Category: Lipstick, Lipgloss

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask

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There are aspects of this lip mask that I really love. Certain qualities of this sleeping mask might even compete with my beloved Aquaphor in the running for favorite lip products. There’s just… one single thing… in the ingredient listing that I cannot wrap my brain around, and that’s alcohol.

First, let’s talk about the product itself. This comes in a cute, pink plastic tub, and has a very faint berry smell. The texture looks creamy, but applies clear, with just a tinge of red. The wax layer on this lip mask is long-lasting, so not only will your lips feel smooth and soft upon application, but the mask is intended to lock in moisture for the long term. It is advertised as a sleeping mask, but this is fine for use at any time of the day if you’re not intending on using lipstick or lipgloss over it.

There’s a lot of reviews that say this will make your lips more plump. I suppose with added moisture to anything, it will increase the thickness to some degree. But it’s not a plumper in the sense that it isn’t like products on the market specifically labeled “lip plumper” that create that minty, burning sensation on your lips and subsequently makes them look half a size larger.

Although this is listed as an overnight mask, the mask itself generally wears off after an hour or two. Still, after long-term use of this product over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed my lip “health” has been a little better, an impressive task considering it’s currently the dead of winter. I don’t feel like I need to re-apply other lip protectants during the day as often as I normally do.

What compels me to not re-purchase this mask is the fact that there is alcohol in this. It’s a shame, because otherwise the ingredient listing is pretty tame (albeit super long) — I like the shea butter and plant extracts aspect of this. While the alcohol is low enough down the ingredient listing that I suspect it’s only intended for product dry-down, I can’t help but feel it contributes to actually drying out your skin, that skin sloughing off, and the user having a subsequent desire to want to reapply this product to fix the “dry skin”.

All in all, mixed feelings toward this lip mask. It does work for a certain period of time, and it’s certainly better than your run of the mill peppermint-and-wax chapsticks. But it’s also working against the user. Sneaky marketing tactic for Laneige to get their consumers to buy more? We’ll never know. ~A

Fake product alert! Looks like Amazon’s loaded with fakes of this product — don’t take the gamble, and just buy it straight from Sephora instead.

Perceived efficacy: 3/5

Longevity: 3.5/5

How much I actually like this product: 3.5/5

Recommended for sensitive skin: Yes

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MAC Matte Lipstick

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Lipstick is largely uncharted territory for me, since I’m not a particularly “careful” person, and my proclivity to smear or smudge it off is high. I decide, whilst wearing lipstick, it is a great time to drink out of every single mug and glass I can find, or wipe my face on my hand for some reason (classy, I know). But out of the handful of lipsticks I’ve tried in my life, this one is close error-proof. I got this as a gift from someone, and I’m very grateful to her for introducing me to it!

I have this in three colors, two of which are mauve and deep red tones (but aren’t in front of me currently — I think Marrakesh and Sin?). The one I carry around with me is Chili. I love the color payout on all of these — they’re very consistent and bold while not being TOO overwhelming — but Chili is by far my favorite. It’s a great classic red, without being gaudy.

These are indeed matte lipsticks, and they dry down almost immediately. Initially, it makes the color difficult to spread out, but it only needs a small swipe or two extra to fill any missed spots on your lips — after that, it seems to fill out on it’s own. I don’t use lip liner generally, and I don’t think that this lipstick looks “weird” without it, which is great. It’s also not prone to bleeding.

On the topic of matte, this lipstick is drying, which is to be expected. This is both good and bad for me. Bad, in the sense I am an Aquaphor/Vaseline on lips at all times type of person, and prefer the sensation of having hydrated lips over lipstick. But the fact it’s so dry is actually good. This doesn’t really rub off as easily as other lipsticks I’ve tried — the lipstick-on-coffee-mug factor is relatively low. On good days, I’ve been able to still see the color after seven hours (results not typical, though). It’s also withstood rain! I do like that the lipstick color really just “fades out” instead of cracking your lips as it dries out and flakes off.

Chili has a permanent home in my on-the-go makeup bag. Even though I don’t use lipstick on my day-to-day, it’s been perfect for surprise events. I think it’s worth the $16 buy if you’re a careless, irresponsible lipstick user like me!

Happy Holidays to all my wonderful readers! ~A

Perceived efficacy: 4.5/5

Longevity: 4/5

How much I actually like this product: 4/5