As everyone and their dog is aware, Kylie Jenner has released her own cosmetics line including a range of matte, glossy and metallic liquid lipsticks and lip liners, and more recently, an eyeshadow palette and a limited edition birthday collection.
For months and months it was a massive struggle to get my hands on any of the products as they have always been sold out and in very high demand- to the point of being resold on ebay for upwards of $10,000.
Recently, I managed to get my hands on two of her lip glosses (So Cute and Like) and one metal matte (Reign). While the mattes were in stock at my time of order, I didn’t make a purchase as the colours I’m after were unfortunately sold out.
As the stock levels for the products are at an all time high and are available about 80% of the time, it’s a better time than ever to properly review them so that you can make an informed decision. As they come at a borderline high end price point, I feel it’s important that you know how the products truly perform, the pros and cons of each formula, all about the customer service and my purchase experience.
Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this review were purchased by me and this is not a sponsored post. While I am a Kylie Jenner fan, this does not influence my opinion in any way, shape or form. All of the thoughts presented here are my own, and the products are being evaluated by a consumer, for other consumers. Please keep in mind that I ordered and received my products in June, so certain aspects of this review may be irrelevant to the current operations at Kylie Cosmetics.
the products
Anyone who knows me in real life won’t think twice before telling you that I take lip products VERY seriously. I have a massive collection and bold statement lips are my thing. I really love experimenting with makeup so when I see unique products I jump straight on the bandwagon regardless of the price- it’s a blessing and a curse.
As I said earlier, I chose to try out the glosses and metals first off. This is mainly because the majority of my collection contains lipsticks and it’s kind of lacking in the gloss department, and I hadn’t seen anything like the metal formula before. I also based my colour choice on things that were lacking in my collection or that I enjoy wearing.
I’m not including close up pictures of me wearing the glosses because that’s not what you’re here for, but if you’d like to see them, do check out my Instagram. It’s always linked below. You can also check out the lookbook I did with my friend Zoe on her youtube channel, as I’m wearing all three colours in the video.
glosses
so cute
So cute gloss is the perfect pale, classic nude with a warm-neutral undertone. It would suit a variety of different skin tones, but may wash warmer toned deep skin out a little, but with a lip liner and a light application it should work just fine. I’m an NC20 in Mac foundations for reference. I love this colour paired with bronze/gold smokey eyes like you see above, but it’s also wonderful for everyday wear.
like
Like is basically the quintessential “Kylie Jenner” lip colour in a glossy finish. It’s a dark nude/brown with a very warm undertone. This colour will pretty much suit every skin tone- I’d love to see this one on deeper skin! It’s perfect for edging up a classy work look and amazing for the grungy 90s vibe which we all love from time to time.
formula
Now for the important question: how does it perform?
I have definitely put all of these products through their paces and I can honestly say there is nothing that could be improved.
The pigmentation in these glosses is unreal- quality I haven’t seen before. One quick swipe and you have a perfectly opaque colour. As I was making the swatches for this post, ‘so cute’ (an extremely pale colour) was able to cover a freckle with no effort whatsoever- that’s unbeatable.
The finish is super shiny- almost like patent leather- which makes your lips look super full and defined if that’s something you’re looking for. It’s also completely non sticky which had me jumping for joy- it’s super comfortable to wear!
With lip gloss, there is always a compromise you have to make. Having a completely non sticky formula does mean that it usually doesn’t stay on as long but I was pleasantly surprised by these. It took about 6-7 hours before a touch up was needed but I could totally get away with leaving it. The cool thing about these is that they wear off super nicely. They do not go patchy or get all over your face- they slowly fade super evenly but the actual pigment doesn’t really go anywhere- it’s just the finish.
If you’re looking for a sheer, natural looking gloss these are definitely not for you- I suggest checking out Tanya Burr‘s gloss range which I also LOVE. I pretty much alternate between the two of these brands.
I also haven’t had any problems with the brush on my glosses. They have remained perfectly intact for the 2-3 months that I’ve been using them.
metal matte
reign
Reign is a vampy red with a brown undertone and red shimmer. It’s perfect for all skin tones and with pretty much any eye look you can think of. It’s great for fancy occasions but I wear it at least once a week!
formula
As soon as I put this on my lips I burst out of my seat and began singing the chorus of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “I Really Like You”. The colour, the formula, the scent- EVERYTHING.
Once again I am SUPER impressed with the formula of this product. A lot of people have been wondering what the finish is actually like on this and to me the best way to explain it is to think of it as a matte lipstick with LOADS of micro glitter in it. It’s a matte lipstick in texture but with a metallic finish.
