November 13, 2012

Khroma Beauty Au Natural Nude Lip Set Review & Swatches

I recently purchased the new Khroma Beauty Au Natural Nude Lip Set at my local Harmons. As you know Khroma Beauty is the Kardashian’s new makeup collection.

Before I start my review I just wanted ask everyone to be a little kinder in the comments. I don’t really love deleting anyone’s comment but when I’m seeing stuff like “OMGZ I wanna punch the Kardashian’s in the face…!” I kinda feel forced to step in and delete the comment. I don’t love the Kardashian’s, I don’t watch their show, I don’t endorse them, I’m not a fan, etc…etc…However, I don’t think it’s fair to attack them “just because”. Seriously, who has the time to go around wasting energy on hating people you don’t even know? Chill, breath…don’t be annoyed by crazy celebs. You have better things to do with your time my friends 🙂

Now if you like nothing at all about these three girl’s that’s fine but you have to admit that there makeup is always flawless. At least I think so. One thing I’d really love to master is Kim’s nude lip look. One of my favorite nude glosses is Korres Cherry Lipgloss in Nude 33. That’s most definitely my perfect nude lip look! But the idea of actually achieving something as great as Kim’s nude lip look is mighty tempting which is why I picked up this kit.

Did it work?

Ahh no.

Sadly, this set falls into the celebrity makeup/perfume trap. Too many celebs put their name on fragrances and makeup that it seems they haven’t even tested themselves (Madonna, girl, I’m sorry I’m talking to you! That perfume you launched is rancid).

This set features a dual ended lipstick and liner pencil and a lipgloss for achieving Kim’s killer nude lip look. In theory the idea sounds fantastic but of course, it really depends on the pigment you do or do not have in your lips. If your lips are pigmented already you might find these shades come across a little too zombified. My lips have medium pigmentation and I looked more like I was nuding them out rather than trying to achieve that natural lip look. Not pretty. More like rigor mortis had set in than glam celebrity lip look!

The nude beige shade of both the gloss and lip pencil seem about right in regards to what you’ve seen on Kim but they lack the pop she has and the glossy shine. The color is a toss up as on some it might look amazing where on others it’ll look scary as hell. As I mentioned above it’s all about your skin tone and lip pigmentation.

Here’s another problem…

The formula. Oh gosh the formula. I really doubt the K’s put much effort into this line. Either that or they simply don’t care what their name is on.

The gloss has a rather bad artificial honey smell that comes across more like dried cat pee than anything else. I’m sorry there isn’t any friendlier way of putting it. It’s also very, very dry with absolutely no glossiness or shine. It has a bit of pigmentation but the gloss factor is simply not hear resulting in a very dry finish that accentuates the natural lines in lips. I highly recommend avoiding it if your lips are prone to dryness as this will suck moisture right out of them.

The dual ended lip pencil is also very drying. It has medium pigmentation but unfortunately the dryness really kills the deal for me overall.

In the end, this like most celebrity beauty adventures, is a very poorly thought out product with a terrible formula and a too high price tag for what you get ($14.99). The quality is simply not here. It’s sad as the color seems about right…if they improved the gloss, gave it a thicker texture, more glossiness, and a bit of sparkle I think you could potentially create a rather nice natural lip look. Sadly, the gloss has none of these characteristics and the dryness of the overall set is a big no.

No likey.

Don’t waste your money.

I purchased this item.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Fran

    Thank you, thank you! I was pondering if I should get this set, but it’s obvious it’s not worth my $15 (plus tax). What’s your favorite nude lipstick, Muse? I prefer lipsticks to glosses:)

    • the Muse

      I don’t really have a fav nude lippie fran…mmmm maybe naked by urban decay…it’s pink but it’s a perfect shade of mlbb!

    • Dina Lopez

      Revlon makes an amazing Nude gloss called Peach Petal. Its a great color, I recommend checking it out!

