Katy Perry’s first lipstick line brings trendy shades to the drugstore
By Lauren Kelly, Editor-in-Chief
After seeing a Youtube commercial a few months back on Katy Perry’s new lipstick line, I was very interested in checking it out. She hand-picked each colour, and included shades that are hard to find in cheaper products outside of NYX. After their release, they were often sold out of these more unique shades, but they finally seem to be more readily-available.
Of the 11 colours in the line, I purchased Crimson Cat, a bright, warm red; Catoure, a dark, dusty rose; Katy Purry, a blue-pink; Cosmo Kitty, a bright bluish-lilac; and Perry Panther, a dark blue-toned black. I wanted to hit a wide-range of tones, and I didn’t want to pass on Katy Purry, which Perry named after herself since she claimed that she would wear it the most.
My favourites are definitely Perry Panther, Catoure, and Crimson Cat. Perry Panther was my first black lipstick, but I found that it’s surprisingly wearable and not too harsh. The black is soft, and since it is demi-matte, it’s not too dramatic. Catoure is similar in colour to many of my favourite lipsticks, so I’m a bit biased. I find that many of the brown-pink shades that have become popular will suit most skin-tones, so they’re an easy go-to. Since I have warm-toned skin, I found that Crimson Cat really suited me compared to some other reds, and, even though it was bright, it didn’t look too dramatic. For the same reason, the blue tones of Cosmo Kitty and Katy Purry looked out of place on my face, but Cosmo Kitty is too fun to not throw on every once in a while.
I’m impressed by the longevity of these, especially for a more typical tube-lipstick. Even Perry Panther lasted fairly well over a few hours, a meal, a drink, and barely needed to be touched up afterwards. Each colour is also intensely pigmented. This was another concern for me: When wearing a bright red, a lilac, or a black, you don’t want your natural lip colour peeking through. The only one I had trouble with in regards to this was Cosmo Kitty, especially after having worn other colours first. You could still see some pink peeking through. Still, while they definitely weren’t a one-swipe lipstick, it was easy to achieve full coverage with the rest.
As promised, these do have a demi-matte finish. They still do catch some light, but they are mostly free of the shine that would make colours like Perry Panther and Cosmic Kitty less wearable. I found that they do stain my lips a bit, especially after wearing them for a long time. This means that the colours in my photos might not be completely true to how they would look on completely fresh lips.
I also love the packaging for these. Each is in a sleek, square, white tube. The tube itself has a matte finish, and the colour of the lipstick is shown in a clear section at the bottom, so it’s easy to tell which is which without opening them or reading the name on the bottom.
I got each tube on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart for $6.99, and they sell them regularly at $10.99. The regular price at Walmart is cheaper, at $8.47, and London Drugs has them for $9.99. These are definitely worth it, at least for the colours that you wouldn’t be able to find from other drugstore brands.
