Max Factor have flown under the radar for me for
quite a while now, and I have to admit that most of the time their products don’t
jump out at me for whatever reason. I have found great success with their
eyeliners though, and have been impressed with the new products they have been
rolling out this year which seems to suggest a new, fun direction for the
classic brand. When I spotted these Colour Elixir Giant Pen Sticks for
half price ($4.95 from $10!) while out shopping with Chris, he told me to pop a
couple into the basket as we made our way around the store. I chose 4 shades
that I am really happy with, and thought I would share some swatches and brief
thoughts for those who might be thinking of picking one up.
Designer Blossom is the wintery shade I’ve been
craving, and is a nice pop of red that I’ve been wearing quite often since I
brought these home. Vibrant Pink is the brightest offering in the new
range, and since I’ve been addicted to bright pinks like this I am very happy
with this shade. Couture Blush is the ‘wearable pink’ from the Giant
Pen Stick range, and because it is quite close to my natural lip colour I’ve
been using this as a base under some of my pink glosses for an au natural lip
look. Hot Chocolate is a shade that some people have questioned in blog
posts I’ve read, but it is such a nice sheer nude shimmer on the lips that I
took a gamble on, and luckily for me it turned out perfectly for me! It isn’t
pigmented enough to be one of those dreaded brown lipsticks, and the mix of
nude and golden shimmers is really flattering once it is on the lips.
These are a little bit glossy on the lips, perhaps similar
to the shine of the Revlon Balm Stains but not as glossy as the Face
of Australia lip crayons or the Clinique Chubby Sticks. Shade wise I
quite like all of the 4 I chose, but I haven’t been tempted to go back for any
of the others. Those who want a good level of pigmentation would be happy with Designer
Blossom and Vibrant Pink, but as I said I am pretty happy with the
other shades.
I find that these fade a little unevenly unlike the Clinique
crayons, but it isn’t bad enough to put me off wearing them. My lips crave balm
at night after I’ve worn these, so those with chronically dry lips may need to
steer clear or buy one to try before indulging in a few from the range. I am pleased with these especially
considering the price I picked them up for, and though I prefer the real ‘crayon’
type lip products, these lip pencil/crayon hybrids are pretty cool too.
Have you tried any of the ‘lip crayons’ that are flooding
the market?
Which of these shades would you grab first?
The hot pink, for sure! haha Such gorgeous colours, loving lip crayons, they are so convenient!
ReplyDelete@Rachel I am not surprised that you chose the hot pink - it would look SO good on you! But then again, all hot pinks do so... ;P
DeleteThe colors are so pretty, but too bad they're drying. I have dry lips :(
ReplyDelete@Ash B I still like the feel of them and they aren't very drying when on, so perhaps still worth a try for you? I definitely need to up my water intake and apply lip balm more regularly, I'm so lazy it is terrible
DeleteI actually wasn't overly enamoured of these, for some reason, so I managed to resist the temptation! These shades look totally gorgeous on your skintone though!
ReplyDeletexx
At least it is one product you saved cash on, right? I am really enjoying them though :)
DeleteI cannot believe I am still yet to jump on the lip pen/crayon/stick bandwagon!! I have been eyeing off these as well as the models prefer ones! I would have picked these up if I had come across them half price too. I like the look of Designer Blossom!!
ReplyDeleteI had a look at the Models Prefer ones and they are quite slippery, so I didn't pick any up. I definitely recommend the Revlon crayons and the Clinique ones if you have a bit more cash to spend, they are simply wonderful and I truly adore them.
DeleteI managed to resist these while they were on sale - I don't know! Haha, my choices are weird sometimes. I kind of didn't like the way they felt on my lips and I rationalised I have all the colours anyway. But every time I see Vibrant Pink I am swayed just that bit extra ... :p
ReplyDeleteI've heard a few people resisted them, they are quite different to the Revlon ones and I can see how some might not like the feel of them. Vibrant Pink is really pretty though ;P
DeleteOh my. What pretty colours! I think there is something just so fun about applying a lip colour using a pencil vs a lipstick.
ReplyDeleteI hope it's okay to do this, but I recently updated my make up blog sale with a ton of new make up and lower prices and (hopefully) better pictures. Most items are brand new and I'm shipping from Sydney.
Some brands include: Urban Decay, theBalm, Le Metier de Beaute, NARS, Addiction, Shu Uemura, MAC, elf, NYX, Korean brands, Japanese brands, Rae Morris and more! Please take a look! http://sites.google.com/site/muablogsalebroken/
I totally agree, they are infinitely more fun to use than a regular lipstick or brush!
DeleteI got a couple of the Revlon ones and I love them. They don't appear as patchy as these.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of lip crayons - I have way too many already :p
ReplyDelete