Name: NYX Round Lipstick in Perfect

Date Purchased: August 2013

Grade: B

Notes: The blunt self-congratulation of the name “Perfect” makes me want to start a line of self-deprecating lipsticks: “Good Enough.” “Decent Pigmentation for the Price.” “Let’s Be Real, This Is a Half-Assed Knockoff of a MAC Limited Edition Lipstick.” A name like “Perfect” begs for either confirmation or deflation, and in this case, I’m afraid I’ll have to go with the latter. It’s not perfect. But it is, perhaps, good enough.

Perfect is the very embodiment of the phrase “work-appropriate”: a pinkish mauve-ish MLBB color. I bought it hoping for an opaque version of NARS Dolce Vita, and I do think the two are quite similar color-wise.

This photo makes Perfect look slightly warmer than it is, but the swatch below is more color-accurate:

Like the other NYX Round Lipsticks I’ve tried, Perfect has a creamy, heavy, slippery formula. It goes on completely opaque (the swatch above is just one pass), but wears off quickly and is somewhat drying. The Round Lipsticks are proof that creamy lipsticks aren’t always hydrating, no matter how easily they glide onto your lips. They remind me very much of MAC’s Amplified Cremes, though less soothing to dry lips. I can really feel a Round Lipstick when I have it on, which I don’t like. Despite their thickness, the Round Lipsticks don’t do much to disguise dryness, either–you can see that in the lip swatch below.

It’s a shame that I’m not more satisfied with Perfect’s formula, because I think the color suits me nicely. I especially like wearing mauve lip colors with camel-colored tops.

I’ve been trying to wear Perfect more often because it’s part of my Project Make-a-Dent, but with my lips in their current condition, I’ll have to hold off for a few days. Writing this review has made me resolve never to buy another Round Lipstick unless it’s a truly unique color like Castle. Maybe “good for the price” is no longer good enough for me.