I have 9 shades in total. These retail for anywhere from $5.49 (this was at Bed, Bath and Beyond) to around $8... the common price is about $6.99 depending on what drug store you go to. My recommendation would be to nab these from Target and Wal-Mart, even though some locations don't carry all of the shades. Keep an eye out online and in your local paper for coupons -- these are P&G brand so nearly every week there is a coupon for $1 or $2 off.
The line has an excellent range of colors and finishes, ranging from pale pinks, to nudes, to dark purples and burgundies... and frosty, creamy and amplified-like finishes. They glide on smooth and easy and have a nice texture. I wouldn't call them moisturizing like a balm, but they certainly don't dry out my lips either. They claim to improve your lips over a seven day period. I can't attest to that for certain but I do wear these three to four times per week and I do notice that my lips don't peel and flake as badly as they used to. Bottom line is that they're not like a typical intensely pigmented lipstick -- they don't make you want to run and cuddle with your lip balm!
Hand swatches first!
Left to right: Kiss, Sweetheart, Darling and Siren
Left to right: Divine, Fairytale, Eternal, Flame and Embrace
Kiss: As pretty as this shade is, it's unfortunately the frostiest color of the group (and probably of the entire line). It's a pale orange shade with a slight pink shift. Quite pretty but it gives you total 90s frost lips. I do wear this though, but I apply it from the tube onto my pointer finger, and then rub the shade onto my lips with my finger. It helps to reduce some of the frost and instead you get a slight orange tint with some glossiness. This is great with bronze/copper looks.
Sweetheart: This is another unfortunately overly shimmery shade -- though this isn't as bad as Kiss. I got both of these when the line launched a preview of only a few shades, and I couldn't tell online how shimmery these were. This color is also pretty, it's got a slight plummy cranberry/blue shift. I wear this the same way as I wear Kiss.
Darling: Ah, yes, the creamy nude pink... essential in any makeup collection. I got this wanting something a bit more natural from the line and I absolutely love it. It is cool toned though so warm toned ladies may want to go for Heavenly if you want a similar effect.
Siren: Is this my favorite of the collection? I'm not sure -- I do wear it a lot. I've shown this before. This is a metallic medium pink, think a satin finish with some shimmer. There's also a bit of gold flash to some of the shimmer, it's gorgeous! I wore this during my housewarming and had two girls ask me what it was. This one lasts a crazy long time but does have a bit of a staining effect.
Divine: I got this because my friend Amanda texted me a picture and I loved it! It also looked like Mac Up The Amp and I was after a budget alternative for my blog readers. More on whether it's a dupe later, but this color is just... well... divine. It's a creamy purple pink. It looks more pink in the sun and the purple tone comes out more in indoor light.
Fairytale: And we have the obligatory creamy coral shade. This has a similar texture to Divine and Darling -- no shimmer but quite glossy and very creamy. This is quite neutral toned so I think cool and warm could pull it off. My best friend got married wearing this!
Eternal: Funny story about this -- when I swatched it in WalMart, I thought it was a dark pinky red. I got it home and realized it was magenta! Oh well, it's still a really nice color. Again, same consistency as Fairytale but possibly a bit of shimmer lurking in it. A note about this one -- it stains. Quite badly, actually. It took 2 makeup wipes and a lot of scrubbing to remove it after I swatched it on my lips. It sticks around for a long time, but whatever they used to dye the color gets uncomfortable after 7-8 hours (the stain is obviously there but it's no longer the lipstick). The lipstick isn't drying but the dye they used is... does that make sense?
Flame: I got this hoping it would be a dupe for Lady Danger. I don't have it yet so I can't say for sure but they sorta look close! This is a bright orangey red, and again, very creamy. It reminds me of a really ripe tomato... lovely color.
Embrace: This looks insane in the tube (very dark purple) but on the lips it sheers out. I'm only disappointed because I have Mac Violetta (and this wasn't out yet!) but it's still a pretty color. It's a fuchsia with blue shift, a relatively common lipstick shade. Oddly, this doesn't stain... strange.
Last but not least, two comparison photos:
Left to right: Mac Up the Amp, Cover Girl Divine, Sleek Mystic
Up the Amp and Divine are pretty close. In real life, Up the Amp has a bit more purple in it so it's a little darker swatched and on the lips, but for someone needing a budget alternative... it definitely works. Mystic isn't really close at all, it's got the same idea but is much brighter and has a lot more pink.
Left to right: Mac Violetta, Cover Girl Embrace, Sleek Amethyst
I'd say these are all pretty much identical... they all have nearly the same base color and a violet blue shift. Embrace has a little bit more red in the base but on the lips that is going to be virtually indistinguishable.
So, what do you think? Have you tried out these lipsticks? If so, what are your favorite shades? Let me know!
