Beauty on a budget: Sephora #LipStories

Cheap new lipstick line worth a look

By Lauren Kelly, Graphics Manager

The Sephora house line has recently released a large line of lipsticks available at a much lower price point than any others at their store—each one selling for only $10. #LipStories come with vivid art on the paper tube that relate to the individual colour, making each shade unique and fun in its own way.

The line contains 40 colours in a mix of cream, matte, and metal finishes. I used five shades: Hong Kong by Night, a bright red metallic; Take a Spin, a light gold metallic; Cash Money, a deep green cream; Labyrinth City, a dark red matte; and Off Limits, a muted purple matte. The metallics I tried were a bit hit and miss—I love Hong Kong by Night, and the metallic finish isn’t too over the top or too sparkly. It’s bold, but not as extravagant as it could be. However, I do not like Take a Spin. The metallic is heavier in this one and, at least on me, the pale, washed-out gold isn’t flattering. I do like Cash Money, and I find for a deep green it isn’t too hard to pull off. The finish is very shiny, making it louder than I predicted from just looking at it. I love both of the mattes that I used. The colours are flattering on me, and I’ll definitely be wearing them more often. The finish on them is more of a semi-matte, closer to a satin, and isn’t at all drying.

For the price point, these lipsticks are a great deal. As I mentioned, the lipstick tube is made of paper instead of plastic, which allows them to drop the cost while also making the packaging environmentally-friendly. The colour range is wide, and most of the finishes are nice and wear comfortably. Additionally, they’re very pigmented, so you can’t see your natural lip shade. There are a few downsides to these lipsticks, however. They aren’t incredibly longwearing, and they do transfer. However, this isn’t unusual with lipstick, and patting your lips down before eating or drinking always helps.

Overall, the #LipStories line is worth a long look. It is popular, and some locations are out of the most neutral colours, so you might need to put in a bit of work to get your favourites. Still, it is definitely worth it to grab a few, since they’re priced the same as most drugstore lipsticks. It’s great to see Sephora introducing a budget and environmentally-friendly lipstick option, and I hope to see them continue this trend.