Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Great Reds: Urban Decay Gash

Hi All!

I've got one more NARS product in the lineup, but I decided to shake things up and throw Urban Decay's lipstick in Gash into the mix, for something different. I've reviewed one of these lipsticks before, Confession, which is a sheer, glossy formula. Gash is significantly different; Confession is described as being a cream with no shimmer or glitter, and sheer, buildable coverage. Gash, on the other hand, is described on their website as being full coverage with a "sheen" (defined by UD as a glossy luster, but this seems to be a metallic/ frosted type of shimmer, without the whiteness often associated with frosts). Gash is a bright but deep blue-based red; it's not in your face candy apple red, but it's not a deep or muted brick red, either. The shimmery frost in it seems to be the same color as the base, flashing more pink or almost gold depending on how the light hits it. It comes with .13 ounces of product and retails for $22.

Now, I know a lot of people have commented on the bad taste and smell that UD lipsticks have, and attributed this to the fact that they are vegan. I have not had this experience across the board; for instance, Confession doesn't bother me at all, and the odd flavor/ scent to Vinyl is minimal. Gash is a different story. It tastes acrid and bitter, and while I can smell the "caramel" scent that these are supposed to have, I also smell another, chemical-y scent (reminds me of pencil shavings when these two scents come together!) under that. I go out of my way to avoid licking my lips when I have this lipstick on, and I try to remember to wipe it all off before I eat or drink since the flavor is that gross. I tend to only notice it the first five or ten minutes I'm wearing it (unless I lick my lips or eat something), but it's off-putting enough that I wouldn't recommend this to people who are sensitive to lip products having bad flavors. On the other hand, it *is* vegan, and not tested on animals so if that is a particularly important quality to you, this might be worth putting up with.

Another concern people have with UD's lipsticks is the case; they are bulky, stylized, and have a pokey little dagger on the end. I've never had a dagger snap off, even though I haul these around in my purse, but I know people have had that problem in the past. Lucky for me, I'm a sucker for fancy stylish packaging, so this is a plus for me, but if you hate extra bulk and weight, you may need to take that into consideration when choosing an Urban Decay lipstick over another brand.

The Urban Decay Lipstick Case

Gash!

The cute little dagger! 

Gash! With "Urban Decay" printed into the lipstick :) 

Swatch of Gash

Gash by Urban Decay, no flash

Urban Decay's Gash

Gash, with flash

Urban Decay's Gash, with flash


Rating: 6 out of 10

I love this color, but I cannot give it full marks because of the taste and scent of the product! The formula itself is nice, but nothing special; it goes on evenly, doesn't emphasize lip lines, and isn't drying, although I don't find it moisturizing, and it's neither creamy or weightless; just kind of there. It is described as an opaque color, and while it gives a lot of coverage, I don't find it to be the most pigmented formula ever, which does make this more wearable, but it's still not performing as described. That being said, it's a great kind of muted red, very wearable, and I think it would be flattering on a lot of skin tones!

9 comments:

  1. That dagger is a hazard. If you put it in your pocket, it pokes you in the thigh SO PAINFULLY!

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  2. I think I should go try out UD lip stuff when I'm at my local Sephora again. I wonder what they smell like. LOL.

    Btw, I tagged you for some blog awards :) Check out my blog for the full details.

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  3. I think my mom loves these lipsticks, though she only has a few. I really can't do lipsticks with strong scents, though :(

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  4. such a beautiful color but, oh, if anything turns me off about lipsticks, it's the bad scent and taste. i absolutely loved the color burst lipsticks for their pigmentation and creaminess but could not for the life of me stand the scent, so i sold them. =(

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  5. @VijiiS, these are NOT pocket lipsticks! These were meant to be pulled out of a sexy little clutch!
    @mNg, thank you, I will check it out! I think I am still behind on an award VijiiS gave me...
    @Larie, yup, if strong scents are a deal breaker, then most of these are probably out :(
    @ Sugar Bumpkin, I can totally understand the scent and taste being a total turn off! For some reason, knowing these are vegan and blaming it on that is the only thing that makes me able to stomach it! But like I said, Vinyl isn't bad, and I don't notice the scent at all with Confession. It must be different formula to formula.

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  6. I used to have Urban Decay's Gash nail polish and was obsessed with it. So I ordered the lipstick online a few days ago out of nostalgia. I'm hoping the taste/smell won't be so offensive that I return it! Thanks for the thorough post.

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  7. @asoftblackstar, I used to have that nail polish, too! Vixen by Revlon is my new favorite blood red. Hopefully you won't mind the taste and scent too much... It's not a deal breaker for me, and I got mine about a year ago, so maybe they've fixed this issue since then? I'm curious to see what your experience with it is!

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  8. It's too bad about the taste/scent of the product, and the packaging isn't very practical! Great review, if nothing else it looks lovely on you. :)

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  9. I love the colour, but the bad taste and scent would drive me nuts!

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