I'm so excited about today's beauty post! I finally had the chance to test and review the lip product that everyone is talking about the social media is buzzing over!! My honest thoughts all about LipSense are in today's post.
LipSense in Kiss For A Cause c/o Smooch by April
Every couple years, there seems to be a new MLM (multi-level marketing) product that takes America by storm. When I was growing up, it was Silpada jewelry. This was in the days before social media, but it seemed like everyone and their mother, at least in my small Maine hometown, was having a jewelry party. In fact- I actually remember tagging along with my mom to a Siplada jewelry party, as a mom of one of my friends growing up was selling the jewelry. One of my very first pairs of earrings ended up being from Silpada.
A notable MLM company was the Jamberry Nail Wraps craze a couple years ago. I actually was sent some of those to review in a really old blog post (check it out here to see something old and embarrassing haha!), and I tried them out on my toes. I gave them a positive review at the time on my blog, but after ordering some more on my own (I was also invited to a Jamberry party later that summer) and trying them on my nails, I realized they didn't actually work that well. That experience kind of dulled my views on MLM companies, and honestly I didn't pay attention to many on social media from then on.... until LipSense!
In the past few months, a magical-seeming lip product called LipSense started popping into my Instagram feed on a daily basis. I also started receiving a lot of DMs from random girls on Instagram who are distributors and wanted me to sign up for them and become a distributor too... which was quite annoying. Honestly at first I was just blown away by how much this lip product had suddenly inserted itself into my social media feeds! But then I noticed something.... bloggers that I have followed for a long time (I'm talking years!), were starting to rave about LipSense and become distributors. Normally bloggers are very anti MLM companies (How many bloggers have you seen selling Mary Kay or It Works wraps for example), so it peaked my interested that so many girls that I knew were becoming distributors. Just a few included- Jessica from J Petite, Stephanie from Stephanie Drenka, and Jenny from Breakfast at Lilly's (one of my co-admins for The Millennial Blogger Network!).
Then I noticed this spring that one of my absolute all-time favorite bloggers, April from Smidge of This (formally A. Liz Adventures) was selling LipSense and raving about it. If you don't follow April, she is a Charlotte-based lifestyle blogger who I've followed for YEARS now, and you absolutely need to stop what you're doing right now and follow her blog! April posts bargain finds, tons of photos of her two adorable daughters, things to do in Charlotte, recipes, and so much more. Truly- her blog is one of my favorite daily reads! Anyways, if there is anyone who I would trust a recommendation from- it is 100% her! Long story short- I messaged April on Facebook, and that lead to today's blog post! She generously sent me a LipSense color and gloss from her stock to try out and review. I've never been so excited to do a beauty review post, and I tried my LipSense out the day that it came in the mail! April sent me the beautiful fuchsia pink color "Kiss For a Cause," and I loved the shade since it reminded me of some other favorite lipsticks I have.
One of the main reasons that I wanted to write this blog post and do this review is because when trying to first research LipSense on my own after seeing it on social media so much, every blog post review and article that I found seemed to be written by a distributor! I'm all for salespeople who love what they sell, but it did seem a bit biased to me that it was hard to find any reviews not written by women who don't sell it. So here I am today, setting out to change that!! Above you can see a couple photos of the application process, and here are my pros and cons after trying and testing LipSense over the last couple weeks:
Pros:
- It lives up to its promises: This is obviously the biggest reason that I liked it! If you've seen any distributors posting about the product online, you will see them boasting about how LipSense is the ultimate long-wearing lip product, and that it's smudge proof, waterproof, and extremely long lasting (like 12+ hours). I'm here to attest that, yes, that's ALL true! I was blown away when I first put on the bold shade of Kiss For a Cause that it really wouldn't transfer over to clothing, food, etc once it was on my lips, but it doesn't! That stuff stays put. It even lasted fairly well through my showers, so that's how I know it is pretty waterproof! I love a product that lives up to its claims, and so for me that automatically makes the $55 price point (for a starter kit with a distributor) worth it. I was so, so impressed.
- The color variety: LipSense comes in 40+ colors- most are in the permanent collection, but other colors are limited edition for certain seasons to keep things fun!
- A little goes a LONG way: You only have to use a tiny bit of LipSense color and gloss to get the desired effects, so even though it does have a higher price point than drugstore makeup brands, one tube of color can last you months and months! I'm all for longevity in makeup products.
