28/06/2013

Redeem a Lychee Crushed Dream

Hello guys! Today I have a rather different post for the blog. It is somewhat of a lipstick review, but also a bit of a DIY! It involves the Face of Australia Lip Quench in the shade Lychee Crush. This particular shade from the line has been so hyped up and raved about all over the Australian beauty blogosphere - probably a bit of old news by now. I was sucked in and bought it in January as it swatched so prettily on my hand, but alas the shade completely washes out my complexion, giving me dead, zombie lips - very unflattering! Keep reading for a review of it, and how I made it work for me!




The shade itself is very pretty and one that I wish suited my skintone - I can definitely see where all the hype comes from. It is a pale peachy-pink nude shade which would be suitable for everyday wear or for a more subtle lip paired with a strong eye. I'm fairly sure any pale, 'conventional' nudes just don't go with my skintone and I have learned my lesson and steer clear of any of these types of shades. The 'nudes' I prefer are more 'My lips but better' shades. 

Swiped, blended

Aside from the shade being totally unflattering on me, I'm not too taken with the formula either. It's pretty opaque and creamy, moisturising and feels nice when swatched on the hand. But, this shade in particular settles into the lines of my lips, doesn't spread evenly and overall looks pretty bad. I've tried blanking out my lips beforehand but it doesn't seem to work either. I also really dislike the smell which could probably be attributed to the SPF30 in the product. The only way I can make this shade work on the lips is by adding, mixing or layering it with another shade, something darker and warmer. It produces a nice colour but not something I could really be bothered with.

Spontaneously one night, I decided to try it out on my cheeks. I was reading some posts on Stila Gerbera convertible colour and people said it was very pretty on the cheeks but too pale on the lips - so I thought, hey! That's the problem I'm having with this lipstick! When I applied it to the cheeks, it was love! Whether applied with fingers or my Real Techniques Stippling brush it was super pretty. So, Lychee Crush went under the knife.


I wanted to make it a bit easier to use with my brush so I decided to melt it down into a little pot. The pot I used is a little sample pot from Mecca. I decided to mix the shade with a bit of Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin which is a coral shade just to give it a teensy bit more warmth and vibrancy. The original Lychee crush and my concoction are very similar but I do like the one with added orange better.

All chopped up!

Looks pretty...gross

I chopped it up first to see how much product would fit in the pot. I probably could have melted it all but I wanted a bit of breathing room and if it turned out to be a disaster, I would have still had some left. I used a hairdryer to melt it down and I'm not sure if that's the best way, but it worked for me. I melted it, then mixed with a toothpick, then melted and left it on a flat surface to set evenly.

I even made a little label!

Ignore the little dots, they're from my stippling brush

The formula is super creamy and lovely to apply to the cheeks. It blends really nicely and it livens up the face and brightens but very subtly and naturally. I've been using it a lot! The one downside though is that is is not very long lasting - I didn't expect it to be as it is a lipstick. I top it with a bit of translucent powder to stretch it out a bit but that takes away the dewy finish I really like from it.

Here is a swatch, but it's pretty much the same as the first one

Overall I'm super glad that I found a new use for this lipstick and stops it from gathering dust in my drawer! I actually think the colour is quite similar to Stila Gerbera but maybe that ones a bit more peachy? I think it gives a similar effect though and I really like it! I don't know if this post was helpful or not, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Do you ever use lipstick as blush?

23 comments:

  1. Fantastic post hun! I actually have this lipstick and it washes me out COMPLETELY I only bought it cuz it was raved about >.<
    Love how you melted it down for a blush! It's such a great idea.

    Sarah
    morethanadored.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks - I totally fell for the hype! Should have known it would be too pale!

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  2. This is such a good idea! I think Gerbera may be a touch paler- it's very pastel. The stippling brush made it look almost moussey in texture. If I still had my tube of Lychee Crush I would do something like this (it broke off in the bullet so I figured I would never use it, though in hindsight I should have kept it for swatching purposes). Gah.

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    1. Yeah, I wasn't sure if Gerbera would suit me as it is so pale, so this one is filling the void for now! I'm very stingy with my stuff, even if I don't use it too much I still hoard it haha.

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  3. You're a genius! I love the look of your blush and I think it is such an excellent idea to get wear out of an unwearable lipstick! Very cool.
    x

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    1. Aw, haha thanks! I didn't think it would work on the cheeks but I was pleasantly surprised!

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  4. Well done you!! I have Stila in Lillium and I like it better on my lips than on my cheek :) So that's how I use it.
    Blog | Giveaway

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    1. Thanks! I'm desperate to try out one (or some) of the Convertible colours - they look so pretty!

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  5. This is so creative! I love the idea and it works too, it looks amazing!

    http://cuteandpinklife.blogspot.com.au/

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    1. Thanks - I know people use lipstick as blush all the time!

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  6. The colour is sooo pretty as a lipstick (in the tube anyway haha), but it looks even better as a blush. Very clever!

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    1. I'm glad such a pretty colour didn't go to waste!

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  7. OMG! Lychee Crush washes me out too! It's been staying in my makeup storage for a few months now. I havent thought of using it as a blush. Such a smart idea :D

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  8. I didn't really think to use is as a blush either, it's not really the typical blush shade but it's very pretty! I hope you try it out!

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  9. That's a great idea! This colour doesn't work on me either, I look dead!
    That's a really cool idea, and it's good that a product doesn't go to waste! I might try it, if I decide not to be lazy :3

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    1. I hate wasting product! If you do try, I really hope it works for you!

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  10. The shade is pretty and lovely! :) I love it when you turned it to a blush! It's not bad at all! Thumbs up Ms. Tashi! ^^

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    1. Thanks! The shade is very nice so I was determined to make it work for me!

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  11. omg this is an amazing idea! I'm seriously going to try this soon - though probably not mixing it with Vibrant Mandarin. Just going to dab a bit of the lippie on my cheeks. I have Stila Gerbera so it'd be interesting to see how close they are. It's so cool you were resourceful to turn a product that didn't work for you into something else entirely :)

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    1. I just wanted to add a little bit more colour to it, but the variations are very similar. For your skintone I think it would look really pretty! Yeah, I wonder how close they are!

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  12. This is such a clever idea! I never use that lipstick either - not because it washes me out but because it smells so weird haha!

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    1. Yeah, I really dislike the smell! I'm just not really a fan of the formula on the lips either!

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  13. i have tried a lippy as blush once :)

    Im inviting you to my huge giveaway, please have a look:

    http://pinkcloudsz.blogspot.com/2013/06/giveaway-its-raining-clothes-babe.html

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