Makeup Geek Lip Products Review and Swatches: Iconic Lipstick, Plush Creme, and Plush Matte

I Purchased This 

Hey everyone!

Today I have a review of three different Makeup Geek lip products, one of the Iconic Lipsticks in Shy, one of the Plush Mattes in Marriage Material, and one of the Plush Cremes in Old Soul. Makeup Geek came out with their lip products ages ago and there was a lot of hype for them because they were frequently previewed before their launch on social media.

I decided to get two of the more neutral mauves during a sale and got one of the brighter colors in a set. I've had these lip products for several months now but it's taken me a while to write this post. The long and short of it is, these are just so-so. 

Continue reading for my thoughts and also swatches of the colors and why I feel this way. 

Iconic Lipstick

The Iconic Lipsticks are their only traditional lipsticks, a revamp of their previous lipstick line.  They come in both a matte and shine finish, I got Shy which is in the shine finish. These are a slimline lipstick with an angled bullet with a color indicator in the cap (which is useless since it doesn't actually match the lipstick color). These are $15.00 for 2 grams/0.07 oz.

Makeup Geek says:

• Highly pigmented color in a shine finish leaves your lips feeling silky smooth. The sleek Rose-Gunmetal tubes feature a unique color indicator in the cap so you can easily find your ideal shade!  

Initially I was surprised at the price, but after doing some research the pricing is fairly similar to other slimline lipsticks. These are still more expensive than I would expect for a Makeup Geek Lipstick and more expensive than their previous lipsticks which were $7.99 for a traditional bullet lipstick.

Shy is described as a soft dusty rose with a shine finish. 

Shy is smooth, creamy, and comfortable providing nearly one stroke coverage with a shiny finish that's actually hydrating to the lips. I'm able to get about four hours of wear with this but unfortunately it stains my lips a bright pink at the end of the day. If I'm wearing a brighter color, I'll expect it to stain my lips but it's unexpected for a color like Shy.

It looks so good and the formula is quite nice with a cushy quality to the lips that aids in making them feel comfortable. However, I'm not sold on it just because the staining is bad for me and contrasts pretty severely against the pink of the lipstick. I think I have a hard time justifying $15.00 for a Makeup Geek lipstick but I was fine paying for this when it was on sale.

Plush Creme

The Plush Cremes are a cream-mousse hybrid, which are creamier than the Plush Mattes. These are supposed to be a more comfortable liquid lipstick formula. I got the shade Old Soul. These come in a tube with a doefoot applicator and are $14.00 for 3 mL/0.10 oz. I do think the tube doesn't pull out much product so sometimes you need to dip back to get more.

Makeup Geek says:

• A cross between a cream and mousse, this unique formula sits on top of the lips for a soft, “plush” feel. A wide variety of colors crafted in a smooth creme finish, you’re sure to find a highly pigmented shade you love! 

Old Soul is described as a "muted rose with a creme finish". This may look similar to Shy but it's a touch more purple-toned, not as pink as Shy. The product looks so nice on my lips in photos. I've found that this cream-mousse formula does need to be spread in long strokes across my lips instead of short swipes. 

The purple tones do stand out if you decide to layer it, though I only did one layer in the swatch photo below. If you want to layer it, fully apply one layer then add more on top instead of pulling more product from the tube and applying one thick layer.

Wear time was about four hours, however again I'm dealing with some lip staining from what looks to be a neutral color but leaves behind a bright pink stain.

All in all, not a completely bad liquid lipstick formula but if you want a liquid lipstick that doesn't dry down flat matte with better wear time and comfort level, I would highly recommend you check out the Colourpop Ultra Satin Lips, which are only $6.00.

Plush Matte

The Plush Mattes are a cream-mousse liquid lipstick formula. These are more matte than the Plush Cremes. These are packaged in a clear tube with a doefoot applicator. The tube is shorter than the Plush Cremes. These are $12.00 for 1.8mL/0.06 oz. 

Makeup Geek says:

• A cross between a cream and mousse, this unique formula sits on top of the lips for a soft, “plush” feel. A wide variety of colors crafted in a soft matte finish, you’re sure to find a highly pigmented shade you love!

The Plush Mattes are quite a "dry" mousse formula, not a creamy mousse like other liquid lipsticks. It's veering too dry for me and I've noticed that the formula has grains that I have to smooth out on my lips. I'm able to get it to apply evenly on my lips but I feel like it makes my lips look dry and it leaves behind a bright pink stain.

My biggest problem with the Plush Matte though is that I can't get it to stop leaking. I started noticing an oily sheen around the cap and rings of the tube, thought I spilled something on it, cleaned it up, and left it alone. However, more time passed and I noticed an oil ring where it'd been stored despite it being stored right side up. I haven't noticed it from the Plush Creme, only the Plush Matte. Given how it's already a dry mousse, I can't help but wonder if it's just gonna continue to dry out given how it's been leaking.

Marriage Material (I don't know if their idea was to reclaim some stereotypically disparaging names) is described as a muted berry with purple undertones. 

These are also quite expensive for how much you get. When comparing costs of liquid lipsticks, liquid lipsticks can be more expensive to manufacture. I also recognize that it's not fair to compare Makeup Geek to mass-market brands like Wet n Wild, MAC, etc so here are some price comparisons to smaller/niche brands.

Makeup Geek Plush Mattes: $12.00 for 1.8mL/0.06 oz or $6.67 per mL

Beauty Bakerie Lip Whips: $20.00 for 3.5mL or $5.71 per mL
Black Moon Liquid to Mattes: $18.00 for 6mL or $3.00 per mL
Darling Girl Pucker Paints: $13.75 for 7mL or $1.96 per mL
Fyrinnae Whipped Mattes: $8.50 for 3mL or $2.83 per mL
Sugarpill Liquid Lip Color: $18.00 for 6mL or $3.00 per mL

Fairly expensive with a poor formula and frustrating packaging, I would pass on this. I think there are better liquid lipstick formulas out there (Bare Minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolors are awesome!)

Conclusion

In the end, I think you can look elsewhere for new lip products because I feel like the formulas aren't particularly unique for the price point. I've been a long time Makeup Geek customer and I feel like these lip launches don't really match up with the typical quality from the line. The eyeshadows are also no longer talc-free like they used to be which does seem like a shift since that was a big selling point in the beginning of the brand. 

What are some of your current favorite lip products? What lip products haven't you enjoyed recently?

Disclaimer: I purchased these myself. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this post. This post does contain affiliate links, which provide me with a commission based on your purchase using the link.