Liquid Lipstick Battle: We tested five local brands for eight hours - who won?

The year 2016 may have come and gone but when it comes to enduring beauty trends, we are definitely still loving liquid lipsticks! More and more local brands are coming out with their own versions while old faves add new shades or improve existing formulas. There can be a bit of a learning curve to applying liquid lippies perfectly but with so many offerings under P500, you can practice painting on the perfect line with no stress.

Today, our focus is on six local liquid lipsticks that have caught our fancy and become mainstays in our stash. We tested them out to see which ones lasted well throughout the day, with a full eight hours of drinking and eating. Ready to see which ones will survive?

From left: Happy Skin Glam Squad Liquid Matte Lipstick in Mickey See, Features & Shades True Light Liquid Lipstick in Coral, Jazzy France Lustrous Lip gloss in Nutmeg, Everyday Love+ Nude Lips #03, Pink Sugar Sugar Tint Lip & Cheek Tint in Purrfect Pout, Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Lip & Cheek Mousse in The Morning After

Happy Skin Glam Squad Liquid Matte Lipstick by Mickey See (P699 at Happy Skin)

This is honestly one of my personal favorites, so much so that I actually collected all four shades from the Glam Squad collection! The texture is smooth and non-drying on my lips. It is highly pigmented and reapplies easily. The color looks vivid when freshly applied, and stays true to the shade even after eight hours of wear. While it does fade around the middle area of the lips like most liquid lipsticks, I find that I can go without retouching by simply pressing my lips together to “refresh” and even out the look.

Features & Shades True Light Liquid Lipstick in Coral (P350 at SM Beauty)

The ingenious packaging of this illuminating tube is what drew me to it in the first place but the formula is A+ as well. This liquid lipstick is of a slightly runnier consistency but pigmentation is still great. The wetness of the formula actually lends to an easier application as it glides on smoothly and evenly covers the lips. It also fades out into a light stain, which looks okay if you’re dressed down. In my case though, I had to reapply after 5.5 hours because I was headed to a meeting.

Jazzy France Lustrous Lip Gloss in Nutmeg (P349 at department stores)

The name is really a misnomer as it certainly does not behave like a lip gloss. The pigmentation is insane! My freshly applied lip swatch went on really matte, with full color. It is admittedly patchy but this can be expected from most dark liquid lipstick shades. It also clung to the flaky bits of my lips, unfortunately.

Nutmeg is a very lovely color though, and the lippie didn’t feel like anything that I almost forgot I was wearing such a dark shade. Reapplication is a must for this liquid lipstick as any fading on darker shades is immediately noticeable.

Everyday Love + Nude Lips #03 (P199 at Instagram @everydayloveph)

This is such a pretty color in person but features a very drying formula that looks and feels desert-like immediately upon after application. I did notice though that as the day progressed, the dryness I felt lessened and the color started to blend with my lips more. Maybe I just had a bad batch but the gorgeous nude shade really made me want to make it work! I feel like this is a close dupe to Kylie’s liquid lipsticks. The shade still looks presentable after three hours, which is good, but at 8 hours, reapplication becomes a must.

Pink Sugar Sugar Tint Lip & Cheek Tint in Purrfect Pout (P349 at SM Beauty)

Featuring a moussey texture and a sweet fragrance, it dries down to a soft matte almost immediately after application. I needed a few passes for it to completely cover my lips but I didn’t mind too much as, compared to the other liquid lipsticks I tried in this battle, it felt softer and lighter. It certainly makes it easier to blend on the cheeks! This held up quite well as shown by the hour 6 lip swatch; I just have to purse my lips to refresh the color a bit and it’s good to go. It also did not dry out my lips as much as other liquid lipsticks normally do.

Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me Lip & Cheek Mousse in The Morning After (P699 at Happy Skin)

Compared to the brand’s own Liquid Matte, this has a creamier, moussier texture that helps it apply smoothly to the cheeks. The almost demi-matte finish looks like a healthier version of your lips’ natural look. It fades evenly except for the build up around the edges, so you may want to reapply even at just the 4-hour mark as the formula can’t be easily “refreshed” by just pursing the lips.

Verdict: After thoroughly testing and documenting the six liquid lipsticks, here’s where they stand in terms of longevity, moisture and consistency, as well as overall performance.

Best in Longevity: The Happy Skin Glam Squad Liquid Matte Lipstick remains my favorite for this! Even when it starts to fade a little, it can easily be “refreshed” even without reapplication.

Best in Moisture and Consistency: The Pink Sugar Sugar Tint Lip & Cheek Tint wins this for me as it did not dry out my lips and also applies well to my cheeks.

Best in Overall Performance: I have to say that the Features & Shades True Light Liquid Lipstick is the top winner! This is a sleeper hit for me as I knew it performed well enough but I only realized just how good it actually performs after comparing all six lippies. While it doesn’t dry down immediately, it lends a lovely looking finish to the lips that eventually settles down into a soft matte.

Do you have a favorite among these liquid lipsticks? If not, do tell us what other lippies past the 8-hour mark for you!