Kate Cunich finds out whether Kylie Lip Kits are worth the hype
Has your teen daughter been begging you for a Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kit since they came out “like a million years ago”? With Christmas coming up, I thought it might be useful for you to know what you’re buying in to and to finally know the answer to the big question… are the lip kits actually worth it!?
When Kylie Jenner first debuted Kylie Lip Kits (renamed Kylie Cosmetics in 2016) back in 2015, her lip kits sold out within a minute. What is a lip kit, you may ask? A lip kit is a liquid lipstick and lip liner duo that comes packaged together. There is a whole rainbow of colours to choose from and they are globally popular with tweens, tweens and young adults.
Since Kylie’s brand has blown up, she has expanded to different finishes of lipstick (along with a whole array of make-up). There is no question about the aesthetic quality of the packaging, but are these famous lipsticks actually good products? I have reviewed her main lines of lip kits and lip singles below with the following rating guidelines:
The Drink Test: can I drink a whole drink without the colour disappearing?
The Food Test: can I get through a meal without having to reapply?
The Durability Test: how long can I wear it for without having to top it up?
The Comfort Test: does it feel good on my lips?
Overall: has this brand of lipstick lived up to expectations?
Matte Lip Kits (USD$29)
The Matte Lip Kits contain a lip liner that claims to “glides across the lips for a very easy and comfortable application” and a liquid lipstick that is said to be “extremely long wearing” that contains “moisturising ingredients for a comfortable, emollient and silky feel that does not dry out your lips”. I bought the Dirty Peach colour.
The Drink Test: 5/5
After having a drink, my glass didn’t even have a lipstick mark on it and my lips looked completely untouched after I had finished so I was impressed with how well it stayed on.
The Food Test: 4/5
Some of the lipstick rubbed off on the inner parts of my lips but all in all, the colour stayed on very well and I didn’t need to reapply after my meal.
The Durability Test: 4/5
The colour stayed strong for the entire time I wore this and I didn’t really need to top it up at all. I decided to top it up just in the inner parts of my lip because it got a bit flakey from dryness but apart from that, this lipstick withstood a lot!
The Comfort Test: 1/5
Applying the lipstick was easy, it only needed one coat and it was super easy to blend. Once it dried, however, it felt very heavy and cakey. I like lipstick to feel almost as if I’m not wearing any but that was not the case with this one! After a few hours of wearing it my lips started to feel very dry and looked almost flakey. After removing it, my lips were very chapped and dry.
Overall: 2/5
This lip stick is very satisfying to apply and the coverage is excellent, although it can feel somewhat cakey once it dries. The colour is bright and popping and it smells/tastes good as well. However, after wearing it on an evening out, my lips are chapped and dry! I generally have quite dry lips so I always apply lip balm before lip stick to ensure my lips stay moisturised, but even this didn’t protect them! The colour selection for the matte lip kits is extensive and the look is amazing but personally, I wouldn’t risk drying out my lips again with this product. If you have naturally moisturised lips then you’ll most likely love this product! But maybe consider a different finish if you have dry lips like me.
Is it really worth the bother? Not unless you like your lips as dry as the Sahara!
Glosses (USD$15)
Kylie’s glosses are formulated to create a “luminous and voluminous effect”. They are advertised to be extra glossy while avoiding stickiness. The website claims that the gloss contains a “blend of vitamin E and highly emollient ingredients which provide hydration and moisturise the lips”. Glosses have a certain fun and bubbly vibe about them so I was super excited to try the Candy K gloss.
The Drink Test: 2/5
I made a mess of the glass I was using! There were lipstick marks all over it and the gloss dulled fairly quickly but the colour stayed nice and bright.
The Food Test: 2/5
I had to reapply after my meal because the colour had faded and the gloss had dulled significantly.
The Durability Test: 2/5
The glossy texture went away very quickly and I reapplied this quite a few times. Having said that, even though the glossiness faded after an hour or so, the colour still remained bold and bright.
The Comfort Test: 4/5
My lips didn’t feel dried out at all after wearing this gloss for a few hours and it wasn’t heavy or sticky after I touched it up which is a big bonus considering a lot of glosses on the market can be very sticky.
Overall: 4/5
This gloss applied really well and didn’t feel as sticky as I first expected. It made my lips look voluminous (just like the website says) and the colour pigment is outstanding. It didn’t stay on quite as well as the other lipsticks but even after the gloss had rubbed off a bit the colour was still there. I would say that if your lips are on the smaller side you should absolutely try this out because mine definitely appeared bigger when using this!
Is it really worth the bother? Yes yes yes!
