One word: Ew.
As you may know, I recently hauled a Makeup Forever's Aqua Rouge lip cream out of curiosity. I am extremely lazy when it comes to my lips. What's the point of layering product upon product on your lips when you're going to devour a giant sandwich in a few hours? At most, I layer lipstick over lip balm, or swipe on a gloss before I head out.
So when I saw the Aqua Rouge lip creams, I was instantly attracted. After all, the product promises to be waterproof, long lasting, hydrating, etc. (basically the Iron Man of lip products). If I swipe on a layer of color, wait for it to dry, and then layer with a gloss, it would last until I scrub the crap out of my lips at the end of the day? Oh hell yeah.
Sad to say, I tried this out for a night out on the town and felt self conscious about my lips the entire time. Once you layer on the cream color, you better commit harder than a monogamist in an apocalyptic world. If you apply too thick in one corner and too little in the other, you cannot fix it once it dries with the gloss. To test my theory of long lasting abilities, I left the tube at home. Then I saw a reflection and screamed...oh no.
So what was a girl to do? My lip color was radiant and beautiful, but applied without a mirror, it was patchy. Especially with the color 18, a bright orange coral, I looked like a pumpkin glutton. It was awful.
Trying to fix the problem, I scrubbed with a moist towel in the bathroom. Nothing happened. I applied lip balm and wiped it, nothing. The color and mistakes would not soften. I was glad I was in theaters to see Pacific Rim, where no sunlight could reach me.
Are the colors pretty? You bet. Are there a lot of them, yes.
Does it last forever as claimed? Agonizingly so. If you don't take your time and refer to a mirror, good luck fixing it without an oil based makeup remover. However, if you get it right the first time, you may enjoy this product very much.
Is it moisturizing? To a surprising degree, yes. Even when I scrubbed my lips raw, the gloss helped my lips recover.
The worst part, however, is the artificial fruit/lychee smell. Imagine it lingering on your nose as you try so desperately to get rid of the color. At one point I started crying inwardly. It was a beauty nightmare.
My verdict is that if you are very careful when applying delicate things with a doefoot applicator, go for it. It will most likely be your best friend. For me, the smell and mistake-unfriendly expectations left me annoyed. And the worst part? It's so expensive! I can get a lipstick and layer on a cheap gloss for the same price. I would advise you to try it first at the mall, walk around and see how people stare at you (in a bad, terrible way), and then come back to remove it with a steel wool pad and some bleach. If you find this an innovative product, I congratulate you. Seriously, you just skipped out on so many lip product steps. Plus you get to eat your food without bothering to touch up. It's a definite hit or miss in my book, and for me, a terrifying miss. The cons outweigh the pros. Or should I say, outlast.
In all honesty, it just wasn't right for me. I think that if you are looking for a hydrating stain, however, this may be a huge winner in your book. You can find swatches of this coral along with the many beautiful shades with a quick google search.
Tell me, what's your last lip related incident that's left you scarred?
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