Review: Flower by Drew Barrymore Lip Service Lip Butter in Cherry Chiffon

Continuing my series of reviews of the new brand Flower (available exclusively at Walmart, in-store and online), today I'd like to show you the one lip butter that I purchased (I also purchased a Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color, which I will review soon).

Flower Lip Service Lip Butter in Cherry Chiffon

(retail: $6.98, 0.12 oz.)

Flower Lip Service Lip Butters come in nine shades.

From the Flower website:

Buttery-like texture Glides on easily, leaving lips looking smooth and full

Rich texture provides an optical plumping effect

High percentage of emollient oil for a super-smooth, shiny finish

Non-Tacky Superior Shine

Keep reading for my full review...

Let me first say that the product image on the Walmart website is very different than what this product looks like in reality. I probably would have ordered another color if I had known this was going to be so much like other colors in my makeup stash, but moving on...

The safety seal/label on this tube was a challenge to peel apart in order to get to the ingredients list. It's double-sided tape and the second layer is translucent, and let's just say I wrestled with it for a while. The following image is the best I could get (you can click to enlarge for a better look):

Sorry for all the black lint but I was wearing a long-sleeved black sweater when I was "wrestling" with this label. Also, here's a closer look at Flower's animal testing statement, which is on every product that I  purchased from this brand (see my review of Flower nail polish for more details about this):

Another thing I'd like to point out is that once you remove the safety seal, there is no other indication of the shade name on the tube. Unless I received a freak tube that was accidentally missing a permanent label, you'll need to jot down the shade name if you'd like to keep track of it:

 

 The inner tube is narrow (about the same size as a L'Oreal Balm--not as wide as a Revlon Lip Butter):

I like that the stick retracts fully into the tube, decreasing your chances of hitting the stick with the cap upon opening and closing.

 The overall construction of the case feels nice and sturdy and the lid feels very snug when you snap it in place. The tube feels solid in the hand and not like it might crack if you drop it. It's not super heavy, but it is a bit bulky. Here it is next to a Revlon Lip Butter, for reference:

Cherry Chiffon is very nicely pigmented. Here is one swipe on the back of my hand:

This product is very pigmented yet, like many lip butters, it has a translucency to it. The pigmentation reminds me of Revlon Lip Butters:

On my skin, Cherry Chiffon leans a bit toward the tomato-red end of the spectrum, with a slight blue undertone. I think it would probably work best on warm and neutral skintones. If you prefer blue-red lip colors, this might not have quite enough blue in it for you.

Texture and consistency: This lip butter doesn't glide across the lips as smoothly as other lip colors I own. It has some grit to it as you're working it into your lips, which doesn't seem to quite ever go away. It feels creamy at first but the longer I wear this product, the more it feels a combination of petroleum jelly mixed with a lip liner. If you've ever used a thin layer of petroleum jelly as a base and then filled your lips in with a standard lip liner, you know that it's not really a "cushiony" experience. If you look at the pic above, you can see that this product sort of settles into the lines on my lips (granted, my lips are very dry right now) and doesn't do anything to add any extra "cushion" (which is what Revlon Lip Butters do for my lips). I'm thinking that the absence of shea butter, avocado butter, etc. (the ingredients that give lip "butters" their name) is probably why this feels like a thin layer of petroleum jelly + lip liner to me. I mentioned earlier that on the Flower website is says that this product has a "rich texture" that "provides an optical plumping effect." I actually find the very opposite to be true, since it's lacking any natural butters that would help give this product some cushion and also help fill up fine lines (or at least make them appear filled up). This product does not feel sticky on the lips (as promised).

Pigmentation and finish: This is a very pigmented lip color, which is probably what I love the most about it. One swipe will give you all the color you need. The finish of Cherry Chiffon is semi-glossy and it does not contain any shimmer or sparkle. Actually, upon initial application, this color looks very glossy, but within minutes it loses the shine and dries down to more of a stain-like matte. In other words, the "superior shine" only lasts a few minutes for me.

Staying power: I have worn this product multiple times since I purchased it, and I can never seem to get more than two hours of wear, no matter what I do. The worst part is that this lip color leaves terrible "ring-around-the-lips" as it wears down. In fact, I put this on to go grocery shopping with Mr. G last Sunday and by the time we were done, he looked at me and said, "Why is there color only around the outside of your lips?" 

Fragrance and flavor: This product has a floral fragrance that's reminiscent of L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipsticks. The flavor is similar to L'Oreal lipsticks as well--there's some rose, and a bit of a waxy/plastic-y taste to this product.

FINAL VERDICT: This lip color didn't live up to its claims. No "butter-like texture that glides on easily" (it actually doesn't glide on the lips easily and it has a gritty texture). No "rich texture" that "provides an optical plumping effect" (it actually feels thin on the lips, like a combination of petroleum jelly + lip liner, and I experienced no "optical plumping effect" possibly due to the lack of actual butters in this lip butter). Yes, it's "non-tacky" but the "superior shine" only lasts a minute or two on my lips before it dries down to a matte stain-like color. Also, this product doesn't wear down evenly and leaves me with ring-around-the-lips within two hours of application. Other than the cute packaging (which is a bit bulky) and the excellent one-swipe pigmentation, I just don't think this has enough going for it to justify a purchase. Granted, I have not tried any other colors in this range but, based my experience with Cherry Chiffon, I honestly don't feel enthusiastic about purchasing other shades.

You can purchase Flower cosmetics at Walmart and on the Walmart website.

Do you own any Flower Lip Service Lip Butters? I'd love to hear about your experiences!