I’ve always been a fan of bold liquid lipsticks; I’d happily wear a deep crimson or rich magenta coupled with dewy skin and slick of mascara any day of the week. Obviously, when it comes to vivid shades, the more pigmented, the better; but these opaque, colour-saturated formulas often come at a price- dry, flaky, cracked lips.
A couple of years ago, Kuwaiti mega influencer and social media heavy-weight, Rawan Bin Hussein, launched her eponymous beauty brand, House of Rawan, with a range of liquid lipsticks. It offered up the usual, if somewhat limited, colour offerings that ranged from classic nudes to rich reds and berry shades. The formulas ticked all the boxes: richly pigmented, long-lasting, flake-free. But as with many new launches, these liquid lip colours didn’t really make a mark on to the beauty scene, and on a personal level, I used them a couple of times and then they were resigned to the depths of my lipstick drawer.
But I recently came across them again and I decided to give them another go; and I’m really glad I did. This time I was blown away by two stunning shades in particular, Charlie’s Purple, a gorgeous cool-toned grape, and Burning Red, umm… a fiery red- obvs. The creamy formula applies beautifully, delivering a smooth, velvety layer of dense, vibrant colour that doesn’t oxidise or change as it dries down. The small applicator is compact and easy enough to navigate, so you can skip the lip liner, and the velvet-matte finish can withstand a full day of wear without any cracking, peeling or smudging.
However, it’s a shame that the owner of this brand is the only reason that this product was briefly in the spotlight, as it’s genuinely one of the most comfortable liquid lipsticks I’ve ever tried.