    • looking for bargains

      i agree and was waiting for your review.nudes are hard especially if you have any pigment.mine looked like i had been eating powdered donuts and frightening.the odor was horrible and i let the associate smell it when i returned it,she was disgusted and thinks maybe they will reformulate it and try again since it was a new launch, just not for me, i did have some success with loreals limited edition nude gloss in girls night out

  • Eli Caroline

    I haven’t tried any of the Kardashian products yet. I really do want to try one of the palettes but I haven’t picked one up yet because I fear the quality will not be good.
    I guess my instinct was correct.

  • isabella

    I almost bought this the other day
    Nudes are so hard to buy aren’t they?
    The colors look OK on your hand though. But I thought the price was high for Harmon

  • Lisa

    picked up one of the mascaras and kims palette yesterday. hope they aren’t poor quality as well. 🙁 don’t understand the hate for them though. or how they are “pure evil” lol. there’s a lot worse in the world than the kardashians.

  • Stacie

    Awwwww. I wanted this to be good. I don’t watch their show or follow them at all, but every picture of them that I see, they look stunning. Maybe their makeup artists should launch a line instead since they are probably the ones doing all the color selection in the first place.

    • the Muse

      stacie agreed they always look amazing! it’s one reason I was tempted to give this a whirl, was kinda hopeful the quality would be there. good idea ;-D MUA line might be better!

  • Coco

    Regardless of who made these and how much they were involved, I don’t think I’d pick anything up from the collection because I find the price tag too high for drugstore makeup. Specially a new brand with no reputation or “guarantee” of quality.

  • LINDARRAGNAR

    I gotta agree with you muse! So many people just hate, I think its much easier to ignore and not be bothered by people.

    Boy I am not surprised that the makeup set stinks! those are really pretty colors, alot like my buxom lipstick in sydney! but if it is drying and the gloss smells like dried cat whizz…..LOL whats the point especially for 15$

    I just don’t understand why these celebs wouldn’t be more careful with what they slap their names on!

    • the Muse

      takes too much energy to hate ;-D but hey I have no issues hating on the quality of the makeup hehe! mm agreed…it just seems not very well thought out. I should hope they try it out for themselves? it can’t be that they are sititng there and thinking “wow we created a great makeup collection” ummmm no…let’s be realistic.

  • sara

    Great review. Gotta say its disappointing that its not a great product. I read about it on Ulta today and was tempted to buy. I’ll stick with my too faced nude lip.

  • Sara Elisabeth

    I love the Kardashian’s show. It’s my guilty pleasure. Don’t hold it against me, Muse 🙂 I won’t be buying anything from their makeup line, though. And yes, their makeup is always impecable. I love Kim’s makeup artist, Mario. I credit her impecable makeup to him, not these products.

    • the Muse

      oh I don’t 😀 my sister adores them and their show I just don’t really watch it or follow them ;-D kim’s makeup is always amazing even khloe’s for that matter (that’s the tall one right?).

  • Common

    We tried to warn u boo! If you like her makeup, just google her mua, as he frequently posts what’s used on her, and its all readily available brands. Maybe even colors you already have in your stash.

  • Icequeen81

    hahahaha your post made me laugh. I don’t like them either, but don’t have any reason to hate them either.
    By coincidence I told my man about KK parfume last week, I told him that It smells like dried cat pee in my opinion. I wasn’t very interested in the parfume but last year a college did recommend the parfume, she is all into KK, so I was curious, The smell did linger on my nose trills for hours I wasn’t very pleased about it.

    I also think that you are right it is true that that natural looks on the lips doesn’t suit everyone, It would make me look sick. So I stick myself to the regular shades I use that look good on me.

    • the Muse

      me either i could care less to be honest with you…I don’t watch their show, I know very little about them aside from pictures and snippets I read on the Internet. If I was interested I’d follow them more closer but I’m not shrug 😀 I really dislike Kim’s perfume too I don’t get the cat pee but it is very very strong which is one reason it isn’t for me :-/

      • Icequeen81

        hehehe I wont dare to see their program or follow their lives, same as you I know a little about them. I know them from media pictures etc. It is like any site u open they are there, or any magazine I don’t bother to read it either….

