Review: CoverGirl Queen Collection Colorlicious Gloss in Crushed Berries

Purchased by Me

Remember back at the end of December when I posted about the new CoverGirl Queen Collection glosses and CC cream? I was so excited to find those glosses in person and when I finally did (at Walgreens), I was torn between the two shades in this collection that don't contain any sparkle (you know me and non-sparkly lip colors). There's a red creme in this collection and a berry creme in this collection, and the berry creme came home with me...

CoverGirl Queen Collection Colorlicious Gloss in Crushed Berries

(retail: around $7.99, 0.17 oz)

Keep reading for my full review...

From the Drugstore.com website:

Glossy Color with a Luscious Feel, with Shades Expertly Designed for Women of Color!

• Saturated Color Pigments Look as Good on the Lips as in the Tube
• The Formula is Packed with Lip Conditioners for a Luscious Feel
• Moisturizing Formula
• Made in USA

Ingredients: Polybutene, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Fragrance, Tocopheryl Acetate, Oleyl Alcohol, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-): Palmitic Acid, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Red 7 Lake, Red 30 Lake, Red 28, Yellow 5 Lake, Carmine, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake

In case you're curious, here's the ingredient list for the regular Colorlicious glosses (also from Drugstore.com):

Ingredients: Polybutene, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Oleyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylparaben, Some Shades Also Contain:, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, May Contain:, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Red 28 Lake, Red 30 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Iron Oxides, Carmine

I want to mention that there was a sticker (safety-seal) across the opening, but when I peeled it back (hoping to preserve it), it ripped in half, so that's why I'm not showing it here. I usually wait to try anything I purchase until AFTER I've taken photographs (you have no idea how hard that is sometimes!). But every once in a while I get a little too anxious. If I think I can try something and not disrupt the product, I might take a chance. But wouldn't you know it? On this rare occasion, I thought I could peel back that sticker and still keep it in tact...and I was wrong. Murphy's Law strikes again.

Standard doe-foot applicator

One of the reasons why I love drugstore makeup formulated for Women of Color is that, often times, the pigmentation is excellent. I'm a huge fan of lip, cheek and eye cosmetics from Black Radiance, Black Opal, etc., and I own some other CG Queen Collection products that have very nice pigmetation. Sadly, this gloss isn't one of them. I was really hoping for a deep, saturated berry shade, but this color is so sheer that it barely registers on my lips (I am a MAC NC20 with medium-pigmented lips). Applied lightly, it looks like I'm wearing a clear gloss. I have to really layer it on, until it becomes quite goopy, in order to see this color on my lips.

I find this disappointing since this collection is geared toward Women of Color. If it barely shows up on my NC20 skintone, I'm guessing that if your skintone is deeper than mine, you may not see any color at all, no matter how much you apply (if you own this shade and your skintone is deeper than mine, please correct me if I'm wrong about that!).

As for the texture of this gloss, it feels quite nice on the lips. It's smooth and lightweight, with absolutely no stickiness. It also feels a bit hydrating on the lips, and the shine level is nice as well (you can see that in my swatch above). Staying power is average for me when it comes to drugstore lipglosses. I can get about two hours of wear before I feel the need to reapply. The fragrance of this gloss is like vanilla cake batter, which I love. The fragrance sticks around for about ten minutes on me, before it disappears. There is no flavor to this gloss.

FINAL VERDICT: Given that CoverGirl describes these glosses as "Expertly Designed for Women of Color" with "Saturated Color Pigments," I feel quite disappointed in the pigmentation of Crushed Berries and I'm really hoping that this shade is not an example of the rest of the colors in this line. I haven't tried any other shades in this line yet but, if you have, I would LOVE to know if any of them are more pigmented than this one. I've heard some good things about the CG Lip Lavas, so I think I'll try one of those next and hopefully see better pigmentation. Whether you're a Woman of Color or not, I just can't recommend this one (unless you prefer an extremely subtle look to your glosses).

Do you own any CG Queen Collection Colorlicious Glosses? If so, please share your thoughts in the comments--I would love to hear from you!

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