Hey lovelies,
Gerard Cosmetics are EVERYWHERE at the moment. In my Facebook newsfeed and sidebar, on Instagram, blogs and Youtube - you name it, they're there! Naturally I became curious as to whether they were as good as the rave reviews popping up everywhere would suggest and when my friend Nicola (Leona Carolina's Closet) messaged me about a bundle deal they were running I was happy to take the plunge.
There was a bit of a run around with my order initially. I placed my order on the 13th of March but never received a shipping notice, so on the 26th of March I contacted Gerard Cosmetics' customer support to check in. In less than an hour, I received a very apologetic reply explaining they believed my first parcel had been lost as the tracking had never updated on it but they would ship out a replacement in the next few days.
By the very next morning I had my shipping confirmation email and my order arrived within a week. I was super impressed! Many companies refuse to accept any responsibility for lost international parcels, so to have such a quick and positive response was really refreshing and made me feel really good about the company. The handwritten card and pen included were a lovely touch too!
The packaging for these lipsticks is almost identical to a MAC lipstick in its dimensions; a tiny bit wider in the middle, a smidge taller. The shiny gold packaging looks very cool and feels sturdy but picks up fingerprints like nobody's business. Such is the nature of shiny things though!
Swatched left to right on bare skin under daylight bulbs:
Kimchi Doll, Buttercup, Cherry Cordial, Grape Soda
The formula descriptions seem to vary a lot with each lipstick both in person and on the Gerard Cosmetics website, so instead of providing an overview of the formula here as usual, I'll include and breakdown the descriptions given for each lipstick. On the listing for Buttercup, Gerard Cosmetics describe it as having 'their signature creamsicle scent' but I don't really know what one of those smells like! The internet tells me they come in multiple flavours too, so which kind of creamsicle is it...? But I digress - they smell very faintly sweet (except Grape Soda, which smells like crayons). I really have to sniff to pick up the scent, so if you have a strong dislike of scented cosmetics, you may still be able to tolerate these.
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Kimchi Doll
Kimchi Doll is described as a 'perfect baby doll pink and peach nude for the modern fashionista. Long-wearing and full coverage for a flawless lip look if you love an ultra girly makeup style.' It's a collaboration shade with Sophia Chang and was one of the newest additions to the range when I placed my order, hence a bit of a wild card - the only swatches I could find at the time were in Sophia's lip swatching video.
It's a pale peach (I'm not seeing any baby doll pink at all) with a satin finish. I found it to be a little streaky in application and I had to fuss and press the lipstick on in places to prevent streaking. Once on, Kimchi Doll wore for just under six hours and was not drying. I'm not sure how I feel about this one on me... I think I need to play around with a liner!
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Buttercup
Buttercup is described as 'the perfect nude pink lip with a creamy and luxurious finish that glides on effortlessly for an ultra buttery and hydrating experience'. Nude pink, check! This is a lovely and very natural colour that would be flattering on a variety of skintones. The colour pay off is good and it applies smoothly, but it's not as creamy as the description would suggest. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't drag or skip, but the formula isn't super emollient. It is prone to catching on flakes during application.
Buttercup wears for four hours during which it was not drying but I didn't feel that it was hydrating either.
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Cherry Cordial
Cherry Cordial, touted to be a dupe for MAC Diva, is described as having a 'vampy and rich berry undertone. This color can be worn as a sheer stain, or alone as an opaque satin lipstick'. It has a mostly matte finish and has more berry leanings than MAC Diva, which is redder. Here's a comparison:
Application is nice and smooth with buildable colour payoff as described. Cherry Cordial was minimally drying while I wore it, with some product gathering and bunching up around the corners of my mouth after five hours but it continued to last for a full seven hours of wear.
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Grape Soda
Grape Soda is the one I was pretty excited for - it looks so awesome and blue based in the tube! It's described by Gerard Cosmetics as 'a purple to wear on any occasion. Super opaque and long-wearing'. In reality it's a medium warm purple absolutely nothing like the colour in the tube. It's also not 'super opaque' as described, yielding patchy and uneven colour pay off, but it's not all bad - it wears for five hours without being drying. I noticed strong pink staining after the lipstick had worn away.
Grape Soda is a great big miss for me. If you're looking for a great blue based purple, I'd suggest: Lime Crime Pansy Velvetine, Australis TOK-I-O Velourlips, Melt By Starlight or Impulse Cosmetics Gamble.
I have mixed feelings on these lipsticks. I don't think they live up to the hype, but they're still, for the most part, perfectly nice lipsticks. I guess I was expecting to be a little more blown away!
What I liked:
- Most shades have great pay off
- Kimchi Doll, Buttercup and Grape Soda were not drying
- None of them feathered or bled
- Stellar wear time - ranged from four hours (Buttercup) to seven (Cherry Cordial)
- Most shades apply smoothly and easily
What I didn't like:
- Cherry Cordial was a little drying
- Grape Soda has uneven and patchy colour pay off
- Grape Soda smells like crayons
- Kimchi Doll was prone to streaking
Where to buy:
Have you tried Gerard Cosmetics? What do you think of them?
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Lani
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