Lip Kit by Kylie: Worth the Hype?

Y'all, this post was ready to go a few weeks ago, but after the opinions on this post, I was ready to delete! But I had several requests for a review on this product, so I decided to not let this go to waste.

So the Lip Kit by Kylie (as in Kylie Jenner) was released last year. It boasts of three shades of matte liquid lipstick, each with a matching liner. It sold out instantly. They restocked. It sold out again. Restocking is in progress. New shades are coming soon. There was hate. There was controversy (did she copy a ColorPop liquid lipstick?). There was love. There was a lot of hype. So is this kit worth the hype?

The Lip Kits come in 3 colors: Candy K (pictured above), Dolce K, and True Brown K. The kits include a liner and matte liquid lipstick for $29. I chose Candy K, because it looked the most wearable.

pic via lipkitbykylie.com

Here are swatches of the liner and liquid lipstick. It looks like a mauve pink in the tube and on others but pulls so brown on me.

See also: What are Liquid Lipsticks?

And here it is on my lips. It still pulls brown tones and less mauve. Not my fave color on me, but completely wearable. Whenever I wear it in person, or on Snapchat (ellesees), I get asked what color I'm wearing. It's this!

See also: Lip Tars and Lip Paints

See also: Best Kiss-Proof Lipsticks

See also: Best Lip Stains

So is it worth the hype?

• Price: 
• Since many high end liquid lipsticks start at $20-$25, I say this isn't a bad deal at all for a liner and liquid lipstick.
• Scent:
• Smells like candy, so it's not my preference, but it's not noticeable on the lips
• Formula:
• It feels very creamy and dries to a matte finish. It wasn't too drying. 
• You can absolutely wear a gloss over this if you aren't into a matte look.
• It feels a little like a mix of ColorPop, Anastasia of Beverly Hills, and Kat Von D.
• Application:
• The doe-foot applicator makes it easy to apply, so the liner isn't needed but it's definitely helpful
• Some liquid lipsticks can be worn with several coats. Just one coat of this or it will get crumbly.
• Staying Power:
• I can get several hours of wear from this.
• Dupes:
• There was big talk of how this was a dupe for various shades from ColorPop. I couldn't find anything close. Just because something is made in the same factory or lab, doesn't make it the same product. The formulas are different.
• I admit I was I able to mix my own shade that looked like this, by using 3 liquid lipsticks I already owned.
• Overall:
• I liked this a lot, and it's worth the hype, but don't think it's a must-have.

Extra Elle:

• The little girls I nanny for are hilarious. The 22 month old saw a pic of a guy on my Instagram feed and thought it was me! And when I was telling the 6 year old that I leave for Disney World soon, she said, "Do we have to talk about Disney today?" Um, YES! Yes we do.
• Was feeling under the weather these past couple of days, but I'm much better today. Thanks for your well wishes on my Instagram.

See also: Liquid Lipstick reviews

Viseart Eyeshadow Palettes: Worth the Hype?

I'm starting a new series on here called Worth the Hype? where I'll be sharing my thoughts on cult products, popular products, and expensive makeup. I'll let you know if they are really worth the hype...or not. I'd love to hear your suggestions in the comments. And today I'm kicking off the series with the super expensive Viseart palettes. They're $80. WHAT? So are they worth the hype? Keep reading:

I don't talk about my freelance work or professional beauty products on here since this isn't the audience for it. But thanks to blogs/youtube, I've noticed the lines of professional and consumer are definitely blurring. Viseart (pronounced Viz-E-Art) is professional brand that I've been using for over a year now.

Example: when the last Sephora VIB sale happened, I was inundated with emails/tweets/texts/snaps asking me if the the Viseart palettes were worth it. I had no idea they were selling them at Sephora, as they are considered part of "the industry." I couldn't be more excited!

I admit I didn't pay $80 for these. I got them from FrendsBeauty, where I have a pro discount. They are my favorite beauty supply store with amazing customer service (not an ad, no affiliate links, although I'm pretty sure y'all know I don't endorse anything free or sponsored unless I love it). They have my highest recommendations--they sell more than pro makeup. You'll find plenty of brands you've heard of on there. Check them out sometime. I post their sales on my Facebook.

Let's talk about the Viseart palettes: the Parisian brand carries products and palettes for eyes, lips, face, and brows, and we'll focus on the eyes. This was one of the first brands to eradicate parabens from their products. They are imported from France and contain organic ingredients. Not tested on animals. No parabens, gluten, petrochemicals, silicone or mineral oils, so they're made of good stuff.

Viseart has matte palettes, like this Dark Matte palette pictured above. They have satin and they have shimmer finishes, pictured below.

The pigmentation is incredible and they don't have fall out.

Viseart has warm and cool tones, as well as a bright editorial palette--look at the end of this post for all 7 palettes.

And while $80 seems like a lot, think of it this way: they are $6.6 per shadow.

You get 12 shadows per palette. A single MAC shadow is $16 and it's the same size!

Pictured is the Paris Nudes, a shimmer palette.

Since this is considered a professional brand, the packaging is nothing fancy at all. This is typical of pro makeup brands. But despite the appearance, the palette is durable. I have dropped the Neutral Matte palette pictured above (as of this moment on it's sale for $61), and you can see it was fine. Don't recommend dropping it though. ;)

I've also heard the argument (and been asked about) it's a dupe for a $20 Sonia Kashuk palette. It is NOT. While I love the SK brand (I got to interview her once right here!) this doesn't compare at all. The colors look similar in the pan, but are not the same swatched and are not the same quality. Look at the example above that I swatched of the bottom right (V) and the the bottom left (SK) brown.

The shadows are very dry, meaning no fall out, but aren't chalky. I've never had to use a primer and they haven't creased. They last all day. Above is an example of me using the dark and neutral matte palettes. Sorry for all of the closed eye pics this week, but I have hooded lids, so this is the best way to show the shadows before I applied liner.

Top Row: Cool Mattes, Neutral Mattes, Dark Mattes, Editorial
Bottom Row: Paris Nudes, Sultry Muse, Bridal Satin

Worth the Hype?

• Absolutely. Again, these are $6.6 per shadow.
• If you want to do makeup professionally, you need these.
• If you want to stop wasting money on products you aren't satisfied with and get something that works, then you need this. These are colors you will actually use.
• If you want to invest in just 1 good palette, get one of these.
• I recommend going for the dark or cool mattes, since a lot of us have neutral and shimmer palettes already. If you're doing film/print work, you need the editorial. If you do makeup on a lot of brides, the Bridal Satin is a great one.

What products would you like to see featured on Worth the Hype?

Extra Elle

• So glad it's the weekend! Hopefully catching up on some Oscar-nominated movies this weekend. And lots of rest.
• Don't forget my Story Behind the Pic linkup on TUESDAY!