Violent Lips in Silver Glitteratti

Violent Lips are temporary lip tattoos.  This is not an item I would buy or have a use for, but since  I received them in my February Birchbox, I was interested to see what they were all about.  It's an interesting concept, and according to the description on Sephora, these were created by an entertainment industry veteran and his daughters.  Designed to last 4-8 hours, the lip stencils are applied and sealed with water and can be removed with baby oil. Designs range from polka-dots to leopard prints to sparkles, and all have been FDA-approved, certified vegan, with no animal testing involved - super models were used instead.

Instructions - click on photo to enlarge

First off, these require a skill and patience level that I clearly do not have.  You have to cut the stencils to fit the size of your lips, but given that the stencils didn't really conform to my lips even after sizing them, it was hard for me to accurately guesstimate.  I cut the bottom lip too thin and the upper lip was hard to fit no matter what I did.  I also had a malfunction with the bottom lip stencil before applying it - this photo says it all.  I'm pretty sure the reason three lip stencils sets are included in each pack is because there is a steep learning curve with lots of trial and error.  Or I could just be inept, but reviews on Sephora did reassure me that others had problems with application as well.

Lip stencil

Stencils popped out of card

Once applied, you are not supposed to stretch your lips for 5 minutes to allow them to set.  I did this, but smiling loosened the bottom edge on the upper lip, which was then dangling a bit.  I also drank coffee while wearing them, which probably didn't help, but who is realistically going to be at a festive occasion and not eat or drink?  So, beyond  an interesting look for a photo session, not sure how you would realistically wear these for 4 to 8 hours.  I did see a contestant on American Idol this week who I think was wearing Violent Lips in red, and they looked really good!  However, she was the Broadway singing girl with that stage theatre dramatic look, so I'm guessing her skill level with this kind of thing is galaxies beyond mine.

Top lip finished look

If anyone has had success with these, I'd love to hear about it!  Violent Lips are currently on sale for $7 at Sephora, and they regularly retail for $15 per pack.  I could wear my other two sets as body tattoos, I suppose!