I’ve wanted to try OCC Lip Tars for ages and my curiosity finally got the better of me. I think I held off as I couldn’t get my head around what they were really like - the consistency, how wearable they are for ‘normal’ people - and so on. I took a gamble and am so glad I did, but these aren’t like anything I’ve tried before, so I’d like to spend a bit of time explaining exactly what to expect with these beauties. I think I was a bit scared of them and there’s really no need…
The 3 shades I have here are Pretty Boy, Anime and Grandma (L to R above and below).
- Pretty Boy is a bright, but wearable fuchsia with raspberry and blue tones.
- Anime is a full on, almost neon fuchsia
- Grandma is a warm corally tangerine
Consistency - Lip Tars come in liquid form, similar to the consistency of paint, in little plastic tubes with a slanted dispenser that can be applied directly to the lips (at your peril - more on that later). They’re available in a huge range of shades and are designed to be worn alone or mixed to create the perfect colour for your skin tone. Hugely pigmented, a little goes a loooonnng way.
Finish - They are fun to use, but take a little time and patience to get used to. The finish is similar to lipstick… dewy at first but leaning towards dry - I find they work best over a lipbalm and with a touch of gloss added afterwards. They don’t dry completely (and I expected them to) so they will smudge or transfer if you touch them.
Application - They have a tendency to bleed a little, so a primer or liner might help. I managed without one, but would like to try a transparent liner - (please tell me if you know where I can get my hands on one of these!) Lip Tars are extremely long lasting - a full day in my experience - and wear off evenly on me, leaving my lips looking similar to when I’ve used Benefit Benetint or similar lipstain product. Only a teensy bit is required, literally a dot on the end of a lipbrush, making them excellent value in my opinion (around £8-9 each). Due to the runny consistency, they apply best with a lipbrush, which I find also helps with precision. I did try applying one straight from the tube and while it was ‘ok’ I’d definitely opt for a brush.
Versatility - Many of the swatches I found made the product look similar to thick, opaque paint - almost like wet nail polish. It’s not. It’s extremely versatile and can be worn as a light stain, as a normal lipstick, or built up for a more full on, dramatic effect. I’ve tried to show several of these options in my pics. It also looks great with lipgloss for an amazing almost 3D effect.
Lip Tar as a Lipstain
Firstly I want to show how Lip Tars can be worn for a very natural every day look, even if you’re timid about colour. In these pics I’ve applied Pretty Boy as lip stain, with a teensy speck applied over lipbalm. I guess you could mix it with a lipbalm or clear gloss in a little pot if you wanted to go with this look regularly.
Pretty Boy straight from the tube…
Pretty Boy as full coverage lipstick…
It looks particularly blue toned on me in these pics, whereas you can see in the tube and painted swatches, it actually has a hint of raspberry about it and can sometimes look slightly warmer, like the little full face pic above. These were all taken in natural light and I applied two thin layers with a lip brush. It can be layered up more for a dramatic, longer lasting effect.
Anime and Pretty Boy look quite similar in the tubes - and while they’re not a million miles apart they are definitely different. I don’t think you’d need both really - I have a slight preference for Pretty Boy.
I’m quite taken aback at how similar the shades look in these pics… they are similar, but Pretty Boy is definitely a touch softer and more wearable. Anime has a lot more pop, is slightly more blue toned, verging on neon if applied generously and has a certain iridescence to it.
Anime’s true magic is best captured by camera with flash… the expression on my face here is pretty much how it makes me feel!
Grandma is a much more wearable shade… I wasn’t sure if it suited me at first but looking at these pics I really do like it. I was fighting for a crowded mirror by the time I got around to swatching this one so the application is a bit squiffy (my sister was getting ready for a party and I was half doing her makeup at the same time!).
It’s a coral toned tangerine which will be lushalicious for summer… in fact all of these shades make me want to tear up my winter woolies and replace my cloudy coloured wardrobe with summer brights immediately! I also think they’ll work brilliantly with the Spring Summer pretty nail colours. In fact, if you’re listening OCC - please bring out your own range of nail colours - how amazing would that be?!?!
In between swatching Anime and Grandma I popped out to the chemist and tried on the new Clarins Spring Summer blush while I was there (pink liquid one in a little tube with spongey wand) - I think it’s pretty cute - do you? Maybe not ideal with this lipstick, esp considering I was already wearing Benefit Hervana underneath, but anyway… I like it! :)
Incase you’re interested, the rest of my makeup is:
- Clarins Everlasting foundation in Sand (sample sachet from same chemist, dont you just love a local!) - has a great matte finish and is longlasting, though a little on the dry side for my liking - it seems to come up well in pics though.
- Benefit & Clarins blushers, as mentioned in above para
- Nars Larger than Life Eyeliner in dark bronzey brown shade (love!)
- Dream Weave mascara - first time using but very impressed so far, though wish I’d curled lashes!
- W7 brow pencil which an Aussie friend gave me - not even sure if this brand is available here? But I like the pencil a lot - it’s a nice ashy colour and has a little brow brush on one end which is very handy.
I only included this pic as I realised the others were all taken with flash - and this is closer to how Grandma looks in natural light. It was taken on my phone (in the car on our way out for dinner) so apols for the poor quality, but I hope you like the colour!
OCC Lip Tars cost around £7.99-£8.99 and are available from Cocktail Cosmetics or CutECOsmetics in the UK or directly from OCC Makeup in the US and internationally
Are you a fan of OCC Lip Tars, or do you fancy trying one?
I purchased Pretty Boy myself. Anime & Grandma were samples.
