice little find, though I wish it didn't have a slight pearl to it. Good luck on your lipstick hunt :)

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  21. Hush is a lovely colour, I suppose it is similar to Juicy Papaya (which actually looks more pink on me). :)

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    1. Juicy Papaya definitely leans more orange on me than pink. Hush isn't as bright or orange, it's a bit more toned down and conservative.

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  22. You always have the most perfect swatches! :) Wow, these lipsticks look incredibly pigmented, yet moisturizing, and I love the gold packaging. I love the way Hush looks on your lips but too bad they don't carry this brand in the US :(

    Emily | ahemitsemme.blogspot.com

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    1. I need to get dem swatches done right, lol! Thanks for the feedback on them :)

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  23. HAHA I always walk away with similar shades I don't have... at least it's a good buy because you wear these colours most! I always walk past SHE but don't hear too much about it. The packaging is gorgeous though!

    Sheri | Behind The Frames

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    1. I think that's another area I need to work on - using them! Lol. I've barely ever noticed the She brand as it doesn't seem well stocked in Priceline stores and their products never get any attention in the blogosphere, but I just couldn't resist the shades.

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  24. Lipstick purchases are inevitable...especially when there are BOGOF deals going around! I really haven't heard much about this brand, but the lipsticks look pretty dece! I love the look of Hush (of course...I already have a million of those shades!).

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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    1. Haha, what shades do you have that are similar to Hush? BOGOF is hard to say no to!

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  25. All those peachy shades look soooooo gorgeous!
    xprincessjas | ♥

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  26. Hahahahaha I can relate!! Lipsticks are probably one make up category I tend to buy the most..
    I haven't heard about the brand before but the pckaging is nice! Angel is such a pretty pink but I think It will appear too cool on me :/

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    1. It is quite cool-toned on my lips, but then again most pinks are.

      I definitely have a lipstick problem. I think I need to adopt a one in, one out approach (which basically means I won't be buying a new lipstick for like, a year, lol). I'm glad you can relate as a fellow lipstick addict :)

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  27. Lipstick is my weakness. Although, I have gotten a bit better about buying just to have. Revlon is amazing for drugstore lippies!

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