Over the last two years, liquid lipsticks have become more and more prominent in the beauty world. Beauty lovers have become more preoccupied with lips, thanks to Ms. Kylie Jenner, and full, matte lips in neutral colours are the look we're all lusting after. Long lasting, matte drying, perfectly opaque liquid lipsticks are the perfect way to achieve that look, but SO many of the affordable liquid lipstick options I've tried are just total and utter crap. The biggest issue I've encountered is flaking: simply moving your lips, or reapplying product where the lipstick has worn off, can result in a crumbly, flaking mess that feels completely gross on the lips, and looks even worse. Another common issue is liquid lipsticks being insanely drying, even moreso than regular matte lipsticks, making your lips feel like they're on the verge of cracking as you talk/eat/move your lips.
Not hot.
However, my sister raved to me about the LA Splash liquid lipsticks, and when I browsed their colour selection (as you do when you're a make up fiend like I am), I was immediately ready to click a couple of 'em over to my shopping basket. LA Splash has crazy duochromes, soft neutrals and bright colours: whatever look you prefer, LA Splash has got it. More importantly, the liquid lipsticks are pretty affordable for being on-trend, high quality, indie products that have not been tested on animals. Most Belgian (f.e. Beauty & Bobs) or Dutch (f.e. Boozyshop) webshops sell these for €15,99, and at $14, these are even cheaper if you buy them in the U.S.
None of that means anything if the formula sucks, though, so let's dive into my review!
I initially ordered Lovestruck (formerly Lovegood but renamed after copyright issues because the name was inspired by Harry Potter), and after trying that one, I caved and got another: Ghoulish.
I initially ordered Lovestruck (formerly Lovegood but renamed after copyright issues because the name was inspired by Harry Potter), and after trying that one, I caved and got another: Ghoulish.
Both of these come in a typical lipgloss container, including a doe wand applicator. For Ghoulish, this is perfect: the softer colour can be applied neatly using the applicator. But for Lovestruck, I want super clean lines so I prefer using a lip brush to get those edges just right. One thing you do have to know is that these have a chemical scent when you first put them on, almost like bug spray. But the smell isn't that strong, and it lasts only a couple of seconds until the lipstick starts setting, and then the fragrance disappears.
As you see here on the left of my Ghoulish swatch, when you first apply these liquid lipsticks, they have a "wet", glossy formula, but after about ten seconds they dry down perfectly matte. Both of these could be called neutrals, but they're neutrals with an edge. Not the type of colour that most brands offer.
Lovestruck is a Smitten Liptint Mousse, as LA Splash calls it. I haven't noticed a true difference between this formula and that of Ghoulish, which is they call Lip Couture, but I guess you could say that the Ghoulish formula is a tiny bit thinner, less fluffed up. Lovestruck is thicker, remains "tacky" for a bit longer, and also feels a bit heavier on the lips. I prefer the thinner formula of Ghoulish, which you don't feel on the lips at all.
Initially I was drawn to Lovestruck because I was looking for a "dark neutral" lipstick. With "dark neutral" or "heavy neutral", I'm referring to an amplified version of the light, soft My Lips But Better shade. Most of the time, people point you to brick reds and beige-browns when you're looking for heavy neutrals, but I know that browns can wash me out and I wanted something else, something with a bit more punch. Lovestruck is a cool, muted, dusty rose shade. On my lips the colour is more purple than I've seen it look on other people, but still super wearable because of how dusty the shade is.
Initially I was drawn to Lovestruck because I was looking for a "dark neutral" lipstick. With "dark neutral" or "heavy neutral", I'm referring to an amplified version of the light, soft My Lips But Better shade. Most of the time, people point you to brick reds and beige-browns when you're looking for heavy neutrals, but I know that browns can wash me out and I wanted something else, something with a bit more punch. Lovestruck is a cool, muted, dusty rose shade. On my lips the colour is more purple than I've seen it look on other people, but still super wearable because of how dusty the shade is.
This is one layer of Lovestruck, and let me tell you, these liquid lipsticks look best when you apply one layer (optionally going over the bits where the colour is uneven after one go): with one layer, these look just like one of MAC's matte lipsticks. If you add another layer or two, the product starts building up and it makes emphasizes the texture of your lips to the point that they look super dry. The colour also becomes darker if you add more layers. Another thing I love about these liquid lipsticks, is that they DO NOT feel drying. Of course, the lipstick itself dries up to a dry layer, but for some reason, after removing the product it leaves your lips feeling just as healthy as they were before.
I love the way this colour looks on me, and now I want to add Nymphaea to my collection as well, as it is a bit less purple but in the same colour family as Lovestruck. Lovestruck went straight to my heart!
This next one is my true obsession, though.
Ghoulish is a greige, which is THE current lip colour trend. Greiges are somewhere between grey and beige, and are universally flattering - if you're ready to accept the fact that these colours might make you look a tiny bit dead, albeit in a super chic way. Greige lip colours are soft, muted, plush, and they are the perfect accompaniment to a more vibrant eye makeup look. I love pairing this with burgundy eyeshadow. Ghoulish is apparently a pretty good dupe for Limecrime's Cashmere, which is hyper popular but expensive, constantly sold out, not imported to Belgium and, well, ethically compromised (just google "Doe Deere controversy"): a winner all-round. Ghoulish leans a tiny bit lilac on me, but that depends on your skintone.
I don't know how Ghoulish does it, but the colour has me enthralled. It's the type of colour that is so unique that I construct the rest of my make up around it, to make it shine. And I normally don't even like pastel lip colours! Ghoulish, man. It's a stunner.
I totally feel like buying ALL the LA Splash liquid lipsticks (on my to buy list: Nymphaea, Charmed and Latte Confession). These have to be the very best liquid lipsticks I have tried yet: no flaking (not even if you keep adding layers, although I'd still advise you not to), not drying, beautiful colour selection and they stay in place, man. No smudging at all, just a bit of fading at the inside of the lip if you eat a meal, and if you simply reapply a tiny bit of product to those bare patches, you're good to go again. I find that these are best removed after a meal, as food seems to "loosen" the bond between the product and your lip. If you try to remove these at another time, you will have to swipe on a batch of oil based makeup remover (or coconut oil) and rub your little heart out, because these don't come off easily.
I don't think I can come up with any downsides, really. I fully recommend these!
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