Review: Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Raven

Lipstick can become an expensive habit, and today I'll be reviewing what is the single most expensive lipstick I own. I don't know what possessed me to buy it this past March break, and I don't even wear it as often as I should. That lipstick is the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Raven. It was 33 dollars Canadian, and I am out of my mind.

I bought it mostly because the shade was gorgeous and liquid lipsticks were just starting to gain hype. I saw a fellow blogger posting about it and went “OMG. MUST. HAVE.”

The applicator pisses me off- it's a doe-foot applicator that is flat on both sides (no slanted edge) and a rounded top. What rustles my jimmies about it is that it's flexible. It bends, which makes it so hard to apply. Not enough product is distributed on the applicator in one pump, so you do have to apply pressure to the lips in order to get the product on them. It's way too easy to go overkill, and then the applicator goes all wonky and before you know it, you've got bright red lipstick all over your face and you look like a character from a Twilight fanfiction. You need about two or three pumps to apply this lipstick to all of your lips. It's a chore to apply, and it stains pretty much on contact, so you've gotta get it right.

Raven is a bright, yellow-toned red the colour of fresh blood. It's opaque in one swipe. It's not drying, but not moisturizing either, obviously. It doesn't sink into lip lines, as it has a pretty thick texture (much thicker than, say, Kat Von D Everlasting Love liquid lipstick, but not quite as thick as the NYX Soft Matte lip creams) and I don't find that it feathers, but since it's so hard to get a crisp line with the rounded applicator, I still use a lip liner with this lipstick.

After applying, you have about a minute before it starts to get tacky. It takes about an hour to fully dry down to a mostly transferproof finish, but it only stays that way for a couple of hours. The longer you wear this lipstick, the more transferable it gets. Another problem I have with it is that it doesn't wear off nicely- it crumbles off my lips, starting at the inside. And if you eat anything oily with this on, say, salad dressing, or a grilled cheese sandwich, it breaks right down and gets everywhere. To reapply, you have to take it all off, because if you apply a second coat on top of an already-dried one, it gets clumpy and uneven.

It is a gorgeous colour, though. Just far too high-maintenance for my liking. I much prefer Kat Von D's liquid lipstick formula, and I actually kind of hate this lipstick for how much it cost combined with all the problems I have with it.

Does anyone know of a dupe for this colour? Share with me in the comments!