Review: 2nd Love Signature Lipsticks

Happy Valentine's Day!  I don't care if you celebrate or not, I hope you feel so loved today and everyday.

A few weeks ago, I received a massive (for me, anyway) shipment of makeup from three companies: BH Cosmetics, Coastal Scents, and 2nd Love Cosmetics.  I've been playing with them and I especially love the blushes and lipsticks.

I have not heard of 2nd Love Cosmetics prior to IMATS 2014.  I was curious about their line, especially their lipsticks.  The colors looked nice and for a very reasonable price.  I decided to pick up their Signature Line lipsticks for starters.  They have another one but I'm not a fan of glitter on my lips.  But who knows, my love of lip products knows no bounds.


I chose 5 shades from nudes to violets.  Surprise, I don't have a red!  Maybe next order? ;-)

The packaging is rather bulky but not inconvenient.  I love that you can see the actual color/product an the bottom.  I wonder if they are like similarly packaged NYX round lipsticks where you can remove the bottom for extra product. I haven't attempted to jimmy it from the tube lol.  I actually like the packaging as a whole.  It's sleek and cute.  The fasten between the tube and the cap isn't the strongest but if you keep it in a secure place in your bag, it's not coming loose.



The product has a rather strong scent.  It doesn't bother me but some people might be put off by it.  You can smell it as soon as you open the tube.  I can't pinpoint exactly what it smells like but it is sweet like some kind of candy; a strawberry-ish, melon-y smell.  You can still smell it when it is on your lips and it doesn't completely go away for a while.  Again, that's fine by me.


On the website, these lipsticks are described as:

A creamy velvety smooth finish that also moisturizes your lips!

Dreams do come true. Introducing 2nd Love's Signature Lipstick that features a rich moisturized enriched formula infused with Vitamin E and Jojoba oils! These lipsticks provide a creamy, long lasting, velvety smooth finish in all shades for a different look, on a different day.

 
Swatched on the skin, they do go on smoothly and are very pigmented.  Those took two swipes!  I really fell in love with them right there.  I mean, how gorgeous is that Violeta shade?  So far, that is the most violet/purple shade that I have in my collection.  Bliss is a pale peachy pink.  I don't have very many in that color family.  It works well with  my skin tone.  Mulberry is exactly what the name says, a berry.  That is a plum shade with a bit of blue tone.  I like that kind of berry shade.  Punky Girl is a bright pink.  I don't know about "punky" but it is very girly.  I wore that yesterday and loved it one me.  Bubblegum is one of the few shades that was already reviewed by other bloggers.  This shade got me interested in the line.  It is true to its name... a bubblegum pink.

The colors are really vibrant.  I like the color and the packaging.  But I disagree with what the site description says.  The formula is pigmented but it is not really moisturizing.  In fact, I found it really drying.  Punky Girl stained my lips, which is a good thing if you're after a long-lasting color.  It does stick around for a good 4+ hours but it will leave your lips feeling dry and flaky.  And it almost has a matte to semi-matte finish.  "Velvety", I guess.  It can get uncomfortable after some hours... like your lips feel parched and chalky.

But I really like the colors.  The drying issue can be remedied by a balm underneath and a gloss on top.  I have a gloss to match most of these colors so I will continue to wear them.  The scent is a non-issue.  And for around $5 per tube, it's really a good deal.