How many times have you purchased a lippie that promised to be long wearing, only to wind up so disappointed that it quickly found it’s way to the bottom of your makeup stash or nearest trash can? It’s happened to me more times than I care to remember. True long wearing lip colors are out there, but they’re far and few in-between, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let you in on one that I could not get to budge—pinky swear. LipSense by SeneGence isn’t a brand I’ve spied in any retail stores, so had I not been contacted by one of their representatives—I definitely would have missed out on it altogether.
The formula itself is part liquid lipstick, part lipstain, and can be turned into a very long-wearing lipgloss by finishing with a coat of one of their LipSense glosses (which are available in several different finishes). I tried out the basic clear Moisturizing Gloss formula over my LipSense colors, but you can purchase them in matte, pearl, glitter, and diamond finishes as well. When you consider the number of shades available in LipSense Long Wearing Lip Color and the amount of glosses you can apply as a “top coat”, the combinations for your customized lip colors are pretty much endless. But does it work?
Totally! It’s the closest thing to a bulletproof lip color that I’ve ever worn so far and blows any other long-wear lipgloss, lipstick, or lipstain I’ve tried in the past out of the water—in terms of length of wear. I found it almost unbelievable that the color was not budging at all after eating, drinking, and chatting all day. The color did not transfer on any cups or glasses (but the clear gloss will), it didn’t rub off when I touched it, and it didn’t start that dreaded unattractive “disappearing in the middle of my lips” act. By the time it was all said and done, I had it on for 7 hours before I took it off the first time. It’s recommended that you use their Oops! Remover if you make a mistake or it’s time to remove it, and I’m completely a believer! I didn’t have it handy one night and I resorted to using waterproof eye makeup remover on a cotton pad to wipe it away, and even that didn’t remove it entirely.
There is a little trick to applying it, and it will make a difference! For best results, you’ll need to apply it in three thin coats (drying a few seconds in between) from one corner of the lip to the other without rubbing the applicator back and forth. It’s simple enough, but if you try to apply it like a regular lippie you’ll probably wind up disappointed. Upon applying the liquid to my lips, I felt a temporary stinging sensation. It was tolerable but it did catch me completely off guard because it’s something I normally would associate with a lip plumper—although stinging did lessen after a few days of use. The formula uses SD Alcohol 40 to aid in it’s staying power, so I definitely recommend wearing the gloss over it to keep your lips moist. In a pinch I slapped a clear lip balm over it because I feel naked without feeling something on my lips and it was completely okay for me, but of course it’s formulated to perform best when layered with a LipSense gloss.
There are over 50 shades of LipSense to choose from in a wide selection of blue, yellow, and neutral undertones that retail for $22 each. The LipSense glosses are sold separately for $18, and the Ooops! Remover is an additional $10. So the first shot might seem a little expensive, but I couldn’t imagine ever having to replace all three products at once which might help lessen the blow—it just depends how you look at it! For me personally on a day-to-day basis, I prefer not to be married to my lip color all day. I do love a great long-wear lip product, but I swap colors out as often as I change my mind! Let’s say you’re someone who works in the hospitality or food service industry and you’re constantly interacting with people, you’re a public speaker or teacher, a performer, attending a special event, or someone who just doesn’t want to think about it again for the rest of the day—this is a GREAT alternative to constantly reapplying. It’s also fab for date nights because it doesn’t kiss off! LipSense is available for purchase on SeneGence.com and through independent SeneGence distributors.
More long-wearing lip color reviews
An editorial sample was provided by the company and evaluated to determine my opinion of the product in this post. Please see the Disclosures page for further information regarding my policies for using editorial samples.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
So glad they have an oops remover!
Nice post showing the color on your skin, especially after you rubbed it hard. Pretty good test actually!
Other people have covered how long LipSense lasts, how easy to put on, etc – so I’m going to provide the safety/toxicity report that doesn’t seem to be out there anywhere that I could find.
The good news is that LipSense (specifically LipSense Naturals, Natural Mauve color) is actually doing pretty well, based on its ingredients. I discovered this by going to the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database (if you do not already shop for makeup, deodorant, lotion, sunscreen etc by checking out the hidden dangerous chemicals, please start using the Cosmetics Database!). While there is no SeneGence or LipSense page already created, I made a report and input the ingredients by hand. Which, considering the ingredients are in size 0.5 font (!!) and written in gold, on the barrel of the LipSense tube itself, was pretty hard to do!
The Cosmetics Database gave a score (based on ingredients) of **3 out of 10 (moderate hazard)**. Not bad (for comparison, my Neutrogena lipstick got a 7 out of 10, which IS bad)! So it could be slightly better, but I’d feel comfortable using LipSense.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Acrylates Copolymer, Hexylene Glycol, Silicone Quaternium-3, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Orchis Morio (Orchid) Flower Extract, Algae Extract, Yeast Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexyglycerin, Propylene Glycol, Urea, Glucosamine HCL, Trideceth-12, Sodium Alginate, Phenoxyethanol. MAY CONTAIN: Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Cocconia Indica Flower Extract, Amino Esters-1, Pearl Powder, Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa (Tumeric) Root Extract.
Hope that helps!
Hi Lia,
Thanks so much for taking the time to look into that and for inputting it, I know a lot of other women will appreciate it as well!
Amber
Hi there,
I was introduced to SeneGence Lip Sense on or around 2003. I have been wearing it ever since. I’m all about convenience and “you get what you pay for.” I am currently unemployed and I’m seriously thinking of becoming a distributor only because I believe in this product. It doesn’t bleed thru the cracks on elderly women and women who smoke. Furthermore, it’s perfect for shows, dance/cheer competitions, vacations, and above all weddings.