I first found out about Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (here after called OCC) pretty early on in my vegan awakening. Some link connected me to a link which connected me to their Facebook page or something something.
It seemed like a kooky brand (as most vegan, cruelty-free companies are) with drag queen spokesmodels (some of my favorite queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race to be honest) and bright colors and a name like Obsessive Compulsive, but they had me at ‘100% vegan cruelty-free’ and I grew obsessed with them in return.
This holiday season I gifted myself with one of their Lip Tar All-Star Mini Sets (for the discerning makeup user with commitment issues) as well as (shamelessly) tried on ever sampler in the Sephora OCC display. I gotta say, the ‘Tar’ bit is apt – the gloss is hyper-saturated and looks thick even when you only put on a drop or two.
It feels so smooth, like actual paint (‘an inch thick’*). I felt like a work of art by the time I finished filling out my lips. It does flutter a bit, so if you have especially wrinkly lips this may not be the gloss for you. That being said, I was smitten with the look and feel of Lip Tar.
OCC Lip Tar delivers on pretty much every front including their color spectrum. It harkens back to 90s makeup with its neons, blacks, and blues. But it also has the neutral territory nicely wrapped up with a range that goes from light brown to blushing pink. I personally love their metallic colors (Role Play being my ABSOLUTE favorite and definitely a keeper for all the holiday events I have lined up) and their really dark reds (Black Dhalia is the ish).
And if you’re anything like me and buy nail polish that has a cool name (*sigh* ‘Wild Child,’ you’ll always be in my collection even though neon fern doesn’t go with anything) you’ll love the Lip Tar lineup (like ‘Anime,’ ‘Grandma,’ and ‘Psycho’). It’s also got the hooker shades on lock, complete with names like ‘NSFW,’ ‘Harlot,’ ‘Strumpet,’ and ‘Trollop.’
The colors are also especially good for blending and creating ombre effects. They even lend themselves to it (according to the packaging), which means a whole wider world of color for those daring enough.
Basically if this holiday season wasn’t all that satisfying on the gift front (and all you have to show for it is a fat pile of decidedly un-sexy socks), do what I did and buy yourself a whole bunch of pretty Lip Tars. You’ll be well stocked for whatever *ahem* events come up in 2014.
Note: Lots of users have mentioned that Lip Tar is a bit drying and you should use the Lip Tar Primer to keep your lips from becoming chapped. I didn’t notice this problem but I’m also a chapstick addict.
*If you understood that joke you’ll also be glad to hear OCC has a shade called Ophelia.
Photos courtesy of SOLIFESTLYE, Wink and Blush, The Loc’d Confident, and Sephora