Finding a good black lipstick can be hard - some are too purple, too blue, too red, or just not right. My previous favorite black lipstick was MAC's Black Knight, which I sadly don't have any swatches of, nor any of said lipstick left. I tried MAC's Lipmix in black but it was far too glossy, when when mixed with another lipstick, applied lightly only had a very light effect similar to that of Urban Decay's (possibly discontinued?) Oil Slick and still feathered like I'd tried to use it as a gloss no matter what I did.
I previously tried Make Up Forever's black lipstick, 50 "Black Satin." It is horribly floral scented, has poor coverage, and didn't last at all. Worst of all, the migraine-triggering floral scent lasted long after the lipstick wore off.
Wet 'n Wild does a black lipstick that's usually available around Halloween but I was looking for something a little better and more reliably available. Mostly I use black lipstick to "blacken" other lipstick colors that are slightly too bright for what I'd like.
In my hunt, several people recommended Portland Black Lipstick Company, which had come up in my own searches already. I was a little wary of the white plastic chapstick tube (which is apparently now a black chapstick-style tube! It looks much better, even though it doesn't sound like it should make a huge difference.) I contacted the company and got a response from the owner/maker regarding scent - mint and it could be omitted if I needed a special order. Good to know! I paid my $9 and waited not-so-patiently for the few days it took to arrive in the mail.
The day after it arrived, I used it to darken some bright fuchsia lipstick I have and it did an amazing job - this lipstick mixes really well with other lipsticks. Well, at the least with Sephora's Rouge Creme and MAC's matte lipsticks. I've used it so far with four colors of Sephora's Rouge Creme and three of MAC's lipsticks.
Coverage is very, very opaque and even - no light spots, pulls or gaps in coverage. It's really smooth straight from the tube, which I wasn't sure was going to be the case. You can apply it straight from the tube, if that's your desire, but I think it looks better applied with a brush - I've included photos of both so you can see the difference.
Scent is definitely mint but it's clearly just enough to cover the scent of the lipstick's blackening ingredients. Speaking of ingredients - it's not vegan but they're working on it. I saw a blog post that indicated that they were test-driving some vegan formulas to see if they could get it just right.
Duration of wear is amazing - this stuff really isn't going anywhere. It comes off with waterproof makeup remover, but you want to be sure to check a mirror before you wander off anywhere after removal. I had to be extra-careful to get it all! You will leave little black lipstick marks on cups and things but I didn't find that it significantly impacted the look of the lipstick until after two meals - I'm a constant water drinker through a straw-and-cup, so my reusable straw definitely needed a good washing at the end of the day.
Appearance: somewhere between glossy and matte. It's not really a satin finish but it's close. Consider it somewhere halfway between MAC's satin and matte lipsticks. Black as black gets, no lean to another color at all; very 'neutral' black. Very opaque, full coverage. You can apply incredibly lightly for a darkening effect, if that's what you need but you can also get full-on black with a single swipe.
Onward to the photos! All photos taken in a natural-light filled room with an overhead compact florescent light on as well, no flash (and with a cell phone, sorry about that.)
The product itself:
Swatches, reviews, and the eternal pale foundation hunt.
