Mini Review: Fusion of Color Lipsticks

Hello, dear readers,


You're probably used to me disappearing for stretches of time by now, but I do feel quite badly that I haven't yet reviewed Fusion of Color Cosmetics. Long story short, I found the company on mugpaint.com, and filled out a form asking whether it had an actual store. The answer was no, but the woman behind Fusion of Color, Kathy Duncan, asked if I'd like to try some samples for review.


This was almost a month ago! I tried them out weeks ago, and had all the pictures and notes ready to go, but I have yet to actually review them. This review will just be of the lipsticks, and the next will be of a couple of powder products that I have not had time to sample.


A little background on the company: Fusion of Color sells mineral makeup that's suitable for sensitive skin types. The makeup is free of parabens, oils and talc. For more information, check out the website here. The company is based in Chicago, but it ships across the U.S. and internationally. 


My photography skills were particularly poor this time, so I have tried my best to edit the photos so they appear true to color, if still quite blurry. You will see that I tried various different shots, depending on the day.


Here are the samples:

The samples came in this cute little sachet.

Clockwise from left: Bikini Butter, Valentine Matte, Cashmere Crème

Bikini Butter

Bikini Butter applied
This is horribly blurry, but that's pretty true to the color. Unfortunately, it's the best picture I could get.

The first lipstick I tried was Bikini Butter. As per the name, it went on like a lip butter and felt very creamy. It has a nice sheen to it and is sheer but buildable. It looks browner in the container, but went on a surprisingly wearable orangey coral. When I first looked at it, I was sure I wouldn't be able to pull it off, but I was wrong. It lasted quite well through lunch, though it bled a bit onto my glass. I would say this lasts for a good few hours, which I believe is a great wear time for a lip butter. This is probably my favorite formulation as far as how it feels on the lips.

Valentine Matte applied

Different lighting to show brightness

The next day, I tested out Valentine Matte lipstick. This was by far my favorite color of the bunch. It's a slightly orange-tinted, bright red color; once again, a color I didn't think I could pull off. The formulation was not drying, but it certainly wasn't hydrating; it was somewhere in between. I definitely needed a lip balm with it, as is to be expected with matte lip colors. The staying power was great; it only faded after I ate dinner, after about four hours of wear. Without eating, I think it could last another hour.

Cashmere Crème applied

Slightly different lighting

The final color and formulation was the Cashmere Crème lipstick. It is a plummy, cool-toned red, just as it is described on the website, and proved to be a nice shade on my lips. All of the lip colors I tried were just as described on the website. This product felt creamy, but I still needed a balm underneath it to hydrate my lips. It stayed on for around four hours, even after I ate.


Overall, I enjoyed all three of the lipsticks. If I had to choose one, I would be most likely to purchase the Valentine Matte lipstick because of the color.  I would not purchase the Bikini shade, because it was the least flattering of the three, simply because my pale skin doesn't look its best next to such an orangey shade. 


The full size versions of the lipsticks retail for $4.50 before shipping, so they're fairly inexpensive. Shipping is more expensive outside the continental U.S. and Canada. If you're looking for nice, natural and inexpensive lipsticks, I would honestly recommend any of these. The major downside is that there isn't a huge range of colors. There are ten shades total, not ten of each formulation, so that does limit the choice if you're looking for, say, a light pink matte. If you find a shade you like, I would say go for it.


What lipsticks are you loving lately?


xEsther