REVIEWS || OCC RTW Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia + Sequin Star Eye Makeup Look

OCC Lip Tars have been around for years. I remember when I first heard of them, I jumped straight on to that bandwagon, and even thou...

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OCC Lip Tars have been around for years. I remember when I first heard of them, I jumped straight on to that bandwagon, and even though I tried to love them, I just couldn't. Don't get me wrong, some of the shades were amazing and there was so much variety, truly something for everyone but I just couldn't deal with the formula - or so I thought. They came in these strange squishy tubes that you'd squeeze out on to a brush for application, it just felt a little too thin for me and would always bleed around the mouth.

Despite the difficulties in applying the product to my lips, I knew that if I did get the application spot on, it would have looked beautiful. The pigmentation was something else, like nothing I'd seen before, it was almost perfectly opaque. I imagined it would look like the lips were drenched in flavoursome, juicy colour. But, it just wasn't to be...

Until now.

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Yes, all these years later and OCC have released the Ready To Wear collection. The range of shades is exactly the same as before, with all that variety to choose from and the formula is exactly the same, but the packaging has changed. Usually packaging changes have no real impact on me. I'm more bothered about the stuff held within the packaging, but on this occasion, the packaging is what really interested me because they've included a Doe-Foot Applicator.

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Could this brand new Doe-Foot Applicator really make all the difference? Could it unlock the world of OCC Lip Tars for me? I was sceptical at first, yet still splurged out on three shades from Cocktail CosmeticS: Belladonna, Technopagan and last but not least, Black Metal Dahlia.

Of course, the acid test would be all about that application. OCC say you only a need a small amount, so when I pulled out the applicator from my tube of Black Metal Dahlia and saw the tiny amount of product on it, I had to resist the temptation to dip it back in and soak up some more. I applied that small amount of product all over the lips, and was a little surprised to see it drench my lips in colour, and incredibly evenly spread too.

This is exactly what the original OCC Lip Tars should have been. Not only is the application great, but the finish is perfectly opaque with minimal bleeding and my lips are drenched in colour, just as I imagined the original would all those years ago. To top it all off, the finish isn't glossy, it's a reassuringly expensive looking metallic, truly stunning.

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OCC RTW Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia Swatch

OCC describe Black Metal Dahlia as a "Blackened Burgundy with Red Pearl". I have to say that I'd agree with that, it's a very deep, dark burgundy with flecks of shimmer giving it that pearlescent metallic sheen. It's incredibly rich and for some reason reminds me of Black Forest Gateau. When you press your lips together you can actually feel the girt of the shimmer, it's not uncomfortable in any way, but you can just feel it on your lips.

Usually, you might expect a matte lip product to last all day without much trouble, but certainly not anything with any kind of gloss or shimmer. My hopes weren't high for OCC's RTW Lip Tars in this respect, but again it surprised me. I applied it in the morning before work, and by lunchtime that metallic glow was still very much going strong, to the point where I wouldn't feel the need for a touch-up. The excess still transfers on to the cup of your morning coffee, but somehow it doesn't actually feel like you've lost anything from the lips.

By 3pm, the metallic sheen begins to wear off and the finish begins to look a lot more matte. Come the end of the day, I found that my lips looked like they were stained a dark burgundy shade, and this was without the need for a top up - very, very impressive! As a side note, I think touching up would most likely cause some bleeding anyway, so may not be a good idea.

If I were being pernickity, I'd say that I have just one issue with the product. And that's when I apply it to the lips, they begin to feel dry. It's a really weird kind of dry that I struggle to describe, but it's like my lips feel suddenly devoid of all moisture, dehydrated. It doesn't last too long though, so it's nothing major, and given how good this product is, it's something I can easily live with!

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Overall then, I found the OCC RTW Lip Tar collection to be impressive. For me, it's exactly what I had always hoped the original would be. Why did it take so long to introduce the Doe-Foot Applicator, and who'd have even thought that would make the application so much easier?!

Now that the review's out of the way, I can talk about my eye makeup! You ought to know better by now, I can't just do a normal product review, I always have to do something with the eyes! I found an old pot of sequins I'd purchased from Primark many moons ago that I'd left untouched, so I started applying them around the eyes using eyelash glue without really thinking about what I was doing. Then I woke up from my makeup trance, took a step back, looked in the mirror and saw my eyes looked like a little burst of stars! 

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The base of the look always had the intention of going along with the 'Burnt' theme from the lip tar.
To match up with that, I went for Inglot's 450 which is a lovely burnt red shade and supposedly a dupe for MAC's Cranberry eyeshadow. I've never actually seen any of the various MAC counters across Manchester have Cranberry in stock though, which makes me wonder if I've ever even seen anyone out and about with red eyeshadow on at all! For the inner corner, I blended in Inglot's 407 which is a peachy coral shade with a golden sheen.

Of course, I've stroked on some thick, black liner with an elegant flicked wing reaching out to the outer edge of the brows too. But it's those stars that really take the look to a whole new level, not found in any makeup set or kit, just taken from Primark.

Most of my favourite eye makeup looks are those where I've quite literally thought outside of the makeup box and drawn inspiration from all manner of things we take for granted in everyday life. With this look, I found those old Primark Sequins that I can't remember why I bought in the first place, and started applying them around the eyes! I find that seeking ideas and inspiration away from the world of makeup lets me express myself without any constraints or boundaries.

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12 comments

  1. I love the colour shade of the lipstick, this is my type of colour. The eye make, I'll probably use when I go dancing, it looks good

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  2. Your makeup here is amazing. I love Black Metal Dahlia. I think the drying feeling is from the peppermint? I find that I do better if I use the OCC Colour Pencils beneath the lip tars. Less of a drying feeling.

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    1. It didn't even occur to me that it might be the peppermint that would cause the drying feeling. I think I might need to try the Colour Pencils to see if it works for me too! Thank you! xx

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  3. Omgosh, that lipstick is beautiful! I love you starry eyes too. :) Ray xx

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  4. Lovely look and the lipstick is to die for. Completely agree that OCC implementing a doe foot applicator is long overdue xxx

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  5. Wow that lip colour is insane - I'm in love! Love your make-up, always so flawless! x

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  6. That lipstick sounds amazing! I need to get my hands on one xxx

    Daizy
    http://brightdreamerz.blogspot.co.uk/

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  7. Wow, awesome look!

    xoxo carolinevsworld.blogspot.com

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  8. I flipping love Lip Tars and am yet to try the RTW version. Love the starry eyes xx

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  9. This look is amazing. Especially diggin' the starry eyes!

    xo Brianna | Glazed Over

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  10. I love this shade so much! So brilliant that they've finally brought it out with a doe foot applicator!

    Katya | The Beauty Harbour

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  11. Ah I may give OCC lip tars another go now. I had no idea that they had changed their packaging and it was certainly needed, as I found the old one far too messy for applying such a highly pigmented lip colours... And your eye makeup is just wow! I love how magical and fabulous you always look. =D

    Samio
    www.samio.co.uk

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