The texture is extremely thin and very comfortable to wear- it’s not drying in the slightest. The pigmentation is also INSANE- it’s perfectly opaque in one swipe- but is also very buildable.
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about the wand on these, saying that they’re all fluffy and messed up- that’s how it’s supposed to be. The wand is fluffier than a normal doe foot applicator in order to pick up the mousse-like texture and apply it evenly, and in my experience, hasn’t hindered my ability to create a sharp line in the slightest.
As for the wear, once again I’m super impressed. No, it doesn’t last as long as a matte liquid lipstick, but I can get away with wearing it for a solid 8-10 hours before it needs touching up. Think of it this way- the metallic glitter wears off, but the matte lipstick stays in place.
VERY impressed!
swatches
L-R: Reign, Like, So Cute
natural light (outside)
natural light (shade)
flash (indoors)
packaging
Unfortunately, in my excitement to see the products, I didn’t take any pictures as I was unboxing the products, so I had to ‘stage’ this but hopefully you get the picture.
My products came in the newly designed box which is plain black on the outside, with a silver ‘KYLIE’ and the white drips on the inside of the lid. The boxes were redesigned as the old design with the drips on the outside was apparently just too tempting for thieves and some customers opened their packages to find nothing inside. I’ve heard a few complaints about the redesign- but honestly, I’m willing to sacrifice beauty if it means my products won’t be stolen.
Thanks to Australia Post, my box did get slightly squashed which is slightly annoying for the purpose of photography but everything was super protected and well packaged so don’t fear about anything breaking.
When you open the box, you see the card which has a personal message from Kylie on the back, and the white foam protecting the products.
Underneath the foam will be your products and the receipt/invoice thing (lets not talk about that $$$).
The products come in white boxes with the famous drips- the glosses in a glossy finish and the metals in a metallic finish- funny that. The colour names are written on the top of the boxes.
I really enjoy the aesthetic of the range so thumbs up to Kylie for designing the packaging here.
The lipsticks come in heavy glass bottles with the black drips, followed by Kylie’s signature and the product information underneath. The colour names are printed on silver stickers on the bottom of the bottles.
Overall, the unboxing experience is very luxe I am a huge fan of the packaging- it seems really robust and durable and is super pretty to boot!
Purchase + Customer Service
Here we get to the nitty gritty part of the review- the bit that everyone wants to know about.
Getting these things was a bit of an ordeal. I knew the exact time that the products were going to be released and I was ready for it. I originally intended to get one product of each formula and when I got to the checkout, I realised that they do not accept Paypal which in my opinion is a big no no this day and age. So by the time I had my card details at the ready, the Mary Jo K lip kit that I wanted was out of stock. I guess that was my mistake for not reading that part of the website, but it would be nice for the team to enable Paypal.
I ordered my products on the 10th of June 2016 and received my order confirmation within the hour.
I received an email stating that my items had been shipped on the 16th of June.
The package was delivered to me on the 28th of June- 18 days after I ordered.
I live in Australia so I am used to deliveries taking a heck of a long time, but I was a little impatient with this one- especially having paid $14.95 USD for shipping (roughly $19.50 AUD). If the shipping was free (which in my opinion it should be), I wouldn’t mind but that’s a hefty shipping fee.
The glosses retail at $15 USD each (approx $19.60 AUD) and the metals will set you back $18 USD (approx $23.50 AUD). As makeup is pretty expensive here in Aus I find this price pretty reasonable and don’t really have that much of a problem with it. To give you an idea, a MAC lipstick costs us $36, and Revlon lipsticks range from $20-$25.
I did have a brief conversation with customer service as my metal wasn’t completely full- it was about 1cm below the full line- and everything was dealt with super promptly and taken care of well. If you have any questions about this side of things, swing me a message on Twitter and I’d be more than happy to give you a hand.
As far as Kylie’s creation of the products goes, I literally have zero complaints.
But if there’s any constructive criticism I have for the Kylie Cosmetics team, it’s to rethink the shipping cost and policy, and from what I’ve seen from the experience of others, improve quality control procedures.
So there we have it!
I hope this answered all of your burning questions or at least helped you make a decision in some way.
Overall, I am super pleased with these products and the Kylie Cosmetics brand, and would absolutely love to get my hands on all of her other ones- especially now that things are pretty much always in stock.
Sorry for my lack of beauty related posting lately- I’m getting back into the swing of it now and have a load of fun things planned- I hope this makes up for it!
Goodbye for now,
Claire.
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