Pink Pop: Ellana Cosmetics Lip in Luxe Liquid Lipstick in Love is a Gift.
Bright and fun.
I know my most raved and used everyday lippies are, you know, muted. Prime examples: Sunnies Face Mood, Ellana Cosmetics Love is the Answer, and Lipstick Queen in Mauve Sinner. I think I go for these somewhat deep muted shades because of my past lippie phase: the dark lip. I was always gaga for dark deep shades when I was younger but funny thing was I only wore those dark shades inside the house. That and the fact that I have naturally dark lips. I think now that I'm older, I now look for the perfect balance of wearable and deep/dark that also conceals or at least lighten my dark lips. So yeah, I'm now all about mauves and taupes and deep berries.
HOWEVER I appreciate a good bright bold lip. Two things are crucial: it needs to have the right tone/undertone and it needs to be wearable. I think finding the right tone/undertone that matches your skintone is crucial when it comes to, well, any lip shade really. Like, one nude shade isn't universal, you know? That nude shade may look great on paler skintones but would look concealer-like on darker ones. Same goes with reds and pinks, you get the gist.
So I'm happy to share a lippie shade that is bright but still totally wearable. A shade that doesn't make me look like a clown but instead makes me look fresh and glowy and really lifts up my mood. It's Ellana Cosmetics Luxe Liquid Lipstick in Love is a Gift.
Love is a Gift is described as a “deep pink that features muted peach-orange undertones”. Personally, I find it a medium pink with peach-orange undertones visible only when worn. This undertone kind of breaks the pink monotone and makes this shade wearable for olive skintones. Swatching it isn’t enough. You have to wear it to see the shade in full.
Now I gotta admit: the first thought I had when I first tried it on was “Whoa, that is bright!" But when I let the shock settle and I really looked at it, I realized that hey, this isn’t too bad! It’s bright but it’s the kind of bright that isn’t too attention-grabbing. It’s the kind of bright that will lift up your mood and make you look fresh and young, you know? Its matte finish also helps since it mutes the brightness down a bit. It would be a totally different story if it was a creme or satin, though.
Formula is creamy and not at all runny. It's also quite opaque so no need to go add two or three layers just to get decent coverage. Now, yes, it’s a matte, just like Love is the Answer. It dries down, it doesn't budge, and it will pretty much last until it comes in contact with anything oily. It kind of flakes away when that happens, leaving a very uneven layer on the lips. I don't recommend topping it off with a fresh layer as it will just become cakey and just really drying. I suggest fully taking it off first before applying a fresh coat of paint. That way, it'll be more even and thinner and less drying on the lips.
Love is a Gift is a beautiful color and I really wouldn't mind wearing it every now and then. It's not an on the go lip that I can just throw on because I'm the kind of person that wants really clean lines and it takes a bit more time and effort to achieve that. I won't mind the extra work though because it looks so darn good haha! Glad I really got this!
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