Yet another Filipino-owned cosmetic brand is featured in this article. Careline has been around for as long as I can remember and, is housed under the umbrella of Ever Bilena Cosmetics that is owned by Dioceldo Sy. EB Cosmetics also includes fragrances of Blackwater, skincare line of EB Naturals, and a sleeker version of EB Advance.
Careline Cosmetics is somehow Ever Bilena’s little daughter and mainly caters to younger consumers who would like to start trying makeup, providing student-friendly prices. Their packaging tends to be more chic and playful, perfectly suited for teenagers and the likes. The cosmetics are said to have light ingredients on them so as not to put pile of chemicals onto young skin.
Read Review of Careline Better Than Basic Melted Metallic Liquid Lipstick
Recently, the brand has taken a big turn rebranding their products and developed new ones. First of which is their Better Than Basic in matte liquid lipstick and matte metallic liquid lipstick. In this blog, I will be sharing you my first impressions and thoughts about their mattes. This post will be a bit different than my other lipstick reviews.
I will be reviewing TWELVE shades so I cannot promise that I will be thorough and very detailed in giving my opinion. Unlike in the other reviews that I only do four or five shades, this will be more on first impressions and tiny tad of wear test. But rest assured that everything you will read is honest and descriptive.
My mother got these from SukiCentral in Shopee for Php179 (U$3.6, A$4.6) each. They are a direct seller and official partner of Ever Bilena, selling their other brands as well.
QUICK FACTS
Packaging: Inside its box is a clear, cylinder acrylic tube with a silver-coated lid/wand handle.
Pricing and Size: Retails each tube for Php179 in 5.5ml, giving you Php32.5 per ml. You can get Careline Better Than Basic for recommended retail price of Php210 at malls. Their Facebook page mentions that price may vary depending on the distributor/seller.
Scent and Texture: The liquid lipsticks have this raw ingredients scent which kind of give you a plastic-like smell. It also has a creamy and opaque consistency for a liquid lipstick.
Ingredients: Better Than Basic lipsticks do not contain any paraben but they are not cruelty-free.
They have curated six nude shades of different undertones and six bold shades for their Better Than Basic Liquid Matte Lipsticks.
These are the claims for Careline Better Than Basic Liquid Matte Lipsticks:
- ultra pigmented
- ultra matte
- creamy and easy application
- comfortable to wear
- long-lasting
THE NUDES
Glaze (pale mauvey cool nude), Tutu (deep nude with cool undertone), Brick’d (deep nude with warm undertone), Normcore (neutral to cool nude), Semi Sweet (peachy nude) and Gotta Go (warm nude).
The nudes are the one perfect for those who want to keep it simple and straightforward. These are everyday shade that anybody can wear. Shades are available for both warm and cool undertones.
SEMI SWEET. This colour compliments people with fair skin tone, either warm or cool. I needed at least 5 coats to get the pigment I desire. Even so, it is still patchy and streaky that I can see the dark lining on edge of my lips. It can get very sticky even though it has dried down. There is a big chance that this will go away quicker than you thought.
GLAZE. This shade is preferred on those who have a cool undertone. It dries under a full minute with a sticky feeling. It has a decent pigment and spreads evenly on the lips but needs at least two coats for full pigmentation. One thing I noticed with this is it gets stickier as time goes by. Really uncomfortable
GOTTA GO. This is probably the most wearable nude for those who have warm undertone like myself. I only needed a single dip to cover both my lips and is never looking patchy. Like the other nudes, this has an uncomfortable sticky feeling when you press your lips together. Still, this is my go-to nude shade for quick errand runs.
NORMCORE. It has been said that this is apparently their best seller for the nudes. This compliments both cool and warm and undertones. It has a nice even pigment but you may need two layers to achieve full coverage colour. This dries the quickest and has less sticky feeling to it.
BRICK’D. This is perfect for warm undertones that does not want to go full red. It has a beautiful, single swipe full pigment with zero patchiness. On the other hand, the sticky feeling does not go away. Still, this lip colour has held longer than any other nude shade.
TUTU. This is better worn by cool toned but can be worn but almost everybody. It has a lightweight feeling to it but still sticky like the rest of the nudes. I only needed a single coat to achieve a full coverage pigment and no patchiness whatsoever. Unlike Brick’d, it is transferrable and can flake instead of fade.
THE BOLDS
Upper Hand (burgundy red wine), In Bloom (true red with warm undertone), Wall Flower (grey with cool undertone), Pop (neutral pink magenta), Dark Matter (deep dark eggplant) and Craving (classic brown).
I admire Careline for releasing bold colours, not just the usual reds and pinks. This is ideal for teens who want to try something new and drift away from the mainstream colour for one bit. The shades really do compliment every skin tone and undertones!
UPPER HAND. Even with its dark shade, this colour can still be a bit patchy and needs at least three layers to show the proper pigment. Also, I noticed that it settled slower than the rest of the bolds. Like the nudes, it has that unnerving sticky feeling
WALL FLOWER. It has a very nice pigment but I felt that I needed two coats at least to achieve a full solid pigment. It still has that sticky feeling during and after it dries. Just be careful when eating because this one fades so quick.
