When makeup marketers name a product “Pretty Amazing,” they’re setting the bar high. I mean, what do they do if the product only ends up being mediocre? How do they answer their boss when she asks, “How did those new Pretty Amazing Lipcolors turn out?” Well, miss, I think they turned out…fine.
Ouch.
I have to admit, I had high expectations when I heard about the new Bare Minerals Pretty Amazing Lipcolors line of hybrid liquid lipgloss/lipsticks ($16 each). I wondered if they’d make my eyes roll back in my head in ecstasy (I hope!). Would I find myself speaking in tongues?
Judging by their names, the eight new Lipcolors do have a certain swagger. There’s Bravado (a brick rose), Charisma (a coral pink), Ambition (a fuchsia), Courage (a warm strawberry), Fearless (a rosy mauve), Free Will (a pink nude; oddly, I keep wanting to call this one “Free Willy”), Moxie (a bright petal pink) and Strength (a vibrant red). Hot. I’ll call your positive messages, Bare Minerals, and raise you some power. 🙂
No, these aren’t lipglosses for wallflowers. They’re much stronger than that. These are like lipglosses on P90X — super thick and sticky with full-color coverage and subtle shine. Imagine the thick, sticky texture of a MAC Lipglass coupled with the uber-pigmented power of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams and BAM! — you’re Pretty Amazing.
They’re also unscented and unflavored, but neither of those is their most amazing trait. That distinction goes to their color. It’s saturated and opaque, like the stuff of technicolor dreams.
Even though I find some of the brighter, bolder shades like Strength a little tricky to apply, the flocked applicator helps. As long as I use it with a slow, steady hand, I’m able to precisely draw crisp lines along the edges of my lips.
Beside an iPhone for scale…
Swatches from left with the flash: Bravado, Charisma, Ambition, Courage, Fearless, Free Will, Moxie and Strength
Swatches without the flash
Courage
Free Will
Fearless
Charisma
Moxie
Bravado
Ambition
Speaking of Ambition, Bare Minerals showed some with these, but would I call them amazing? Maybe. I was hoping they’d feel more moisturizing and would last a little longer on my lips. I get about four hours with them, which is good for a long-wearing lip product, but is it amazing? 🙂
I think their texture and finish also leave some room for improvement. Bare Minerals calls it a high-shine finish, but I have to respectfully disagree. As far as shine, I find myself wanting more. I also feel like my lips look older and drier wearing Pretty Amazing, as the product eventually settles into my larger vertical lines.
I love, LOVE these rich colors, and I really dig their names (Fearless? That’s great!), but calling them Pretty Amazing just might have been a stretch.
PRICE: $16 each
AVAILABILITY: Available in May at Bare Escentuals Boutiques and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Goodness, what happened to Tuesday? It’s like I opened my eyes this morning, answered some emails and now it’s 8:30 at night. I can’t believe it. Well, I guess it means we’re one step closer to Friday.
LOVE courage, fearless, & ambition! those are the shades i tend to gravitate towards.
i’m a little concerned about the thickness, though. it looks like it would be pretty gloopy and i’m kind of fussy about textures.
also, strength looks super, SUPER gorgeous on you!
Me too! I don’t mind a little bit of stickiness, but these are REALLY sticky.
Courage and Bravado look great on you! I love ambition though…
Well, they said “Pretty Amazing” not “ZOMFG, This Is Seriously Amazing”. I do like the looks of a couple of these. I love your lip swatches!
You could totally start a line of cosmetics called “ZOMFG!” – I for one would be a customer. ><
Haha!
I’m loving Ambition! And Moxie! And Courage! You look great in ALL of them!
Thanks, Tracy! 🙂
beautiful colors, although I’m a little worried about the cons that come with these :/
You might want to try it out first when it hits counters. The texture’s VERY sticky and thick.
I might just have to snatch up Bravado- that is SUCH a great color!
And isn’t the name cool too? Love!
