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1.08.2015

OCC Lip Tar: A How To!

OCC Lip Tar's are a cult beauty product and more and more people are discovering their love for them. I'm definitely one of those people and over the last year or so, I've been obsessing over the wonder product that is lip tar! In this post, I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on OCC's infamous product as well as how to best apply it for the most comfortable and best looking wear.

Firstly, you may be wondering what exactly Lip Tar is: 
  • Created by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC), their lip tar is basically a liquid lipstick. 
  • It is packaged in a sort of lip gloss-esque tube and it's highly and I mean highly pigmented. 
  • You also only need the smallest amount for an opaque application - seriously, you need a tiny bit.
  • In a full size Lip Tar, you get 10ml of product and let me tell, you will never run out of it - it's that pigmented and that concentrated. 

OCC makes their Lip Tar formulas in two finishes: Matte and Metallic. They have a whole host of colours available in both of these finishes from primary colours such as yellow and blue to bright neon pinks and dark blackened purples. There's truly a colour for everyone in my opinion - and if there's not, well you can actually make your own simply by mixing them together.

Now, let's get into the good stuff:

With every lip tar, you receive a mini lip pencil and believe me, you get this for a reason. You don't want to be applying this product straight from the nozzle without a brush because it's just not going to go well!

Being so darn liquid-y and rich in pigment, a brush is the best way to evenly distribute the product and ensure you get a precise application. It's also the best way to avoid mess and any potential bleeding or transfer of the lip tar onto your face or anywhere else (it can leave a temporary stain).

Being so highly concentrated, lip tar can tend to bleed if worn alone without any other products. To combat this I'd of course suggest the use of a brush, but I'd also suggest a lip liner too. I'm not really a major fan of lip liner personally so I don't really want to buy every colour under the sun and I don't always wear it if I can get away with it. So, a clear liner is perfect for me and is definitely something I'd recommend to you. OCC in fact, make a great clear liner called 'Anti-Feathered' that helps to do just that - stop your lip tar bleeding! OCC also make a clear lip primer in similar packaging to their Lip Tar which I find it conjunction with their liner is very effective.



** If you do make a mistake with the Lip Tar (which believe me, I always do) it's easy to tidy it up with a small, thin brush and some concealer. Trace the outline of your lip for a nice, clean edge and be sure to blend it out well! **

So, I think that pretty much covers the basics of Lip Tar and what to do with it... One last thing though: LESS is MORE! Use a bit at a time and you'll find applying Lip Tar way less of a daunting task - don't forget it takes the tiniest bit to make that colour super opaque and vibrant so don't feel like you have to pile it on!

And that my friends, is everything I wanted to cover in this post. Hopefully, you are now a little bit more knowledgable in the world of Lip Tar or perhaps I've simply managed to grab your interest to go ahead and try it out. Which by the way, you totally should! Lip Tar is awesome stuff.

OCC is primarily sold in the US so it's not as readily available for us in the UK. However there are stores that stock it with my personal favourite being Cocktail Cosmetics who sell products from a whole range of awesome indie makeup brands. Love Makeup also sell lip tar, as do Selfridges! OCC Lip Tar's range from around £11-£13 which considering how much you get and how little you need, is an absolute bargain in my eyes!

Thank you so much for reading this post, what are you thoughts on OCC's Lip Tars?

11.21.2014

Review: OCC Metallic Lip Tar in Technopagan

 Hello! I'm here today bringing you a review - it's going to be of OCC's Lip Tar in the shade 'Technopagan'. I first tried lip tars a few months ago when I purchased the shade 'Hoochie' which is a beautiful, vibrant matte purple (a review of which you read here!). After trying that out, I fell in love with both the concept and use of the product itself and I knew I wanted to try more! After eyeing up this bold shade for a long time, I bit the bullet and got it and I have to say - I'm in love!


Technopagan is a bold blackened purple with a metallic finish. In the light however, it has more of a deep blue sheen with a kind of dark purple lining peaking through. It's on the cool side and has a beautiful shine to it. I'm not stranger the bold colours but this shade is definitely something new for me and that's definitely in a good way. I love alternative lip colours and this particular one definitely fits that category though at the same time I feel it is still strangely wearable (for me, anyway). 


Unsurpringly and as with all other Lip Tars, Technopagan is HIGHLY pigmented and a little bit goes a very long way - believe me! Unlike the others I've tried, the metallic formula seems to be a lot thicker but it still applies smoothly and evenly. It has more of matte kind of finish on the lips and doesn't have a sheen in the lip gloss kind of sense but this is instead due to it's metallic finish. I wouldn't say it feels drying on the lips which is definitely a good thing and in terms of creaminess, it's probably in the middle somewhere. Along the edges of the lips it does kind of fade out to a sort of pink-purple outline which may mean you need to build up the colour a little but it's an effect I happen to really like.


In terms of staying power, this product is a winner! As I've found with the other 2 lip tars I own, the staying power is awesome. I wore this product for a whole day complete with eating, drinking and general chit chat and this guy stayed put. No smudging, no streaking and it still maintained that intense pigment. 


Overall, I'm really impressed with this Lip Tar and I'm absolutely in love with the colour and finish of it. I think this may just be my new favourite lip product right now and I desperately wanna try some more OCC Lip Tar's because they're honestly just that good.

I got my Lip Tar from Love Makeup for £12.00!

Have you tried any of the OCC Lip Tars?! What do you guys think of them? I'd love to know!




Beauty Bay

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