Sunday Swatches: Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipsticks Review - New (Nude) Shades

So today's Sunday Swatch post is a bit of a special preview of a couple lipsticks launching this Wednesday 10th January.. and I'm holding my very first little meet and greet in light of it, so I couldn't be more excited!
Smashbox are releasing 24 more shades to their Always On Liquid Lipstick range (already available in the US), 12 of which are metallic, 6 of which are nude and 6 that are bold.
I was most interested in reviewing the "nude" shades as we all know the struggle is real when it comes to my dark lips and finding a nude/brown that suits me; and at first glance I really did think they were identical as all 6 shades are different shades of brown!
I already have BAWSE and Driver's Seat in my collection that I got at an event I attended last year and have only really worn BAWSE once but I also was interested in a new "bold" shade "Spoiler Alert" as it looked like the usual kind of mauve shade I wear, read on for my full review and if I finally found my perfect nude brown or not!

Arm Swatches

Lip Swatches

Video Swatches

Review Packaging:  The outer cardboard packaging corresponds with the shade inside so if you're in a rush in Boots and want to pick your shade you should be able to find it pretty easy. The actual lipstick packaging is in a short rectangle format, a lot shorter than most full size liquid lipsticks these days (Huda Beauty and Stila being amongst the longest length packagings). Despite being short though, it does hold 4ml which is in between most full size liquid lipsticks that are usually between 3-5ml.
The applicator has a corresponding shorter doe foot wand, but with a very handy teardrop shaped doe foot which really helps define my cupids bow. I feel like the suction area is quite tight so it keeps the product in the bottle pretty well and doesn't leak out but I also think the formula helps make it less messy. You can apply enough product for a full lip without dipping in for more.

Colour/Shade: 

The 6 "nude" shades are all different undertones of brown - and the 6 "bold" shades have an interesting selection including teal, black and the pantone colour of the year - ultra-violet.

6 Nudes

I rarely wear true brown lipsticks as there aren't usually this many available in one brand alone so the ones I try tend to be too dark or too light/cool toned.
My struggle with wearing browns is that my lips are dark and my complexion is medium olive warm, so if I wear a cool toned brown, it tends to wash me out, however most warm toned browns tend to make me look older.
Shades as described by Smashbox: Fair Game - light peach nude Gotta Light - light chestnut Stay Neutral - neutral light brown Psychic Medium - grey brown Slay Tan - brown with olive undertone Deep Thoughts - deep chocolate brown
Out of the 6 nudes, I found Deep Thoughts to be the most flattering for my complexion and lip tone as it has a slight berryish tone to it; I thought I might like Stay Neutral but it ended up looking too cool toned when it dried down. I didn't mind Gotta Light on me despite it being lighter than my usual choice; it's one I'd pair with a smokey eye. Slay Tan is a very unusual shade; it's like an olivey-yellow brown that I can't even compare any other brand to as it's so unique but I quite liked it on me!

6 Bolds

Out of the 6 Bolds I only had my eye on one - Spoiler Alert. To be honest I initially thought this would be like the type of mauvey-pink shades I wear but on wearing it, it's more of a lilacky toned cool, purply shade, particularly on my dark lips.

Shade Comparisons Initially I thought maybe it would be like MAC's Ruby Woo due to the bright blue-pink undertones that I could see in the lighter swatches on my arm and also the corners of my lip where the product was slightly more sheer - I mean she did collaborate with MAC for Riri Woo before, so it would make sense however Ruby/Riri Woo is a lot brighter and I'd say if anything it's closer to MAC Russian Red (see above for shade comparison picture).
I swatched it alongside other similar looking reds and found the closest in shade match/dupe that I have is the Smashbox Always On liquid lipstick in "Bawse".
Pigmentation: Pigmentation is full on and I don't see darkness showing through from my pigmented top lip once dry.
Formula: The formula is thick and moussey, not very wet but not drying- they're described as suede-soft and I'd agree. Smashbox say that their liquid lipsticks are infused with their Primer Oil so this could be the reason they're not drying and I'm here for it! If you know me, I will take a drying liquid lipstick over a more comfortable one purely because I want a non transferring lipstick on a daily basis with my son, so having a liquid lipstick be comfortable AND transfer proof is quite rare! I would recommend wearing a thin as possible layer of these seeing as they are quite moussey, otherwise applying a thick layer can get drying.
Finish:  Once these set, they are definitely matte, but a comfortable matte for me/my lip texture. If I press my lips together there's an ever so slight stickiness to them but not to a point where my lips are left stuck together that I have to part them with force lol. They do dry darker than when first applied which is a good thing with the lighter nude brown shades in my opinion, but if you have lighter lips, do bear this in mind. I worried the Deep Thoughts shade would be too dark for me but if I use one swipe from the wand it looks like a perfect chocolatey brown with the slightestttt hint of a warm pinky undertone.
Scent:  These smell synthetically sweet (I'm pretty sure it's the same scent as the Stila liquid lipsticks) but it's not off putting for me as I prefer sweet smelling things.
Longevity:  Smashbox claim their lipsticks give 8 hours wear but I actually think they could put a longer claim on these.
I've tested these by kissing my son numerous times (gently and vigorously when he squirmed!) and it barely left a trace on him which means it sure is transfer proof - WIN!
When swatched on the back of my hand, they didn't come off with soap so oily makeup remover is a must with these. When eating, the inner lip does start disappearing first but if I top up the inner lip, it doesn't get weird where I feel I need to take the whole lip off and reapply which is great.
Price:  The price of the always on liquid lipsticks are exactly the same price for the same amount of product as the previously reviewed Stunna lip paint - £19 for 4ml. This means it's cheaper per ml compared to Stila liquid lipsticks (3ml) but pricier than Beauty Bakerie (5ml) - both of which are £16 per lipstick and amongst my most favourite longwearing liquid lipsticks. Available at Smashbox UK online and Boots.

Overall rating:  As I mentioned in my last review, my number one factor when giving an overall rating is longevity/transfer resistance as I can't afford to have my lipstick transfer on my sons face/clothing when hugging/kissing. I give this lipstick 4.5 lipsticks and as the formula can get quite dry if worn thickly, but all the lipsticks seem to be pretty consistent in their formula (including their red BAWSE) which is another bonus as some liquid lipsticks differ when it comes to reds/bolder shades.
I literally can't fault these any further, so I give them a 4.5 out of 5:

I genuinely feel like I need to take another look at ALL the shades available as I may have found a rival to my favourite transfer proof lipsticks by Beauty Bakerie 😱        

 Have you tried these liquid lipsticks? If so which are your favourite shades?