“Introducing a heat wave of colour and texture from out latest innovative lip offering: STAINED GLOSS. Six new shades designed to make lips shine and shimmer this summer and beyond. STAINED GLOSS is OCC’s newest texture option for lips, inspired by stained glass. Combining the impact colour of LIP TAR with a translucent glossy finish that’s ready-to-wear, STAINED GLOSS contains organic hemp oil and Vitamin E for a finish that feels as good as it looks. The Dune Generation features a colour wave of six diverse shades ranging from soft neutral to deep burgundy with pops of pink and coral in a mix of textures, including our new STAINED GLOSS / METALLIC.”

Anyone else as excited for these new Stained Glosses from OCC Cosmetics as I am???

My long-standing love affair with OCC’s Lip Tars is well known (search the tags to the left to find my reviews of them), but these are the are the first Stained Glosses I am trying for myself. Up until now, the colors in that line didn’t really appeal to me–many were on the bright n’ funky side (oranges, yellows, neon-y reds) or extremely sheer, milky shades that I had always heard were prone to settling in lip lines. Since none of them tickled my fancy, I held off.

However, when I heard this new Dune Generation Stained Gloss Collection would be a touch on the earthier side, featuring more neutral shades I was intrigued. When I found out that these shades would not only be available in their standard “gloss” finish (which they describe as having a “cellophane glaze” on the lips) but that they were releasing colors with a metallic gloss finish as well, I knew they were destined to be mine!

A couple things to note about Stained Glosses. They are sold in tubes just like OCC Lip Tars, weighing 0.33 oz and retailing for $18.00 each. They promise to be “a gloss that combines the pigment potency of Lip Tar with a casual glossy finish.” They can be worn alone–as I have in these swatch posts–or they can be worn over Lip Tars to add shine and as a “color-transformative” option. The formula for these glosses contains hemp oil, soy-derived vitamin E and peppermint oil. They are vegan, gluten-free, and paraben-free. 

The Dune Collection introduces six new shades. The three colors I was most drawn to were Concubine, Aurora, and Nomad (pictured in order, left to right, swatched on my hand above). The other shades in the collection (a metallic lilac called Off World, a metallic beige called Dune, and a neon pink gloss called Hedonist) weren’t very well suited to my complexion, from what I could tell online. Besides; I’m a huge fan of peachy, coral colors–the first two in the bunch I purchased were no brainers. I also love deep burgundy shades and was intrigued by the idea of a sheerer way to wear such a color.

I was pleasantly surprised by this formula. While no wear near as long wearing as their Lip Tars, I did manage a good three-to-four hour wear time from each of these colors. Even after the initial glossiness died down, the color remained and I was able to retouch with more Stained Gloss, or even just a quick swipe of lip balm to re-hydrate my lips a bit.

The formula is on the thick side but not sticky; it does not feel like my lips are being glued together like some thicker glosses. It coats the lips nicely and feels pretty nice; not super cushion-y, but with enough slip to make me feel like my lips are moist beneath the color. Two of the three shades were decently opaque. The third–the metallic Nomad–was a bit sheerer and went on a little patchy than the two standard gloss shades.

Concubine

Plum/Pink Neutral (Gloss)

This is my favorite shade of the three I tried. The formula was almost completely opaque on me and it went on evenly. I didn’t find this settling into lines or clinging to my dry bits; it wore evenly and looked nice for about four hours before I needed a touch up.

They can call this a plummy pink but on me, it actually looked a bit peachy. Fine by me–that color is right up my alley! This color immediately got depotted into a little lip gloss container so I could take it with me to work and touch-up throughout the day. Seems fitting that the one with one of the more risque names in the bunch winds up being my top pick. I see myself wearing this one a lot.

Aurora

Pink Coral (Gloss)

Aurora was a little brighter on than I was expecting; it has a girlish, bubble-gum pink quality to it. On screen it looked a lot more coral (like a slightly pinkier version of their Grandma Lip Tar), but–unfortunately–I really don’t see this one as being coral-y in person. Its a nice, bright pink gloss–it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I actually thought Concubine looked more coral than Aurora!

This shade went on a little patchier than Concubine; it didn’t settle but it did accentuate my dry bits a little. It wore similarly to Concubine, giving me just under four hours of wear before I needed to reapply.

Nomad

Blackberry with Gold Shimmer (Metallic)

This is a lovely darkened maroon with just a touch of golden shimmer–just what I was hoping for from the description. Sadly, as much as I love the color of Nomad, the formula and I had our difficulties.

This shade just didn’t want to go on evenly, no matter how nicely I cajoled it. The color kept spreading out unevenly, clinging and settling in all the places I didn’t want it to go. It feathered a bit around the edges as well, so I would definitely recommend a lip liner with this gloss.

Verdict

These shades have made me a believer in Stained Gloss!

I loved they way these felt on my lips, and they looked really nice overall. I was pleased with their staying power and non-tacky finish–overall, these are definately something I see myself trying more of, if they continue to put out new shades that flatter me.

Sadly, I’m not as big a fan of the metallic gloss finish as I had hoped to be. It wasn’t fun to work with and I don’t think it looked very good on me in the end… but perhaps with freshly exfoliated lips I will have better luck. We’ll see; I’ll do some tinkering and try to make it work!

SALE ALERT! If you’re interested in giving these new shades a try, I highly suggest jumping on the Memorial Day Sale OCC is running on their website from now until Monday, May 26th. After all, the chance to get 20% off all of their products is hard to resist!