Kylie Lip Kit in Candy K: Pale Skin Swatches & UK Alternatives

Kylie Jenner. Whether you're a Kardashian fan or not, it's safe to say, if you haven't heard of her Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits by now, you're living under a rock. First launched back in November 2015, the brand has since caused quite a stir, with their limited stock, new shade launches and dodgy lipgloss brushes. Despite the controversy, they are still the product on everyone's lips. I'm sure you've read a million and one Kylie Lip Kit reviews by now, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw my thoughts on the table.

I don't hate Kylie Jenner. I'm not obsessed with her, if anything I'm as intrigued by her as I am with all the Kardashians. I'm not going to hide the fact that watching all their Snapchats is my guilty pleasure. First it was MAC Whirl, then Soar, then it was Velvet Teddy that became the shade on everyone's lips. It seems the Kylie Jenner has singled handedly revived the nude lip. I liked the initial concept of her Lip Kits, a collection of nudes for all skin types. Finally, the secret to the perfect Kylie Jenner lip shade was out of the bag.

Initially I wasn't that bothered about these, but when I saw that another blogger was selling Candy K, I happily snapped it up. The Lip Kits contain a liquid lipstick and a matching lip liner, retailing for $29 with shipping an extra $14.95. Yes it might be pricey, but at least they ship to the UK! Hopefully other brands will follow suit (*cough* ColourPop). Talking of ColourPop, rumour has it that the liquid lipsticks are merely a repackage with a price hike. I have one of the Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks, so will be talking through my thoughts on this, as well as comparing both the colour and formula of the products to other more readily available alternatives.

PACKAGING & FORMULA

I love the branding of the whole range, and think they've been really consistent with the use of the dripping lips imagery seen on the outer box, extending it to their delivery packaging. I'm not the hugest fan of the actual product packaging. The black tube looks a little cheap, although I do like the drips. The design of the lip liner really reminds me of the Primark liner packaging, and the lid isn't all that secure. I feel like the inside packaging needs a bit more work to bring it in line with the rest of the branding.

The lip liner is a soft pencil in which you'll need to sharpen. It is very pigmented and creamy, and feels very comfortable on the lips. The most exciting out of the two is by far the liquid lipstick. Held in a plastic tube with a doe-foot applicator, one of the first things you will notice is the runny consistency. There is no stopper to wipe off the excess, which makes it a bit messy and not that practical for topping up on the go (although in theory, that's not something you'd need to do anyway).

The liquid lipsticks dry down to a matte finish within 60 seconds, and feel really lightweight on the lips. Apparently the texture and colour of candy K has changed since the first release, with the first having a stronger scent, moussier texture and a less purple colour. I thought the product would be really difficult to remove at the end of the day, but it comes off easily with micellar water or an oil-based cleanser.

APPLICATION & FINISH

Moisturising the lips for an hour or two prior to application really improves the finish. I tissued off most of the excess balm, leaving a thin layer on there before applying the liner, and it applied so easily. Application of the liquid lipstick was again really quick. After removing a lot of the excess product, I only needed a single swipe on the lips to achieve an opaque look. The key is to create the thinnest layer of product here, as that will give the best finish on the lips. 

The first photo shows me wearing the lipliner on moisturised lips. I usually line my whole lips before using lipstick but it's not 100% necessary with these ones as it's best to have less product on the lips when you go in with the liquid lipstick. It's really nice to have an exact matching liner shade, meaning you can go over the lipstick to tidy up any edges. The lipliner is one of the best I've tried. It applied really smoothly over my moisturised lips, and looked really subtle, being close to my natural lip colour. I'd wear this on top of lip balm for an easy everyday look.

The second photo shows the liquid lipstick applied over the top (after a couple of hours wear). The colour is exactly the same, but this creates a stronger look. It dries down to a super matte finish, but does show all the lines in your lips! It wasn't uncomfortable to wear as my lips were pretty moisturised beforehand, although it can get uncomfortable if your lips are already dry. I'd also suggest exfoliating to get rid of any flaky patches before applying. When my lips were dry, I found that the colour seemed to darken in the drier areas, which changed the whole look of the lipstick, giving a less wearable, vampy look. 

