Product Review: Kosas Weightless Color Lipstick

Kosas is a natural-based makeup brand founded in 2015 by Sheena Yaitanes. She describes herself as a “chemist, artist, entrepreneur, wife, mother, artist, and lifelong beauty-devotee" and uses her expertise in science and photography-trained artistic eye to create a streamlined collection of colors that meld with and compliment the whole spectrum of human skintone. Sheena has been quoted in a Kosas Facebook post as saying, " The puzzle I was trying to solve: lipstick that feels like nothing, looks like everything, and stays on for a long time. The chemistry led me to botanical oils. Not because they’re natural and healing (that’s a bonus), but because they make lipstick work the way it’s supposed to." From my estimation, she has accomplished all of this.

The Weightless Lipsticks from Kosas are hands down one of the best and most comfortable fully opaque lipstick formulas I have ever used. They glide on with one continuous swipe across the mouth. The true test of this in my mind is when you consider the fact that I have Darkroom, a gorgeous red wine shade and the darkest of the range. Dark colors (especially ones with a more purple-toned base like Darkroom has) tend to skip and apply patchily more than lighter shades. In this formula, however, putting on the vampy Darkroom was smooth and effortless. The color also happens to be a perfect dark red for me, but at the same time, due to the creamier finish, it is not at all harsh-looking. Its creamy finish really seems to allow the color meld with the lips such a way that it really does look like my lips could naturally be this color, and I think the softness of this formula would allow any of the colors to have a similar effect on the lips, regardless of anyone's skintone.

The thing that both impresses me and perplexes me the most is how both how balmy the lipstick feels and how longlasting it is. Somehow with the Weightless Color lipsticks, though ,the combination of butters and oils in the formula( jojoba oil and shea butter and some cocoa seed butter are among them) really help to condition the lips without interfering with its lasting power. The lipstick stays on quite heartily throughout the day, even after a meal. When it does fade,,it fades in even layers and leaves a pretty stain of color behind and still leaves a moisturized feeling to the lips, which I find to be rare. Overall, my average total wear for one application of this lipstick from full color to total wear of the residual stain is about 6 -8 hours, depending on what and how much I eat throughout the day. Sidenote: this lipstick strikes a genius balance between being soft and emollient and staying in place within the lip lines without using a lipliner, making it a great choice to wear underneath a mask during these times right now.

If you're on the hunt for a cleanly-formulated lipstick with wearable, pigmented, flattering color, I definitely recommend the Kosas Weightless Color lipsticks in any of its beautiful shades. But if you are looking for a truly versatile deep shade but one that can go from pretty to bold with just some added layers, I also recommend giving the beautiful Darkroom a glance. But if vampiness is not your thing all the time, the brand offers 9 other shades in this gorgeous formula-- Vegas (a light neutral beige- exclusive color to the Kosas official website), Stardust (a light peachy pink with a golden finish, Violet Fury, a fierce magenta that can be a sheer bloom of color or a bright statement lip), Rosewater, (a cool-toned light pink),Phoenix (a warm orange red with hints of terracotta) Undone (an opaque deep neutral rose), Royal (a midtone berry), Thrillest (a brilliant poppy orange red), Electra (a bright classic neutral-to-cool-toned red. and Fringe (a deep brownosh brick red). Currently, in addition to the Kosas website, most of these shades can be found at The Detox Market, Credo Beauty, and other eco beauty boutiques as well as at Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms, and Sephora. But the shades Phoenix and Violet Fury are usually found exclusively on the Kosas website. The lipsticks are sold for $28 USD.