Sephora + Pantone Universe Colorbyte Lip Wands Review & Swatches
I love the general idea of the new Sephora + Pantone Universe Colorbyte Lip Wands ($24) but the packaging is a pest to use and what originally looked like a really cool concept ends up being a PITA.
I mean think about it the name alone is kinda funky right? Colorbyte Lip Wands? It’s appeals to my geeky good nature in a major way. Even the pristine white packaging has visions of Apple dancing through my head. If Steve Jobs was going to use a lipgloss at some point in his life it would have had to be one called Colorbyte Lip Wands right?
Take a peek!
This four piece collection is housed in a green slide out box. Inside you’ll find four crystal cube glosses with chic white accenting. The packaging at a glance is beautiful. The glosses resemble little ice cubes. Unfortunately this packaging will begin to grate on your nerves after a while. Each tube has a twist off top and a very tiny slanted plastic applicator for application. You have to squeeze the middle of the cube to get the gloss to flow into the applicator tip but this proves a little challenging at times. Although the center of the packaging where you’re squeezing has some give you still have to press rather hard to get the gloss out. As you near the end of the gloss I imagine it’ll become even more challenging!
My second issue with this set are the colors.
The set contains:
- Touch of Emerald (glittery white gold clear gloss)
- Cameo Brown (muddy mauve brown)
- Georgia Peach (bright cream coral)
- Crocus (dark lilac purple)
Aside from the glittery shade the rest of the colors are really unflattering. I’m unsure who would really enjoy shades like this. It really is a matter of personal taste of course but I think many of you would agree that these shades aren’t something you’d want to spend $24 dollars on.
On the up side, the texture of the glosses is lovely. They have a good deal of pigment, a high glossy shine, and the formula is very comfortably with a gel-like consistency that has a lightweight texture sans stickiness. Supposedly they are a volumizing formula and the gloss being so thick in texture that’s true as it gives my lips a more pouty appearance thanks to that thickness. They do not contain fragrance or flavor of any kind.
Overall, Sephora did a great job on these. The formula is lovely, the packaging is very appealing, but sadly, that packaging can prove pretty as well as challenging. I think the colors are terribly mismatched and as out there as they could go. A few users on the Sephora website said they successfully combined the colors and mixed and matched them to create other shades. I tried cocktailing myself but wasn’t pleased with the overall results at all. These colors just aren’t me.
Sephora’s latest Pantone Collection has a few gems but I felt like the Colorbytes Lip Wand Set wasn’t one of them.
Sorry Sephora!
Available now at Sephora stores or online.