Lipstick Queen Lipstick Chess Review & Swatches
Lipstick Queen Lipstick Chess ($24) is a new collection of lipstick shades inspired by the classic strategic game of chess. A long time ago, when 14.4k modems were all the rage, MSN had dial up online service plans that started at $15.95 and charged you for each additional hour, and mIRC was the underbelly of the world wide web and the place to be, their lived a Muse who loved chess. I remember playing online chess in the early nineties for hours on end, testimony of the geek I was and the one I would become.
But actually, I would guess my obsession with chess probably began even further back than that with my dad who absolutely loved to play it and checkers. You have to know, my dad is a salt of the earth European who isn’t one to sit down and play games. My dad had a ton of patience and took the time to painstakingly teach me to play and to this day we still enjoy a game together. I’ve always butted heads with him as we are so much alike yet we can never agree with each other on anything. But when we play, we sit in absolute silence, enjoying each others company without every even saying more than a few words.
Well, yeah, so, that’s my story about chess…!
I thought the introduction of a chess inspired lipstick collection rather different. Lipstick is beauty, beauty is, well, not necessarily geeky and chess is a bit on the geeky side of the fence. Combining both words seemed quite interesting. Each shade in this collection represents one of the six players on a chess board. The king, the queen, the knight, the bishop, the rook, and of course, the pawn.
Let’s take a look!
I kept thinking up creative ways they could box these lipsticks up into a cute chess inspired set. But sadly, they are available as individual purchases versus a set, with a total of six shades to choose from each of which comes in either a black or white barrel that’s 0.12 oz in size. Even though the shade selection is smaller it does cover a good variety of plums, reds, berries, and nudes.
This formula promises a matte formula with a hydrating, suede-like texture enriched with oils and waxes for a smooth even finish. I’m a strong supporter and fan of Lipstick Queen and truly believe the line does a good job focusing its time and attention on releasing fantastic lipstick products. Chess Lipstick is a thinner matte consistency that initially tugs during application and feels a dry on my already dry lips. The lipstick does have to warm up and the initial layer of “newness” needs to be broken in before you’ll find any joy here. I was disappointed at first but the more I applied these, the better the application I got. Out of the box the formula tugged a lot and dragged across my lips. Not to mention the formula clung to my drier lips and looked a bit patchy. After the formula warms up you’ll get more of a light creaminess and a much easier glide with a smoother finish yet still one that does cling to drier areas so exfoliating is an important step for even, smooth color. I probably goes without saying that these are pigmented and opaque on a single pass. I detected no flavor nor fragrance in the formula. The lipstick wears for a solid six hours but they look a little flakier at around hour five.
If I’m honest, I wouldn’t say Lipstick Queen Lipstick Chess are a stand out collection of lipsticks from an otherwise flawless brand. I’ve tried creamier mattes with better finishes that I didn’t have to work for you if you know what I mean. If you like mattes, if you like Lipstick Queen, hell, if you like chess, maybe you’ll feel compelled to try these but keep in mind they aren’t Lipstick Queen’s best in show.
Lipstick Queen Lipstick Chess is available now at Ulta.com.