I mentioned a few days ago that I had seen the rather bouncy Reece Witherspoon on TV promoting the Spectra Lip Color, an adjustable 7 in 1 lip colour (more of a gloss really).
Spectra Lip lets you adjust the shade intensity from 1-7 and you buy the lip colour depending on hues so for example, the Pinks or the Browns.
I ordered 2 from the Avon website (£10 each), the Roses and the Nudes:
I got the Roses as I thought it would make a change from the Pinks – it has more of a sheen to it:
Nudes has browny tones and a light nude beige:
Inside the barrel is two tubes and the colours mix as you turn the dial. Because of this, it is not a small size, its bigger the equivalent of 2 glosses:
The applicator:
Yep, its like play doh! You have to press the bottom to get it out – it only takes a few clicks:
The dial at the bottom, all easy to use, self explanatory stuff – numbers 1 to 7 and a lock function:
I am thinking lots of different things about these lip colours so let me br-br-br-break it down into good old pros and cons.
Pros:
1. You get lots of shades in one lip color – easier to carry round if you want some variation but don’t have much room.
2. £10 is an OK price for this I think – not overly cheap but worth it for the sheer innovation
3. I really think there is something in all of this range to suit everyone, so could be a good gift purchase and I am sure everyone regardless of race/age/colouring could get some use out of it
4. The gloss itself is light and stayed put for quite a while
Cons:
1. There was an issue with the glosses I got where the pigment seemed to separate a little from the oil – like this:
You will see in the swatches, the separation is quite clear.
2. The way the colours actually mix is not super efficient. Once again you will see in the swatches that there are parts of the colour that are not properly blended together. Not so much of an issue when applying to the lips, just remember to work it in a little, or even rub your lips together after application.
3. Is there really that much difference between all 7 shades? I say no. On my swatches rather than do every one I skipped one out and there wasn’t huge shade differences (but quite a lot if you compare 01 to 07, as to be expected).
For me, I’d probably switch between 01, 04 and 07 shades – the ones inbetween are much of a muchness.
4. It’s called a lip COLOUR but it is very much a gloss and the result is pretty sheer. Bear in mind if you wanted more of a liquid lipstick, this isn’t really it (see the nude swatches – tres sheer, no?)
One more thing – remember that if you have a preference for more lighter gloss or more darker tones you will probably use one side up before the other.
Swatches:
Verdict:
I don’t see how a beauty junkie wouldn’t want to try this out, if not just out of curiosity – I love a bit of innovation me! (No the idea isn’t new for foundations, (think Revlon’s Custom Colour) but it is new for lip colour).
The lips blend fine once on the lips – sheer, glossy type with a hint of shimmer but you do need to work it because when you change shades, the change is no 100% smooth.
It is certainly handy and a bit of fun, especially for a change from day into evening. I would recommend you try one out to see if the gloss works for you before investing in more.
I bought mine from here - but it seems to have temporarily disappeared (silly thing to do, when they are promoting it on TV at the moment). Keep checking back and I will let you know if it comes back in stock. You can also locate an Avon rep or look on eBay.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve used Revlon’s Custom Colour Creations foundation and found the same thing with the lack of range between variants… also I don’t really use the darker tones. I like the idea of being able to mix and match though, and I get bored very quickly with lip colours so maybe I’ll check these out =)
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Hi Bunnie
Yeah, you will definately get about 3 shades out of this, but nothing too whacky. I think I will end up on no 3 most of the time!
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Some great points you have here that I’d try to remember when ordering mine. I would have gone overboard if I didn’t see this post (as I was way too excited about these, just like you in the first post about them)
Like this review a lot. Thanks
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Hey Halifax
Yeah – try one out first because I wanted to buy lots but I would have been annoyed I think If I had bought it in all the colours…
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Shucks! I just ordered the nudes. There doesn’t seem to be much of anything happening there. This is my first time ordering Avon at that.
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Hey Ree
Hmmm no its not half as exciting as you think it will be – thats the truth but still its kind of fun to own and yo get some variety there!
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I have a tube in the lilacs shade that I absolutely LOVE! And the oil separation is a non-issue, because as soon as you pump that little layer out, it’s all over and the mixture is perfectly smooth. I think whoever made that pump/mix system was ingenious. I feel very pretty when I walk out with it on!
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Hi Kristina!
I haven’t seen the Liliac variation, it does sound pretty.
The oil separation thing was bad on both of my Spectra lips – I mean, I understand if the two colours don’t quite mix together at first but the actual oil separation is what happens to my lip glosses when they start to go off!
I actually have to mix the colour on the back of my hand before application these days, it is so uneven when applied straight to the lips.
So – I think the idea is wonderful, I was so excited about this product but the execution for me, is very poor.
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