WHY I'LL NEVER BUY A KYLIE LIP KIT
ICYMI, Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics has become a powerhouse in the makeup industry. On Instagram, the hashtags “kylielipkit,” “kyliecosmetics,” and “kylielips” appear on over 236,000 posts combined and the brand’s lipliners and liquid lipsticks sell out within minutes of being restocked.
Back in January, Jenner announced a change to the ingredients of the best-selling liquid lipsticks. She promised a formula that would be “just as buttery but thinner and more moisturizing” than the original formula. Well, the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan delivered on the new recipe, but YouTuber Stephanie Nicole posted a video to her channel last week that reviewed the new ingredient list. Stephanie highlighted the ingredients on the packaging, and showed that Kylie’s lipsticks have almost completely identical ingredients to Colourpop’s Ultra Matte Liquid lipsticks.
There have long been rumors that the lip kits are just repackaged Colourpop lipsticks. Jenner even attempted to put the rumors to rest with an Instagram post of her hanging out with the owners of Colourpop, but the internet still refused to give up the conspiracy. Bloggers everywhere have delighted in pointing out alternatives to Jenner’s $29 lip kits, so in light of Stephanie Nicole’s ingredient analysis, STITCH tested out three Lip Kit dupes to see if Kylie Cosmetics is as great as it seemed in our STITCH review.
The Dupes
Midi, a soft neutral beige.
Dupe for: Candy K
Limbo, a deep chocolate brown.
Dupe for: True Brown K
The Color
The color is one of the most important facets of a good dupe. When the Ultra Matte Lip liquid lipsticks first arrived, the color in the tube looked two shades lighter than the color depicted in online swatches. However, upon application the color was exactly as I expected and almost an exact match for Candy K, True Brown K and Mary Jo K.
The Texture
On application, the texture is really thin and smooth. The thinness isn’t an issue, since the lipsticks are super pigmented, and it applies cleanly. However, a major issue with matte liquid lipsticks is that they can be drying. Starting off with exfoliated, moisturized lips is vital, but some formulas crack and flake no matter what. With the Colourpop lipsticks, I didn’t have any problems with cracking or drying. These lipsticks are matte, so the texture is very different from a normal lip color but pretty on-par with other matte formulas.
The Staying Power
This lipstick mostly stayed after 12 hours, despite multiple Starbucks runs and two meals. There was some wear on the inner part of my lips, but it wasn’t even noticeable unless you were looking for it.
The Price
Each Colourpop liquid lipstick cost $6, compared to Jenner’s $29 Lip Kits.
The Verdict
These lippies are an amazing dupe for Jenner’s Lip Kits. Between the color, texture and staying power, you can’t beat saving $23 for what is essentially an identical product. So, if you’ve been anxiously waiting for Jenner to restock her lipsticks online, give Colourpop a try first. They’re definitely worth it and I’ll never need a Kylie Lip Kit with these in my beauty arsenal.