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    We Tried High Rated Amazon Lipsticks On Different Skin Tones

    Lipsticks for everyone.

    by Ailbhe Malone, Remee Patel, Natalya Lobanova, Gena-mour Barrett
    Rebecca Hendin/Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

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    Oh hello! We're kind of lipstick-obsessed. You may remember us from this post, where we tried cheap high street lipsticks.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    We loved testing high-street lipsticks so much, we (that's Natalya on the top left Ailbhe on top right, Remee on bottom left and Gena on bottom right) are back at it again.

    Amazon is huge for beauty, and often has brands you won't spot on the high street. But it's tricky to tell from a photo if a lipstick is right for you.

    Amazon

    So we decided to put four highly-rated lipsticks to the test, to see what they look like on different skin tones.

    Ailbhe Malone/ BuzzFeed

    We chose our lipsticks according to customer reviews on Amazon UK, and chose a wide range of shades and finishes.

    1. Barry M Genie Lip Paint (£4.99, 4/5 stars)

    2. Luvia Cosmetics in Milano Romance (£24.99, 4.5/5 stars)

    3. Milani Colour Statement in Matte Glam (£7, 5/5 stars)

    4. Little Mix x Collection Leigh Anne (£4.99, 4.5/5 stars)

    First up was Barry M Genie Lip Paint – a green lipstick that changes colour to match your lips.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    Natalya: I used to have really pigmented lips naturally when I was younger, this is kind of what it looks like. Or like I’ve just eaten something super, super spicy and a little bit oily. I think it could be quite cute if applied very sparingly, unfortunately I think I slathered it on because it takes a few seconds to actually appear. Ultimately the effect is the same as a pink-toned lip balm and I don't think the shade is particularly flattering. I don't think it's worth it at all. Just get yourself a nice lip balm instead. 2/5

    Ailbhe: The colour is nice enough, but super-bland. I think this would be a good purchase for somebody who is nervous about wearing lipstick (and who also has evenly pigmented lips) – as if it's the right shade for your skin tone, then it's pretty fool proof. If you're interested, I'd advise you to make sure your lips are really moisturized. You can't tell in the photo, but I had a slightly dry lower lip that meant the lipstick went a totally different shade on that patch. 2/5

    Remee: It only worked on the lighter areas of my mouth, which is pretty much the outline. So unfortunately it just kind of looked glossy on my lips and then gave it this weird red lipliner affect on the outside - not very effective really and little too '80s for my liking. At a fiver it's pretty cheap for a lippy, but because it didn't seem to do anything to my lips, it would definitely be a complete waste of money for me. 1/5

    Gena: I’m very used to wearing bold, heavily pigmented lipstick because my natural lip colour is relatively dark and my top lip is darker than the bottom. Although the lip paint is cheap, it essentially just looked like a barely tinted lip gloss to me, and I didn’t necessarily feel like it made much of a difference to my makeup. The best thing about it was the fact it wasn’t sticky, but I definitely wouldn’t wear it again. 1/5

    Rebecca Hendin/BuzzFeed

    Next was Luvia Cosmetics in Milano Romance – a vegan, cruelty free glossy red.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    Natalya: I’m not a fan of the colour on me, it's a little too cool-toned, but the actual quality of the lipstick is fantastic and you can definitely tell it's the most expensive of the lot. That said, I'm not sure if it's worth the price, though. There are other, cheaper vegan lipsticks that feel just as good as this does. As materialistic as this sounds, if I'm going to spend £25 on a lipstick, I want it to feel special and luxurious, and I'm not sure that this one does. 3/5

    Ailbhe: The packaging on this lipstick is really gorgeous, which helps with the price a little bit (for reference: Charlotte Tilbury is another luxury, cruelty-free (but not vegan) brand, and their lipsticks are £24). Price aside, the colour is really pigmented, it's very moisturising and it glides on easily. It's not a lipstick for beginners though – I wish I'd had some lipliner on set, as it's quite messy to apply and I had to tidy up my cupid's bow a couple of times. 4/5

