Last week I mentioned that I’d stopped into Duane Reade to get out of the rain and ended up buying a few products from the new makeup brand Colour Prevails (see here). Colour Prevails is the latest project from Nonie Creme, a longtime fashion-world manicurist and the former creative director of Butter London, a trend-setting nail polish brand introduced in 2005.
Colour Prevails promises to make advanced formulas and on-trend colors available in a drugstore setting—a “masstige” cosmetics collection, if you will! The brand’s packaging is eye-catching, with colorful butterfly-wing designs and shiny goldtone accents. It looks almost retro-80s, with a nod to the 60s. Also, the prices are very reasonable—many items are under $10, and the most expensive item is an 8-pan eyeshadow palette for $19.
I’ll be writing a few reviews of my Colour Prevails acquisitions over the coming weeks, beginning with a few thoughts about Colour Wash Comfort Balm.
According to the Colour Prevails website, this balm “is infused with lightweight lip stain in a unique formula for soft lips and the perfect flush of color.” It’s available in four shades; I chose Berry Wash. It’s packaged in a squeeze tube, and it’s a bit of eye candy, with a swirl of saturated color spiraling through clear balm.
When I had the chance to try this product in the drugstore—Colour Prevails actually provides testers!!—I realized that it was something I’d like to own. Its gel-like consistency and its ability to adhere to lips remind me of Malin + Goetz Lip Moisturizer. And the longer a product like a balm can stay in place, the more good it can do.
Here’s a swatch of Berry Wash on the inside of my wrist. Straight out of the tube, it’s very vivid and looks like strawberry jam. However, it sheers out when you push it around a bit with the tube’s slant-tip dispenser or a fingertip. The result is a cool-toned, semi-bright raspberry shade. The finish is glossy but not overly shiny or “wet”-looking (a good thing, in my book).
This formula does feel moisturizing on my lips—I don’t need to wear conventional lip balm under it—and the shine gradually wears down, leaving the berry tint as a sheer stain. It lasts well through a cup of coffee, although an actual meal would probably remove most of it.
I haven’t tried a tube-packaged lip product in ages—I was never a fan of Lancome’s Juicy Tubes in the ‘oughts, and I had disappointing experiences with tinted tube balms from Clarins and Kiehl’s and other brands. They were either too slippery, contained very little pigment, or were basically overpriced Vaseline. Nonie Creme’s take on this product category is a satisfying change of pace.
Soon to come: reviews of two Colour Prevails lipstick/gloss duos and a mascara duo!
Nonie Creme’s Colour Prevails collection is available at Walgreen’s (and Walgreen’s online), select Duane Reade stores, and Drugstore.com.
Top photos via Colour Prevails website. Product photos by Tinsel Creation.
Ingredients for Colour Wash Comfort Balm:
Color Balm: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Tridecyl Neopentanoate, Octyldodecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxystearic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate. May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77499), Mica (Ci 77019), Red 6 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 27 Lake (Ci 45410).
Clear Balm: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Tridecyl Neopentanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxystearic Acid, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
TINSEL CREATION 