Frugal Drug Store LipSense Alternatives {Part 1}

My search to find a long lasting lip color that compares to LipSense without the high price tag and that is easily accessible. Thus the frugal drug store LipSense alternatives hunt began.

You’ve probably seen my other beauty posts on LipSense. What is LipSense? How to apply LipSense. And the new 2017 LipSense color chart.

But today we are going to be talking about LipSense alternatives in the market. Specifically drug store brands. And how they stack up against LipSense on longevity and price.

I have been 100% faithful to LipSense for seven and a half months. I have worn only LipSense colors and Glossy Gloss. Nothing else. No lip balm. No chapstick. No Carmex. Nothing. I haven’t even rubbed my homemade moisturizing facial balm or straight coconut oil on them. In that time my lips have been amazing. They have

In that time my lips have been amazing. They have been soft and not chapped once. And we are talking ALL winter people. Beginning of November to mid-June. All LipSense all the time. I love my LipSense colors. I would love to get some more. I just don’t love the price of $25 a color. Even when I do get a discount as a distributor.

So last week I went to Target and purchased several long-lasting lip colors right off the shelf to test against LipSense. The prices are retail at Target for each one.

1. LipSense in Sheer Berry…..$25 + gloss
2. Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour in Very Cranberry……$7.99
3. Revlon ColorStay Overtime in Keep Blushing…..$8.59 (on sale for $6.99)
4. Covergirl Outlast in Wild Berry…..$7.99
5. Rimmel London Provacalips 16 Hour Kissproof Color in Wish Upon A Berry…..$6.59
6. L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Last in Toujour Teaberry…..$9.99
7. E.L.F. Aqua Beauty Radiant Gel Lip Tint in Dewy Berry…..$4
8. E.L.F. Lip Stain in Berry Blush…..$2

(I have shared Amazon links with you and some of these are cheaper on Amazon than at Target, so check it out.)

Since Sheer Berry is my favorite LipSense color, I decided to try things in the berry color family. The exception being the Revlon Colorstay because the more berry colored ones on the shelf looked so dark and brown that I ended up with something pinker.

All of the colors, except the E.L.F. brand, are more of a liquid lipstick. The E.L.F. brands are a lip tint and a lip stain. They both feathered into the cracks in the skin on my hand, while the other lip colors did not. I didn’t see an E.L.F. liquid lip color, but I bought a couple of E.L.F lip products anyway because I think E.L.F. is pretty good quality for a very afordable price and I wanted to see how they stacked up.

So let’s talk price. Here’s the breakdown of price per ounce. On the ones that have a color and gloss I have shared just the color amount. I calculated out the cost for one ounce of each one.

1. LipSense – 0.25 oz @ $25 a color = $100 per 1 oz
2. Maybelline – 0.077 oz @ $7.99 a color = $103 per 1 oz
3. Revlon – 0.07 oz @ $8.59 a color = $123 per 1 oz
4. Covergirl – 0.07 oz @ $7.99 a color = $114 per 1 oz
5. Rimmel – 0.14 oz @ $6.59 a color = $47 per 1 oz
6. L’Oreal – 0.1 oz @ $9.99 a color = $100 per 1 oz
7. E.L.F Aqua – 0.2 oz @ $4 a color = $20 per 1 oz
8. E.L.F. Lip Stain – 0.08 oz @ $2 a color = $25 per 1 oz

So when you look at the cost per ounce, LipSense falls in the middle. However, you do need the gloss to set the color, so that adds $20 to the cost, but doubles the volume. I didn’t count any of the glosses for the other brands, so we are looking strictly at the color prices. I think that you will need some sort of gloss or balm for most, if not all of these throughout the day so I am only focusing on the color cost.

Around 7 p.m. I swatched them all and waited for about twenty minutes. When they were all good and dry I rubbed my hand over them all to see if any smeared. They did not. They all passed test number one.

Then I waited until the one hour mark and I washed my hands with hand soap and water. I did wash the back of my hand, but I didn’t scrub it. Here’s what they looked like after washing.

The E.L.F. brand is definitely faded, while the rest still appear to be in good shape. The Covergirl Outlast (#4) does look a little thinner.  Also, none of them have their protective gloss/balm coating.

I went about my evening and went to bed. Here’s what my swatches looked like first thing in the morning. This was also after three hand washes. The numbers were very faded so I added some to the photo.

Everything looks a bit more faded but LipSense (1), Maybelline (2), Rimmel (5), and Loreal (6) still look pretty good.

While this hand test is not the true test of longevity since I would not typically wear them here, it does give some idea on how well the formulas last.

Next up in my testing process is to wear one each day and see how well the each wear on my lips. I want to see how long the color lasts, how my lips feel, and how it comes off. Check out Frugal Drug Store LipSense Alternatives {Part 2} to see how they each fared in the wearability test.

Be sure to check out my other Beauty posts.

Did you know that I have a Simply Stylish Facebook group? It’s a beauty and fashion community for women who want to feel confident in their appearance but don’t want to spend a lot of time or money. I would love for you to join us.

Do you have a favorite long lasting lip color? Drop it in the comments below so I can be sure to check it out.