    Remee: HOLY BALLS THIS IS EXPENSIVE. I've spent £16 on lippies before and even that hurt. I guess it is vegan and cruelty-free so that makes me feel better and I guess justifies the price a little. This was very nice to put on, silky smooth – but almost a little bit too wet for my liking. I felt like if I wore it I could never snog anyone...or eat a sandwich. But it's super glam and would be nice for a special occasion (which would make sense considering the price...still not over it). 3/5

    Gena: I always find it hard to find a red lipstick that suits me, and this lipstick was very nice, but bloody hell was it expensive. I appreciate that it’s vegan and it’s very pigmented, but I just don’t feel like this is doing anything so incredibly life-changing that you have to spend £25 on it. Saying that though, I did like colour, and if it were cheaper I would definitely wear it again. 3.5/5

    Rebecca Hendin/BuzzFeed

    Next was Milani Colour Statement in Matte Glam – a popular Mac Heroine dupe.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    Natalya: The colour pay-off isn’t great and it’s quite drying, I had to apply quite a few coats. It’s not as bad as liquid lipsticks, but I felt like every dry patch and every crease on my lips was made more pronounced and it didn’t feel super comfortable. I’m also not a fan of the colour, it's purple but has a lot of white pigment in it that somehow makes it look chalky, rather than deep and vampy. I actually can't think of many redeeming features of this lipstick.

    1/5

    Ailbhe: The pigmentation is quite patchy in this – I had to apply three coats for any kind of consistency. I also don't tend to wear matte lipsticks, so I balked at the texture. The colour really made my eyes stand out though, so I'd be open to trying a glossy version of this in the future. 3/5

    Remee: This was much more matte than the previous two, which to be honest is more my style, so although not as moisturising it still applied pretty well and felt like it would have more staying power. Mattes are always pretty dry though, so it's not like this was that unusual or unexpected. It's a decent price, good application and the colour looks great – I'm definitely a fan! 4/5

    Gena: The colour was a fraction too light to suit my skin tone, but it was a pretty nice lipstick, and I can see it looking nice on lots of other people. I wasn’t a huge fan of the finish, as it felt creamy going on, but was also pretty drying once it settled, but I imagine it would stay put during the day. Is it worth the money? Possibly. Is it a MAC Heroine dupe? Since I actually have MAC’s Heroine, I wouldn’t say so. 3/5

    Rebecca Hendin/BuzzFeed

    Last was Little Mix x Collection Leigh Anne – a wearable matte red.

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed

    Natalya: I prefer this red to the Luvia one, I’d say it’s more of a true red as opposed to a cool-toned one. It's very pigmented and easy to apply, if a little drying. It's a great price and if I had to choose, this is the one that I would actually wear in real life.

    4/5

    Ailbhe: Shout out to Little Mix, this is a little stunner of a lipstick. The formula is lovely, it's a classic shade of red, and it's add-to-basket-now cheap. I've never seen this in the shops, so I was delighted to find it on Amazon. It's really comfortable to wear, and is my favourite of all the four we tried. 5/5

    Remee: This is pretty cheap, but then again it has to cater to the young fans who probably can't be dropping hella money on a lipstick (I'm almost 30 and I still can't) and was a decent lipstick to be honest – which I wasn't expecting! Go Lil' Mix - they've clearly got more than just singing talent, they know the formula for a good lippie too. The colour went on well, I think I would just prefer a different shade. What else have they got? I'm gonna have a look... 4/5

    Gena: This lipstick was the best value for money in my opinion. Cheap at only £4.99, pigmented enough (particularly for the money you’re spending), and a lovely colour. The texture was silky with your standard satin finish, and if I were looking to purchase a cheap lipstick for a night out, I’d happily buy this. Good job, Leigh Anne from Little Mix. 4/5

    Rebecca Hendin/BuzzFeed

    Here's a swatch of everything we tried:

    Laura Gallant/BuzzFeed