e.l.f. Essential Luscious Liquid Lipstick {Review}

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Rating: 4/5 stars ★★★★☆
Price: $1 USD
Shades Available: 11 shades
Where to Buy: eyeslipsface.com

I’ve noticed lately that many of the recent searches to {makeupfu} are for the Luscious Liquid Lipstick by e.l.f. Due to the interest in this product, I’ve created a separate review post.

Despite the name, this is not lipstick, but rather lip gloss. Of all the lip products in the e.l.f Essential $1 line, the Luscious Liquid Lipstick is best, in terms of product weight, consistency and colour payoff. The Essential Plumping Lip Glaze and Essential Hypershine Gloss just don’t have the colour “oomph”, considering how they look in the tube. Only the Super Glossy Lip Shine can compete in product weight and colour, but has an unpleasant flavour and the packaging is subpar.

The Luscious Liquid Lipsticks apply sheer, though a few have noticeable shimmer. If you only want to try one lip product from e.l.f., this would be it.

Packaging

All of the Luscious Liquid Lipsticks come packaged in a long clear plastic tube with a sponge applicator. Like all e.l.f. products, there isn’t as much content as there seems. It’s likely that e.l.f. markets this lip gloss, and the rest of the budget line, to a younger crowd. I’m not a big fan of the packaging, but that’s probably because I prefer lipstick. I do prefer it to the Hypershine Gloss with its nylon brush applicator.

e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Ruby Slipper

Before using for the first time, the bottom most be twisted to push the gloss through the sponge applicator. The tube suggests twisting the bottom 10-12 times, but it usually takes about twice that, at least.

The gloss will sometimes pool at the top of the sponge applicator between uses. It’s not usually so bad, though occasionally quite a lot of product accumulates on the the sponge, far more than is necessary for a single use, and becomes a goopy mess.

Shades

While all of the shades are sheer, but they do impart a fair bit of colour. I have been pleased with all eight of the shades I’ve purchased.

e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipstick

Baby Lips

A very light, baby pink colour. It’s very light, almost transparent, and probably works best for fair/ivory skin.

Brownie Points [shimmer]

Honestly, I’m not sure why this shade is so highly rated when Maple Sugar isn’t. They are nearly the same brownish shade, with the former being slightly more pink. I still prefer Maple Sugar over Brownie Points…maybe because I have warm undertones.

Cherry Tart [sheer]

Looks about how the name implies. A good, sheer, cherry red. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find it at your local K-Mart (mine started carrying it recently). Since it’s sheer, you can wear Cherry Tart any time of the day.

Maple Sugar [shimmer]

I tried this shade primarily because it was one of the few available at my local K-Mart. I didn’t expect to like it–in fact, I was prepared to hate it because I’m not into brown shades–but on the mouth it turns into a really nice, nude shade with a bit of sparkle.

e.l.f. Luscious Lipstick Swatches: Baby Lips, Strawberry, Raspberry, Pink Lemonade,
Cherry Tart, Brownie Points, Maple Sugar, and Ruby Slippers

Pink Lemonade [shimmer]

This is a great, all-around pink, very versatile and flattering. It applies much darker than one would assume by looking at the tube. Probably suitable for most skintones. Pink Lemonade does have a lot of pearlescence and sparkle, so sparkle haters are warned.

Raspberry [sheer]

A very vibrant, sheer pink with blue undertones. Packs a little more punch than most of the other Luscious Liquid Lipsticks in terms of colour payoff. It doesn’t look quite like the online photo swatch because it’s a little bluer in person, but still pretty. I don’t personally use it too often because I feel it’s not exactly the right shade for me.

Ruby Slipper [shimmer]

This shade looked so awesome, but I had to order it online before I could try it. Fortunately, the local Hy-Vee grocery stores have started carrying it, so now I can get it anytime.

Since I’m fair, I can’t pull off most red lipstick. It’s a challenge to find something suitable but not overwhelming. Ruby Slipper is a nice red, somewhat similar to Cherry Tart, with lots of shimmer. It’s sheer and can be worn throughout the day.

Strawberry

This one looked intimidating on the website, but has quickly become one of my most used shades. This summer, I’ve switched over to using more coral cosmetics and this is a good complimenting lip gloss. Strawberry isn’t quite as orange as depicted on the e.l.f. site, but it is definitely coral and very strong when applied.

I think of actual strawberries being a little more red than this shade, so I don’t find the name particularly accurate.

Images

Final Thoughts

Pros: Good colours and coverage, widely available
Cons: Packaging is so-so, kind of messy, not a lot of product

e.l.f. has made a decent lip product with good colour payoff and there is a good variety of shades and finishes. On the flip side, the packaging quality is only so-so and there isn’t much product.

If you’re looking for something a little higher quality from e.l.f., you might consider e.l.f. Mineral Lipsticks instead, for $5 USD. If you are looking for something more in keeping with traditional lip gloss, I’d recommend the Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15. Keep in mind that they have an odd flavour, as well as other faults. You can read my review here on {makeupfu}.