It is so hard to find a lipcolor that is in my mind and knowing it is not sold at the usual beauty venues. The usual beauty stores because cater to the masses and the colors are usually very warm toned no matter how photogenic their ad campaign looks. This is why I ended up at Mob Beauty.
Mob Beauty is created by the founders of MAC cosmetics. Vic Casale is the chemist extraordinaire to this line. People categorize this brand as clean, the brand doesn't specify this.
Clean is a non-regulated term in our industry, but we formulate all MOB products in our own labs to meet the most rigorous standards. For us, “clean” means consciously formulating without ingredients known to be harmful to people, planet, or animals.
I like the brand's explanation! The brand is cruelty-free.
- Hydrating Lip Shine - M155 Muted Amethyst ($24) - More like a sheer lipstick in mauve color.
- Soft Matte Lipstick -M102 Mauve Greige ($24) - Soft matte. Depending on your lip color, can look anywhere from really gray mauve, mauve, to mauve pink.
- Smooth Precision Waterproof Lip Liner -M159 Cool Taupe Brown ($22) Just a simple brown lip liner that doesn't turn orange.
The Smooth Precision Waterproof Lip Liner is the usual wood pencil, nothing fancy. You do need a pencil sharpener which isn't included. Thank goodness I have a cosmetic bag full of sharpeners from the 80's & 90's. Remember when they were included with every pencil bought at the cosmetic counter?
The actual Mob Beauty pencil is about 4 1/2" in length without cap and contains 1g of product. The pencil is made in Germany, not the Czech Republic like Makeup Forever. This is just the normal wax pencil, not a transfer-proof one that dries on the lips. It can be used just to line the lips or to fill it in.
I find the pencil comfortable and not too dry. It does its job of creating a barrier for the lips. It is close to the MAC lip pencils of long ago.
The Hydrating Shine Lip Balm is more like a sheer lipstick. This contains 3g of product which seems to be the normal amount these days. This is a very soft and moisturizing lip product. I will warn you and say do not order this during the very warm and hot weather months. It melts.
During application, the product melts onto the lip. What is left behind is a soft and glossy finish. It can be built up by layering more or just left as is. It is similar to the K Beauty glassy balms, but it doesn't sink deeply into the lines of the lips. It isn't transfer proof but it does last longer than the Asian ones because it doesn't have that slippery feeling.
I actually bought a back up of M155 because it tends to go fast. I have already used a third of it and just bought this about a month ago!
The Soft Matte Lipstick isn't soft and melty like the lip shine. This one is really a soft matte. Not the hard and dry looking matte type. It isn't drying on the lips. It isn't transfer-proof either. It isn't the type that upon application, it tightens and shrinks on the lips. It is a very wearable matte. The picture shows the amount of product which is the same for the lip shine, 3g. I am wearing just the matte lip product with no lip liner.
I actually bought this Mauve Greige matte color to use as a blush. I wanted a blush that didn't turn pink on my cheeks. This one is really a cool toned mauve with a slight undertone of brown. It is a nice anti-blush.
Conclusion
I know I am late to buying Mob Beauty, but I just don't like to buy things when they are hyped. I like to judge for myself. I can say the brand actually fills the gap between the super indie brands that have those eccentric colors and the usual mass neutral colors found everywhere from practically every brand.
I am happy with these lip products because they fulfill my mauve color lip search and not to mention that one perfect brown lip liner. I did buy some eye products and such from Mob Beauty and that will be in a future posting! Mob Beauty can be found at their own website and for international customers, at Beautylish.
