Purchased at: N/A but you can get it most drugstores. I've seen these at Walmart :) According to the NYC website, it's priced somewhere around $2.49.
Packaging: Pretty decent, though nothing to write home about. One thing I don't like very much is the applicator though:
It's basically....a flat stick. The shape makes it difficult to apply the color evenly on your lips. All it can be used for is getting the color out of the tube onto your lips - after that you need to find another way to even out the color :\ It's small complaint though, you can rub your lips together and use a Q-tip for the bits that go outside the edges of your lips.
Pigmentation: The pigmentation is insane. It's like lipstick rather than a gloss! It's great and I love the small purple microglitters in it.
Lasting power: Really good! It lasts all day for me and through a meal. The glossiness fades after a few hours but the color stains your lips for rest of the day.
This is my hand after washing it with soap and water - not bad at all yeah?! And no worries about lingering staining, it comes off after a bit more washing and wiping with a tissue.
Scent: Like artificial vanilla. It's not bad though and pretty tolerable. It's definitely not as bad as other drugstore lip products. People who are strongly adverse to fragranced products may still not like it though.
Formula: The great formula really surprised me! It's totally non-sticky, smooth, richly pigmented and long-lasting. The fake vanilla scent isn't very strong so to me it's not a big deal. This is also remarkably hydrating - it doesn't dry out my lips and the color tends to fill in fine lines rather than emphasize them. Overall, this is a great formula and the best drugstore lip color that I've tried so far.
This is 2nd only to my all time favorite Etude House Dear Darling glosses. Honestly, it's a bit like comparing apples to oranges though because this one has such crazy pigmentation. Both are useful for different things - this one is best worn alone I think!
I love how it stains my lips pink all day. Fyi though - if you don't smooth out the color after you blob it on with the crappy applicator, the color will look goopy (like in the center pic).
Overall
Highly recommended. I use this quite often as it's easy to apply and and long-lasting. It's one of my Top 5 favorite lip products and I like how it's easy to get and only $2.49! I would say that this product does everything it claims - great pigmentation and shine, hydration, creamy texture, and non-sticky. The fact that there are 10 colors available is nice too - a good range of wearable colors. This is my first NYC product and I am very impressed indeed.
PDXbeautiful's review here.