Cons:
- Selling out: Based on the current business structure of Sengence and the huge success of this product (the company that owns LipSense), it can sometimes be hard for distributors to get certain colors all the time. I guess this just further proves how much in high demand this is!
- Hard to get remains off: LipSense does sell a special remover to take off their product called Oops! Remover, although I haven't tried that yet. Since it is SO long-lasting, I did find that sometimes hard to get off all the color at the end of the day after washing my face. I guess that's a good problem to have though? Haha!
- Tricky application process: LipSense has a very specific application process for it to work properly. You have to apply it in certain coats and layers (not like applying regular lipstick). However- April included instructions in my order, and there are tons of Youtube tutorials! I personally found this one helpful. I found my LipSense easy to apply over my lunch break in the bathroom at work, and of course at home in my own bathroom, however I don't think this is something you could apply at a traffic light while driving, or in a hurry!
In my unbiased, non distributor opinion.... I will tell y'all that I LOVED this product and it exceed my expectations!! I totally get why a lot of girls that try it end up signing to be distributors. I actually had a long conversation with April about what that would look like for me if I decided to do it too, since I do believe in this product. I decided against becoming a distributor right now, as things are really picking up at my day job (summer is the radio busy season for events!), so I didn't feel like I had the time to take on a new business venture. But I hope to continue supporting April and the other bloggers that I follow who are distributors! You can totally love LipSense and not sell it. 😉
If you would like to purchase LipSense, you can do so through April's Facebook group or her business Instagram page!
Have you tried LipSense yet? Did you like it? Or have any other MLM companies pleasantly surprised you recently? Speaking of those... Mary Kay was a sponsor at the blogging conference I went to last year, and I recently tried the concealer that they gifted all of the bloggers. It is fantastic! I might have to order more at some point.
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese (or Charlotte XO on the radio!)
Good to hear this honest review!! I do have to say that all the MLM posts are a bit annoying at times but I'd be curious to try this one... maybe! lol
ReplyDeletexo, Kristina
I've heard so much about LipSense lately so it was great to read this and learn more about it! LipSense sounds like a great product!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
Now you have me so curious about LipSense! I love trying out new lippies and I've heard good things from other bloggers about this one too. Can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteXo,
Courtney
www.courtneyfashionista.com
It's nice to hear a review from someone who isn't trying to sell it to me. Haha I feel ya with those random DMs on Insta. If you accidentally like their picture then you a pretty much signed up for their Lipsense crew.
ReplyDeleteI was a skeptic before trying too but it's safe to say now that it distributors don't rave about it just to make sales - it really does work.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great review. Honestly I'm scared of any lip product that's hard to get rid off but I guess the pros outweigh the cons here.
ReplyDeleteAsh // www.theashtreejournal.com
I'm so glad I'm not the only person who sometimes gets annoyed from MLMs all in my news feed, haha! I'm still not a fan of MLMs because of their business structure, but I am considering becoming a "distributor" for Young Living just so I can get the wholesale pricing on their essential oils (the ones that Eden's Garden doesn't carry!)
ReplyDeleteglad you liked it! I really don't get anything from MLMs because i don't support the model, so i still won't get it probably
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't completely support the MLM model, I have been seeing this everywhere and it did have me intrigued! I'm so glad it worked for you and even the cons seem like they're kind of pros!
ReplyDeletexo Deborah
Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes
Thanks for sharing! Tati, one of my favorite beauty youtubers enjoyed it, but it was a pain to take off, which is why I haven't tried it yet - plus the price! Oh, steep lol
ReplyDeleteI recently tried LipSense and also fell in love! I always have issues with lipstick getting on my teeth and LOVE that I don't have to worry about that with LipSense!
ReplyDeleteLove your review! My aunt actually tried it out not too long ago and also fell in love. I'm not a huge lipstick wearer, so I'm not sure if I'll take the plunge just yet, but it's good to know it lives up to the hype!
ReplyDeleteLove the honest review girl!! I have never heard of that lip stuff before!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! The only reviews I've seen are those who sell it but now I'm super interested.
ReplyDeleteBecause it is difficult to apply & doesn't come off easily, I most likely won't try it. The color looks fabulous on you, though!
ReplyDeletei'm glad you cleared up the stigma! I get bombarded all the times by them...good to know it actually works!
ReplyDeletexo // www.thematerialgirl.co
Splendidly imparted. Stunning quality. Worth Reading.
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