Thursday 20 June 2013

Gabriel Color and Zuzu Luxe Lipstick Review + Swatches

I finally decided to make the jump from poetry blogger to something a little more useful to everyone here on the interwebz. For this reason, I ask that you all bare with me while I make the transition.


Moving on... I ordered samples of all the following lipsticks off of White Rabbit Beauty. If you haven't ever ordered WRB, I would highly recommend that you do so soon. The prices are very reasonable, a large portion of their inventory is vegan and, and Jean ( the lovely lady behind the curtain) is absolutely fantastic. What's even better is that 5% of their profit is donated to non-human animal aid organizations. Can you possibly feel any better about spending money?

As for the lipsticks, I ordered 4 shades from Gabriel Color's line, and 6 from Zuzu Luxe. I also have a full tube of Gabriel Color lipstick in Matte Cerise that I forgot to swatch - I will be posting pictures of that later on. I apologize for the quality of the following picture, my camera doesn't always like to play nice. I hope to add some more (better) pictures soon.

From left to right, top down: (Gabriel Color) Seashell, Aurora, Copper Glaze, Maple Shimmer. (Zuzu Luxe) Ultra Suede, Patina, Vegas, Golden Bronze, Siren, Sin.
I will begin by saying that I really do love these lipsticks. All of them have good pigment, they feel lovely on the lips, and there is such a variety of colours that you're sure to find something you like. Here is a breakdown of the 10 colours shown.

Seashell: A girly pink with flecks of silver shimmer. When applied it is a little sheer but buildable.
Aurora: A frosty purpleish brown. If you don't like done-up, ultra shimmery lips - do not buy this shade. 
Copper Glaze: A very deep rose colour with a bit of pink shimmer. It's also a bit frosty and not nearly as copper-y as you would expect. 
Maple Shimmer: A very deep berry colour with minimal shimmer. 
Ultra Suede: A light pinkish orangey tan colour. It's fairly matte and sheer but also buildable.  
Patina: A very frosty muted pink with a tiny bit of light purple hues. Similar to Aurora but much more pink.
Vegas: This shade is probably what you would expect from "Copper Glaze." Think of a new penny with lots of gold shimmer and that's Vegas. 
Golden Bronze: A light redish pink shade with some gold shimmer. It's a tiny bit on the sheer side and not very bronze either but still very pretty. 
Siren: A very rosy pink colour with lots of shimmering red undertones. When applied it almost looks like a blue-red. 
Sin: Ironically, this shade reminds me of x-mas and poinsettias. It's a deep blood red shade, with a bit of frosty red shimmer to it.   

If you haven't noticed already, my picture and descriptions do not resemble those which are posted on the Gabriel Cosmetic Inc. website. Unfortunately, the colours shown on the website do not accurately depict the lipstick shades so please keep this in mind if you plan on ordering. 


Regular priced each tube costs usually anywhere from $18-25, but I have managed to find them on sale at WRB for less. These lipsticks are a bit expensive but I definitely think it's worth it for what you get. Like most lipsticks these have an average wear time of about 2-4 hours but they look and feel great while they last. Plus, I've actually managed to (accidentally) put my tube of Zuzu Luxe through the washer and it's still good as new. Am I lucky or is it really magic in a tube?

 Anyway, happy Thursday everyone. x