My Night Out With the Kylie Jenner Lip Kit

Kylie Jenner rocking her Lip Kit in Mary Jo K. Photo: @kyliejenner

It’s safe to say now that Kylie Jenner’s Lip Kits have been a huge success for the reality TV star. The 18-year-old is slowly building a cosmetics empire, and the kits are the foundation. Since they first hit the market, Jenner’s lippies have been selling out in the blink of an eye with every restock. Just this Monday, Jenner had a restock of her entire collection, which sold out in a mere 15 minutes.

Like I said, getting one’s hands on Kylie’s über-popular kits has proved to be no small feat, but we were able to pick up one of Kylie’s newer shades, Mary Jo K, a classic red color that launched last month. Red lipstick is pretty much a staple, and we were excited that Jenner was offering the hue — after all, a girl can’t have too many red lipsticks. Could it replace my go-to red, Sephora 01 Always Red lip stain? And mostly, could it stand up to a night of partying with my crew? We’d already planned a night on the town to celebrate my friend’s 28th, so you know I had to put ol’ Mary Jo through its paces to see if it was worth a permanent spot on my vanity.

I got my night started early as I was due in the West Village for some pre-birthday bash drinks at a friend’s house. I prepped my lips by brushing them with a toothbrush, drying them off and then dabbing on my favorite moisturizer, Glossier Balm Dotcom. I waited for all the product to absorb before applying the lip liner and two coats of Mary Jo K at around 8:05 p.m. that evening. I decided on two coats just in case the first one was streaky. It turned out being pretty opaque with one coat, but I wanted as much opacity on my lips as possible. I am loath to admit it, but the formula on Kylie’s kits are definitely among the best I’ve tried. The lipstick is super lightweight, pigmented, dries quickly, and doesn’t settle into all the cracks on my lips, which is great because usually matte liquid lipsticks just make your situation look Sahara-status dry. One thing the Lip Kits did not do is plump my lips, as God saw it fit to bless me with a full, natural pair of smackers at birth. So if you’re expecting the kits to give you a plumper pout, you can forget it.

My lips at 8:05 p.m., when I realized that the silver highlight at the inner corners of my eyes was way too bright, but I went along with it anyway because YOLO. (Photo: courtesy of Jihan Forbes)

From there, I went about my business. I sipped a little Henny and a little champagne — for experimentation purposes, I swear. Two hours into my excursion, I checked my lips. At 10:10, I wrote in the notes section of my iPhone that the color was simply “still there.” An hour later it was still going strong. After two bottles of Stella Artois, a complimentary Ciroc beverage, and a few solid hours of dancing with my friends, I remembered to check my lips. I headed to the bathroom to see what damage my debauchery hath wrought.

At 11:41, I noted the lip color was a bit faded but still definitely there. It appeared to be a softer red, not as intense as it was when I applied it almost four hours earlier, but still definitely in the mix and not looking too crazy. According to my notes, at 12:13, I went to the bathroom again (guess the “seal” had been effectively broken at the time) and it had faded enough that I thought it necessary to reapply. It layered pretty well on the second application.

My lips (and my friend’s hand) at 12:13, which were decidedly not as vibrant as they were hours before. (Photo: courtesy of Jihan Forbes)

On me, the Kylie Lip Kit wore just OK. It wasn’t like I got eight hours out of the product without having to reapply, but such is rarely the case with any lipstick. I am the type to give credit where it is due, and regardless of my feelings about the Kardashian-Jenner machine, the Kylie Lip Kits are actually good, and I can’t front — I kind of want to buy more colors. And though $29 for a lip pencil and a liquid lipstick may seem like a deal, when you add on the $8.95 (ooh wee!) for shipping … let’s just say it’s a lot. And it’s a bit of a deterrent for me when it comes to purchasing other colors, even if I may want them. Plus, the Kardashians and Jenners don’t need any more of my hard-earned coins … even though they may wind up getting them anyway because I’m a beauty addict with little self-control.

Overall, the Kylie Lip Kit stood up rather unremarkably on my lips. In fact, I’ve worn liquid lipsticks from inexpensive brands like ColourPop and experienced far less fading. Sorry, Kylie, my trusty Sephora always red is here to stay, though I will say Kylie’s Lip Kit is definitely more hydrating and lightweight than most of the brands I’ve tried. As Jenner herself tweeted, “the most amazing thing about my matte lipsticks is that they are so thin feels like you aren’t wearing anything,” and yeah, I can’t argue with that. Afterward, the burgeoning makeup mogul asserted that her lippies were “perfect for first dates and kissing,” and I will have to wholeheartedly disagree. Because I also tried this out. For “experimentation” purposes! And I can tell you, no, Kylie’s Lip Kits are no match for a full-blown makeout sesh. Maybe a peck or two, but if you’re really trying to get your smooch on, you can expect to have to reapply.

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