I might be the poster girl for the antithesis of makeup minimalism (makeup maximumism?).
No, seriously, I carry like 12 lip products in my bag at any given time…or maybe 15, because I love ALL TEH COLORS, so it’s funny to me that I fell for Kosas Cosmetics, a line all about makeup minimalism.
Lipsticks ON POINT
Kosas, an up-and-coming luxury natural makeup line out of LA, is also the Sanscrit word for sheath. Their first products, a line of eight semi-matte lipsticks, launched last year in shades of pink, rose, red and plum ($24 each).
Girl, these lipsticks are totally and completely on point. ON. POINT. Based on these, I can’t wait to see what else this brand comes up with.
It’s all about the basics
Founder Sheena Yaitanes, who happens to be a painter AND a chemist, said that she wanted to create a line of products edited all the way down to the basics — no unnecessary or redundant colors or chemicals.
Flattery will get you everywhere…
Sheena drew upon her background in painting when she was working and experimenting to develop her lipstick colors. In painting, when you’re mixing up colors to paint skin, you use a lot of reds, blues and yellows, and Sheena purposefully picked these undertones for her lipsticks, which encompass some very flattering colors.
I’ve been playing with all eight shades, and I don’t think there’s a funky one in the bunch, which is pretty unusual. I try a lotta lipsticks from a lotta lines, and there’s usually one or two that I’m like, “Nope!” about.
Like a $54 Guerlain Rouge G for $30 less
Not only are these Kosas colors spot on, but they feel luxuriously fab. The formula reminds me of the $55 Guerlain Rouge Gs. They have a similar texture, creamy finish and comfy, non-drying formula.
If you’re wondering, what’s the catch? Do they smell like strong peppermint eucalyptus or seaweed?? Nope, they’re actually unscented and unflavored.
So smooth…
It’s almost unreal how smoothly the colors apply. Every single shade! None of them go on patchy or settle into my lip lines, which is also pretty unusual for a pigmented lipstick formula like this. Thet start out at medium coverage, by the way, but you can easily build them up to full opacity in a single layer.
Wear time
And the wear time isn’t bad, either, especially for a natural lipstick formula. I can apply my favorite shade, Rosewater, in the morning, have a couple of snacks, then lunch, and still see some color on my lips. Total wear time: about four hours.
Plenty of plant-based oils and extracts
I always like when I can actually comprehend a list of ingredients, and this one is easy to read. I see lots of plant-based oils and extracts, but it isn’t a vegan formula, for the record, because it does contain beeswax.
INGREDIENTS:
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (derived from coconut oil), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelila Wax), Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Octyldodecanol, Lanolin Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Helianthus Anuus (Sunflower) Extract, Tocopherols, Microcrystalline Wax, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Rosa Muschata (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Vanillin, Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl GlycolMay Contain: Mica (CI 77019), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 22 Lake (CI 45380), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Red 30 Lake (CI 73360), Manganese Violet (CI 777742), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Carmine (CI 75470)
They don’t contain parabens, pthalates, fragrances, mineral oils or petrolatum, and they’re made without gluten, egg or soy. They’re also cruelty free.
HIGHLY recommended
Word on the street is that Kosas is getting ready to expand the line with blushes, mascara, foundation and concealer, which I’m super stoked about. I think Kosas is a very promising brand, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them carried at high-end stores and counters like Barneys and Space NK soon.
If you’re as intrigued as I am, you can find them online now at kosascosmetics.com and aylabeauty.com.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Whew! Cross Monday off the books, babe. I hope you had a good one. 🙂
Fringe is my kind of read, and four hours weartime is great on my lips, most lipsticks last a shorter period of time.
As far as minimalism goes… Only when packaging is involved, not when it comes to quantity!
It’s a gorgeous red!
Electra is so gorgeous! Dark red lips are still ok for spring right? ?
Isn’t it, though? I read that it’s named after the founder’s daughter, which makes me like it even more.
And dark red lips never go out of style. They’re classic.
Rosewater is such a lovely name and like its name the color is so soothing to eyes. Loved that red also. Its always good to hear about relatively smaller brands creating such luxurious quality products.
Agreed. It’s thrilling to find the new brands who are doing exciting things. Can’t wait to see what they do next.
These sound lovely and there are some very pretty, wearable colors in that bunch! 🙂
Hi Kim,
For sure! I wish I could wear them all at once, LOL!
Absolutely beautiful colors. I’m on a budget, but I can already feel myself justifying the price. “They’re so wearable! You’ll get maximum use out of these due to the formula and color so it’ll actually be more worth buying one or two of these as opposed to a bunch of cheapies!”
Hi Rachel,
If you get the chance, give Rosewater a go. You could wear it with so many looks. Neutral, smokey… whatever you’re in the mood to do.
This is a line I can get behind! The price, colors and formula all look on point!
Hi Dani,
Yes! It’s luxurious and it delivers the goods. Plus the colors… LOVE!
Do you think you might try a shade sometime soon?
Thank you for posting this. I’ve been curious about these, but all the on-line swatches I’ve seen make them all look pretty similar or nothing like the word descriptions. Now I know which way to order. Glad these are unscented, too!
Like I need another lipstick!! But I can’t resist.
You’re welcome! I remember you mentioning that you wanted to try them. It’s a very pretty line and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Did you decide on a color?
Wow, these look so nice! I cannot get anymore lippies because I have kind of gone a little over board with that lately… but I’ll keep this brand in mind for the future.
Hi Savannah,
Definitely put them on your wish list, especially Rosewater. 🙂 I’m wearing it as I type this…
What lippies have your purchased lately?
Wow do those lipstick colours look good on you!!
Thanks, Mel. Do any of the shades catch your eye?
Having a hard deciding between Stardust, Rosewater and Undone. Can you tell me what order they’re in left to right in your straight line photo?
Sure! From left to right: Darkroom, Electra, Fringe, Rosewater, Royal, Stardust, Thrillest and Undone. My vote is for Rosewater. 🙂
Thanks. I wish Nordstrom had these so I could either swatch in person or return them if I opened the box and went “uh no, not for me.” Thinking I will try Rosewater and Royal to start. One neutral, one more colorful. Thanks for the info, it helps.
You’re welcome. Thanks for pointing that out; I’ll update the post and add the names in! Let me know what you think when you get them (fingers crossed that you love them).
These are beautiful! All so flattering!
Here, Sheena, take my money while I make room in my purse for eight new lipsticks.
LOL, Suzanne! 🙂
Have you tried their tinted face oils? Amazing!
I haven’t yet, Sylvie. Do you set yours with powder (I’m not always a powder person).