Don't forget to check the beauty sale pages at Macy's here and
Nordstrom here for new beauty deals plus free shipping!


Thursday, February 5, 2015

Beauty Bargain: Profusion Luxy Lips ($1 Each at Walgreens)

If you live near a Walgreens and you haven't looked through the $1 beauty bins in a while, here's a very good reason to do just that...

Profusion Luxy Lips
(retail: $1 each in the Walgreens $1 Beauty Bin; 0.42 oz)

I learn so much from you, and I swear if it weren't for so many of you raving about these, I probably wouldn't have even noticed them in the $1 bin at Walgreens, let alone tried one. Looking at the tubes, I honestly would have assumed that these were just standard, cheapie lipglosses, but NO. They are NOT!

Keep reading and all will be revealed...



There were about five or six different shades in my Walgreens $1 beauty bin, but I purchased the three colors that I thought I'd wear the most (or at least try to wear!). I don't see any shade names on these tubes, so from here on out I'll just refer to these as red, pink and purple.


These are paraben-free (if you're concerned about that) but they are not vegan since they do contain lanolin. 

Made in China


These come with a standard slant-tip applicator. They do come wrapped in a plastic safety seal (I removed the seal for these photos). Also, you can see that the chamber has to fill all the way up before it dispenses, so you can tell when someone has used it. Here's what it looks like after a few uses:


Swatches:



All I can say is WOW. All three of these shades are EXTREMELY pigmented and opaque. We're talking "a little dab will do ya" pigmentation here. On my lips, the colors appear exactly as you see them in the photo above. Complete opacity, vivid color and intense pigmentation. BUT, on the lips these do dry to a demi-matte finish (actually, it's almost a full matte finish to me) which I love.

Now there are so many different types of "squeeze tube lip colors with intense pigmentation" now on the market that it sort of makes my head spin. Each new variation seems to be similar to either the Too Faced Melted lip colors, or the OCC Lip Tar lip colors. Since I own some of the Too Faced and OCC lip colors, I can tell you that these seem to have the pigmentation and coverage of the OCC Lip Tars, with a formula that's more similar to the Too Faced Melted lip colors (they feel more hydrating than the OCC Lip Tars to me). These aren't an exact dupe of either formula, but they're definitely in the same vein. 

I first applied the red Profusion shade in the car at night (I wasn't driving--I was a passenger!) as we were coming home from Walgreens. Without looking at a mirror, I was curious how these would FEEL without being influenced by seeing the color. To me, these feel like a lipgloss on the lips (not thin or watery) but there's none of the stickiness of a gloss. There's a glossy, hydrating feel to these, but they don't look like a gloss on the lips (again, these set to demi-matte/almost full-on matte finish, which I love). Honestly, since they felt like a gloss to me in the car, I was completely shocked when I got in the house and looked in the mirror. I was NOT expecting this type of pigmentation! After about 10 minutes on the lips, the glossy feel goes away and these feel almost weightless on the lips. Very pleasant and I barely notice I'm wearing anything at all (except for when I look in the mirror!).

Speaking of pigmentation, the red is a classic, BRIGHT red on the lips, while the pink is almost neon on the lips, it's so bright. The purple is an INTENSE, vivid, blue-leaning purple (it's really more of a violet) and all three shades are definitely not for the faint of heart. You will get noticed when you wear these.

The scent of these reminds of me tropical-flavored bubble gum but it's not too strong. There is no flavor to these lip colors. Well, there is a very slight flavor (sort of like tropical bubblegum) but it fades so quickly these might as well be flavorless. I also want to mention that application is quite easy with these--no need for me to use a brush like with my OCC Lip Tars. You do have to be careful to not apply too much, but I find that I can squeeze these directly onto my lips from the tube (taking care not to squeeze too much) and then I can just use my finger to help spread the color around and I'm good to go.

Now I'm not saying these are perfect. Yes, they're crazy-intense when it comes to pigmentation, the coverage is incredible and they are not drying at all. They're also easy to apply from the tube--I just have to use my finger to move the color around a bit for complete coverage. But I will tell you that these are certainly not transfer-proof, despite their demi-matte/matte finish. Two hours after applying the red shade, I lightly kissed Mr. G on the lips and his lips were bright red. Also, as these wear down, they fade near the center of my lips before the rest of my lips, leaving me with a slight "ring around the lips" look if I'm not careful. Wear-time varies for me depending on the color, but I can get at least two hours of wear before these start to seriously fade. They do leave a stain behind, but it's not a weird stain--it's the same color as in the tube, just softer. 

