Hello, hello! Massive disclaimer: I am not a makeup expert by any stretch of the imagination. I like makeup but I have no professional training or education and therefore if I stumble over technical language and end up sounding like I'm talking rubbish - it's probably because that's 100% accurate. BUT. This will be a review based upon my own personal opinions and preferences and that's the gospel truth. Also, while I know all about Lime Crime's dubious marketing strategies and customer relations reputation, this review is not going to discuss any of it, because like the makeup thing, I'm no expert.
Okay! On to the review! Excuse the selfies. Photographs of just my lips look absolutely horrendous.
Lime Crime's Velvetines have tempted me for ages now, but I always felt like the colors offered (Red Velvet, Suedeberry and Pink Velvet) were a bit too bright for me. Pink lipstick always makes me look like an odd, sad clown. Not cute. So I was happy to see this year's new collection, 'The Clueless Witch,' included shades that would hopefully not clash with my skin - Black Velvet, Salem and Wicked - all of which are dark, muted tones. The collection has named these Velvetines 'Gothatines,' I guess to fit with the whole retro 90s aesthetic they're emulating?
These lipsticks are marketed as a 'Liquid-to-Matte Lip Stain.' I've always been a sucker for matte lipsticks, and so I was really hoping that these would live up to their reputation and actually have some staying power. Also, I figured my boyfriend might be happy that his clothing/face wouldn't be stained in smudges of red and purple.
If you care about this sort of thing: the packaging of these lipsticks is super cute. Classic Lime Crime pink, cutesy box adorned with roses.
Salem (left) is a chocolate-y brown colour. When I checked swatches online prior to purchase, the shade looked as though it may be a tad too light for my skin tone - as in, it appeared like it might blend into the rest of my face entirely. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was darker than expected, a gorgeous deep, rich color that would probably suit most skin tones quite well. I suppose it would look significantly more 'gothic' and edgy on lighter skin tones, but looks decidedly more muted on mine.
Wicked (right) is a rich, brickish-burgundy colour (wow, you can really see how much of an expert I am... naht). I own a tonne of red lipsticks and hardly wear any of them because they're just not quite right (my sister has taken most of them hostage and it angers me how much better they look on her) but this is one red I can totally get on board with. The matte finish makes it a lot more subtle (maybe a dumb thing to say for a red lipstick but it's true) and it's a seriously flattering color for any skin tone.
Application: The Gothatines come in a matte glass and plastic tube, with a doe-foot applicator brush for application. The brush makes it easy to apply sweeping strokes easily, but make it very difficult to be precise around the fine edges of your lips. I suggest using a lip liner in similar color first, then applying the lipstain slowly and carefully around the middle, fuller parts of your lip. I usually then use a lip brush to grab a bit of product, then apply it around the edges for greater precision. I find that two coats of the lipstain is enough, as it is a highly pigmented formula. They apply as liquid and gradually dry to a matte finish in several minutes. Two coats takes longer to dry than one, which goes without saying, but I guess I'll say it anyway. In my opinion, the finish is not drying, but is actually quite pleasantly smooth - not quite 'velvety' but soft nonetheless. My lips are usually shockingly dry but these do not exacerbate the problem further.
Wear and tear: I find that these lipstains can literaly last hours without the need for re-application. The color does not fade nor bleed into the edges of your lips which is fantastic. The only time I've needed to touch up is after eating food that is a bit greasy or oily, or after using a straw. Even then, all that's needed is a tiny bit of color on the very middle. They're a bit of a nightmare to remove entirely, but I usually use liberal amounts of baby oil to do the job.
Below are some photos after I've just applied Salem and Wicked. I was planning on making my sister be my model because she generally has a nicer face and lips than me, but she ditched me for the week with her friend so, here we are.
If you got to the end of this post, congrat-u-frickin-lations! What a long, dull read. I apologise profusely. But thank you! Seriously, I highly recommend these Velvetines/Gothatines if you love pretty lipstick that applies well and stays ridiculously well and looks gorgeous.
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