little white truths

Nevertheless, I wanted to give the product a good test run before sending it to a better home because I was keen to see how the formula fared.

I thought I'd rehash what Maslow & Co has said about Stiks, because it's a newer brand and it has an interesting story:

Functional beauty with a one ‘click lipstick’. Created by Laura Heilman, Stiks Cosmetiks was crafted to bridge the gap between beauty and functionality. Juggling her busy life, the last thing Laura wanted to juggle as well was her lipstick. She set about redesigning the shape of traditional lipstick.

Stiks Lipstiks are engineered to be applied easily with one hand – and the cap stays attached. No more ruined lipsticks due to the cap coming off in your makeup bag. These lipstiks are made for those of us needing on the go application – a smooth single handed swipe of colour.

Sounds good to me!

• Super luxurious and moisturising, with intense colour payoff
• Creamy with a bit of shine 
• Voted #3 best beauty products 2014 on Huffington Post
• Stiks Lipstiks are uniquely engineered to be applied with one hand
• Buttery, long-lasting formulas mean a super comfortable wear and less re-application
• To use: flip lid to open, swipe on lips and click to close; use the flat edge of the lipstick to line lips
• RRP $20 AUD for 3g

There's the bullet, photographed in direct sunlight above. It does look rather cool!

 

Verdict

While I love the innovation behind these products, unfortunately in practice the lipstick just didn't work out for me. This may in part be because my lips are super dry and need something that's really hydrating, but I also think the formula isn't that great and it's not one I would personally recommend. 

First, the lipstick is sheerer than I expected and I had to use quite a bit to get the colour you can see in the swatches and lip shots above - and even then you can tell it's not super opaque. I could have built it of course, but preferred to stop there because I'd applied more than enough already and I wanted to give you an accurate representation of pigment. So while the colour definitely shows up, it's not the most pigmented item on the market and that's something to note.

Second, while I like the shape of the bullet because I find this helps with application, I also found the product tugged a bit when applied and I had to work to get an even layer - and you can still tell from the shots above that the application isn't as even as I would like.

Third, the product feels a bit waxy to me and it emphasises lip lines, so it's not a product I would wear - even if I'd received it in a colour that suited me better - because I prefer something that feels more comfortable and makes my lips look less lined than they are.

Fourth, given the slight waxiness and how the formula emphasises my lip lines, it's no surprise that the product is too drying for my already dry lips. I really wanted to see how this wore on its own so I didn't apply a gloss over the top, and in the space of ten minutes my lips were crying out for moisture. I hung tight and didn't add anything else however because that might have affected the wear-time

On that (and fifth), the wear-time wasn't great. The product lasts less than an hour on me, and it doesn't fade evenly. While I was drinking coffee during that time, I would expect a lipstick to last longer - particularly given that it's not as creamy as I would like. What was left after an hour was colour on the drier patches of my lips and nowhere else (this was despite my having buffed my lips first).

While I do like the look of the packaging and the idea behind it, it does feel a little cheap and it weighs less than I expected. This doesn't bother me but it's something to note all the same.

On the colour, 'Red' is a beautiful cherry red with a blue base that should make your teeth look super white. I'm sure plenty of lasses would look great in this shade, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me (few reds do). I do like the finish, however, which is a nice satin that isn't too shiny.

All in all, while I love the idea of these lipsticks, I don't like the formula (at least in the Red colour, which is the only one I've tested) and I don't think they generally meet their claims because they're quite sheer, don't last and they're too drying for me.

Do note that I've seen other reviewers rave about them, but if you have dry lips and lip lines like I do, I would look elsewhere.

Ok.