Monday, March 25, 2013

NYC: Smooch Proof 16HR Lip Stain

Wow, I just noticed this is my 3rd post about lip stains in less than a week! So I raved in my previous two posts: Revlon Balm Stain and L'OREAL Wet Shine Stain about how much I really liked those products, so let's see how this product faired.

As I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of marker type lip stains. I've tried affordable and high end ones and I've never been impressed to the point that I wanted to try more. About a month ago, I was at Rite Aid and noticed that NYC was buy one get one free (aka a deal you should never pass up). NYC is one of the drugstore brands that I'm least familiar with as I've only tried one.. maybe  two products from the brand. I saw that the lip stains were running scarce and figured people must like them if there aren't that many left.

They retail for $4.99 and with the promo going on, even if I hate them, I was only out $5. I picked up two colors: Forever Fuchsia and Forever Freesia.


These marker type lip stains claim the following (taken from NYC's website):

  • Color lasts up to 16 hours
  • Will not transfer, rub off or smear, even when eating or drinking
  • Lightweight formula, bare lip feel, matte finish
  • Precise and even application
  • Allows you to build color
So let me break it down real quick about the claims and my experience with the product.




*Color lasts up to 16 hours? Uhh NO. 16 hours? That's a big promise! I got maybe 4 hours of wear and that's if I did not come in contact with anything wet: my tongue, water, etc.  However, the minute I did accidentally put my tongue on my lips, the product came off instantly. Yes, there was a faint "stain" still on my lips but no where near what it looked like when I first applied the product. (pics at the end of the post)

*Will not transfer, rub off or smear, even eating or drinking? Yes. Once this product dries, if you were to kiss your hand, the product does not transfer over. Same if you were to drink out of glass, you would not see a lip stain on the cup. However, though the product would not transfer onto a cup or food, the color does wear off your lips from eating and drinking. 

*Lightweight formula, bare lip feel, matte finish? Yes. Yes. and Yes. It's exactly like a marker but for your lips so the consistency is  like a colored water base.



*Precise and even application? Yes and No. The felt tip has the right density to apply the product. The tip is not too stiff or too flimsy which makes application precise and easy. As far as even application, I found the product would apply patchy: darker in some areas and lighter in other areas as I applied it.  



*Allows you to build color? Yes. These are extremely pigmented lip stains. Within 2 applications, I found I had more than enough color. I did notice however that the color did not build up evenly on my lips. It would get darker around the edges of my lips but as I applied more the to the center of my lips, the color would not build up.

*Forever Fuchsia*


*Less than an hour of wear after drinking and licking my lips*

*Unfortunately by the time I went to swatch the two colors on my lips, the cap came off Forever Freesia and the pen dried out :(

Final Verdict: I think this lip stain is just as good as other high end marker lip stains but seeing as it is so much more affordable, I think makes it almost better than most. The colors are very pigmented and again this is very affordable. This product does not last 16 hours though, so if that's what you are looking for, this is not it. The negatives of this product I find to be true across the board for all marker type lip stains: product applies streaky or uneven, not moisturizing so it's terrible for dry lips (will accentuate every line and dry spot on your lips), and it wears off unevenly. I would say if you don't have dry lips or a lot of lines in your lips, this is an affordable option for a lip stain. If your lips do need a bit more tlc, I would say skip this for sure. 


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