Huda Beauty Lip Strobe “Mystical” | Review

Hello friends!

As you saw in my Makeup Brands I Want to Try in 2019 post, Huda Beauty is one of the brands that I want to test out this year!  It’s actually funny that I have them on my list, considering I’ve owned something from the brand for over a year, but at least I’m finally getting around to it!  Instead of starting with her liquid lipsticks, however, I’ll be reviewing a lip strobe I got in one of my Ipsy bags.

Color: Mystical is a beautiful purple with blue glitter flecks.  To me, purples always make me feel like my teeth look yellow, and this one is unfortunately not an exception.  However, it is a very unique shade to my collection!

Applicator: The applicator is definitely different compared to others I’ve used so far.  It has a traditional teardrop shape on top, but then tapers to a curved hook.  It’s also incredibly flexible, so it hugs your lips as you apply and makes getting an even line pretty easy.  The applicator holds just enough product to cover one of my lips, so I did have to dip the applicator back in to get more product for the other.

Application: It’s very easy to apply, and feels pretty thick.  Because of this, it’s relatively opaque for a gloss.  As you can see from the swatch, I definitely wouldn’t consider it fully opaque, though.  It also smells really yummy like vanilla frosting, or some sort of sweet baked treat.

Comfort: This product is definitely something that I can feel on my lips while wearing it. While it’s not an uncomfortable feeling, because of the thickness, it’s still there.  If you don’t like feeling your lip glosses, this will likely bother you.  It also has a slight stickiness, but I only feel it when I pushed your lips together. I could also feel the glitter, but only when I pushed my lips together and rubbed in circles, which isn’t something I would do in my daily life, so don’t worry too much about it!

Something that is really cool about this lip product is how buildable it is!  If you put on a thin layer, you’ll get a lot of the pretty blue glitter shift without much base color or a ton of glossy shine.  However, you can layer more product on top of itself and it doesn’t feel any thicker or more uncomfortable.  You get more of the lilac base, which is great if you want to wear it on its own instead of layering over something else!

Since I didn’t absolutely love the way the gloss looked on its own,  I wanted to try it over a pale nude liquid lipstick.  I noticed right away that a lot of the blue sparkle that made it so special was mostly gone, so it looked more like a standard lilac lip gloss; still pretty unique, but unfortunately not the same.

Fading: To test the lasting power, I had a drink and checked it before and after.   I noticed that a lot of the color and glitter was gone, but there was still some glossy shine.  This product doesn’t claim to be long lasting, and I’d say it lasts about the same as any other lip gloss.

Price Point: This is definitely a pricey gloss, with the full size coming in at $18.  Due to that, it’s kind of hard for me to recommend this as something you need to go out and buy.  While it is definitely a pretty color and comfortable formula, it doesn’t last any longer than a standard gloss you could find anywhere else.  I would say if the color is super intriguing to you and you feel like you’d wear it a lot, go for it!  You won’t be disappointed.

Something else to note is that each color has a different opacity; this one was listed as “semi-sheer” but there are others that are considered full coverage.  If you’re looking for an intense gloss, you might want to consider a different shade in the collection!

If you’re on a budget, I’d say you should definitely find a drugstore alternative! While I can’t think of an exact color dupe right now, any lilac gloss or pinky purple color would give a similar effect.

Would you wear this color alone, or as a topper?