Dr. Hauschka Lipstick Novum

Beauty Habit had a sale not too long ago, and browsing through the website I stumbled upon Dr. Hauschka Lipstick Novum. The description of "translucent sheen of color" instantly piqued my curiosity, but I was loathed to pay the BH's discounted price of $16.80 (much less their $24 retail!). 

Fortunately (or not...), Amazon points enabled my lemmings and I picked up 3 colors, 09 Miraculous Rose, 10 Laid-Back Apricot, and 12 Exhilarating Berry. I skipped 04 Sand Dune because it looks too brown.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

But here's where the misfortune begins. First off, the packaging sucks. The lipstick is housed in a slender black twist-up tube, but the plastic is very light, flimsy, and feels super cheap. From the 3 colors I have, I can see the brand made an effort to improve the overall look, but I feel it's a half-assed attempt. The inner twist-tube is gold in the newer packaging, but the outside is still the same cheap black plastic.

In the middle of the tube is a rubbery band (as I said, cheap...) with ridges where the cap is supposed to click shut. The problem is that it doesn't click nor does it shut at all. So yes, the cap keeps popping back out, making it impossible to carry around because the cap will fall right off and expose the lipstick to what have you. 

New packaging (top) versus old packaging (bottom).

By now I'm hoping the formula will makeup for this piss-poor packaging. Well, for 2 colors it did. As in for 09 Miraculous Rose and 10 Laid-Back Apricot in the old packaging, the formula is great! It's thick, smooth, and moisturizing, and it lasts for at least 3-4 hours. I like it.

But for 12 Exhilarating Berry, apparently Dr. Hauschka also reformulated the lipstick in addition to changing the packaging. Sadly, the new formula sadly is nowhere as good as the old one, being noticeably thinner, less smooth, and less moisturizing. It's so thin I could feel the shimmers gritty on my lips, and it also dries up after just a couple of hours leaving my lips looking waxy and flaky :( Boo. Hiss.

One complaint I have for both formulas old and new is that the scent is overpowering. Yes, these lipsticks are scented with a super strong herbal scent that's a mix of lavender and something else I can't quite put a finger on. Applying these onto my lips feels akin to take a gulp of essential oil, because the smell lingers and lingers and just doesn't go away. 

So as you can see where this review is going, I don't like these Lipstick Novum at all and I will not repurchase. In fact, I've reach for them just once since they arrived, which is just sad because I carry a different lippie with me every day. I mean, their terrible packaging doesn't make them portable at all, and their overwhelming fragrance makes them hard to wear. A double whammy is what I call them.

- 09 Miraculous Rose: totally transparent my-lip-but-better pink, which makes it easy to apply without a mirror. If your lips are pigmented, this will just be a lip balm at best. If you're going to pay $24, might as well get the full size of Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip instead since it doesn't have the packaging problem or an overwhelming smell, and it actually has some color in it.

- 10 Laid-Back Apricot: a translucent apricot coral with a pearly gold sheen. This color is super flattering on me as the gold sheen makes my lips appear plump and full, and I'd like it a whole lot more if the cap would just stay shut. But since I can't carry it with me, I can only apply once on my way out and that's that.

- 12 Exhilarating Berry: a lovely translucent raspberry that looks more red wine in the tube but applies more red berry, as in with less purple. It's also the most pigmented color out of all three, so I really wish Dr. Hauschka hadn't change the formula!

From left to right: 09 Miraculous Rose, 10 Laid-Back Apricot, and 12 Exhilarating Berry.