There is a new trend lately on the beauty market and its happening in lip color in powder form.  It is a powder that with the warmth of the oils on the lips on application turns into a creamy, soft matte, long-wear waterproof, and smudge proof lip color that I think once customers know how to apply, it will no longer be a trend but end up being a product that doesn’t fade and sticks around with most cosmetic companies with them probably eventually carrying more of.  The magical ingredient is “hydrogel” masquerading as a powder which is a “silica silylate hydrating molecule” which gives the formula its powdery feel before contact with oils in skin.  This formula is sheer, opaque, and light being very comfortable on the lips.

Lip powders originated in Korea who is almost always the leader in the cosmetics and skin care industry that has come out with innovative makeup like B.B. cushion foundation, face cream pods, and sheet masks, etc… Larger and more well known beauty and cosmetic companies both high end and low end like Sephora, Chanel, NYX, Dior, Clinique, RiRe (a Korean cosmetics line), and Maybelline are starting to carry lip powders as part of their cosmetic lines.  Lip powders come in many colors and shades but are mostly in the brighter shade range (which a lot of Korean makeup is known for) in corals, pinks, reds, and some nudes.  It can be a bold lip look and not for everyone but the more lip powders become available in all cosmetic lines, maybe there will be more of a variety in shade range choice with more colors choose from.  The companies starting to carry lip powder products in there cosmetic lines, both high end and low end, can range in price from $5.55 (RiRe lip powders) to $37.00 (Chanel’s “Poudre A L’evres).  There are Clinique’s “Pop Lip Shadow Cushion Matte Lip Powder in five colors like “Dune Pop” (a nude rose brown), “Blossom Pop” (a pink nude), and “Bright Pop” (a red poppy), Younique’s “Moodstruck Crush” Powder to Cream Lipstick in three shades named “Casual” (a deep pink), “Curvaceous” (red), “Captivating” (berry) on EBay for $11.69 each and various prices at other like CLE Melting Lip Powders in 8 colors called “Plum Medium” (a red plum), “Barbie Pink” (a bright pink), “Hot Chocolate” (a dark nude brown), “Red Cherry” (a deep red), and “Ultra Summer” (a bright red-orange), “Desert Rose” (a nude rose-pink), and “Milk Chocolate” (a tan nude-brown), RiRe’s “Lip Powder Fashion 4 Color Set” in the shades “Orange Pop” (a bright orange), “Hot Plum” (a bright plum), “Sugar Rose” (a bright rose-pink), and Sephora’s “Sephora Collection” lip powders in 6 shades named “Gold Reserve” (a gold nude), “It’s Natural” (a peach nude), “Red Hot” (a bright red), “Rust Red” (a rust red), “Brownie” (a nude brown), and “Rethink” (a burgundy).

The lip powders I purchased were the NYX Powder Puff Lippie’s in “Cool Intentions”, “Best Buds”, and “Squad Goals”, CLE’s “Desert Rose”and “Milk Chocolate”, and Sephora Collection lip powders in “Brownie” and “It’s Natural” to test.  Sephora’s formula (depending on the shade (the color “It’s Natural” wasn’t as pigmented in formula but “Brownie” is) you purchase keeping in mind that darker shades of lip color always generally have more pigment.  In formula pick the ones that have moisturizing properties in them to help with the dryness factor.  CLE’s says there are “seven unique ingredients” like glycerin, vitamin E, coconut oil, hydrolized hyalauronic acid, blueberry fruit extract, etc… to name a few to combat the dryness.  NYX’s Formula is really nice and reminds me a bit of the “Soft Matte Lip Cream.

There are also other powder lip products that are starting to trend in lip “powder” form like Dior’s “Diorific Kohl Precious Rocks Limited Edition Velvety Lipstick Pigmented Long Wear with Intensity in five colors for $38.00, Stellar Stardust Lip Powder Palette Trio for $28.00, L.A. Lip Powder with Special Effects Powder Glitter in six colors for $14.99 to name a few.

There is a trick to the application (which is really just moisturizing your lips right before, adding a second layer of color, and sometimes using lip liner) and can be a bit powdery at first but can also depend on what look you want with the new Korean lip “blushing” or staining trend that is starting to hit the beauty and cosmetics world right now.