Milani Violet Volt vs. Kat von D Wonderchilde

I bought a little trial size of Wonderchilde at Christmas last year because it looked really beautiful in the ad photos I had seen. And, it is a lovely colour, which makes the fact that the formula is rubbish really disappointing. This is the only Kat von D lipstick I have, so I'm not saying they are all badly formulated, just that this one is on me. I so wanted to like it.

I mean, look at that colour! It's so pretty and sparkly. It has a gorgeous opalescent sheen to it. It has a light vanilla scent and the formula feels alright on your lips, a little gritty because of the glitter, but not really uncomfortable. However, it just doesn't live up to its appearance in the bullet. 

That is after four or five coats. It's not hideous or anything, but it just looks sort of bleh. Also, this is right after applying it. If you move your lips or rub them together, this happens:

I don't know if it's fully coming across in this photo, but the product sort of slides around and settles in the corners of your mouth and little chunks cling together. So if you put it on, you have to be super careful not to move your mouth too much. Also, this is on really well-moisturised and exfoliated lips, so those chunks are just product, not dry lip skin (ugh, is there a grosser set of words?). 

I purchased the Milani Violet Volt last month, not with the intention of having it be a dupe for the KVD, because in the bullet, the colours look nothing alike:

So, I was super surprised when I put the Violet Volt on my lips. It has that same opalescent sheen but the formula is just oodles better. The KVD is more blue-based than Violet Volt, but I think if you are looking for something like Wonderchilde, Violet Volt is very close:

Violet Volt on left, Wonderchilde on right. No flash.

Violet Volt left, Wonderchilde right. Taken with flash. 

Clearly, the Milani is slightly pinker. But, I paid £15 for the trial size of the KVD, which is 1.2g, and I paid £3.94 for the full-size Milani, which is 3.97g. I definitely won't hesitate to try some new KVD shades when I get the chance, but I will want to swatch those in person before I shell out £15 for a tiny tube again. The Milani is affordable enough that I won't be bothered if I get a tube that's a bit disappointing. 

30 Day Lipstick Challenge: Days 2-4

I almost didn't make it to day two of this challenge because I woke up on the second day feeling absolutely rubbish. In fact, I think I slept from two a.m. Thursday to six p.m. Friday. Sometimes I just can't wake up, which is no good because I had a lot of things I wanted to do and couldn't do any of them by the time I woke up. But, I did manage to at least put some lipstick on and take a picture. It's not a great picture and I am clearly only wearing lipstick, but technically it counts.

I really like the way this looks right after I put it on, but it has a weird thickness and if you rub your lips together or anything, it moves the product around and looks patchy. However, this does leave a stain that is really pretty, so usually I put it on and leave it to set for a few minutes, then wipe it off and wear it as a stain all day. The fragrance is really strongly minty, which I like. I just wish I could wear it like it looks in the picture here all day. The stain is a few shades lighter.

Day 3, I actually felt capable of human being status, so I did a full face and wore my OCC Pagan. This might be my absolute favourite purple, which is saying something because I collect purple lipstick like a magpie hordes shiny things.

I know a lot of people find Lip Tars difficult to use, but I love them. I've ordered some empty doe-foot gloss containers that I'm going to decant all of my Lip Tars into so they can be easier to use when I'm out of the house. Usually though, I put one layer of Lip Tar on with clear liner (I use the Rimmel Moisture Renew Universal Transparent Lip Liner because it does what it's supposed to and doesn't cost the world), blot, and do one more layer which lasts me at least until I eat something. Most of the time, I don't even need to reapply after eating, but with a colour this dark I do. 

Day 4 and what do you know? ANOTHER PURPLE LIPSTICK. I know, I know. I promise, at least one of these times, I will wear a different colour. OR maybe I should see if I can do the entire 30 days only wearing purples. I probably do have enough to do that with no repeats. Clearly, I've used my time on this earth wisely. This day is Milani Violet Volt, which I only picked up last month because it was £3.94 as an Amazon add-on item. 

This is the only Milani product that I currently own, but after trying it I am really looking forward to purchasing some more lipsticks. The formula of this is really creamy and goes on perfectly in one swipe. I find it lasts a really long time before I need to reapply, at least 5 hours. What doesn't seem to show up in the pictures is that the finish has that opalescent, oil puddle sort of gleam to it. It's not shiny but it looks like the inside of an abolone, all mother of pearl. This colour is really similar to Kat von D's Wonderchilde, which I also have. The only downside I can see to this might be the smell, which is very strong watermelon. I really like the scent, but I know some people don't like their lip products to be scented. It does seem to fade away after about 20 minutes or so. 

Now that I'm thinking about it, my next post I will do a side-by-side comparison of Wonderchilde and Violet Volt, so please check back for that!

30 Days of Lipstick Challenge

Since I'm rubbish at posting, apparently, I've decided to take on the 30 Days of Lipstick challenge. I figure it's good to have goals and taking at least one picture of my lipstick for 30 days is something I can probably do.

I'm sorry about the lack of posting recently. This year has been really difficult mental-health-wise. I haven't managed to get my bipolar disorder under control since coming off the medicine I was taking before and during recovery for my back surgery. It also doesn't help that it's at least a 6 month wait to see a psychiatrist, and that's after you manage to get your GP to refer you. Anyway, enough of that.

Day 1: NYX Matte Lip Creme in Prague

This is the first Nyx Matte Lip Creme I've purchased and I really like the formula. I don't find it as uncomfortable of some of my other matte lip products and the colour is lovely. I really want Transylvania and Sydney, but I'm trying not to buy so much makeup. The fact that I have enough lipstick to do the 30 day challenge with no repeats should tell me that I have enough. BUT NO.

Also, please excuse my face in these pictures. I am wearing about a kilo of concealer because I had a massive panic attack yesterday and all the blood vessels in the right side of my face from the nose up burst. So, that was fun.

See you tomorrow!