Karen,
Those lipcolors look so fab! I’m around the same color as you so I’m hoping I look even half as good in them as you do! By the way, what blush are you wearing? It also looks gorg!
Hi Sarah,
That’s NARS Orgasm mixed with a little bit of NARS Laguna bronzer. 🙂
From the swatches, I was going to say that Charisma was my favorite, but seeing that picture of you with Courage on….whoo dang girl! You just blew my mind! I think I’ll be picking Courage up for a night on the town…just me and the lipcolor, mind you, you gotta romance it a bit.
LOL… thanks for making me laugh, Anie! I needed that this morning. 🙂
Very pigmented and cute!
Super pigmented! Love!
They seem mighty pigmented! My fav. is Courage 🙂
They are! Courage is a very pretty color.
I think calling them Pretty Amazing is just setting themselves up for disappointment. They should have been named “Pretty Mediocre” so that when people tried them they would be astonished at how much better than mediocre they really are. i have to say they do look all kinds of gorgeous on you, though.
Or maybe Pretty Darn Good?
You look gorgeous, Karen. Seriously, all of these work on you. Now I am interested. I just hope these don’t cause a reaction with me b/c I definitely cannot wear their foundations. I’m willing to find out, though. 🙂
Hi Shontay,
You and I are in the same boat. I tried the foundation years ago and broke out like CRAZY. The lip and eye products seem to not irritate my skin though…
Karen are you wearing “Strength” in the main photo?
Hi Ashley,
Yup, that’s Strength. Thanks for reminding me — I need to caption that photo.
These look similar to Chanel Rouge Allure Laque.
Yeah, it’s a little bit like the Rouge Laques. These are much thicker though, and very sticky.
Ah, I love this! I have yet to try the NYX cream ones but I imagine these are wonderful! ^_^
The NYX ones are really nice! The scent can be overpowering though.
Courage looks amazing…but WOW these are super pigmented! IM IN LOVE!
Awesome, Charisse! Glad you like them. 🙂
courage looks super pretty on you!
Thanks, Claudia! Hope you’re having a good day.
Do you remember MAC Lip Varnish in Autobody Red? That’s what the red one reminds me of…
They look so pretty and pigmented! Love courage!
I knew you’d like these!
Love the look of Bravado and Courage.
It’s a shame that they’re not ‘pretty amazing’ though in terms of the texture. I loathe lippies that settle into lip lines
I wouldn’t mind it if it wasn’t so obvious… these really emphasize the vertical lines!
They remind me very much of MAC’s Kissable Lip Colours
They do share a resemblance in terms of pigment. I feel like these are much thicker and sticker though.
Wow, I am loving the colors of these 😀 Especially Bravado.
x0x0
Glad to hear you like these!
Courage was the only swatch that looked like something I might try. Then I saw it on you. The color looks amazing on you. I’m going to have to pass on it due to the thick, goopey, heavy textured look. Too much of a good thing just like P90X. It was more like P110X for me. Towards the end, I just couldn’t stomach the same workout.
I have a friend who does P90X; he told me it’s pretty hard core. I dunno… I don’t think I’m ready for that jelly, LOL! I’ll stick to running.
I looovvveee how courage looks on you!!!!
Thanks, Karen!
I pretty much like Courage :).
Love the name of that one!
Rhetorical question: Why is ‘Ambition’ fuschia? 🙂
Hmm? Good question!
Bravado and Courage look great on you! The swatches remind me of brightly colored latex, though, especially in the flash photos. 🙂 I wasn’t impressed with Bare Minerals foundation (and one of their brushes came unglued the 2nd time I used it), so I am definitely biased against the brand. I should probably let that go!
I know what you mean. I tried their powder foundation years ago and broke out, too. They were painful pimples — you know, the ones that feel like they’ve got roots? I’m slowly getting to know the line and I like some of their color stuff. They definitely seem to have a cult following!
I’ll try to check out some of their color stuff; after all, even makeup lines need a second chance sometimes! 🙂
I’m still very nervous about the face products, but I think venturing into color’s pretty safe. A lot of people seem to really love the line. You never know…
Bravado is, to me, the one that suits you best, It makes your skin pop and look gorgeous!
