Dose of Colors Liquid Lipsticks (latest shades, perfect for Fall) | ChaiTimewithMeesha

Demo & Swatches

Review

Availability and Price

The Dose of Color liquid lipsticks are primarily available and sold on the brands website.  Other online retailers, such as Naimie’s and Ricky’s NYC, do carry the Dose of Colors brand, but might not necessarily carry the entire Dose liquid lipsticks line.  Given that Dose of Colors is an indie-brand, its products are in stock periodically and go out of stock quite easily due to popular demand and limited stock.  Following the brand via a social media platform or signing up for an e-newsletter is the best way to keep a check on new releases and re-stocks.  The Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks cost $18 (USD).  I would advise not to purchase this brand via websites such as Ebay or “unauthorized sellers” because I have heard that such popular, in-demand, yet small-scale brands’ products are easily copied and sold as fakes.  Dose of Colors runs promotions (free shipping or 20% off) once in a while, on certain national US holidays, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Memorial Day. 

Pigmentation

The Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks shades – Mood, Cork, Desert Suede, and Chocolate Wasted – are richly pigmented, applying fully opaque in a single swipe.  With the exception of the shade Cork, I did not feel the need to layer a second layer.  Cork required a little layering/building up, but only in the center portion of the bottom lip. I’m not sure why, but Cork was slightly sheer (unnoticeable really), despite layering, in the inner center portion of the bottom lip.  I think this was only noticeable because I was testing it out and observing it close up.  I was impressed that Desert Suede, despite being a light neutral greige-taupe shade, showed up fully opaque in one swipe, single layer.  I was also pleased with Mood and Chocolate Wasted, despite being such deep, bold, vampy shades, applied opaque in one coat. 

Application, Texture, & Comfort

The Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks have a lightweight, non-tacky, creamy consistency. The formula is not runny or thick and sets within a couple seconds, but setting time is “unnoticeably” slower if you layer a lip balm underneath. As you might have already assumed after reading my thoughts on pigmentation, these shades apply like a dream.  Usually light shades and dark shades are difficult to apply because they might need (1) layering to avoid patchy-ness, streakiness, and to achieve a polished evened out look and (2) precision.  Neither was an issue here! As I already mentioned above, a single swipe gave rich, opaque color payoff. The design of the applicator is fantastic – one of my favorite aspects of this brand of liquid lipsticks. It is a doe-foot applicator that is angled such that it cups the curvature of your lips. The only shade that lagged in application, that too only very slightly, like negligibly, is Cork. Its pigment didn’t adhere well to the inner center portion of the lips.  

These liquid lipsticks do set down to a full matte finish. However, fortunately these shades are not ultra dry matte in texture, such as Anastasia Beverly Hills or Colour Pop’s Ultra Mattes.  I prefer liquid lipsticks these days to any other lipstick formulation because they set to a velvety matte finish, but I don’t care for the ones that dry down to such an extent that my lips look very wrinkly and de-hydrated as if I’m recovering from flu and soar chapped lips due to cold soars or frostbite.  It is a fine line though!  I find this the toughest aspect of a liquid lipstick review because I want to make sure I describe the texture just right.  Although these set to a full matte finish, my lips do not feel uncomfortable, heavy, tight, or parched.  Additionally, my lips look matte, but not dry or wrinkled. In my experience, these shades fortunately do not abnormally exaggerate natural lip lines.  If you are prone to or suffering from chapped lips, I would advise you to prep your lips and wear lip balm underneath, but generally speaking I did not find these Dose of Colors shades to be drying.

Lastly, I want to make an observation, which you might be wondering about if you have seen my previous/first Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks review.  The first two shades I tried from Dose of Colors were Truffle and Stone.  My review of Truffle and Stone is contrast to my review of Mood, Cork, Desert Suede, and Chocolate Wasted.  If I wasn’t such a curious cat for lipsticks (to put things politely because I cannot admit that its an addiction) and it wasn’t around my birthday, I might not have taken the risk to purchase these four new shades when they released after the jaded experience I had with Truffle and Stone.  Also, a birdie on Instagram told me that it was rumored that Dose of Colors tweaked its formula with the latest shades – Mood, Cork, Desert Suede, and Chocolate Wasted. I can confirm that I felt a difference! At first I thought maybe the formula was not tweaked, maybe formula just varies with different types of colors. However, Desert Suede is a light shade, like Truffle and Stone, but I love and prefer Desert Suede’s formula version.  Now if Dose of Colors did improve its formula – as in it looks and feels less drying – I’m not sure if Truffle and Stone have been be re-formulated prior to their re-stock.  I imagine the formula gets upgraded across the board, but I don’t have first hand information regarding the manufacturing process here so I can’t comment.

Longevity

Honestly, I don’t like to eat with lipstick on, especially if the colors are as bold and pigmented as Mood or Chocolate Wasted.  If I don’t eat, these shades stayed in place. Chocolate Wasted wears off a tad in the center of the lips just by talking. I’m experiencing this as well as feathering in the inner corners of my lips with very dark colors generally. Chocolate Wasted doesn’t feather though, which tends to happen more with the dark burgundy, wine, and plum shades I have tried (i.e., Kylie Cosmetics liquid lipstick in Kourt K). I have tried to concentrate a lip liner in the inner corners before applying a liquid lipstick on top, but it doesn’t make a difference for me personally. 

I have tested the staying power of Cork while eating Ramen and Chocolate Wasted while eating one breaded chickpea ball (kind of like mozzarella sticks, but with chickpeas as filling instead of cheese and not as greasy or deep-friend).  Obviously, the Ramen soup was liquid and a tad oily and I dabbed my lips with a napkin a few times so Cork completely wore off in the middle portion of my lips. I wiped Cork off completely (using a small oil-based eye makeup remover pad) and re-applied it; wiping it all off wasn’t really necessary before re-application, just more of my personal preference. Although the chickpea ball was not greasy, Chocolate Wasted wore down slightly in the center portion of my lips – it wore off enough that I’d feel like re-applying if I were going to a dinner with friends, but not if I was just stepping out for coffee with the Hubby. Keep in mind that if you layer a lip balm underneath, the liquid lipstick will not be transfer-proof and it will wear off quicker as it transfers onto stuff, like a teacup or straw.  In the video you will see that Desert Suede transferred onto my hand quite a bit and that happened before I had prepped my lips with lip balm before wearing that specific color.

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♥ Yours Truly,

The Lipsticks-Ninja

Meesha ♥

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