Velvet Lip Kits (USD$27) / Velvet Liquid Lipsticks (USD$16)
The velvet lip kits and lipsticks hit the scene not long after the glosses. I would say that this finish is somewhere in between matte and gloss. It’s like a matte but with a slight shine and a much silkier and creamier texture. After slightly losing faith in the lip kits after the matte fiasco, I decided to spend a little less money and opt for the liquid lipstick (same texture as the liquid lipstick in the lip kit but this doesn’t include a lip liner and the colours differ) called Birthday Suit.
The Drink Test: 5/5
There was a small mark on my glass but my lipstick looked completely untouched after drinking.
The Food Test: 4/5
I needed to reapply after eating as the colour had faded a little bit, but I could have left it and it would still have looked good.
The Durability Test: 4/5
I think because this lipstick has a little more creaminess to it, it makes it more durable. I found that it didn’t gather around my inner lips like the matte one did and even after the colour faded, I didn’t feel the need to top it up because it still looked good.
The Comfort Test: 3/5
The velvet lipstick paints on very smoothly and the colour blends evenly, it also only needed one coat. It has a very creamy and silky feel to it and is not too heavy once it dries. It only needs one coat and my lips didn’t feel chapped and dry while wearing it. It didn’t dry to completely matte, it had a bit of a shine which I loved. After removal, my lips felt a little dry but were fine after applying some lip balm.
Overall: 4/5
The claim that this lipstick has a “creamy matte look that does not dry down” is completely accurate. It glides on nicely and doesn’t have a heavy, cakey feel like the matte did. The colours that are available for the velvets are stunning as well. After wearing this lipstick for the afternoon, my lips haven’t completely dried out and the colour is still holding strong!
Is it really worth the bother? Absolutely!!
Metals (USD$18)
The metal lipsticks are a fairly new and there isn’t a massive colour range yet. However, the colours on offer are so stunning that I felt I HAD to try one! I bought Heir as it was the most subtle and the best colour to match my skin tone. The website claims, “While this is a long wearing formula, it does not ever dry down on your lips, lips remain moisturised and comfortable with a shimmering metallic finish.” Let’s see how true this is…
The Drink Test: 3/5
I found that after one drink the colour had faded a substantial amount. It had gone from bold and striking to just a little shimmer so I had to reapply.
The Food Test: 3/5
Again, the colour faded very quickly and I had to reapply straight after I finished eating.
The Durability Test: 3/5
I kept having to top this lipstick up and after a while it sort of settled in the cracks of my lips and didn’t have the smooth looking texture that the other lipsticks had. I didn’t really mind topping it up every now and again but having to reapply every hour or so would obviously mean it would run out faster.
The Comfort Test: 3/5
This lipstick felt okay on my lips, it’s a very strange texture. Sort of dry and gloopy, it felt like it was an old lipstick that had been sitting around for too long. It does have a creamy texture when applying and it didn’t feel too cakey which meant it felt quite light on my lips. Even though it felt fairly dry while wearing it, it didn’t dry my lips out too much after I removed it.
Overall: 3/5
The colour of this lipstick is absolutely stunning. It’s a very unique, bold and shimmery look that I loved that almost looks three dimensional. It’s a shame that it rubbed off so quickly, otherwise this would have been my favourite lipstick from Kylie Cosmetics.
Is it really worth the bother? In terms of look, yes. In terms of feel and durability, no.
Lipstick (USD$17)
A fairly new addition to the Kylie Cosmetics family, the lipsticks have already taken Kylie fans by storm and have become highly sought after. The lipsticks are available with either a matte or crème finish with the colours varying, I decided to try the matte to see if it was any better than the matte lip kit. The matte lipsticks are described as “a smooth and creamy formula that provides full coverage for an ultra-pigmented lip”. I went all out and ordered the summer collection which includes five different colours and tried them all on separate occasions.
The Drink Test: 3/5
The lighter colours (Nova and Miami) stayed on much better than the other three brighter colours. There was mess all over my glass but the colour still looked strong on my lips and I didn’t feel the need to reapply.
The Food Test: 4/5
The lipstick stayed on very well while I ate (even though I did leave a bright orange lipstick mark on my falafel wrap!). With the bright colours, I couldn’t quite believe how bright and bold they were and even after rubbing off a little, still looked amazing.
The Durability Test: 5/5
Although I was leaving marks on everything my lips came into contact with, the colour of the lipstick doesn’t seem to fade! I had to reapply once the whole time I was out so was very pleased with this.
The Comfort Test: 3/5
The lipsticks dried my lips out a little but not enough to complain about. The formula is smooth and creamy just as they describe on the website and it doesn’t feel heavy, dry or cakey once it’s on.
Overall: 5/5
I absolutely love these lipsticks. My favourite colour was Tangerine as it was so pigmented and bold and beautiful! Kylie Cosmetics did a really good job with these and if you’re looking for a new statement lipstick, these would be where you should start!
Is it really worth the bother? YES!
