Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick and Flower Beauty Kiss Stick Lip Color
First picture, left to right: Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 69; Flower Beauty Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color in LS5 Dahlia Darling and Kiss Stick High-Shine Lip Color LS18 Black Rose
Second picture, left to right: Swatches of Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 69; Flower Beauty Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color in LS5 Dahlia Darling and Kiss Stick High-Shine Lip Color LS18 Black Rose
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick launched last year, and is a new formula from the brand. Packaged in a slim, gunmetal tube, the lipstick is supposed to have a “creamy formula” that “glides on without dragging or skipping, hugs every curve and gives you a BIG laydown of color.” The lipstick is supposed to have “insane pigmentation, superior color dispersion and extended wear,” and includes ingredients like jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter. The lipstick comes in a variety of 22 shades, from nudes to plums, and I received the color 69 for review: a bold, darker red with strong pink undertones. The swatch you see on my arm is just one swipe—just one!—and the pigmentation is, in fact, insane. I had no skipping or dragging; it was extremely creamy and extremely colorful, and although it’s an in-your-face color, I thought the pink tones made it really wearable for a variety of skintones. One layer was all I needed for opacity on my lips, and the shade lasted for about six hours before leaving a stain behind. Based on how great this shade was, I’ll certainly consider picking up more of the Urban Decay Revolution offerings.
A bit more affordable is Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty line, which also launched last year but is exclusive to Walmart. You may not have seen a lot of promotion for the brand because Barrymore has stated in interviews that she wants to put all money toward product development instead of advertising, but if you’ve browsed your local Walmart recently, I’m sure you’ve seen the brand’s simplistic packaging and variety of products. I received one shade each of the brand’s Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color (which comes in a white tube with FLOWER stamped on the side) and one shade of the Kiss Stick High-Shine Lip Color (which comes in a black tube with FLOWER stamped on the side). The descriptions for both Velvet Lip Color and High-Shine Lip Color promise “emollient oils” that “improve shine for a rich, creamy application” and “pure, intense color payoff,” but the description for High-Shine Lip Color also promises “extreme shine.”
Each formula comes in nine shades, and I received one of each for review: Velvet Lip Color in LS5 Dahlia Darling and High-Shine Lip Color in LS18 Black Rose. The swatches on my arm are two for Dahlia Darling and three for Black Rose. The former, Velvet Lip Color in Dahlia Darling, is a matte with a bit of a drier texture, and leans more pink than red when on the lips, even though in the bullet it seems very wine-like. Because it’s a matte, it felt settled onto my lips and didn’t feel particularly moisturizing; however, it didn’t accentuate any dryness on my lips, either. Although I liked the color, I just wasn’t crazy about the application. It lasted about three hours on my lips before flaking off; it didn’t leave a stain behind.
I preferred High-Shine Lip Color in Black Rose, which is a stronger burgundy shade; although it starts out a little sheer, you can build up the coverage. The texture of the High-Shine Lip Color is a bit more slick and creamy than the Velvet Lip Color, but it was still a bit stiff and dry, especially in comparison with Urban Decay’s Revolution formula. In the bullet, Black Rose had some strong shimmer, but that didn’t transfer on the application for me; instead, the color was just really shiny on my lips, which I liked. Still, I only had about three hours of wear-time with Black Rose, and the color didn’t seem to really “set”—it felt a bit like lip gloss, sliding around my lips. Nevertheless, I liked Black Rose more than Dahlia Darling, and I think the High-Shine Lip Color may be a better bet from Flower Beauty than Velvet Lip Color.
Overall, if I had the budget for it, I would certainly stock up on Urban Decay’s Revolution formula; I think the pigment was outrageous and the wear-time really nice, and I really had no problems with the shade 69. I was a bit disappointed in both the Flower Beauty Velvet and High-Shine Lip Colors, but for the price, I think they’re nice colors. I can see myself reaching for them in the upcoming year, but they’ll certainly be secondary to any other Revolution shades I can get my hands on.
VERDICT: A for the Urban Decay Revolution lipstick; B- for the Flower Beauty Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color; B for the Flower Beauty Kiss Stick High-Shine Lip Color.
AVAILABILITY: $22 each for the Urban Decay Revolution lipstick at UrbanDecay.com, Sephora, and other retailers that carry the brand; $6.98 each for Flower Beauty Kiss Sticks at FlowerBeauty.com, which links you to Walmart.com and Walmart stores to check availability.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The products featured in this post were provided to Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog by the manufacturer or their public relations company for review. Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog posts are inspired by personal experience and opinion, and are not paid for or influenced by the manufacturer, PR company, or any other organization unless mentioned.
Photos by Roxana Hadadi.
In middle school, Roxana Hadadi was a cosmetics-scorning tomboy; in high school, a glitter eye shadow- and black nail polish-loving trend kid; in college, obsessively committed to dying her hair unruly colors that upset her mom. Now a bit older and a bit more mature, she’s trying to figure out what hair, body and cosmetics products will work for her, you and your family in About Face, Chesapeake Family’s new beauty blog — and she’ll leave the sparkle makeup and neon highlights in the past. Roxana also writes movie reviews for Chesapeake Family’s Popcorn Parents blog.
