Review | Born Pretty Matte Velvet Lipgloss*

I was recently sent a selection of products from the lovely online budget beauty store, Born Pretty; one of the items I chose was this Matte Velvet Lipgloss* in shade #17. Liquid lipsticks have been having a real moment recently and this looked like a great contender for a budget option - with 12 shades available, there should be something to suit pretty much everyone, from pinks and nudes through to reds and plums.
I really like the packaging, which is a slim tube with a rounded end, almost like a test tube. The black cap unscrews to reveal a standard doe-foot lipgloss applicator, although I tend to prefer to apply with a lip brush - I find that the formula is a bit too thick and sticky to work well with the applicator supplied, and I tended to end up with too thick a coat, which took ages to dry and looked cakey and horrible. Applied with a brush, I find I have much better control and it ends up looking much nicer, though it is still a little patchy in places. I've found that it dries to quite a sticky finish, to the point that if I touch my lips together all the product seems to transfer to one lip... I've overcome this problem by applying a bit of balm over the top (photo above shows without balm - you can see it's a little patchy, the balm does even this out as well.)
Shade #17 is quite a bright one, I have to admit it's a little more neon than I was anticipating! The finish is pretty much perfectly described by the 'velvet matte' name; it's not completely matte, but instead dries down to a velvety finish - though that's kind of lost once I've applied balm over it! In terms of wear time, this is comfortable on the lips for a good few hours without eating or drinking; anything oily breaks the product down pretty quickly, so you do need to be careful what you eat whilst wearing this! When it comes to removal, an oil-based cleanser is your best bet as it dissolves the lipgloss so you can just wash it away easily.
Remember you can get 10% off store-wide at Born Pretty; just enter my discount code 'JESSMK31' at checkout for the discount to be applied! The Matte Velvet Lipglosses are priced at £1.30 each and are available here in a choice of twelve shades, or you can get all twelve for just £13.03 - a bargain if there are a few shades you like the look of! I think this is a pretty good productfor the price, and definitely worth the effort it takes to make it work for me. Have you got on board with the liquid lipstick trend? What's your favourite finish for lip products?

xo
[*Product provided for consideration.]
[Prices correct at time of writing but may fluctuate with exchange rates.]