Thanks, Nicky! I take it you like really pigmented, rich lip colors. 🙂
in spite of the cons, these look amazing on you (especially courage)! rich, vibrant colors–i love it!
Thanks, Jillian. 🙂 Do you think you might pick one of these up?
I love ’em! All of ’em! But I think courage and charisma might be my favorites.
Both of those shades are very pretty.
unscented and unflavored? count me in! im loving ambition, strength courage and m moxie! 🙂
Aren’t those great names? Love ’em. 🙂
the names are so awesome! 🙂
im going to the mall on friday for a little alone time ( i have the day off, the hubs doesnt lol!) … ill stop by the BE store to check these babies out!
Alone time is always GOOD! I seriously need a mall day…
Are these comparable to the Chanel Rouge Allure Laques?
The pigment is, but the texture isn’t.
Is it similar to Chanel??? I don’t remember the name of Chanel products but they have this kind of lip that not gloss, not lipstick
Not really. The Chanel products are thinner and non-sticky. These are very thick and sticky.
I LOVE Courage! Very beautiful!
That color’s a lot of fun!
I have one of these from a TSV from QVC, and I like the color, but found them to be quite sticky and gloppy. It felt sticky on my lips and almost hard to control the application.
What worked for me was blotting the heck out of it, and throwing a bit of gloss over it. They are long wearing, but I am just not a fan of gummy lip sticks.
Thanks for the application tips, JoElla.
Courage looks amazing on you!
Thanks, Christy!
Bravado looks great on you! It totally goes with your shirt.
Oh, I didn’t even notice that it matched, LOL!
Well, my favorite is Bravado on you Karen!
Hey, Basak! It’s been a while. How are you?
They all look great on you but I think I like Fearless the best for me. I saw these on QVC but resisted ordering them then ( I hate having to pay shipping unless I’m getting an awesome deal). I’ll definitely have to check them out.
I used BE foundation for years but recently converted to Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation. I got a TSV kit of Tarte makeup from QVC and love it!
That foundation from Tarte is great! Have you tried their new blushes? AMAZING!
I’m sure these are so not good for kissing 😛
OMG Karen! I think these look super on your lips! I want to try them out but still have trouble finding a pretty lipgloss because I’m so pale. What would your suggestions be?
Hi Rachel,
It depends on what look you’re going for. I personally love the contrast of bold lips against pale skin, so I think you could do any of these colors…
bravado & courage looks awesome on you~
i wonder how does these fare to illamasqua’s intense lipglosses?
Hi Nia,
These are waaay thicker and stickier!
I *need* Courage!
Do you have a picture of your bare lips? I’m trying to figure out if our colouring is similar!
Hi Moni,
Unfortch I don’t think I do. Mine are pretty pigmented though… Do you ever wear MAC Subculture Lip Pencil? That’s like the same color are my lips.
Aw, that’s a shame. Strength looks GORGEOUS. Then again, I really don’t need another vibrant red lip gloss, considering I already own approximately eight million of them…
Ha! I know how that goes. I can’t even begin to think of how many pink lipglosses live with me.
I have a Bare Escentuals gift card with nothing that interested me at BE until these glosses. Thanks for the post and swatches Karen!
I suppose saying “pretty amazing” is akin to saying “virtually guaranteed”–weasel words, them.
Nuts, I was hoping they’d be nonsticky as well…as a few people already said, it looks a lot like those Rouge Allure Laques…
The glosses look great on you. I was actually wondering what blush and eye shadows you had on in these pictures. They look natural and fresh, I love them.
do you find strength to be more warm-toned or cool-toned?
Hi Karen
Long time follower/lurker/non poster!
I have to politely disagree with the comment of these being sticky. in Australia these are fairly new and maybe, just maybebthey have a different formula here? these definitely feel thick but creamy like a cream liquid lipstick. they feel smooth to me, in no way sticky!