  • Kimchi

    You say not to bully the Kardashians, but then you go on about “I doubt they even put effort into this line”. If you watch their show and didn’t make blind assumptions, you’d know that they DID put good effort into it. It showed them in the meetings. Ugh sooo rude.

    • the Muse

      i don’t watch the show kimchi so I really don’t know what effort they put into the line. based on my experience with the product they put very little effort into the making of it. I wouldn’t personally put my name on a product this bad. You’d think they’d want to put out a quality product and this is far from quality. I’m not bullying them by expressing my opinion on how bad it is. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience with the duo if you tried it…i sincerely doubt anyone purchasing this is going to give a high grade rating, simply put it’s crappy makeup. I’m not attacking the Kardashian’s simply stating my opinion on their uneventful makeup collection. If it was good, I’d gladly tell you it was but this formula is dry and patchy. Hope this helps.

      • Common

        Lol….just because a meeting is “featured” on their show, means nothing, cosmetic creators must know chemistry, color, design etc….non of which these women know.

        And I just googled and from the clip I found, its was CLEAR they merely put their names on the products, and made comments on the name of the brand,

        If you think for one second these chicks know make up enough to create a successful line…then I have a bridge to sell you.

    • Devin

      hahaha did you see the same episode I did, Kimchi?

      Thank you for being honest (as usual) and awesomely funny, Muse!

  • Marty

    Thanks for the review Muse. Nude lips are hard to pull off. Any nude shade just washes me out because my lips are also medium pigment, so I do better with mlbb.

    • the Muse

      my pleasure marty, I have the same problem! I always look like a zombie when I try to go nude!

      • Ruth

        …brains…nom…

        I can’t wear a nude lip either, makes me look like i have the flu.

  • Danii

    Yeaaaah, this literally looks like a bunch of concealer being advertised for lips. They really seem to only put their names on things while not paying attention. ARGH celebrities, pay attention and have some heart in the products you put out! Only celebrity fragrance I like: Gaga’s FAME. THAT STUFF SMELLS AMAZING 😀 (But I like odd scents.)

  • Claudia

    THANKS SO MUCH for this review and for keeping it REAL!!
    I don’t care about the Kardashians but like you said, their makeup is always very pretty so I was interested in their cosmetics line but I guess I’ll save my $ for something better 🙂

    • the Muse

      i felt the same claudia, I really wanted to try it out….kinda hopeful that the nude lippie set would be just as great as what you see on kim’s lips but no luck!

  • OrangeLipstickBlog

    “dried cat pee” ~hurk~

    So glad you reviewed this because I was thinking about picking this up, even if I’m not a Kardashian fan. Glad to know it’s not worth the $$$

  • Linda

    Hi Muse,

    I have to repeat all the others: Thank you for your review! I was really tempted to buy as I love to nude out my lips with my tarte concealer and layer with clear gloss and was hoping this would be an easier way to get the best nude. My lips are already starting to crack from cold weather and the dryness you mentioned is a no-go!

    Have you checked out the NARS edie set yet? That lipstick looks so pretty too but I’m afraid of the ever dreaded dry factor there too!

    I love your reviews, they’re honest, and help me out tremendously because i almost only online shop 🙂

    • the Muse

      aw thanks linda hope it helped ;-D you really should bother if you already have dry lips as it’ll look ghastly. It’s getting cold here now and I have chapped lips myself and it looked awful 🙁 I haven’t….! I’ll check it out thanks for the rec ;-D Me too! I tend to like online shopping as well and blogs are such a great way to get the deets so you can order online ;D

  • Manii

    I actually wanted to give this a try, but I’m glad that you saved me a trip lol! Their palettes are actually not that bad, I got both of them and the pigmentation is there. I have been using the neutral color palette as my everyday eye and cheek makeup and have been loving it!