FINAL VERDICT: Despite the few flaws, overall, these knocked my socks off. I was not expecting these to be so pigmented or feel so nice on the lips and they really blew me away in both respects. I still can't believe they're $1 each, since I would easily pay $5 for one tube. In terms of formulation, I don't think these are a clear dupe for either the OCC Lip Tars or Too Faced Melted lip colors, but to me they have the intense pigmentation of the Lip Tars with the more hydrating feel of the Melted lip colors. For a buck, I say they're definitely worth a shot if bright, intense lip colors are your thing. Considering that Walgreens accepts returns/exchanges on beauty products even after you've opened/used them, you won't even be out a buck if you don't like them!

As of the time of this post, these are not available for purchased on the Profusion website, but hopefully they will be soon if you don't live near a Walgreens or can't find these at your local Walgreens. Again, I found these in the $1 beauty bins at my local Walgreens--if you have seen them elsewhere, please do let us know in the comments.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to let me know about these. If you already own any Profusion Luxy Lips, I would love to hear about your experience with them!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
SHARE:

43 comments

  1. Great review, G! Another great dupe for OCC tars!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! The pigmentation is definitely right up there with the Lip Tars I own! :)

      Delete
  2. Your reviews are always so dang thorough and informative!! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aaaah, thank you SO much for saying that!! I'm so happy to help! xo

      Delete
  3. Hi G :-) I will check these out tomorrow. I normally do not buy glosses but these seem really opaque and pigmented. You should check out the Profusion Feline Lip Luster. They feel better than the soft matte lip creams and the New loreal matte gloss which is very similar in texture and the best part is that it's only a Dollar! Lovely review, thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I was looking for those too but couldn't find them! :(

      Delete
  4. So exciting! Thanks for doing the research. Time for me to do the field studies!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Profusion is upping their game big time. I love their shadow palettes and those lippies look outstanding. I will always look for Profusion products from now on. Impressive stuff for the price.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am heading to Walgreen's after work! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I so hope you find them!! :)

      Delete
    2. I found them, and they are GREAT! Thank you!!

      Delete
    3. I didn't. They should name one of them 'Jealous' since that's how I now feel :-) Looks like I'll have to drive the twenty miles to the Walgreens that always has Profusion stuff.

      Delete
  7. Weird... The picture you showed us doesn't seem to list any added Fragrance. Is it just the natural scent of the base product, not something added? Because that would be a big plus for me

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good question! I'm not at my house right now but when I get home, I'll take another look at the tube and see if I overlooked any mentions of fragrance. Will let you know!

      Delete
  8. G you have sold me! Thanks for the great review, I will be at Walgreens hunting that purple down at some point today for sure! Thank you again G :)!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so welcome, Miranda! Crossing my fingers that you find them! :)

      Delete
  9. These look pretty awesome. For $1, I feel like they'd definitely be fun to play with. Do you think the colors would mix well like OCC lip tars to make custom shades?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't tried that yet, but I have a feeling that it would work pretty well based on the texture. :)

      Delete
  10. I'm so tempted to buy these, but am wary of anything made in China.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand but don't share your concerns, since I base my purchases on brands I love and have a history with. rather than country of origin. Nyx, Wet n Wild, elf, Ecotools, Real Techniques and so many other brands that I use daily have products made in China. I've owned and enjoyed many Profusion products over the years, so that doesn't stop me with them either. :)

      Delete
  11. I don't wear lip color often and I'm scared to get something just to find it looks terrible. But at a buck a piece, these would be a great way to play with color! Even if I get all 6 and am too chicken to wear them out, it's worth it to play with them :) Thanks (to you and the people who told you about them) for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I absolutely agree. This is a perfect way to experiment with colors outside your comfort zone before committing to something more expensive! You are so welcome, and have fun!! :)

      Delete
  12. I can't believe how many times I have brushed these aside! Going to rethink these! Thanks G!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Honestly, I would have too if I hadn't heard the raves of so many readers! Definitely worth grabbing one or two, even just for playing around! :)

