Prior to purchasing the OFRA Long Lasting Liquid Lipsticks, all I had seen were rave reviews. Every YouTuber was raving about them, some were collaborating with them, and it all sounded too good to be true. I wouldn't have purchased these because they would be around $26 here and they didn't sound amazing to me, but my favourite beauty store Banglashoppers became wholesalers of these liquid lipsticks and I could purchase them for BDT 1450/- (which is pretty close to the retail price of $20), so I picked three up.
Top To Bottom: Manhattan, Santa Ana, Mocha.
The reason I did not want to try these was because they are not supposed to dry down fully. These are meant to be more of lip creams than liquid lipsticks which usually dry down like tattoo or concrete on the lips (think Kat Von D or Kylie Lip Kits). I didn't want to deal with liquid lipsticks which go on like regular creamy lipsticks; kind of defeats the point of them being in liquid lipstick form instead of traditional lipstick. I wouldn't like a liquid lipstick which bleeds, gets on my teeth, or behaves like regular cream lipstick.
The liquid lipstick tubes came in these long cardboard boxes. They were difficult to get out of the boxes as you can't push or pull the tubes out since they fit snugly; you have to slide the tubes out using the window cut-out on the front. I like storing things in their original packaging, but had to keep these tubes out since it would be a hassle to take them out when I need to apply them. I've heard they have changed the boxes and tube designs now.
The tubes are just clear plastic tubes, nothing fancy. They don't contain a list of ingredients, batch code, or anything. The shade name is printed on a sticker and stuck on the bottom of each tube. The handles are probably made of plastic. I like that the tubes don't leak or get too gunky.
They come with standard doe-foot sponge applicators. I love the shape and size of the applicators because they get just enough product out (although sometimes I need to dip in twice) and they don't have any weird curves or anything, so they are easy to work with.
Upon opening one of the tubes, I was hit by the most delicious buttercream frosting scent. These smell like HEAVEN. The scent was gone in five minutes, but I like it when lipsticks have a great scent because it makes applying them enjoyable. I don't really care if the smell lasts. After a few uses, the liquid lipstick in each tube began to lose the frosting scent and the remaining scent was a mix of the usual chemical liquid lipstick scent and a slight hint of the frosting scent.
I noticed the product on the wand was actually a cream instead of watery liquid lipstick. The liquid lipstick came out a bit clumpy sometimes, like that dried shampoo chunk you get when you try to get some shampoo out of a pump container. I am not really bothered by this, I just dip in again to get rid of the clump.
Now on to the part you probably care about the most... the formula!
The formula of these is PHENOMENAL. They go on very very smooth and buttery. Some would say the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are a formula dupe, but no. These are not mousse-y, just insanely creamy. Because these go on creamy and not watery, they don't tug at my lips. They don't dry down immediately, so if I mess up my application, I can go back and fix it. They dry down within two minutes or so, and when they do, they do so in the most elegant and sophisticated manner - no drying out of lips, no shrunk feeling, no tugging, no shine, no tackiness, nothing. If I press my lips together, they just feel dried-down, but not drying. These did not dry my lips out at all and were very comfortable to wear.
These did not melt or bleed outside my lip area, did not get into my mouth or on my teeth, and did not fade. They wore nicely throughout the duration I was out, and did not flake or anything. I did not eat anything with these on, but drank water, which did not affect wear. Upon lightly swiping my fingers over my lips, they slightly transferred onto my fingertip, but there was still colour on my lips. These were super easy to take off and did not stain my lips.
Mocha:
Mocha, freshly applied.
Mocha, one hour later. (Not same day as above picture.)
Mocha is a beautiful everyday neutral mauve-brown shade. I had dip my brush into the tube twice to get this coverage, likely because it's a more neutral shade. This one had some tack to it and did not dry as well as Manhattan or Santa Ana did. The liquid lipstick went on smoothly and uniformly, and coated my lips well instead of being blotchy or streaky. This was a little less comfortable to wear than the other two, but not too bothersome.
Manhattan:
Manhattan, one hour later.
I was expecting Manhattan to be a pretty plummy-brown, but it turned out to be a very wearable purple. The purple has dusty brown and mauve tones, so it's not bright or bold, and can be worn daily. I applied this on flaky, dry lips and hadn't moisturized my lips overnight or in the morning, and it still went on very smoothly and did not emphasize lip flakes or dry areas. This one actually felt very comfortable and somewhat "balmy"; not like lip balm but like a lip crayon, but more matte. I don't usually make the mistake of applying liquid lipsticks without moisturizing and exfoliating my lips, but these wore well even though I hadn't followed my routine.
Santa Ana:
Santa Ana, two hours later.
This is the most gorgeous shade! It is a little darker and more rosey in person. In the picture, it looks lighter than it actually is. This is a dusty plum-rose shade and is perfect for days when you want to wear colour on your lips without overdoing it. This dried down very well, and was comfortable to wear. This one was less balmy than Manhattan, but made my lips feel very soft.
Overall, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a comfortable, smooth, easy-to-apply liquid lipstick. If you only like liquid lipsticks which dry down completely, you may still like these as they do dry down pretty well, just not like concrete. I am in love with the colours and the formula, and will be using these up and picking up more shades.
Have you tried the OFRA liquid lipsticks? Which shades did you pick up? Did you like the formula? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram!
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