I wore the Candy K duo on a day out in town, and found that it stayed put through drinks and most food, although you'll need to touch up if you eat anything oily. I made the mistake of trying a sample of some sausage at a food market and the oils took off a small patch. As long as you stay away from oily food, this wears quite evenly, and won't need topping up. Because it is quite drying, you'll be better off removing what you can before reapplying, instead of going over what's left.

COLOUR

The photos show Candy K to be a browny pink shade, whereas, it comes across as more of a muted purpley brown on me. The liquid lipstick  is also a lot more bold on the lips than in the photos. It gives a vampy look but definitely has that neutral vibe. I don't think it is completely flattering on my skin tone, as it is slightly too deep and cool toned to be a true nude. I think on the whole, the range is tailored to those with Kylie's skin colour and darker; its a bit of a shock for people with pale skins.

I'm not totally in love with the colour of Candy K, so I'm keen to place an order of Koko K as I think that would be a lot more flattering on my skin tone. I also really like the look of the metallic shade Heir, as well the newly launched nude, Unexpected.

DUPES

I'm using the term "dupe" very loosely. Whilst no product in my collection is a complete match for Candy K, there are products that are similar in terms of formula, and I have one that is a great colour dupe. Talking of the lip liners, the formula is most comparable to the GOSH Velvet Touch (£4.99), the KIKO Creamy Colour Comfort (£5.90) and the Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic lip liners (£3.99), having a similar soft, creamy texture. I do prefer the Kylie Cosmetics liner to either of these as it has such great pigmentation and applies so smoothly. It would be amazing if the brand sold them separately to the Lip Kits in the future.

There has been a recent outrage by customers saying that the liquid lipsticks are the same as the ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips ($6). I own one of these lipsticks (Lumière 2 if you're interested), and whilst I find the formula to be the closest to the Kylie Cosmetics out of any that I have tried, it isn't exactly the same. They share the watery consistency, and both are ultra pigmented with one swipe, but the Kylie Cosmetics lipstick is thinner and smoother, and dries a lot quicker than the ColourPop. Of course the Kylie one also has its signature candy scent which I don't completely hate. I think it smells like Baileys!

I don't know of any products with as thin a formula as these in the UK, but I want to give credit to the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers (£3). The formula is thicker, but these dry on the lips to give a really matte appearance in a similar way to the Kylie Lip Kit. Out of the products I own, the Sleek Matte Me (£4.99) in Birthday Suit is the closest dupe colour wise, but doesn't have as much of a cool tone that sucks the life out of me like the Kylie does. As you can see from the swatch, the formula is a lot different, and you definitely have to build it up to achieve an opaque finish. I think for £5 it's a great alternative if it's the Candy K shade you're interested in.

WORTH THE HYPE?

That's the real question... Honestly, I neither agree nor disagree. With ColourPop tricky to get hold of in the UK without going through a mail forwarding service, I'm not overly fussed that these may or may not be repackages/made in the same factory. In the UK you can expect to pay up to £20 for a decent liquid lipstick so the price of the Lip Kits (£20-£30+ with shipping and customs) isn't that bad, considering you are getting two products.

Despite the exclusivity and a hella lot of hype, the Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits aren't ground breaking. Your life won't change if/when you get one but it's not all style over substance: both the liner and liquid lipstick are pretty solid in terms of formula. However, with a brand created on the basis of a media-driven trend, that hype is bound to die down eventually and I can't imagine the brand holding its own among those such as Anastasia Beverly Hills and Kat Von D when a new "it-girl" arrives in town...

HAVE YOU TRIED THE KYLIE LIP KITS?

DO YOU THINK THEY'RE WORTH THE HYPE?

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