The product: Ellis Faas Creamy Lips in L108
The formula: Creamy Lips is described on the Ellis Faas site as a soft, velvety, hydrating lip product that imparts “classic lipstick definition and longwearing coverage.” I think that velvety hits the nail right on the head – it definitely has that plush, lightweight velvet feel to it – but I’m not sure I agree with the hydrating part.
The Creamy Lips finish is a gorgeous modern matte (or a soft matte, take your pick), and while it’s more hydrating than a classic matte, my dry lips feel a bit parched after an hour or two of wear. If you have dry lips, I would definitely make sure to layer this with a good lip balm, and be sure to exfoliate first – as you can see in the swatches, L108 does tend to catch on my dry bits.
Ellis Faas Creamy Lips L108 swatch (heavily applied; indirect sunlight, no flash)
The shade: On my complexion, L108 is what I’d call a “nothing” lipstick. The sheer, slightly peachy my-lips-but-better colour that it imparts is perfect for when you want to balance out a heavy eye without calling attention to the lip, but there’s still enough pigment to keep you from looking washed out. L108 has medium to sheer coverage (my other Creamy Lips, L106, seems to have more pigment), which – surprisingly – really works for the shade. I thought it would be too warm for me, but it’s just right!
I’d recommend this shade as a natural lip for fair to medium skintones, or as a nude lip for medium to dark skintones – it’s a lovely mix of warm and cool undertones, and I think it would wear well on a lot of different colourings.
L108 swatched in indirect lighting, no flash
L108 swatched in indirect lighting, no flash
The applicator: The Creamy Lips line feature a “showerhead” applicator, and I’m really on the fence about it. I’m not a fan of the click-pen style of the packaging, and I find that the sponge-type applicators can get rough if you use the product infrequently and don’t have time to wash it after every use. It’s great for spreading out the product, though, and works well with the texture of the formula!
The ingredients
Hydrogenated polydecene, isododecane, hydrogenated styrene/isoprene copolymer, polyethylene, disteardimonium hectorite, propylene carbonate, octyldodecanol, dicalcium phosphate, candelilla cera, prunus domestica seed extract, ethylhexyl palmitate, tribehenin, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, sorbitan isostearate, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate, palmitoyl oligopeptide.
+/- may contain: mica, ci 77891 (titanium dioxide), ci 77491/77492/77499 (iron oxides), ci 75470 (carmine), red 7, ci 15850 (red 6/red 7 lake), ci 73360 (red 30 lake), ci 45410 (red 28 lake), ci 45380 (red 22 lake), ci 42090 (blue 1 lake), ci 19140 (yellow 5 lake), ci 15985 (yellow 6 lake)
The verdict?
Despite the fact that I love the colour of L108, I wouldn’t fork over $35 for it. I don’t feel that the Creamy Lips formula wears as well on my dry lips as the Milky Lips one, and that’s a lot to pay for a lipstick that settles into the dry bits of your lips! If you don’t usually have problems with satin matte formulas, then give this one a go. If you do, though, try L208 – the same gorgeous shade, but in the Milky Lips formula.
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P.S. As an added bonus, these are silicone- and paraben-free, virtually scent-free (I catch a whiff of fig when I apply it, but it’s super faint – to the point that my mum and sister can’t smell it at all), and not tested on animals! :)
