Anastasia Kisses On My List Hydrafull Lip Gloss Set Holiday 2011 Swatches and Review

Anastasia Beverly Hills is more than just eyebrows. They actually have some excellent makeup items- my new favorite discovery is the Illumin8 Eyeshadow, which is eyeshadow and anti-aging skincare in one. Another one of their new non-eyebrow items is the Hydrafull Gloss, which is a hydrating and subtle plumping formula lip gloss, and for Holiday 2011 you can try six shades of it for a ridiculously discounted price with the new limited edition Kisses On My List set.


It contains six full sized Hydrafull glosses in Barely, Nectar, Lychee, Guava, Sugar Pink and Cameo. Nectar, Lychee and Guava are exclusive to this set. Barely, Sugar Pink and Cameo are part of the permanent line and can be purchased separately.


The gloss comes in a clear tube with chrome silver cap and accents. Instead of a brush or a doe-foot applicator, it has a rather odd and interesting silicone paddle applicator.


Here's a close up to show you what I mean by 'paddle'. See? it's like a little lipgloss spatula! Most unusual.


Here are the ingredients if you'd like to take a peek. You can click any photo to enlarge it and view more detail.

Here are the glosses swatched straight from the tube:

In direct sunlight: Barely, Nectar, Lychee, Guava, Sugar Pink, Cameo.

With flash: Barely, Nectar, Lychee, Guava, Sugar Pink, Cameo.

Indoors, ambient light: Barely, Nectar, Lychee, Guava, Sugar Pink, Cameo.

I suggest viewing the swatches full size; the shimmer shades look really pretty in the sunlight and each has a little bit of iridescent microshimmer in it. Sort of delicate and ethereal looking, isn't it?

These are supposed to have some cumulative benefits with continued use:
"After 10 minutes of use, 90% reported lips are hydrated. After one week, 87% reported the lip gloss provides long-lasting moisture. After four weeks, 83% saw improvement in the texture of lips and again 90% reported lips are hydrated."

I haven't been using them long enough to test all the claims, but they really do make my lips feel moisturized and hydrated during/after wear. Here's my experience with them:

What I liked:

• Every shade is completely wearable and flattering on my skintone.
  
• Glosses have a light vanilla scent; not very strong but still better than unscented.
• Formula feels very hydrating and my lips don't feel dry after it wears off.
• Reasonably good wear time for a gloss.
• Makes my lips look fuller.
• Nice smooth texture, completely non-sticky, but not thin and slippery either. My lips don't stick together with this, yet there's a substantially thick and dense protective coat of gloss.
  
• This set is an amazing deal- six glosses for the price of one and a half.
  
• Pretty packaging.
• No weird taste.
  

What I didn't like:

• All of the colors are very 'safe' and natural. Not as much of a problem as it is an observation.
  
• The paddle style applicator is weird to get accustomed to. I'm still not sure if I'm using it correctly. It's very different from what I'm used to using and I can't say I really like it. It's very strange to apply gloss with a flat plastic spatula.
  
• I wish the scent was stronger.
  

I love how all the colors look on me. No, there's nothing bright or colorful, but the sheer shades really compliment any color shadow I wear and don't clash with my skintone. Even the peach (Barely) looks good on me, and peaches almost never work for me. Barely is just perfect to mute the color of my lips a little and provide a hint of a milky look. I always want to do that milky nude lip but it never looks right on me. It's even easier for me to wear than my previous favorite, MAC Boy Bait Cremesheen. If you have similar coloration (fair, cool, pink tones, pigmented lips), that may be a good nude to try if others haven't worked for you.

The formula is interesting, too. It's not sticky/tacky at all, but it's not a thin or slippery/oily texture. It feels a bit heavy, almost balmy, and leaves a protective coating on my lips for quite a long time. It's sort of... thick and cushy? I don't know how to describe it, but it feels nice and my hair doesn't get stuck in it. This is my first time trying Anastasia gloss and I'm really digging it.

If you are interested at all in trying the Anastasia Hydrafull Gloss, I would highly recommend going for this set. Each gloss retails for $21 individually, but this set comes with six full-size (0.07oz) glosses for $30. You can't beat that deal. $126 worth of gloss for $30. These glosses are small and $21 is steep for a single one, but $30 is great for six.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Kisses On My List set is available now at Sephora, $30 for the set of six.

(This was sent to me for review.)