Founded by veteran makeup artist Alishia Nicole, Alinijo Cosmetics is the perfect brand for every woman.
It’s dedicated to giving us exactly what we need to be and feel feminine and beautiful again.
With all of the stressful things going on in the world, I’ve admittedly let my usual beauty routine fall by the wayside, so this makeup try-on came just in time.
Hi, I’m Patrice and in the below picture, I am wearing my new favorite lippie “Capture Him“!
I had four different shades of vegan, matte lippies to try on: Purple Candy, Brown Babe, Capture Him, and Black Barbie.
It was a bit of a wild ride, but lucky for you, I lived to tell the tale! Here are genuine thoughts about literally everything these lipsticks had to offer.
Packaging
Each tube of lipstick came in its own cute little black satin pouch. This was a great feature for me because it allowed me to easily carry around the lipstick without worrying about it breaking or damaging the inside of my purse.
The lipstick itself came in a sleek, matte black plastic tube with silver trim. It’s a pretty standard tube with a twistable bottom for rolling up the lipstick.
Each tube also had a round sticker at the bottom that displayed the name of the shade which is super helpful for quickly identifying which lipstick you’re using since the packaging isn’t color-coded in any way.
Formula and Quality
The ingredients are 100% vegan and formulated with various oils such as peppermint, olive, and jojoba, so I assumed that the lipstick would have a softer, creamier texture.
To my surprise, when I tested it on my hand, it was actually a very solid lipstick with a soft, moisturizing finish.
However, that did make me wonder if it would be strong enough to last through moisture such as sweat or rain.
I performed a “water test” using the most vibrant color, Black Barbie, where I applied the lipstick to my hand and then ran my hand underwater.
Again, the lippie did not budge—even after I gently rubbed my finger across the color while wet. However, it was very easy to remove after some pressure was applied.
Because the swatching went so smoothly, I just knew the actual application would go smoothly as well—and I was right!
I was able to apply the lipstick with virtually no problem. I should also note that the formula included peppermint oil and so my lips were left tingling for quite some time afterward.
Color Payoff and Quality
I tried four different shades: Black Barbie, Purple Candy, Brown Babe, and Capture Him. I will say that no matter how light or how deep your skin tone may be, each shade can be worn in a way that’s appropriate for you and the look you want to accomplish.
With that being said, there are some shades that are much better than others, in my opinion.
“Black Barbie” is a soft pink with a warm undertone. This isn’t exactly a “throw on and go” lipstick.
Because I have a medium-dark skin tone, it didn’t really work for me by itself. I paired it with a chocolate brown liner and blended it down with a clear gloss and it gave me a gorgeous soft glam, nude look.
The color is exactly what you’d expect it to be. It showed up bright, opaque, and smooth on my skin.
“Purple Candy” was a little surprising. I expected it to be bold and bright like Black Barbie, but it was more on the sheer side.
If you’re looking for a purple lipstick that gives you a very vibrant, saturated purple, this lipstick is not for you.
I personally enjoyed the fact that it was a rich, yet subtle violet color because it was classy and complemented the undertone of my skin very well.
Opposed to the other colors, Purple Candy felt more like a cross between a light gloss and a matte.
“Brown Babe” is perfect for those of you with very deep, but warm or neutral skin tones. For me and the look I was going for, however, it was entirely too rich.
I expected it to be a softer, somewhat sheer brown but it was very opaque, so I tried two different looks: one with a soft beige color and the other with a bold pink.
Both versions worked well for a more natural look, but the beige and brown mix runs the risk of looking muddy. Worn by itself, Brown Babe would make for a vampy, seductive night time look.
“Capture Him” is by far my favorite lipstick out of the four I tried. It’s a rich, burgundy-leaning red lipstick with a pink undertone and an incredibly smooth finish.
It’s the only red lipstick I’ve come across that I’d personally be comfortable wearing without lip liner.
Because it was my first time wearing and I was leaving my home, I did actually lightly line and fill in my lips with a black liner.
I found that this made the color even more luscious and vibrant. I didn’t have a single complaint with Capture Him.
Wear and Durability
While all of these lippies were stunning, they had the same problem every lipstick with a matte finish has: they are extremely drying.
The unique problem here is that they are also formulated with multiple oils, so somehow it made my lips feel chapped and oily at the same time.
My suggestion would be to wear chapstick, lip balm, or moisturizing lip liner underneath. I also would apply the lipstick using a brush instead of rubbing it directly across your lips.
“Capture Him” and “Brown Babe” are actually the only two shades I wore for hours at a time. I was running all over the place in this intense California heat and when I tell you these lippies didn’t budge, honey, they did not budge.
Because I was unable to run the same test on “Black Barbie” and “Purple Candy”, I simply wore them for about an hour each and then tried different makeup removal methods.
Neither of the shades was easily removed with dry or damp tissue; It took vaseline and a makeup wipe to remove the color completely. This leads me to believe that they are also long-lasting.
Overall? Alinijo Cosmetics can take all my money!
The fact that the colors were so complimentary and applied so buttery smooth to have a matte finish was more than enough for me to rebuy these shades, as well as try some of the others.
Need some vegan lipstick stocking stuffers this season for your girlfriends? We highly recommend Alinijo!
