Affordable $3 Liquid Lipsticks: Born Pretty Store Review

Liquid lipsticks have been a part of professional makeup artist lines for years, but they have only recently taken the beauty industry by storm. Whether it is for their ease of convenience or their long-wearing capability, mainstream brands are hopping on the bandwagon left and right everyday. This has flooded the market with a variety of formulas, finishes, and price points--some of which cause us to marvel at their innovation and others which are just plain old not worth the money. In fact, brands like Colourpop and Nyx have brought the liquid lipstick game to the masses for just under $10, but what if I told you that there was an even more affordable alternative?

Born Pretty Store Waterproof Matte Velvet Lip Glosses (Left to Right): 14, 03, 12, 06, 04, & 33

Lip Swatches of the Born Pretty Store Waterproof Matte Velvet Lip Glosses

Q&A's

♥What are the Born Pretty Store Waterproof Matte Velvet Lip Glosses?♥

* Disclaimer: Though the name suggests that these are lip glosses, this product does in fact perform and feel very much like a matte liquid lipstick, so for the purpose of this review, I will treat them as such.
The Born Pretty Store Waterproof Matte Velvet Lip Glosses are liquid lipsticks that come in a very simple test tube-like packaging. There are a variety of shades and finishes ranging from frosty pastel nudes all the way to matte bright greens and blues. Though I am not entirely sure what the differences are, some shades cost $2.54 while others are as low as $1.99.

♥What colors do I have and how did they apply/wear?♥

In total I have tried out six shades for you guys. As with most brands, I did notice that the formula varied throughout the shades. The mattes wore much better than the frosts and pastels, but this is a very common problem. Also, I would like to note that this formula is very thin and drying in nature. The best way to apply them is right after you have thoroughly prepped your lips with a scrub and lip balm for at least 10 minutes beforehand. Doing this as well as applying them in light coats seemed to work best for me. Since each of the lipsticks are so different from one another, it is hard for me to pinpoint how much of the product you will need to coat your lips. Depending on the shade, it took 2-4 dips into the lipstick to fully coat my lips. However, I did not experience any feathering with these lipsticks and I did need to use a makeup remover to completely remove any trace remnants that were leftover.

So here are the shades and my experiences with them in order from lightest to darkest:
♥14 - Sheer pastel peach nude. My second least favorite out of the bunch--it applied very streaky and when you try to build up the opacity, it begins flaking off lips within minutes of application. 
♥03 - Matte, natural rosey pink. One of my favorites out of the bunch. It applied opaquely and felt very comfortable on the lips.
♥12 - Neon coral. Though it is a bright shade, it went on opaquely and not streaky like # 14. This is definitely a statement Summer lippie.
♥06 - Frosty fuschia-based pink. My absolute least favorite of all the lipstick shades I chose. The shade reminds me of a bad 80s color. It never fully dried down either and left lips with a slight tackiness. This caused the lipstick to become very patchy when I drank or smacked my lips together.
♥04 - Bright coral red. This shade has a slight sheen, but not nearly as frosty as # 06. It applied easily and opaquely and felt very comfortable, however, it never dried down completely, so that caused the inner rim of my mouth to wear off and become patchy easily.
♥33 - True red. This shade goes on fully opaque with two layers. Feels a little dry, but not uncomfortable. As with most dark liquid lipstick shades, the inner rim wore off noticeably, but the rest of the lipstick lasted a decent amount of time.

♥What are the pros?♥

♥Variety of colors to choose from

♥Very affordable

♥Matte shades perform well

♥Excellent customer service

♥Fruity scent

♥What are the cons?♥

♥Wand on applicator is a little too long and flimsy

♥Website and packaging do not indicate the ingredients used in product

♥Inconsistencies in formula throughout the line (some shades are sheer or remain tacky)

♥Not a long-wearing formula (lipstick flakes off)

♥Branding on packaging is different and inconsistent throughout

♥Website makes it difficult to see the shade variety all in one place

♥What are my overall thoughts on the products?♥

The Born Pretty Store Liquid Lipsticks remind me a great deal of ColourPop's formula as the shades will either be hit or miss. As you can probably tell I am not a big fan of the pastel or frosty shades as I just don't find them very flattering or wearable due to streakiness. The tackiness that I experienced with certain shades, on the other hand, is a lot easier of a problem to combat. By lightly dusting the lips with a translucent powder, your lips will be locked and loaded. So while my experience has been a little 50-50, I did enjoy four out of the six shades and recommend giving the matte shades a try, especially if you are on a budget or want access to a ton of colors at once. The website may be a bit tricky to navigate, but by typing 'lip gloss' into the search bar these liquid lipsticks will appear as the first few results. I have also linked the specific shades next to their descriptions above in case you are interested. Also, to receive 10% off of your order, use the coupon code 'WPH10' at checkout (I do not gain any commission off of your purchases; this is strictly for your benefit).


XO♥

*The products in this post were sent to me for review, but all opinions are my own.