Did I Just Purchased a Used Tube of Gloss?

I admit, Make Up For Ever Professional is one of those brands that slips completely under my radar. I always look, swatch and admire the shadows, blushes and lipsticks but I seem to always pick up something from the Nars section of Sephora - sorry, I'm loyal to the brands that serve me well. The first MUFE item I picked up was one of their famous liners - the waterproof Aqua Eyes in 22L, silver grey. Sadly, it didn't really make me swoon. I still wanted to give the line another shot. So I decide to try out their new glosses, Lab Shine - available in 3 different finishes: Diamond (sheer but intense shimmer - 12 colors), Satin (pearl finish with medium coverage - 14 colors) and Metal (full coverage but with a metallic finish - 9 colors).

I went with the Diamond Collection, D16, shimmering beige:

I used it with MAC's Cream O'Spice Cremestick Liner, a neutral beige (and also my favorite nude liner). I love this nude combo especially with a smoky, charcoal eye.

As you can see it is LOADED with pink and gold shimmer. It is finely milled because it does not feel gritty when applied and on the lips. It also has a strong scent - I thought it was a sweet plum but it's labeled as apricot on the Sephora site. I like that it's not very sticky on me and my lips are not raw and peeling the morning after I use it.
I don't even mind this on its own on my lips without a liner.



What I don't like is the applicator - it's got a brush tip. I prefer the doe foot as the brush bristles can easily distort and splay out if you're not paying attention when putting the wand back into the tube. When the bristles distort it's not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I know this is the common complaint about the Bobbi Brown glosses with the brush tip applicators.

That's not my biggest gripe what really creases me is that for $18 USD, you only get 0.09oz. When you take the tube out of the box and stand it up to settle you will notice that the amount of gloss is less that half full. I feel like I purchased a used tube of gloss.


(Actual amount of product is below the gap of air between the tube and product)


I understand that this is supposed to contain mother-of-pearl particles and camelina oil for reflecting light and high shine, hyaluronic acid for hydration but this is ridiculous. I cannot justify buying another tube for such a small amount of gloss. This barely lasts two hours on me as well so I know if regular use, this won't last me a full month. I am actually going to keep this because I like the color but I feel like a chump knowing how much I paid for a deluxe sample size amount of gloss.

My Final Assessment - Skipping! I hope to have better luck with their eye shadows or the new HD Invisible Cover Foundation. It's a shame because I was willing to purchase a color from the Satin and Metal collections as well.

I no longer feel bad for purchasing Dolce & Gabbana gloss of $29 USD - at least I get .13oz for that!

On deck - a preview of what's to come...

I just wanted to share a few items I picked up:

From Bottom -  counter clockwise:

Buxom 3-1 Smoky Eye Stick - Silver Sword (Gunmetal)
Urban Decay Primer Potion - travel size (Gold)
Makeup Forever Lab Shine - Diamond Collection Gloss - D16 (Shimmering Beige)
MAC Cream O'Spice Cremestick Liner (Neutral Beige)
MAC Lip Pencil - Beet (Bright Reddish-Pink)

Swatches:
Buxom 3-1 Waterproof Smoky Eye Stick:

3 ways - L to R:
As a heavy liner straight from tube
Smudged with finger
Applied with a densely packed smudge brush

Purchased at Sephora (JC Penny's):
$18 USD/1.0g/.03 oz

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Travel Size):

Heavy swatch and then a swatch I blended with my finger.

Purchased at Sephora (JC Penny's)
$9 USD
3.7ml/.13 oz

Makeup Forever Lab Shine - Diamond Collection:


(Taken in natural sunlight to show the lovely shimmer)

Purchased at Sephora (JC Penny's):
$18 USD/0.09oz

MAC liners:

L to R:

Creme O'Spice Cremestick Liner ($14.50 USD)

Beet Lip Pencil ($13 USD)

Purchased at Macy's.