red apple gluten-free vegan lipsticks :: review and giveaway

I reviewed these Red Apple lipsticks. From top to bottom: Beach Peach lipstick, Honeybadger lip gloss, Dancing Princess lip gloss, Nude lip liner pen, and Strawberry Fields lipstick

I am not a beauty blogger, but I love playing one on the Internet every once in awhile. Awhile back – eons ago, my bad – the très nice folks at Red Apple Lipstick sent me a care package of their gluten-free, cruelty-free, vegan lipsticks to review.  They asked me to choose 5 products.

L to R: Strawberry Fields, Beach Peach, Dancing Princess, Honeybadger and Nude. For reference: I have pale, late 40s skin with a faint runner's tan. 

Luckily, I do not have gluten issues, but I am aware that we consume way too much. And when it comes to cosmetics, I know that what I am applying onto my body inevitably ends up in my body. I love that, while Red Apple Lipsticks are saturated with gorgeous, all-natural colors,  they are also free of gluten, parabens, animal products, artificial coloring and all sorts of other mainstream nastiness. Plus, since most Red Apple lipstick colors are earthy, they offer a rainbow of shades to complement a range of complexions – from ghostly white like me, to darker, deeper skin tones. So all this said, there's lots to love about this indy brand, whether you have gluten issues or not. Here's the lowdown on what I tried, complete with "selfies" showing color swatches. [True confession: It's utterly horrifying to see yourself in photos past the age of 25; I post them in the name of anti vivisection!]

Nude lip liner with Honeybadger lip gloss

Lip liner in Nude: This classic neutral shade will complement most complexions and lipstick shades. I like the fact that it features a little twist-up feature. [In my infinite laziness, I hate sharpening cosmetic pencils.] The texture was a tad dry, but this also seemed to contribute to a very long wear time – as in hours, even after eating and drinking. I do wish the thickish, blunt point were a bit more precise – would make lining easier. But I am ordering another one anyway because this color goes with everything, and I like the twist-up point. So there you go...

Mint to Be Lip Gloss in Honeybadger: Another warm, neutral shade that will complement just about any skin tone, from ghostly white girls like me, to darker black skin. Its minty flavor tingles and soothes when you apply it, hence the name. I wore this for a dinner out with F-stop last night with the Nude liner.

Red, red, I like red. Strawberry Lips Lipstick. Sammy Hagar would definitely approve.

Lipstick in Strawberry Lips: Through my late 20s, entire 30s and early 40s, I wore strictly red and earthy lipsticks. Now that I am 2 years from 50 [Really?!? Say it ain't so. I feel about 30.], I find that darker shades make my skin look sallow, causing me to look older. This said, I was on the fence about this shade in the container. But it turned out to be a keeper – transparent enough to look natural but dark enough to give my lips and skin a bit a pop. It's on the re-order list, since I only got a wee sample of this one.

Lip gloss in Dancing Princess

Lip gloss in Dancing Princess: This was the surprise of the bunch, a subtle, warm rose gloss punctuated by oodles of microscopic glitter that catch the light and make your lips appear plumper. I wore this to my demo and cookbook signing today at Williams-Sonoma. For girlie-girls ages 14-114.

Beach Peach lipstick with Nude lip liner

Lipstick in Beach Peach: This peachy-keen, pale orange toned shade looks fabulous on both pale and tanned skin, plus it's quite sheer and comfortable to wear.  I love shimmery shades like this in the tube but thought it would get lost on my pale skin once applied. But I was surprised to find that it's gorgeous on – a definite keeper for spring and summer. I am packing this away for my next winter island getaway.

• The good: I adore these lip products and will be ordering again soon. I like what they stand for – no animal ingredients or testing, from themselves or their suppliers. Also love what they include and most of all, what they do not include. The price is right. They offer a range of colors for every complexion. And they offer a 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Can you say "customer service?!"
• The not-so-good: My only issue was the dryness of the lip liner and lack of a precise point. But hey, given all the good points, I can live with it. I''ll take a blunt, slightly dry but gorgeous-and-long-wearing, cruelty- and gluten-free vegan lip liner over a precise, evil animal-tested cosmetic any day. Duh.

CONTEST: The patient sweethearts at Red Apple Lipstick have offered to give away one Honeybadger lip gloss and one Dancing Princess lip gloss to one lucky, US reader. All you need to do is leave a comment with your favorite shade of Red Apple lipstick, either shown in this post on on their web site. Extra brownie points for following Red Apple Lipstick on Facebook and/or UrbanVegan on Facebook. I'll announce the winner next week.

Good luck, kids. And remember: No way for me to contact you, no prize.