Flower Beauty - Kiss Stick Lip Color and Shine On Lip Gloss

Out of all the things I hauled from Flower Beauty a couple of months ago, I've liked the lip products the most, particularly the lipsticks. I also inadvertently picked out matching pairs in both lipstick and gloss - bright raspberry pinks and warm terracotta corals. It was a little hard to gauge the colour of the lipsticks, since there were no testers, and I just went by the shades shown in the bottom of the cap. (That's one thing I hope they do resolve in the future. On the other hand, I did like that the products were very well sealed and it was evident if an item had been tampered with, which is the major downside of shopping for drugstore items.)

The lipsticks come in two versions: the Kiss Stick High Shine, which has a very creamy, emollient, richly pigmented formula, and the Kiss Stick Velvet, which has a modern matte finish and not as much pigment punch. I purchased the former formula in the shade Ginger Lily (the terracotta coral) and the latter in Flamingo Flower (the hot pink).

The packaging probably inspires strong feelings either way, and for my part, I think it's just lovely. It has a lot of style and panache, and I like the practicality of being able to see the shade on the bottom.

Top: Kiss Stick High Shine Lip Color in Ginger Lily
Bottom: Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color in Flamingo Flower

Top: Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color in Flamingo Flower
Bottom: Kiss Stick High Shine Lip Color in Ginger Lily

Top: Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color in Flamingo Flower
Bottom: Kiss Stick High Shine Lip Color in Ginger Lily

I really liked the formula of both of these, though the High Shine feels a lot more opulent on the lips. The Velvet formula has more silicone-slip, which can feel a bit dry to some people, though I didn't personally have an issue with that. With one pass it deposits a good amount of pigment, but is not completely opaque, whereas the High Shine formula has full coverage immediately. Both last about 6 hours with some light staining left behind, though I found the High Shine faded more evenly.

The Shine On Lip Glosses only come in one variety, and I don't know if this is the case with all of them, but I find they have really nice coverage for a gloss. I purchased Iris I Could Fly (the bright, raspberry pink) and Pretty in Petunia (the warm coral). By the way, can we have a moment to just enjoy the super-cute names?

Top: Shine On Lip Gloss in Pretty in Petunia
Bottom: Shine on Lip Gloss in Iris I Could Fly

Top: Shine on Lip Gloss in Iris I Could Fly
Bottom: Shine On Lip Gloss in Pretty in Petunia

These are smooth-feeling, non-sticky glosses with no discernible scent, and while they are not particularly hydrating, they are very comfortable to wear and last for about 4 hours, though they don't stay as shiny. I really quite like these, especially Iris, which has a lot of colour punch for a gloss.

This is a quick little picture of Iris I Could Fly over a blotted layer of Flamingo Flower:

Face: Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Shell and Powder in Light, 

Flower Beauty Glow Baby Glow Blush/Bronzer Duo in Shimmering Goddess

Eyes: Guerlain Mascara Noir G, Flower Beauty On Your Mark Liquid Liner in Black,
Flower Shadow Play Quad in Smoke and Mirrors

Availability: Exclusive to Walmart. Price is 6.98$ USD for both the lipsticks and the lip glosses.

Pros: Great pigmentation overall, especially so for the High Shine lipstick and the Iris shade of the gloss. Good wear length and comfortable feeling, with the High Shine feeling especially creamy and smooth on the lips. Lip glosses are smooth and don't feel tacky. The brand is also cruelty-free and made in the USA, if those are concerns.

Cons: The silicone in the Velvet lipsticks may feel drying, and it does require two passes to achieve the coverage and depth of one pass from the High Shine lipstick.

(These items were purchased by me from a Walmart in the US.)

Flower Beauty Shadow Play Eyeshadow Quad - Smoke and Mirrors

NOTE: I've had to amend this review after continued use over different primers and bases, as that altered the wear and payoff more than usual.

The Shadow Play Quads are currently offered in four versions, though the Wal-Mart I went to only had two of them in stock. (Seriously, the display was pillaged. The only items that they had in any kind of reasonable quantity were the lipsticks.) I opted to try the cool-toned neutral quad, called Smoke and Mirrors.

The cream shade is by far the most problematic - sheer, powdery, thinner textured, it makes for an ok base or subtle browbone highlight, but otherwise it's altogether unimpressive. The other shades are generally better.

