Impulse Cosmetics Get Lippy Palette - Opaque Matte Lipsticks Review

Saturday, February 22, 2014

I recently stumbled upon Impulse Cosmetics while looking for reasonably priced cosmetic glitter. While I did pick some of that up (to be reviewed at a later time), these lipsticks caught my eye and I purchased a Get Lippy Palette during a recent sale.

Get Lippy Palettes are custom made, filled with your choice of five Opaque Matte Lipsticks or METALUXE shades. I opted for matte shades because metallics have just never been my cup of tea. The shades I selected (you also pick a backup shade at checkout) were not so much for wearing on their own (though hey, if you can pull off a striking mint lip - you're pretty much my hero) but for mixing around/editorial looks and ombre lips. Regularly, each shade is $6.99 for a full sized, balm like twist up tube. According to the listing, each palette is roughly the amount of three lipsticks. This five shade palette is $22.95.

It comes in a sturdy clear palette with a paper label. I ripped mine off because it's the type of paper that immediately stains. In fact, in the time that I've had it, I've already stained the bottom paper label horribly with just my hand cream slicked on my fingers. Taking the label off also makes it easier to see the shades inside.

The bottom, with the ingredients listed.

Left to right: Blow, Space Cadet, Melancholy, Electric City, Circus

Blow is white; white as the driven snow. Space Cadet is a cool lilac. Melancholy looks black in the pan but is a lovely dark violet. Electric City is a medium orange. Circus is an intriguing light mint color, more muted than on the website. I have no idea what I'm going to do with Circus, but I felt like I just had to have it. They seem a bit less opaque than stock photos would suggest.

As you can see from my swatch photo, they're not entirely matte. More like satin matte, as they do have a slight sheen; some more than others. Impulse Cosmetics also carries a powder to completely eliminate shine when applied on top of any shade but I find that a silica based translucent setting powder works just marvelously. Opacity also varies a bit. While they do build up really well, Electric City and Space Cadet are more sheer than the other shades. The texture depends on the shade. Blow can feel a bit chalky and look really unflattering, but that's been my experience with almost every kind of product with white pigment, whether it be nail polish, eye shadow or lipstick. The other shades were smoother upon application. I think had I purchased the tube versions of these shades, application would have been a bit smoother as applying straight to my lips would have the advantage of heat to smooth the color. Oh, you know what is really nice? I've been wearing various shades all day since they arrived and they don't transfer to your teeth at all!

I'm really not fond of lip swatches, so I thought I'd just show you three of the shades in one go. Here I mixed Space Cadet and Melancholy for purple gradient lip look. I'll definitely be wearing the other shades in days to come.

I like these unusual colored lipsticks. I think they are quite good for the price. The shade selection is quite extensive, and there are plenty of intriguing shades that mainstream brands typically do not have. The one and only thing to watch out for is that stock swatches are a bit too perfect and may not accurately reflect how opaque or vibrant each shade really is.

In fact, I just placed my second order! The shop just happened to be restocked today. I'm getting a few lipstick samples in some interesting shades. Click here to shop Impulse Cosmetics. For the latest updates, follow the Impulse Cosmetics Facebook.

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.