      Delete
  13. Wow these look great! I don't think I've ever seen them before but I'll be on the lookout for them!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Profusion has the Feline lip luster lip color which are also $1 and they are AWESOME! they are like a liquid lipstick with what's trending and pigmentation is awesome and not sticky.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, great find! I have been wanting a purple like that but feel a little silly shelling out too much $ on a shade I probably won't wear much. I love Walgreen's! I have never noticed the $1 beauty bin but will look for it next time!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi G, Thanks for the info on these. Great find! Unfortunately, I was unable to locate these and the Walgreens Down the street from me (corner of Mission Gorge and Magnolia in Santee, CA) I spoke to one of the clerks and she assured me that not only did they not carry this brand in this store but that she was pretty sure that Walgreens didn't even carry the brand in their San Diego locations because she had worked for multiple locations and had never heard of this brand lol. I hope everyone else has better luck than I did :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Um, you might want to tell her that she's WRONG! I'm in San Diego too, and I literally just saw these at the Walgreens that's not too far away from you (the one on Navajo Rd by Grossmont College). They're in the dollar beauty bins at the end of the beauty aisle right before you get to the haircare aisle (across from where the body washes and soap are located). Hope that helps!

      Delete
  17. What other colors were there? You said you saw 6 in total. Thanks for posting! I never would have noticed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I picked up 4 of the 6 today, including the three G got. I am going back for the other two tomorrow because they are SO GOOD! The additional one I got is a nude pink color, and the other remaining colors are a orange-red shade and a pink shade similar to the one pictured above, but I think it looked more fuschia/neon to me. I hope that helps! :-)

      Delete
    2. thank you so much for the info. I hope I can find them in TN. :)

      Delete
  18. I'm usually a matte lipstick person and hate anything glossy but these colors and your review are making it hard for me to not wanna try these.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I just picked up a handful of these and the Feline lip lustres, and both products (at least the colors I bought) have the exact same ingredient list in the same order. I think they're the same product in different packaging.

    This kind of review is why this blog is a gem-- who else would have taken a chance on these?? Keep up the good work, G!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I had just arrived home and I was catching up on my email when I came across this review. I immediately stood back up and grabbed my keys and purse and headed to my nearest walgreens. I was lucky and they had them in stock. I picked up three of the colors including the red. I came home and tried the red straight out of the bag and I am so happy. I have a lip tar in this same color that I love but rarely use due to the application process. This is easy to apply with a comparable result, thank you for the great find.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks to your review I looked for these when I was at Walgreens tonight and bought 3 of them (pink, purple and coral). The pigmentation is crazy for a $1 product! I may go back and buy the other colors.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I bought a couple of these thanks to your review and they are amazing for $1! I also got one of the feline lustres and the name is deceiving, but that's a good thing lol it reminds me a bit of NYX's matte lip creams only it doesn't set like theirs does.. super pigmented and demi matte. I can't believe this stuff costs only a buck!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hey guys, here are some tips for finding these amazing products which are a dupe for Too Faced Melted and OCC Lip Tars. 1) They also come in a tube with the words FELINE written on it, it's the exact same product if you can't find the tube or prefer an applicator. 2) They cannot be purchased online. I actually tried to contact the company and they never replied. It is not on their website. 3) You can only find these at Walgreens (Duane Reade) if you are from NYC. They are either in a one dollar section/stocking stuffers section/ in the line/ random fish bowl. I do not have a blog but I did a you tube Video review if you are interested my name is JayWoods. I included the lip tars/ TooFaced colors they are dupes for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for this tip Jay! I am writing in June 2015, and I finally found my first Luxy Lips tube yesterday! I had been checking the clearance/$1 bins for months, and only came up with no-name nail polish and Lisa Frank lip balm (which are adorable btw), so I was so excited to finally find this. I immediately searched this post to re-read the review. It matches my results to a tee. Going to watch your YouTube review now!

      Delete
  24. Got a tube of the purple in a birthday basket full of goodies in June and it isn't even half used up! Love, Love, Love it and I always get compliments on it... more so than the Mac tube I spend of $15 for!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Can they be peeled off to create a lip stain? I have em but never tried peeling them off.

    ReplyDelete

I love and encourage comments here at Nouveau Cheap, and I do not censor comments unless they violate my comment policy, which you can view here.

Please refrain from comments that contain:
• Links to your own blog or website
• Advertisements or referral links

Thanks very much for your help in keeping this a spam-free zone.

© 2009- Nouveau Cheap. All rights reserved.
BLOGGER TEMPLATE MADE BY pipdig