Lipstick Queen Chic in Three Shades Trio

Despite the slight let down with Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencils in terms of moisture and glossiness, during the holiday flash sale I went ahead and purchased several lipsticks to try since this is the brand's specialty. I bought 2 different sets, the Chic in Three Shades trio and Butterfly Kisses trio, which I'll review in a separate post.

Like the popular Discovery Kit, this Chic in Three Shades trio features three 3 different lipstick lines for a nice introduction to the brand: the famous Medieval, Saint Pink, and Butterfly Ball Sigh.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.



Ready, set, gush - OMG I love these lipsticks!!! But I will calm my hyperventilation and explain to you why. Where do I even start?? I feel like these lipsticks are made just for folks like me, because they're just everything I ever wanted in a lipstick: an unscented, translucent, and sheer pop of color but with lots of moisture and shine. If this sounds like something you like, you should definitely stake out the flash sales and grab yourself some of these awesome awesome lippies to try!

Packaging wise, they all come in brushed metal twist-up tubes that feels weighty and substantial. The cap closes tight, although without a click. The tube for the Butterfly Ball (in purple) somehow feels a touch rubbery. Perhaps it's the outer coating of the metal that gives it this feel? I'm not a big fan, but it's tolerable.


- Medieval: this is a standalone lipstick line with one single color, a translucent, sheer, and shimmer-free neutral red that'll work with everyone, at least this is the promise. And given how popular this lipstick is, I suppose the it does fulfill its promise for most people. I myself LOVE it! It's an extremely wearable red in a super moisturizing and glossy formula that's neither thick nor thin but is just right. There are many lip products out there that claim to be moisturizing and they're not at all, or they claim to be glossy and there's barely a sheen - ahem Chinatown "Glossy" Pencils! But this lipstick is truly moisturizing like a balm - it wore comfortably on me for several hours! And it's truly glossy, not in a wet slick way that you get with liquid glosses but it's definitely glossy. And just look at that gorgeous red velvet brushed metal tube! I. LOVE. IT.

The Saints are also a sheerer, shimmer-free, and moisturizing line of lipstick with only 10% pigment, versus the Sinners with 90% pigment with a matte and opaque finish which means I definitely won't go there ^.^ Sounds like the Saints would overlap with Medieval? Nope. The Saints' formula is thicker, creamier, even glossier, and the finish is only semi translucent. Oh, and they're in a beautiful yellow gold brushed metal tube.

I was so afraid this lipstick would be too milky on my lips. Milkiness in any lipstick is a big no-no for me, because it will exaggerate the dry cracks and flakes. However, I was so so happy to find this particular color, Saint Pink, similar to the Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge, in that despite being semi translucent, the color and finish adapted themselves to my lips. No milkiness whatsoever! LOVE. Yes, more love! Much so that with another recent flash sale, I picked up a Heaven Sent trio with 3 Saint lipsticks. Can't wait for these to arrive xD

- Saint Pink: a lovely my-lips-but-pinkier color that just can't go wrong! This color leans warm on me.

The Butterfly Balls are yet a third line of sheerer and moisturizing lipsticks in purple brushed metal tubes. The formula is thinner than Medieval above, without the balmy feel and has more slip, but it's no less moisturizing or glossy. The difference here is that all the colors in this line are translucent, and they all reflect an iridescent sheen with turquoise/blue-green micro-shimmers that supposedly will make your teeth appear whiter.

That's really not the selling point for me though. I was really attracted to the translucency and sheerness of the colors, all the while being iffy about this sheen and whether the micro-shimmers would affect the smoothness of the formula. Thankfully, I worried for nothing, because the formula is super smooth just like Medieval and Saints. As for the iridescent sheen, I don't really care for it, but it's not a deal-breaker either and it doesn't really bother me. So in the end, I'm glad I bought the Butterfly Kisses trio also, because two of those lipsticks ended up in my bag ^.^

- Butterfly Ball Sigh: the website described this color Sigh as a warm mauve, but as you can see in the swatch picture below, it's quite cool on me and is not mauve at all but instead a beautiful berry! Also, despite the translucency this lipstick is the most pigmented one out of the 3 in this trio, as well as being more pigmented than the 3 in the other Butterfly Kisses trio also!

Medieval, Saint Pink, and Butterfly Ball Sigh.

Definitely more to come!