OCC Lip Tars on Sale at Sephora: Get 'em Before They're Gone!

Sephora will no longer being carrying Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) and currently has their OCC products on sale at 50% off or better.  This mainly consists of the single Lip Tars and a few sets, so if you are a fan now would be the time to stock up.

I'm officially a fan and took advantage of quite a few sales on sets over the past year, including these Pro's Picks Portables set with 12 mini lip tars.  I never posted swatches as it sold out fairly quickly, but if nothing else this will give you an idea of some of the colors available as singles.

One of the main criticisms of lip tars is that they are hard to reapply on the go in their original tube packaging, but the new Lip Tar-RTW ($15) with a doe foot applicator makes it much easier (just remember a little goes a looooong way).  So, another reason to stock up now would be to make your own portable lip tars (you can see how to do that on this post from Portrait of Mai's blog).  I haven't tried it yet, but it looks easy and given my collection (34?) would be a great way to get more use out of them.

I particularly loved that Sephora had so many sets featuring mini-sized lip tars, as I seriously doubt I will ever make it through a full-sized tube in my lifetime.  I'll miss that.

Lip tars come in 3 different finishes:  matte, stained gloss, and metallic.  The mattes are insanely pigmented and take about a pin head size to cover your lips.  The stained gloss ones are indeed glossy with a more translucent finish and I find I need about a pea size of them to cover my lips.  The metallics are dryer in texture and I like them more for mixing with the other two than wearing on their on.  In fact, lip tars are great for mixing and making your own unique colors:

Digitalis+Nylon+Zhora

 Please excuse any dog hair stuck to my lips.  It's the reality of life in my 3 dog household.

Cha Cha+Zhora+Grandma

I'm currently debating about picking up a single of the orange beauty Kimber but haven't pulled the trigger yet.  I'm trying t convince myself I can mix my own between the various oranges from OCC I already have, but I don't know....

Cha Cha+Harlot+Androgyne+Grandma

I'm giving myself a few days to decide about Kimber, but will you be picking up any?

OCC Grandma Lip Tar + Nail Lacquer Duo

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I picked up the Grandma lip tar and nail polish duo from Sephora way back in November, but it took warm weather for me to break it out of it's packaging.  In my mind, warm weather + coral = summer.  I know we're not technically there yet, but it's hitting the mid-80's where I'm at, which means the air conditioner will be running steady soon.

Gah, but I love this shade.  With it's vibrant orange leaning red Grandma is not a delicate color, and I'm pretty sure I never saw my own grandma's rocking this color on their lips.  If you haven't tried an Obsessive Compulsive lip tar yet, just know that all you need is a smidgen to cover your lips, especially with the original matte cream lip tars. 

Grandma dries down to a matte finish that is relatively comfortable.  Prepping your lips is important, both removi any skin nubbies and moisturizing prior to using a lip tar.  I get about 3-4 hours of wear sans heavy eating. 

Grandma nail polish is darker in tone than the lip tar and leans more red.  It's a cheerful pop of color that makes me happy when I look down at my hands.  I did experience some chipping after 3-4 days of wear, which is slightly under par for me (I can usually go about 5-6 days without chipping and just tip wear). 

I don't believe the Grandma lip tar + nail lacquer duo is available anymore, but you can buy them separately.  The lip tars are $18 each and the nail polishes are $10.

After Dark Stained Glass Test Tube x4 Set by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

The After Dark Stained Glass Test Tube set is currently on sale at Sephora for $10, which is a great price point for those who haven't tried these out yet.  Personally, I'm a fan of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic (OCC) lip tars, including the stained glass formula.

These stained glass lip tars provide more sheer tints of color in comparison to the opaque matte lip tars, and I like how they start off with a high gloss finish and then dry down to a more matte stained look.  Despite being more sheer, three out of the four in this set still provide plenty of color, with a wear time of a good 3 hours or so.  Little Black Dress was much more sheer than I was expecting, and works best mixed with other shades.

Little Black Dress, New Wave, Jealous, Hedonist

I do need to wear more of the stained glass formula than the original lip tars, which require a minute amount they are so crazy pigmented.  Even still, these mini-sized lip tars will provide plenty of uses, and I hope OCC continues to release them, as I doubt I'll ever make it through the full sized versions ($18).

Hedonist

New Wave + Little Black Dress

Jealous + Hedonist + Little Black Dress

The biggest downside of the lip tars for me as that they are not easy to apply on the go, as they are best applied with  a lip brush.  A mini brush is included in this set, and the whole set is compact enough to throw in your purse if desired.

Wearing Jealous

OCC Stained Gloss Lip Trio: Dekadent, Androgyne, New Wave

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I've been wanting one of the Stained Gloss finish lip tars from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics since they came out, so when this set went on sale at Sephora I snapped one up.  I know they've gotten mixed reviews, but I really like them!

