I Hated This Lip Gloss So Much That I Can Safely Call It My Worst Purchase…Ever!

Sneha Kalra

Editor’s Rating

I can't get enough of colour-changing lip products. The fact that they adjust to your tone and give the perfect pink tint to the lips makes them one of the most convenient products in the industry. I love topping them off with a gloss for that subtle sheen that can be worn both day and night.

Since there’s no such thing as too many lipsticks in my dictionary, I got myself Aqualogica’s latest launch – the Plump + Pouty Li-pH Gloss With Strawberry & Hyaluronic Acid. Since I’ve loved pretty much everything from the brand, I expected to have similar feelings about this product as well. Little did I know what a rude shock I was about to have.

What Is It

The Plump + Pouty Li-pH Gloss is enriched with Hyaluronic Acid and promises a tint lasting up to 8 hours. It is supposed to hydrate the lips and give them a glossy finish while delivering a different colour to each lip based on your lip’s pH level. It also contains strawberry extract which nourishes dry lips and removes dead skin cells. It comes in two shades – Peach Vanilla and Watermelon Slice.

Our Thoughts

I won’t sugarcoat it – the product is a total letdown. The bottle is super cute and easy to carry, but the formula is goopy, with gold sparkles. The Peach Vanilla is a translucent formula while the Watermelon Slice is pink. To my surprise, despite its consistency, on application, it felt light and non-sticky.

As promised, the product’s colour changes to a deep pink on application, which is based on the pH of your skin. The pink is almost a mix between magenta and rani pink – a shade that’s not flattering to the Indian skin tone. I have a medium warm skin tone, which looked hideous and reminded me of the lipsticks we would use in school – ones that washed us out and were so drying and hard to take off. Furthermore, after fading away, it dried out my lips and left them feeling and looking chapped – a direct contrast to the hydration it promises your lips. After the gloss faded away, the tint stayed on. This might seem like a positive aspect of the product, but the colour is such that you don’t want the tint to stay on. It requires a good makeup remover to get rid of it completely.

Despite being priced at a somewhat affordable rate of Rs. 549, I wouldn’t repurchase either of the two variants or recommend them to anyone!

How To Use It

I’d first go in with a hydrating lip balm and then follow it up with the gloss. You can reapply once the gloss fades at your convenience.

What It Looks Like

Both glosses deliver a similar shade, basis your skin’s pH

The stain remains once the gloss is wiped off

Some pH-changing glosses I would recommend and repurchase are:

Good To Know

Key Ingredients: Strawberry extract, hyaluronic acid.

Colour changing: Changes colour based on your pH levels.

In Conclusion

pH colour-changing lip products are all the rage right now, and with the number of options available, I'd rather pick any other variation. The bottom line is that this one's not worth your money, so spend it on something better! Sharing some pH-adjusting lip glosses that I would recommend (and repurchase) below.

02 Feb 2024

Feature Image Source: Instagram