    • the Muse

      manii haven’t tried my palette yet looking forward to it now ;-D happy to hear it’s good!

  • Tiffany

    I picked up the lip set and I actually like it, I agree the gloss smells bad and it is not the highest quality but I think it looks really pretty on. I have nw25 skin and my lips have a rosey pink color already on them.

    • the Muse

      you’re lucky! it was dry as hell on me and made my lips looked cracked/peeling 🙁 I wish it worked for me!

  • Emily

    Regardless of one’s personal feelings about the show, family, etc and while I absolutely respect one’s decision to boycott Khroma if they feel that is the best thing to do, I have to say I like knowing that Muse is willing to try out the products, to do so with an open mind and pass on her unbiased opinion to the readers.

    As for the products reviewed, too bad the formula is subpar because the colors are actually quite lovely and would probably flatter a *lot* of skin tones. I think I’ll look for something in another line of that shade (or see if my collection has something similar already XD)

  • Ame

    Having tried these Khroma products, I have to say there’s NO WAY they put any thought or effort into these actual products. These are not the quality a true makeup lover would ever want to use or put their names on.

  • Ame

    Um I saw the epi AND I tried the products and there is NO WAY they put any effort into this stuff. You are aware that the show is scripted right? And that they’re not really showing you “reality” of those meetings?

  • tres

    Ok, one more time! Muse have you tried the Armani nude lip set at Nordstrom yet? Online it looks more pink than the Khroma stuff. Wondering if anyone else has seen/tried it or if you could review it.

  • Christine

    Hi Muse~

    I just wanted to let you and your readers know that the way Kim achieves her nude lip is by first lining her lips with MAC Stripdown Liner, filling them in, then applying MAC Angel Lipstick, and then topping it off with NARS Turkish Delight Lip Gloss. I learned this by watching a video of her MUA applying her makeup. I have purchased these products and they do produce a nice pinky nude lip. But after applying the liner, just dab on the lipstick so not to add too much pink. Hope this is helpful. 🙂

  • Alexandra

    I was curious about KK make up line but I guess I’ll skip it! And since we’re on the subject of celebrity make up line here, have you tried Dita Von Teese’s make up line with Art Deco? I’ve seen glowing reviews so I’m curious what is your tought about them 😀

    • the Muse

      I haven’t tried it Alexandra! :-/ I’m curious though as Art Deco makes some mighty nice products!

  • Wenda

    I just bought the au natural nude lip set & you def hit the nail on the head with the cat pee description…the lipstick had a nice scent, the liner…dry. The gloss, P U!! I was shocked at the level of stick that cake off the tiny wand. I was a little unsure if I should apply. Also completely agree with the zombie look. Guess you gotta have a darker skin tone to make this work. I’m as pale as a raw turkey thawing in the sink. (Gross, I know but many will know what I mean)

    My love of buy it and try it continues!

  • SW

    I have an olive skin tone and I think it achieved the KK “nude lip” look that I was going for. I think as long as you are about the same color as them, then it will look good. If you’re too pale or darker than them, then I can see it not looking good.

  • Karen Noelle

    I was excited to purchase the Lip gloss, when I tried it on, it made me sick to my stomach, it has an awful scent,

  • Crystal

    I love the Korres gloss too, I was recently tempted to buy a guerlain gloss but it was so similar to my Korres that I did not get it. Too bad the formula of this set is not brilliant…

  • Shanai Mifsud

    I actually really loved my lip set from them. I got the in the flesh colour and it was gorgeous. The lipstick and lipgloss were not drying at all and the gloss remained shiny all day. I absolutely love the smell too.

  • Desiree

    I was so excited to try on my new “Natural Honey” lipgloss. Sadly though, I was so dissapointed. The lipgloss has a really bad smell and it has no shine whatsoever.
    Word to the wise:Stay away from the Khroma Beauty Lipgloss!