Last week, Rite Aid had a promotion for Prestige Cosmetics: buy $10 and get $3 in +Up rewards good on a future purchase. For some reason, Prestige never goes on sale, which is unfortunate for me since I really only buy drugstore makeup when it's on sale (or super cheap already, like with Essence, Wet N Wild, and N.Y.C.). I have a list of items from Prestige that I've been wanting to try for months, so you can imagine my excitement at seeing any kind of discount (or just imagine a 5-year-old on a sugar high, that should give you an idea). I picked up 2 items, a Total Intensity eyeliner (review to come) and a Color Persist lipstick. I read about the latter on Nouveau Cheap; she said it was a lip stain-lipstick-lip balm hybrid, which is exactly what I'm looking for. So, what do I think of it?
Other things to note: it smells like berries (yummy!) and the packaging could be better; it seems not to be securely anchored in the tube, and I worry that it may break off as I use it. It's also on the expensive end of drugstore lipstick purchases (for me, at least!) at $7.50 for 0.12 oz, and is just a smidge too dramatic for me to feel like it's an HG MLBB. I'm curious to try a couple of other colors and see how they look on me, but I'm going to have to bide my time until $15 for 2 lipsticks doesn't feel really expensive.
Overview
~$7.50 for 0.12 oz, available at Rite Aid and Ulta
Quality: 9.75
Effectiveness: 5 (it advertises itself as a moisturizing long-lasting lipstick, and I'd say it delivers)
Ease of Use: 4 (need to have a mirror and keep an eye on it for the first few minutes until it dries down)
Senses: 5 (smells like berries! feels light as a feather!)
Pigmentation: 5
Duration: 5+ (dudes, it lasted me 3+ hours if you count the stain. Nothing lasts that long on me. Seriously.)
Consistency: 4.25 (tends to migrate before it settles)
Price: 3.5 ($7.50 for a drugstore lipstick seems expensive)
Value: 4.5 (0.12 is on the lower end of average lipstick size, but given how little I need for full coverage, and how long it lasts, that should do me for a long time)
Packaging: -0.25 (lipstick doesn't feel secure in its tube; if it ends up breaking off, I'll take a whole point off, because: seriously uncool)
Grade: A-
Overall, I think it's a great lipstick/balm/stain, and I really look forward to trying other colors. I just wish it were cheaper (or went on sale more often!).
What do you think of Enduring Blush? Have you tried any of the Color Persists? Comments give lips an enduring blush (god, I want to kick myself)!
Enduring Blush
I love it (though not unequivocally). The texture is baffling to me. It reminds me of something else, but I can't for the life of me figure it out. It glides on smooth as silk, and is incredibly lightweight. I have to be sure to apply it in front of a mirror and keep an eye on it for the first couple minutes, because it has a tendency to slide around a lot before it dries down, and I dread the ring-around-the-mouth look. Once it's settled, though, it's lovely: a sheer but vibrant rosy berry with a satin finish. When worn, it feels like there's nearly nothing on my lips (and the little I can feel is moisturizing and just enough to make me not feel like I need to apply lip balm all the time), and even as time goes by and it dries down, my lips are never parched.
Enduring blush a few minutes after application, in sunlight
Same swatch, in shade
The lasting power is tremendous. I'm really terrible about rubbing my lips and getting rid of lip products, but even with that, Enduring Blush lasts 3+ hours (without eating). I don't think a lip product has ever lasted that long on me.
Enduring Blush 2 hours after application, in sunlight
Enduring Blush after eating, in shade
Other things to note: it smells like berries (yummy!) and the packaging could be better; it seems not to be securely anchored in the tube, and I worry that it may break off as I use it. It's also on the expensive end of drugstore lipstick purchases (for me, at least!) at $7.50 for 0.12 oz, and is just a smidge too dramatic for me to feel like it's an HG MLBB. I'm curious to try a couple of other colors and see how they look on me, but I'm going to have to bide my time until $15 for 2 lipsticks doesn't feel really expensive.
Overview
~$7.50 for 0.12 oz, available at Rite Aid and Ulta
Quality: 9.75
Effectiveness: 5 (it advertises itself as a moisturizing long-lasting lipstick, and I'd say it delivers)
Ease of Use: 4 (need to have a mirror and keep an eye on it for the first few minutes until it dries down)
Senses: 5 (smells like berries! feels light as a feather!)
Pigmentation: 5
Duration: 5+ (dudes, it lasted me 3+ hours if you count the stain. Nothing lasts that long on me. Seriously.)
Consistency: 4.25 (tends to migrate before it settles)
Price: 3.5 ($7.50 for a drugstore lipstick seems expensive)
Value: 4.5 (0.12 is on the lower end of average lipstick size, but given how little I need for full coverage, and how long it lasts, that should do me for a long time)
Packaging: -0.25 (lipstick doesn't feel secure in its tube; if it ends up breaking off, I'll take a whole point off, because: seriously uncool)
Grade: A-
Overall, I think it's a great lipstick/balm/stain, and I really look forward to trying other colors. I just wish it were cheaper (or went on sale more often!).
What do you think of Enduring Blush? Have you tried any of the Color Persists? Comments give lips an enduring blush (god, I want to kick myself)!
