Reviews: Vice Lipstick by Urban Decay

By M.C. -
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about my first impressions of the new line of Vice Lipsticks by Urban Decay. Since then, I've continued to use and test the lipsticks (Ulta sent me samples, and I bought a couple of full sized lipsticks myself). Now that I've had some time to use them and wear them, I wanted to give you an update on my opinion of my opinion of these lipsticks and give you a full review.


First of all, I want to talk about the premise behind this new line of lipsticks. I really think that Urban Decay is trying to copy MAC with these lipsticks. MAC is famous for their lipsticks, and UD has never really been known for their lipsticks, so they're trying to re-brand as an alternative to MAC. Honestly, it's a smart strategy since UD is cruelty free, and MAC is infamous for doing animal testing. In terms of the actual lipsticks, there are about 100 different shades. The shades are 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.

Overall, this line of lipsticks is pretty good. First of all, the packaging is very nice. Each bullet comes in silver and gold plastic packaging. It's very sturdy, functional, and -- importantly -- nice to look at.

I also appreciate that UD gave us a lot of variety with this line. However, the formula was a bit inconsistent. As I said above, there are six different finishes. It seems that each finish has its own formula; some of them are excellent, and some of them are horrendous. For this review, I want to go through each individual finish and talk about their formula.

Cream: UD's cream formula is like a cross between MAC's cremesheen formula or their lustre formula. It's very creamy, very pigmented, has good coverage, and it has a shiny finish. It's fairly long lasting; however, it's not transfer proof, so you might have to reapply depending on how much you eat/drink.

Metalized: I was really excited to try the metalized formula when I saw it in my Ulta sample pack. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. I tried to like it, I really did! For me, however, it was just lipstick with a lot of glitter. To me, metallic does not mean glitter. Metallic means metallic. If you don't mind chunky glitter, you may like this formula, but it really wasn't for me. The metalized finish lipsticks also seem to be fairly sheer and have poor coverage. Plus, in my experience, they don't last as long as the cream finish.

Comfort Matte & Mega Matte: As far as I can tell, these two formulas are exactly the same. In my first impressions blog, I said that I didn't really like them because they weren't very matte. I've revised that opinion. They aren't super matte, but, other than that, the formula isn't bad. Actually, I bought two full sized comfort mattes (1993 and Hitch Hike). The matte formulas are very pigmented, easy to apply, and they cover well. Like the cream shades, they aren't transfer proof, so you might have to reapply, but, otherwise, the formula is excellent.

Sheer: The sheer formula is exactly what is sounds like: sheer. Personally, I hate sheer lipsticks. In my opinion, if you want a sheer lipstick, you might as well get a lip gloss. However, if you like sheer lipsticks, you'll probably like this formula. The formula itself is pretty creamy, but, obviously, it's not very pigmented, doesn't cover well, and is not long lasting at all.

Sheer Shimmer: Sheer shimmer is basically the sheer formula with a ton of chunky glitter. Personally, I really dislike it because the glitter is chunky and it's extremely sheer. However, that was what UD was going for, so, if that appeals to you, you'll probably be into this lipstick.

Overall, I would say that the cream formula and the matte formulas are the best. However, it really depends on what you look for in a lipstick. However, in my opinion, if you really want a good lipstick with no guess work, buy one from MAC or Lorac.

In terms of price, all the new lipsticks are $17, which -- although expensive -- is very reasonable for high end lipsticks (and also happens to be exactly what MAC charges).

 Final rating: 6.5/10

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