First Impressions & Swatches: Vice Lipstick by Urban Decay

By M.C. -
Ulta Sends Me the Best Things 
STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING: VICE LIPSTICK IS HERE!

If you aren't already aware, Urban Decay just released their new line of Vice Lipsticks, which includes 100 shades (*swoon*). What a time to be alive!!!

Now, when I say "just released," I actually mean that they've been out on Urban Decay's website for almost a month. However, they're now starting to appear on websites like Ulta and Sephora. Because I'm a platinum member, Ulta recently sent me a pack of mini samples of some of these lipsticks, and today I want to give you my first impressions and some swatches.

This is a first impressions blog, so I haven't used any of these lipsticks long enough to form a firm opinion about them, and I'm planning on writing a full review later. However, I wanted to take this opportunity to give you some basic information about this new line of lipsticks, in case you're interested.

First of all, you should know that each lipstick costs $17, which, for the sake of comparison, is the same price as a MAC lipstick. (Actually, I really think UD is trying to copy MAC with these new lipsticks. UD has never been a big lipstick brand, so it's obvious that they're trying to use their lipstick rebrand to generate the same fanaticism for their lipsticks that MAC lipsticks have. *I'm not complaining or anything, I'm just saying*.) Anyway, I think that the cost is very reasonable considering that UD is a high end cosmetic brand.

The new line of lipsticks is sub-divided into six finishes: cream, metalized (which, as far as I can tell, just means glitter), comfort matte, mega matte (which is virtually indistinguishable from comfort matte), sheer, and sheer shimmer.

Although I haven't had much time to test out these lipsticks yet, I'm most impressed with the cream formula so far. It's a basic, cream lipstick formula; but, hey, don't fix what's not broken, right? It's pigmented, easy to apply, and -- obviously -- it comes in a wide array of colors. I can't speak to the longevity of any of these lipsticks, since I haven't worn any of them for a full day yet.

I'm not super impressed with either of the matte formulas thus far (yes, they're two different finishes, but, as far as I can tell, they're exactly the same). Neither one of them appears to be very matte; honestly, they're just like the cream formula with a little less shine. Now, I know it's very difficult to create a matte formula for a lipstick that wears like a liquid lipstick, so I'm not too disappointed. However, if you expected the matte shades to wear like liquid lipsticks, you're going to be disappointed. The formula is basically the same as the cream formula, with a little less gloss.

I'm not very impressed with the "metalized" finish either. Again, I haven't seen/tested all of the metalized shades. However, the ones I have seen are quite sheer, and you really have to build them up. That's not an inherent problem; it's just something to be aware of. Also, I don't know if I would describe the finish as "metalized"; to me the finish just seems glittery or frosty. Again, that's not a problem if you like frost finishes or glittery lipsticks, but don't expect a true metallic lipstick.

The sheer finish and sheer shimmer finish are exactly what they're advertised to be. They're very sheer, and the sheer shimmer lipsticks are very shimmery. Again, if you like sheer finishes, you'll love these lipsticks. If you don't like sheer lipsticks or glosses, these are not for you -- when they say sheer, they mean sheer.

Now, without furthur ado, let's get to the swatches. Just so you know, all of these lipsticks are swatched on the inner part of my forearm, and the pictures were taken in natural sunlight. The shades are a little more subdued in artificial light. Also, this is probably obvious, but I put the finish of the lipstick in parentheses next to the name of the shade. The finishes are abbreviated as follows:

S = Sheer or Sheer Shimmer (I didn't differentiate)
MM = Mega Matte
C = Cream
CM = Comfort Matte
M = Metalized






Well, hopefully these swatches were helpful if you're considering buying one (or all) of these lipsticks (seriously, I wouldn't blame you if you bought them all). So far, my favorite shades are Jilted, Rock Steady, Manic, Blackmail, Conspiracy, Rapture, Amulet, Naked, and Backtalk.

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