Hello!
Ever since I saw the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani range I knew I had to have something. I used to absolutely adore Gwen Stefani in my childhood and was always singing her songs! I also love Urban Decay so it's a good mix. Gwen is known for her bold lips and I nearly *always* go for a bold lip so I knew she would have a colour I'd love.
The packaging of her lipsticks are quite unique and are inspired by Gwen's love of black and gold graphic prints. This has differently angled lines of gold and black which gives me a very rock feel and I love it.
'Rock Steady' is a warm, deep red with a sheen to it which isn't quite as dark as the bullet shows. I've seen it described as glossy but when I think of glossy I think of as shiny as a lipgloss so I don't agree with it. I think it has a sheen to it which focuses mainly on the middle of the lips. The lipstick is a cream lipstick making it really easy to glide onto the lips and gives a slightly slippy feel as opposed to it feeling really dry like some lipsticks can. It is also extremely pigmented and you can achieve an opaque, bold lip straight away.
I believe that this lipstick looks good with and without a lip liner; although I prefer to use it with. This is because I sometimes find after eating oilier food the lipstick can bleed a little at the edges of my month which can be easily fixed anyway. The range does have matching lip liners but I use a far cheaper alternative by pairing it with a L'Oreal red lip liner.
As for lasting power, because it is a sheen lipstick it doesn't last as long as a matte lip would. If I'm not eating and drinking it is fine but if I do eat and drink the colour on the sides and corners of my mouth will go. Drinking a drink through a straw is okay but if I'm drinking out of a cup it will go. Because of this I always make sure I bring the lipstick out with me and will reapply after I've finished eating. Layering the lipstick is fine and it doesn't go funny like some lipsticks can do (I find that with MAC ones).
In conclusion I do like this lipstick. It is very pigmented so makes a wonderful bold lip and it is a red and finish that I didn't already have in my collection. Nearly all of the lipsticks I own are matte so this is something different, but not too different, for me. It hasn't got the best lasting power after eating but reapplying is perfectly fine. Just watch out for any of the colour bleeding! Maybe if you're going out all day you could bring a cotton bud with you just in case.
The lipstick is £16 making it one of the most expensive lipsticks I have. I'm glad I bought it and it would be something I'd see as making a good gift for a real make up lover or for someone who also had a love for Gwen Stefani years ago!
Do you have any of the products from the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani range?
