So about a week ago, I discovered my favourite liquid lipsticks to date: the Lime Crime velvetines. I remember reading about these years ago when Lime Crime basically launched one of the very first smudge proof, matte drying liquid lipstick back in 2012, sparking the trend that lasts until today. I also remember all of the negativity surrounding the brand and its founder, Doe Deere. And yes, there is a lot to side eye the brand for.
However, over the next couple of months I developed an obsession with finding the perfect kind of rusty/burnt orange matte lip colour. And then Lime Crime was having a sale and my sister was eyeing another velvetine shade and well, before I knew it I had placed my order for two Pumpkin velvetines and one Squash velvetine for me and my sis, and Salem for my girl Sabina. Lime Crime charges flat rate $10 shipping which includes import duty for Belgian shoppers, yay!
But then something went wrong with my order: somehow my house number did not register correctly and our box of Velvetines was on its way back to the U.S. and we were super frustrated. Cosmetics blue balls is one of the worst kinds, man. However, I contacted Lime Crime's customer's service via their chat function and within minutes, a replacement order was on its way to me. Their shipping is super quick and just 6 days later, I already had my precious Pumpkin velvetine in my hands!
I've already spoiled my opinion on these in the very first line of this post, but it bears repeating: the velvetines we ordered are ah-mazing. Let's take a closer look.
The velvetines come in a matte plastic tube with that typical pink roses on a deep red background cap. The doe foot applicator is small, soft and angled, and not too fluffy - I find it quite practical to work with and get neat edges. The formula of the velvetines is a bit thicker and more mousse like than the Kylie lipkit, for example, but the sugary scent is similar.
When applying Pumpkin, I generally use a bit of lipbalm first, then I wipe the excess off and go in with the liquid lipstick. But even if you don't, the velvetines are vastly superior in comfort to basically every other liquid lipstick I've tried.
As you can see, these dry matte but not matte like chalk: there's still a subtle lustre present. The formula does not dry my lips out in any way, it feels light and comfortable, reapplication is easy, and it does not crumble. After about 4 layers of reapplication the product can start to feel heavy, but as you see in these pics, you won't need much reapplication. On the left, the product is freshly applied, and on the right you see it after a couple of hours of wear and a full meal: actually barely faded. I can get through an entire day of wearing Pumpkin with about 3 touch ups, and the liquid lipstick never becomes uncomfortable.
The velvetines are about 95% transfer and smudge proof, but the surface remains ever so slightly tacky instead of powdery if you use it with a bit of lipbalm underneath. Very comfortable to wear.
And that colour! I absolutely love it. Vibrant and rich but more unexpected than a red or a berry, and dramatic but more wearable than a burgundy or a brown. I think this type of rusty orange is also surprisingly flattering on basically every complexion, so I can't recommend it enough. It works beautifully with the type of warm toned eye makeup I favor.
Like I said, my sister ordered Squash. Before I convinced her she was a bit apprehensive about the colour possibly turning out more yellow than orange, but luckily the shade is even better than I imagined!
Squash is a yellowy, dusty, muted orange that is bright, but also leans to the saturated nudes Kylie Jenner favours. It sits somewhere between Kylie's Dirty Peach and Ginger lipkits, albeit more orange and more saturated. It's a shade that is completely unique as most oranges are either soft and peachy or bright and neon, and Squash is neither. Obviously, I had to try it too!
Yep, I love it. Ignoring the fact that it clashes horribly with my outfit here, I think Squash is surprisingly wearable and flattering. And then Natasja wanted to try it as well and we all marvelled at how good the colour actually looked on three women with different colouring!
On my sister, Squash POPS against her pale skin and blue hair. On Natasja, Squash looks like a burnt sienna that is surprisingly subtle, and on me, Squash is like one of those saturated neutrals that are so trendy right now. Either way, a gorgeous colour, and still on sale on the Lime Crime webshop!
In short, I've fallen in love with the velvetines and if you can move past the whole Lime Crime controversy, these are well worth checking out. Beautybay has started selling them as well, if you're scared about ordering from the US!
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