These have been around for a long time and they were the first 2-step lipsticks came across. I wanted to try these, but the shade range is so frosty. I checked the limited selection we have in drugstores and there was nothing I’d wear daily. I was sent this shade and it’s a red, which is my second default shade after basic nudes when it comes to picking colours. It’s liquid lipstick that boasts with long lasting colour that is achieved by using the Top Coat, similar to Revlon Colorstay Overtime and Rimmel Provocalips Kiss-Proof.
This is a two step lipstick with a liquid lipstick and a balmy top coat. Liquid lipstick is only semi-opaque with first coat, so I build it up with a second, thicker coat. It says it sets in a minute, but the way I apply it, it’s a minute or two longer, but it does dry to a type of matte finish and the lipstick barely transfers. Then you apply the top coat over it, which makes the shade glossy. The top coat is so soft, I never experienced a balm in a stick form that’s so creamy, it’s actually hard to apply without damaging the shape of the top coat a lot. This also means the top coat very likely runs out much faster than the liquid lipstick. I’m not sure if MF sells the top coat separately, but I’ve got a feeling a lot of people need a new tube fast. You can of course use the liquid lipstick on its own.
Lip colour with the “sealer” lasts through anything, from drinking, eating or touching the lips, however, after about 8-9 h it started to peel on me and bits feel off, so my lip colour looked uneven. It’s a lipstick that doesn’t move with the lips, so I’m not surprised it started to crack. It feels like a layer (the way I apply it, so with two coats to better coverage) and it’s somewhat dry if you don’t reapply the balmy top coat. It doesn’t stay glossy that long.
120 Hot is a warm tomato red that isn’t very intense even when built up. It has some frosty shimmer, but it’s not obvious.
I keep my review in drafts for ages and when I was writing this review these were 12,49 € in DM and now they are a whopping 15,69 €. I’ve seen these cheaper online. I feel this formula needs an update after so many years, but then it’s likely been so popular for so long and those who love it wouldn’t except the change well. From these two part lipsticks my vote goes to Revlon, which is my choice for days when I need my lip colour to last through everything and isn’t as rigid on the lips as Max Factor.
*PR product