Lakme is one of those few Indian brands which still manage to sell good quality makeup products at a pocket friendly price. Their 9 to 5 makeup range includes various makeup items, but I honestly feel that the liners and lipsticks in this range are worth talking about.
Lakme has always come up with great quality cosmetics and colors in their palette. Their product quality is undoubtedly exceptional and they enjoy a bigger market share than most other brands. This time on they have come up with a great selection of awesome colors in their Lakme 9 to 5 lipstick line. This come in variants of both Matte and Creaseless Crème ranges but I’ll give you a lowdown on the what-and-how of the 9 to 5 specials.
In today’s post, I will be reviewing the Lakme 9 to 5 creaseless creme lipsticks. If you were wondering whether or not you should purchase it, then please keep reading.
Lakme Says
This is what Lakme has to say about their 9 to 5 lipsticks- “Lakme Nine to Five brings you a range of shades that sit on your lips all day long. Enriched with Vitamin E; it conditions your lips & softens them with wheat germ oil. So, perk those soft, smooth lips with a touch of matte.” They prove to be high on performance and stand up to the expectation of most users.
Packaging
Let me start by saying, I love the packaging of these lipsticks. They come in a rose gold, metallic lipstick case which is gorgeous, small, and travel friendly. The lipstick has a circular flat tip, and the cap shuts tight with a click.
Price
These lipsticks retail for INR 450.
Available Shades
They are available in 28 different shades. Each of them are gorgeous in their own way and there is a colour to suit every skin tone.
Red Coat, Coffee command, Brownie Point, Red Chaos, Oak Table, Tea Break, Toffe Nexus, Pink Slip, Pink Collar, Pink Bureau, Rose Management, Wine Play, Peony Goal, Scarlet Drill, Mauve Paced, Raspberry Badge, Roseate Motive, Pink Aggressive, Rosy Sunday, Burgundy Business, Cherry Chic, Bronze Award, Cabernet Category, Almond Saturday, Fushia Friday, Candy Closure, Wildberry Wednesday, Sorbet Tuesday, Mulbery Work, Mauve Cooler, Pink Veranda, Vermillion Fired, Saffron Gossip, Beige Post, Orange Edge, Pink Ambition, Coral Incentive and Pink Power.
How It Performed and My Thoughts
I think the first thing that anyone does when they buy a lipstick is smell it, and that is exactly what I did as well and needless to say, I wasn’t unhappy with the results. These lipsticks smell like chocolate, and if you read the box in which they come you will see that the reason behind this is the shea butter in it.
These lipsticks are incredibly creamy and nourishing on the lips, but having said that I think that is what makes this lipstick so difficult to wear. It transfers like crazy and the product keeps on moving on your lips so it eventually bleeds out of the lip line. Also, this is a personal preference, but I have never liked lipsticks which have a round tip because that makes it difficult for me to get a precise finish.
However, the pigmentation on these lipsticks is incredible. One swipe will definitely give you an opaque finish, therefore it is advised that if you plan on wearing the darker shades, use a lip liner and apply the lipstick with a light hand. Also, if you are someone like me who doesn’t prefer lipsticks with a round tip but wants to try these lipsticks out, then use a lip brush to apply it.
Coming to its wear time, these lipsticks don’t last for very long, somewhere around 2 to 3 hours. After that they start to feather from the edges, and fade from the center of your lips. However, if you use a setting powder on top you can extend the wear time on these and you can also reduce its transferability. Also, eating food and drinking water will also take off the product.
The tubes that these lipsticks come in are very pretty reflective, rosey-pink shaded, glossy, metallic ones. Their fragrance is on the sweeter side but not overly disturbing. Only when you get your nose really close will you be able to admire the scent. They are absolutely soft and smooth in texture and not overly drying. These are not actually creamy- they are of a powdery finish which gives smoother application and a matte finish right from the first stroke. They are deeply pigmented- one stroke gives you a good shade on the lips. The staying power is better than other long stay lipsticks- say about 3 hours if you don’t snack or eat much in between. They are not moisturizing though, neither are they overly drying. If you are prone to chapped lips or drying of the lips, these lipsticks may not be for you, or else use a little lip balm before applying these on. The darker hues leave a tint behind on the lips even after they fade away while the lighter tones don’t.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Creamy texture
- Pretty packaging
- Wide range of shades
- Highly pigmented
- Moisturising on the lips
- Smells like chocolate
Cons
- Transfers a lot
- Bleeds out of the lines
- Doesn’t wear for a long time
- Difficult to apply due to the flat top
Rating
In conclusion, I feel like these lipsticks aren’t really worth the money. I agree they have quite a few color choices and that they are pigmented, but that isn’t enough to make the cut. In my opinion, a lipstick should at least try to be transfer resistant and should last for a period longer than just 2 or 3 hours. I think you can get much better options for the same or lower price, and they will also have equally good range of shades to choose from. Due to all these reasons, I will give these lipsticks a 2 out of 5.