DARK MATTER. With its dark shade, this baby here still needs a bit more coating to achieve a good pigmentation. Unlike the others, this does not have that annoying sticky feeling. Also, this has a good staying factor all throughout the day for around eight hours.
CRAVING. Rarely that I find a brown shade that I actually like. It has a pretty good pigment that can be tiny bit patchy but dries nicely without that sticky feeling. This is perfect if you want to create that 90s grunge look.
POP. This is a playful pink that will make everyone in the room stare at your beautiful pout. This shade has by far the best formulation from the twelve shades. It settles quickly, pigmented, full coverage single swipe, and most importantly, it is not sticky.
IN BLOOM. This true red is perfect for neutral to warm undertones. It has a nice pigment payoff in just one coat. It dries beautifully as well but can be a teenie tiny bit sticky in the middle of the day. It has a strong staying power so there is very little to zero touch ups
♦♦♦
THE BEST… The best part of this product is their availability and affordable price point. Anybody can easily get one for him/herself without putting a hole in your pocket. I never put makeup when I was a teenager (no powder nor lip even lip balm/gloss) but if they had Better Than Basic before, I would totally consider doing makeup at an earlier age (I started when I was 20).
There are plenty of shades to choose from. There are a couple of nudes and bolds that are perfect for any occasion or event you will be at. It has a fairly good pliability and applies really easily with their classic liquid lipstick doe foot.
THE WORST… They stay for a decent amount of time at average of six hours but just a reminder: this does not stay the whole day. You have to be extra conscious when eating as these lipsticks are not bulletproof per se.
If you have pretty dry lips, this might not be for you. Better Than Basic can actually suck the moisture out of your lips. On the other hand, you can lessen that by moisturising your lips beforehand. For its price, you really have to work in the product and not the other way around.
SO… This brand is perfect for students and other people who loves to experiment with makeup looks without investing too much. However, if you are a serious makeup lover and makeup artist who really invests on makeup, it is not a harm passing on this one.
I see myself using Better Than Basic only when I run quick errands or a quick trip in the supermarket. Apparently, I do not 100% trust its resilience all throughout. So if I am just out for a couple of hours, this is my go-to liquid lipstick range for that matter.
I just hope that they made all the shade consistent with Pop’s formulation. From all of these, let us check which of their claims actually happened:
- ultra pigmented – JUST A COUPLE OF THE SHADES
- ultra matte – VERY MATTE… BUT ALSO TOO DRYING
- creamy and easy application – CAN ATTEST TO THIS
- comfortable to wear – BARELY
- long-lasting – AVERAGE OF SIX HOURS
SHOULD YOU BOTHER? If I have a younger sister who would like to try makeup for the first time, I would definitely buy this for her. I know that she will totally love the range of lip colours can experiment on number of looks with these. But as (drugstore) makeup collector myself, I would rather chip in a bit more cash and get a better matte liquid lipstick. Considering its price, I am not mad with the fact that in does not really stick with all of its claim. I think this product is brilliant and if I am seven years younger, I would definitely give this a try.
Be bold,
B♥
- Instagram: @shakethembeauty
- Facebook: Shake Them Beauty
- Twitter: @shakethembeauty
- Instagram ASMR: @shakethembeauty_asmr
- Other Links: Affiliate Links
Love all the lipisticks you have here, especially because mattes are my fav! Love the upper hand one!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Upper Hand is such a beautiful colour indeed! Thanks for reading ❤
LikeLike
There are some wacky colours in there but also some really great ones. I love a strong lip colours they are right up my street! Nikki x
http://www.thoselittlemoments.net
LikeLiked by 1 person
So do I! Sadly but moisture and staying power are the strong points of this brand 😦
LikeLike
These all look fantastic! I really love the nude colors!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I agree! The nude shades look really beautiful. Too bad they do not last that long.
LikeLike
I’m obsessed with matte lipsticks! I recently bought Rihanna’s stunna lipstick and can’t get over how long it lasts. I love the nude shades in this makeup line!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t try any Fenty products yet but I would sure would like to try her new lip products.
LikeLike
ooohhh, cute. LIke the Brick’D color. This if perfect for my friends who loves make ups. Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brick’d is another favourite of mine. Suits both warm and cool toned people.
LikeLike
I love matte lipsticks and these shades are just awesome for any day. But I need something that last long.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the shades too but I’m not a fan of how easily these fade
LikeLike
I love the nude shades, they are so pretty! But all of the colors are gorgeous 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Esperanza!
LikeLike
Never heard of this brand before! A favorite is Brick’d or from the bold ones In Bloom – looks like solid make up for reasonable prices. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The bolds have pretty strong staying power unlike the nudes. Brick’d is also one of my favourites ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very timely post, especially with two tweens in the house. I absolutely love the nude shades.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nude shades are staple in every person who loves makeup haha!