The dove-wing light brown in the top left is nicely pigmented, with a dense, smooth texture that is unusual for mattes, let alone drugstore mattes. It's a good blending or crease shade. The greyed plum in the top right has an equally lovely texture, though it is less pigmented. The gold-flecked medium brown at the bottom right is on par with the dove brown in terms of texture and payoff, though it loses all those pretty flecks once you start working it. Which could be a good or bad thing, depending on your preference.

This is an easy palette for a soft, neutral, work-appropriate eye, though you might be better off using a different eyeshadow to sub in for the cream. Over a primer, all the shades wore 6-8 hours with little fading, and no creasing. One thing to keep in mind is that the texture is quite soft, so these will kick up tons of debris if you use a stiffer brush or a heavier hand, and they are best over a primer as they are so soft and therefore don't bind too well. They actually remind me a lot of the Inglot mattes in terms of how they feel to the touch, though their performance is not comparable.

EDIT: I originally tested these with a stickier primer - a cream eyeshadow. Over a primer that has a drier finish, I found that they had a harder time binding and blended out too easily, which could work for a very diffused effect, but could also look muddy and indistinct. On bare skin, the effect was even more pronounced, and they dusted off very easily. These are best patted on over a sticky, creamy base and gently blended. The diffusing effect and easy blendability works best for the dove brown, which is beautiful as a natural contour when applied with a fluffy brush into the crease.

Clockwise in palette, starting with the cream shade at the bottom left. Bare skin.

Availability: Only at Wal-Mart, and in select US locations for the moment. Price is 9.98$ USD.

Pros: Dense, smooth texture that is very blendable, and good pigmentation over primer. 

Cons: Powder fallout requires care in application. The cream shade is particularly disappointing in both texture and payoff. EDIT: Depending on the primer, the overall blending can be tricky, as the shades diffuse easily and can look muddy and faded. Double that for bare skin.

(I purchased this item at Wal-Mart.)

Flower Beauty Color Play Crème Eyeshadow - Orchid-ing Around and Time Willow Tell

I adore Drew Barrymore. She is a beautiful, intelligent, successful lady who has managed to rise above the typical Hollywood child star story, and I admire both her commitment to her causes and her business savvy. I was incredibly excited when I heard about the launch of Flower Beauty, her cosmetics brand, and I took advantage of a road trip state-side to raid the nearest Wal-Mart display.

I tried to sample a little bit of everything (minus complexion products, as the store I went to had been ransacked and the colour choices left behind were poor). Across the board, I have to say that I have been more impressed than not by the items I picked up. A couple, however, were more problematic.

Such was the case with the Color Play Crème Eyeshadows.

Under artificial light.
Orchid-ing Around and Time Willow Tell

That picture doesn't capture how beautiful those shades look in the pot. They are full of multi-dimensional shimmer that is absolutely stunning.

Swatched, you get that color impact, but it also becomes clear that these have a problematic texture. They are like whipped cream - soft, fluffy, and a little greasy. (They are also so goopy that at least one of the ones I tried came out in a chunk attached to the lid insert.)

The clump of product that was stuck to the insert.

They slide all over when you try to apply them to the lids, making it difficult to build depth. If you try to get them more opaque, they take a while to set, at which point they tend to crease all over the place. They do better over a primer, and better still when set with a powder overtop - but then you lose the impact of that shimmer.

When sheered out, and do give a nicely ethereal, sparkly effect. Like a fairy came and dusted your eyelids with her wings. It's pretty, but due to the texture it's easy for the product to thin out too quickly, and they still have a problem with fading and creasing. They can also be applied overtop of another eye product to give that sort of wet-shine finish.

Natural indirect light.
Top to bottom: Time Willow Tell and Orchid-ing Around.

The Color Play Crème Eyeshadows can be worked with to create some beautiful effects, but for something that is marketed to have mass appeal, I don't think these measure up to the success achieved by many of the other items in the line. I'm surprised at how finicky they are considering the target audience.

They are also competing with some top-notch cream eyeshadow formulas at the drugstore, such as the Maybelline Color Tattoos and the l'Oréal Infallible range, which are easier to use, with more reliable results.

Availability: Select Wal-Mart locations in the US. No information yet about Canadian distribution. Price is 7.98$

Pros: Beautiful color and multi-dimentional shimmer. Has a bit of a wet-shine effect.

Cons: Difficult to built up to true colour, best when worn sheered out. Tends to fade and crease. Texture is gloopy and slippy, can be messy both in the pot and for application.

(I purchased these items.)