Makeup Forever Aqua Rogue in #9/Burgundy ❤ Full Review with Swatches!

As you may know, I love lipsticks. However, it seems like lipsticks don't love me nearly as much as I love them, as I've yet to come across one that will stay on for their advertised amount of time. Unless the color is one that stains my lips (and even lip stains themselves don't do much for me), it's likely that I have to reapply my color after an hour or two.

So when I saw ICallItAmbrosia's video about the Makeup Forever Aqua Rogue liquid lipsticks and their insane staying power. I figured that if it worked that well for her, I should definitely look into them. So, I went into Sephora and swatched one on my hand to try it out. When I got home about 8 hours later, the stain was still there on my hand, so I put one into my Sephora order online. I was ecstatic! Finally, a lip product that would actually stay on my lips and I wouldn't have to re-apply.

Pictures and full review after the jump!

The Makeup Forever Aqua Rogue liquid lipsticks come in dual-ended tubes, one end with the liquid lipstick color, and the other end with a clear gloss that you can apply after the lipstick has set to enhance the color and make the lipstick glossy. There is a doe-foot applicator for the lipstick, and a small, stiff brush for the gloss. The lipstick itself dries matte and stays on well enough on its own, so it's really a matter of preference whether or not you want to use the gloss.

Left: Without Gloss, Right: With Gloss

This is with the gloss applied over top. As you can see, I already have issues with fading from the inside of my lips. :(

Now, there are a few issues that I noticed straightaway with the Aqua Rogue - one, that the lipstick side has a VERY strong scent. Looking at other reviews online, some people make note of it in passing, so I'm not sure if it's just mine, but it's definitely strong. It smells like straight-up soap and perfume, neither of which is pleasant for me personally. It's very, very chemical-ly. Once the lipstick dries, the smell fades, but god it is gross while it's there. Thankfully, the gloss has a supremely mild scent in comparison. 

The second thing is that when you apply this, make sure that your lips are NOT chapped and have been exfoliated before, because, like most matte lipsticks, this will sink into every crack and make your lips look gnarly as anything. The third thing is to make sure that your first coat of the lipstick is even over the entirety of your lips, and make sure to let it dry completely before applying the gloss. While the lipstick is drying, your lips will be a bit tacky. This tackiness never completely went away for me until I applied the gloss, so just a warning if you were planning on wearing this matte.

I made the mistake of trying to apply another coat before the first had dried, and let me just warn you now - don't do it. The lipstick got very tacky (even more so than before) and felt extremely uncomfortable on my lips (especially since I have the tendency to rub my lips together, which is not a fun experience with something as tacky as this was.) I found that the gloss didn't last long on top of the lipstick and was gone in a manner of about 30 or so minutes, but since I like matte finishes, it didn't bother me too much. 

This lipstick stays true to color on one coat, and is a deeper, more brick-red color. I don't have any reds in my collection that are similar. Once you apply the gloss however, the color changes a bit. I definitely prefer it without the gloss.

This didn't wear as comfortably as other lipsticks I own (with the Covergirl Lip Perfection lipsticks being my favorite), but it did last longer so I forgave it for that. My lips did feel dried out with this product, and using lip balm over top of the lipstick also made my lips feel gunky and tacky, so I wouldn't recommend doing that, either. It does have a very good staying power, though I don't think it lasted as long on me as Rachel (Icallitambrosia) raved about in the video linked above. 

Overall, this seems like a long-lasting product that is slightly finicky in terms of application and usage, but hopefully worth the money for the staying power. My major complaint is the smell, which I personally think is extremely off-putting, especially having it on my lips, directly under my nose. I may go to Sephora and test the samplers to see if the smell is as strong in other Aqua Rogue products.

Update: After using this product a few more times, I have actually decided to return it. It's nearly impossible for me to get an even color payoff on my lips with the Aqua Rogue, and it becomes very uncomfortable to wear very, very quickly. I also experienced fading while wearing this, where the product would disappear from the inner portion of my lips and leave a red ring around the outermost part - not cute. I tried putting lip balm on beforehand, not putting lip balm on, exfoliating my lips like crazy, but nothing worked.

I'm sad this didn't work out for me like it did for Rachel, though I will be posting a review of a similar product that I've had more luck with soon!