Lipstick Queen Red Carpet Edit Set

I was eyeing this Lipstick Queen Red Carpet Edit Set since it came out last fall. The set includes 3 red lipsticks in 3 different finishes: Saint Red, Red Sinner, and Red Metal - OMG want!!! But I held my composure. Why? Because it's Red Sinner and Red Metal. And as much as I love red lipsticks, I also love my red lipsticks sheer, like that Saint Red *drools* So the thought of having 2 highly pigmented lipsticks with opaque coverage scares me sh*tless. And then, of course, Lipstick Queen had a sale and the set was half price... xD

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.



Having worn all 3 lipsticks, my conclusion is that while I've figured out how to wear Red Sinner and Red Metal (details below) and thus don't hate them, but I don't love either like I love Medieval, the Saints, and the Butterfly Balls. This means I would never ever seek out either the Sinner or the Metal lipsticks on their own. If there's one or two sold in a set, and I really really wanted something else within that set, like that Saint Red, then I'll buy the set. But otherwise, it's so not my style to wear opaque punch-you-in-the-face lip colors.

- Saint Red: I've already reviewed the Saint formula in detail so I'll just go straight to the color: I LOVE it. It definitely doesn't disappoint at all - a warm, translucent red. Also, I'm not sure Poppy King the brand creator works on the same level as the rest of us, because her 10% pigmentation is really already quite pigmented. See the swatches below for yourself. Hell, go check out all my other Saint lipsticks! They are all pigmented to me and as I've said before, translucency is a finish and not an indication of pigmentation level. So for me, the Saint lipsticks are not "sheer" at all!

Eeeps, my very first Sinner lipstick and it's red! I guess I've got to overcome my fear somehow, but boy oh boy these are so, so, so pigmented it's not even funny. I guess 90% pigment is about correct - the swatches below are done with just 1 swipe (I told you those Saint lipsticks are pigmented also)! The Sinner lipsticks are shimmer free. Despite Red Sinner swatching with a nice sheen on the back of my hand, it goes on my lip completely opaque and matte, so yes on that full coverage too. The video on the website shows an odd gloss that's just not there. I'm thinking they must have topped the lipstick with a balm or gloss on the model.

Texture wise is where this Sinner lipstick falls short in comparison to Medieval, Saint, and Butterfly Ball lipsticks. I call bollocks on those claims of creaminess and gliding on smoothly. No, Red Sinner is neither creamy nor does it glide, and not the kind of satisfying tug but dragging and pulling more like. In short, it feels like clay on my lips, not moisturizing at all.

- Red Sinner: an extremely pigmented blue-based red, like a really bright and pigmented poinsettia. I wore it once on bare lips (i.e. no balm as base), and just 1 layer on the upper lip, pressing to spread, gave me complete coverage for both lips! Surprisingly though, other than the pigmentation and the opacity the cool red doesn't look so bad on me even though I'm warm-toned. So subsequently I always apply balm first to sheer it out and to add moisture, then I dab it gingerly on just one lip to get the tint I want. Problem solved ^.^

The Metal lipsticks are a neat idea, I think, though definitely not for me I'm afraid. It's also very pigmented, slightly less than the Sinners but not that much less, so I'm guessing may be around 85% pigment? Either way, it has loads of fine shimmers that leave a brushed metal finish, so a matte metal if that makes any sense. So again, despite swatching with a nice sheen on the back of my hand below as well as the online video showing glossiness on the model's lips, there's no sheen unless you top your lips with balm or gloss. 

Anyway, I truly wish Lipstick Queen had stopped here with the Metal lipsticks, because I think the brushed metal finish is gorgeous on its own. But no, they had to go and throw in big chunks of multi-hued glitter, which totally ruins it for me, because now the finish just looks garish with all the scattered sparklies :( So that "ultra-fine metallic pearl" thing they claimed on the website? It's BS. There are glitters in these lipsticks, and not the flattering kinds as in the Dancing Queen Set.  

Same as with the Red Sinner above, I also call BS on the claims of moisture, "drag-free application," and creaminess for this Red Metal lipstick. It definitely drags and pulls, and there's definitely *no* moisture or creaminess. It feels like metallic glittery clay on my lips. Boo. Hiss. 

- Red Metal: this color is rather interesting. Because it's metallic and has tons of shimmers, it pretty much reflects whatever lighting I'm in. So if I'm outside, it looks like a warm red, but when I'm indoor, the multi-hued glitters take over and it looks a cooler red, a chameleon red if you will. It takes a single layer on bare lips for full coverage, and so again I apply balm underneath to sheer it out and for moisture. Also, layering clear gloss over this lipstick will "hide" the chunky glitters and brings out more metallicity, in addition to adding moisture. 

Saint Red, Red Sinner, and Red Metal. See how Red Metal is warmer when looked at directly, versus turning cooler at an angle?