LikeLike
My wife would dearly love these collections. Already looking up on Amazon. Would be a good new years present too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you can find something on Amazon because these are difficult to look for outside the country haha
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have never heard of Careline before and the shades look great, loving a matte lipstick.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
I like how the usual classic colours are included here, but also very different eclectic colours too. I think I would be willing to try out new colours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Trying out new shades are exciting!
LikeLike
How is it you look so good in every single shade? I can’t decide if these are universally flattering or if you just have the perfect “can wear any colour” skin tone! I always pick the one I think will look best, only to find out I was dreadfully wrong. Oh well – these seem like a nice product given the price point.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha omg thank you! I guess the lighting does something nice on the lip colour and my skintone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never heard of this brand but I love a matte lip colour so will have to check them out! Great colours too.
Cristina x
https://criddlemethis.com/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Cristina!
LikeLike
These look really nice, I really like the colours. You look lovely wearing them. I have to be careful with any lipstick products as I’m allergic to lipstick, which sucks. But these do look really nice. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some people are allergic on some of the ingredients here so it’s really good to double check them first 🙂
LikeLike
Oh no such a shame to hear that they are not cruelty free as I loved the shades that you featured and would have liked to have brought the lipsticks myself! When I had contacted them they said they were cruelty free but thank you for letting me know that they are not. Out of the ones that you have featured, which would you say is your favourite shade x
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love all the nudes but the staying power is nothing to be impressed about. I hope they’ll be cruelty-free in the near future.
LikeLike
Aaaw sweetheart! You got very cute lips to start with and the shades are really popping them out so well, from the nudes to the bolds. I’m currently loving matte lipstick and Care line just seem too great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Dalene! I’m enjoying the entire collection 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
How lucky! You’re welcome
LikeLike
I love the nude collection, they are lovely! I don’t wear a lot of make up so it sounds like a good range for me who would only use it every now and then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the shades. There is such a variety of colors! I started to comment on what one I liked on you best but there were a majority of them. 6 hours is close enough I guess.
LikeLike
I love mattes! Does this stay long? I like lipsticks that stay long because… I’m a mom. 😀
LikeLike
Never heard of this brand. But, you showing the color and how it looks once applied is great! I’m sure that will be helpful to those who are interested in trying it
LikeLike
These are really affordable. And they’re got really great shades. You’re right, at that price range they’d be perfect for students on allowance.
LikeLike
I love your review, very detailed, you covered pretty much every possible topic from dry, color to price, great job, I love your photos, I also find them very detailed and make it so easy to know exactly whats in this products range, your Instagram feed is wonderful
LikeLike
I’ve never heard of this brand, but these lipsticks look very good – especially on you since you have such a beautiful mouth, but hopefully also on me 😉 I prefer the nudes more glossy, but the other colors look great in mat. I just bought a dark blue lipstick but didn’t have the occasion – or the nerve – to wear it. I wore it under a dark red so it was a deep purple which was cool, too.
LikeLike
There are so many bold and vibrant colours in this set, i am not sure I would use all but I do love the pinky shades.
LikeLike
Thank you for this! You just gave me an idea what to give to my girlfriend. Fantastic selection, by the way, you are cute with those those lipstick 🙂
LikeLike
It’s in love with these lipsticks, especially the bolds one, and its really look good on you.
LikeLike
I love all the nude shades and ‘In Bloom’ and ‘Pop’ from the bold ones. Over all a great mix of colours. Loved the fact that they aren’t very expensive 🙂
LikeLike
I so appreciate your expertise when it comes to makeup. I know very little about lipstick, so reading above about the different shades will definitely help me out when purchasing. Thanks!
LikeLike
never heard of this before, looks like a great brand! I would love some of the matte light pinkish/rose colors for myself.
thanks for the heads up!
LikeLike
Semi-Sweet, Upper Hand and Pop are my fave on you. Love how you did swatches and tried them on as well. Now I am curious to know what it looks like on dark skin 🙂
LikeLike
The shades are beautiful, than you for sharing such an honest review of this product. It looks like it would be fun to wear for a special event.
LikeLike
Thank you Stephanie! I’d always want the real, and honest review for my readers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never heard of the brand before, but they have so many shades, wow! You look stunning as well! x
LikeLike
Thank you so much Siyana!
LikeLike
nice review, you stated things that a reader and consumer might need to know. I think yeah that would be best for students and ladies who love to experiment and try out different shades from time to time. I like the wall flower and cravings that looks interesting.
LikeLike
Thanks Eliza 🙂 I particularly love the bold shade in this collection. Thanks for reading 🙂
LikeLike
I love these shades!! They are all so unique!! I love all the nudes!!
LikeLike
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
I had a lot of friends addicted to these brand. They said it’s a good cosmetic product. I love all the shades and will definitely try all of it.
LikeLike
Careline is back on being a mainstream cosmetic brand in the Philippines after a long time! Good thing they rebranded 🙂
LikeLike
If I were a teenager I would want all of those pink shades. They colors and textures look really good and not dry at all. I will let my Filipina friends know about this line.
LikeLike
Some of the colours are really drying so I need extra lip care before wearing this haha
LikeLike