Makeup Geek Quickstep, Waltz, Flamenco Showstopper Crème Stains

Quickstep

Makeup Geek Quickstep Showstopper Creme Stain ($12.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is a muted, light-medium rosy beige with neutral-to-warm undertones and a matte finish. It had medium color coverage, which was slightly buildable to semi-opaque coverage, but I found that layering tended to amplify how patchy/uneven it looked. It did take three pulls of product to get enough product to yield a single layer as the packaging seemed to wipe away a lot of product from the applicator. It gathered in my lip lines and looked more pronounced as I smiled. It applied unevenly but only had a couple of visible streaks. This shade lasted for three hours and was just slightly drying.

The Showstopper Creme Stain formula is supposed to be “long-lasting” and “highly pigmented and offers effortless, buildable coverage.” Highly pigmented and buildable make it confusing what the coverage actually is, since something that is buildable means that it is less pigmented but can be layered for greater coverage. The majority of shades were medium to semi-opaque in coverage, hard to build as they often pulled up the first layer and shifted color around. The formula rarely applied well; it was streaky, dried so fast that there was no time for corrections (and attempts to correct just made it worse), and clingy. I found the applicator rougher, and the packaging made it seem that sometimes it was more like I wasn’t getting enough product on the wand to even coverage half of a lip (it seemed like the opening was wiping away too much product from the doefoot applicator). For every single swatch, I had to dip and pull the wand two to three times just to get enough product to cover my lips (it was impossible to stretch out the product very far as it dried as I was spreading it). It did dry to a transfer-resistant finish, but it did not survive eating well (most liquid lipstick formulas have survived better for me). Though transfer-resistant, it remained slightly tacky for one to two hours–and if you use more than one to one and a half layers, it often lifted and separated the color.

The brand’s swatches and lip swatches showcase a seemingly opaque product, but I could not achieve opaque coverage with several shades, even trying four or five layers, and the result after five layers of product was uneven, patchy, and cakey. The wear was average–four to six hours with significant fading from the center, which is more what I’d experience with a typical lipstick and a liquid lipstick–and surprisingly, little staining, even with deeper shades. So far, they have been slightly drying to somewhat drying. There are so many high-performing liquid lipsticks on the marketplace already, so I was caught off guard by the poor application and performance of this formula.

Top Dupes

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Kat Von D Ludwig (P, $20.00) is lighter (90% similar).
MAC Sweet Thing (LE, $21.00) is darker (85% similar).
Make Up For Ever M101 (P, $22.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar).
MAC Burnt Spice (P, $21.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar).
Kat Von D Lolita II (P, $20.00) is darker, warmer (80% similar).

Makeup Geek Showstopper Crème Stain Quickstep

Quickstep

Temptalia

D+

Limited Edition

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

6.5

Longevity

2.5

Application

67%

Total

Waltz

Makeup Geek Waltz Showstopper Creme Stain ($12.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is a medium, caramel brown with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had medium coverage that was buildable to semi-opaque pigmentation that was somewhat uneven with slight streakiness. The texture was thin, almost a little oily when I swatched it, but it felt more chalk-like on the lips. The thinner, clingier texture amplified the look of the texture of my lips. This shade lasted for three and a half hours before having significant fading along the center of the lips.

Top Dupes

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MAC Whirl (P, $17.00) is darker, glossier (95% similar).
Hourglass Influencer (P, $32.00) is glossier (95% similar).
Chanel Rouge Angelique (174) (P, $37.00) is darker, cooler, glossier (95% similar).
Colour Pop Parker (LE, $5.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar).
MAC Spirit (P, $17.00) is darker, glossier (90% similar).
Bobbi Brown Uber Nude (P, $24.00) is darker, glossier (90% similar).
Tarte Candy (LE, $20.00) is warmer, glossier (90% similar).
Bite Beauty Latte (LE, $24.00) is lighter, glossier (90% similar).
Estee Lauder Nude Cult (P, $32.00) is glossier (90% similar).
Colour Pop Only You (LE, $5.00) is darker, warmer, glossier (90% similar).

Makeup Geek Showstopper Crème Stain Waltz

Waltz

Temptalia

Limited Edition

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

6.5

Longevity

Application

66%

Total

Flamenco

Makeup Geek Flamenco Showstopper Creme Stain ($12.00 for 0.19 fl. oz.) is a bright, medium-dark red with neutral-to-warm undertones and a matte finish. It had medium pigmentation that wasn’t buildable. I tried to add a second layer, and it lifted product from the first layer and made everything look worse–patchier, more uneven, and frankly, an embarrassment to wear. The texture was thin, clingy, and felt drying after two hours of wear. It took four pulls of product to get enough product just for that one layer of product across both my top and bottom lips, and one had to be very, very careful about blending the wet and dry areas together to avoid lifting product or creating patchiness. This shade wore well for four and a half hours, was somewhat drying, and did not leave a stain behind.