Full disclosure:  I'm a lip tar fan and have now collected 28 of them, not counting this set.  Granted, I go through phases in wearing them, but I remain enthusiastic about the color selection and endless mixing opportunities.  The Stained Glass finish lip tars are quite different than the original matte colors, however, which has its pluses and minuses.  Oh who am I kidding?  There were no minuses for me :-)

Dekadent, Androgyne, New Wave

These are much more sheer and go on with a glossy finish, hence the "stained glass (gloss" effect.  The glossy shine does eventually temper down to a sheen, but the color remains true throughout wear, which is a good 3-4 hours on me.  You also need a larger amount of these to cover the lips.  If the dots above were the original matte lip tars, you'd have too much.  I probably use twice that amount of the Stained Glosses.

The finish, however, is lovely, with smooth glossy color that wears comfortably.  I was surprised at how sheer Dekadent is compared to the neon pink New Wave and bright orange Androgyne.  I've mainly been mixing them together, however, so the sheerness doesn't bother me.

New Wave + Androgyne blend

The Stained Gloss lip trio set is currently on sale at Sephora for $25, and I couldn't be happier with it!

New Wave + Dekadent blend

Lip Tar Mix Progression for a Week

I'm a fan of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetic's (OCC) lip tars, although I go through phases with how much I wear them.  I'm in a heavy use phase right now, and thought I'd show you a typical week's progression of color mixing.

I've also been on a kick of topping my lip tars with Estee Lauder's Praline Paradise lip gloss, which is a lovely beige with shimmer.  It goes on basically clear but provides high shine (but not stickiness) with a bit of shimmer.  

Praline Paradise

On the first day, I started with the matte Ophelia, described as a "petal pink plush".  It's a soft baby pink, but with enough color that it doesn't wash me out.  All of these photos were taken outside in natural light, so it's interesting to see the different tones of my skin depending on time of day and whether it was overcast or sunny.

Ophelia

I put a dab of my chosen lip tar in a mixing try, and because a little goes a very long way and lip tars take a while to dry out, that color can be used the next day.  So, I'll pick another shade to mix in, which on this occasion was the matte neon red coral Queen.  I again used Praline Paradise on top.

Ophelia + Queen

The next day, I added matte Psycho (true blood red) and the metallic Lovecraft (pink/lilac) to the leftover Ophelia/Queen mix, and topped it with Praline Paradise.

Ophelia + Queen + Lovecraft + Psycho

The last day I added Traffic, a true primary yellow, and topped it with Praline Paradise.

Ophelia + Queen + Lovecraft + Psycho + Traffic

Clearly, the variations are endless!  I get a good 3-4 hours wear with the lip tar/lip gloss combo, even after eating breakfast.  The down side is I can't reapply once they wear off, as lip tars really do need to be applied with a lip brush and mixing on the go is not an option for me. 

All Star x12 Mini Lip Tar Set by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

My love of lip tars continues, so when the 12 piece mini set came out I put it on my wish list.  It sold out quickly from Sephora, but fortunately was restocked in time for me to use my VIB $20 off coupon.

These really are the perfect size, IMO, as you use such a tiny amount of lip tar to great effect.  I saw lots of comments on Sephora from people who had received a half filled tube of the clear lip tar, but all of mine were full, so hopefully they fixed that problem in the restock.
 

Of the twelve lip tars, only one was a dupe for me, the lovely flamingo pink Divine.  That's a color I use a lot so I'm actually happy to have the mini sized version as well. Swatches do not include the clear lip tar, which is used to prep lips to help with hydration and prolong wear prior to using colored lip tars.

You'll notice that Stalker bleed quite a bit, and that is at least partially due to it being separated.  Lips tars will separate if they set in the tubes for a while, but they can be remixed.  Some of the darker colors may be prone to bleeding regardless of how well mixed they are, however, but a lip pencil can help with that.  I just purchased a clear lip pencil from Too Faced which I'll be trying out with these, review coming soon.

Strumpet, Stalker, Psycho, Clockwork, Divine (Creme)

Authentic, Electric Grandma, Super NSFW, Yaoi, Lovecraft, Pris (Metallic)

I've been mixing the metallic lip tars (particularly Pris) with the cremes, and I like the finish the two together make.  The metallic lip tars do have a different consistency than the cremes - they are thicker and feel a bit more dry on the lips.  I use the clear lip tar underneath, apply the color lip tip with a brush,  and then top with a clear lip balm that is not glossy after dry down, and this combo is comfortable without markedly reducing the wear time.

Clockwork + Pris

Here is one of the more bold colors, Super NSFW, but combined with Pris it makes for a daytime wearable look.

Super NSFW + Pris

I tend to use whatever mixture was left from the previous day and add a new color to it, so here is Yaoi with Super NSFW and Pris.

Yaoi + Super NSFW + Pris

My only complaint with the lip tars is that they are not convenient to reapply throughout the day.  However, there are plenty of DIY videos on how to make these into lip balms, and one day I'll get motivated and do that.  One day :-)  The x12 mini set is still available at Sephora for $58, and is well worth it if you don't already have many of the colors in the set!

Strumpet

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!  The dogs and I will be opening our presents tonight - they have gotten quite good at it and enjoy the holidays as much as I do :-)