little white truths

I bought three of these when Chemist Warehouse was having a fifty per cent off sale earlier in the year: I'd heard great things about them and I liked the feel of them when swatched, so I figured that paying $6.50 each for three products that could double as hydrating glosses for my dry lips (because the lipsticks are so creamy) wasn't a bad deal.

While they are indeed creamy, what I didn't bank on was the pungent scent (and taste) of the formula: perhaps the testers had lost some of their scent because they'd been exposed to air for so long, but I certainly couldn't smell them when I was swatching all the different shades in-store.

Unfortunately the scent is so bad that I haven't been reaching for these often, but more on all that below.

There's the bullet in direct sunlight below. You can see it's a nice, muted nude that isn't too pale (no concealer lips here!):

Indirect sunlight:

Indirect sunlight:

While I quite like the formula of these, what I didn't realise was just how scented they are. Honestly, it's bad - like cheap floral perfume - and it's enough to make me avoid them because I don't want to smell (and taste) them all day.

To me these smell exactly like that Bonne Bell lip balm in the blue tube (only stronger), and they feel quite like it on the lips too. It's an overpowering scent and I'm aware of it the whole time I've got the product on, from the moment I take the cap off the tube. I'm really hoping the scent fades a bit over time because otherwise I can't bear to wear these.

'Notting Hill Nude' is a beautiful nude shade that seems to look different on different people. I've seen quite a few lasses call it a pinky brown colour, and while it certainly looks that way when swatched, on me it pulls more peach when applied. I'm happy about that because peachy shades work much better on my colouring, but do note that it's worth testing this first because it might look different on you than it does on me.

The packaging is fine for a budget lipstick and I've seen it compared to Maybelline's lipsticks, which I can see but I do prefer this packing because it looks sleeker (Maybelline's packaging looks clunky to me) and I like the purple/silver combo.

As for formula, it does feel super creamy when applied (just how I like my lipsticks!) but it doesn't feel that nourishing - it sits on top of the lips, rather than delivering moisture - so if you have dry lips like I do, you'll probably still need a balm for hydration.

The product feels comfortable to wear and while it doesn't emphasise lip lines, it doesn't diminish them either. It also doesn't last long on the lips, which I wasn't expecting it to because it's so creamy, but I have used creamy products that hang around longer so it's worth keeping that in mind.

All in all, I don't mind the formula of these and I think you could do worse, but I also think that better budget options exist. By comparison, Maybelline's Color Sensational Lipsticks (I've reviewed one here) last better, deliver more nourishment, plump lip lines better and don't have a pungent smell, so I'd recommend those over these any day.

But the pigment is great (of the three colours I own) and they do feel nice on the lips - plus they come in some great shades - so if you can get over the stench, you might really like these.

Have you tried these? Let me know what you think if so.