Atomic Makeup NYC

Chica Boom by The Staple Singers

I'm no stranger to Atomic Makeup NYC products (formerly known as lonely planet liquid lipsticks) but, since I made my first purchase a long time ago things have changed a lot. Not only has the name been rebranded but, the containers and even the shades have been updated and discontinued. So recently, when I decided to partake in their massive clearance/national lipstick day sale, I was able to find out just how much the brand had truly deviated from what they were before. In this post, I will be letting all you once loyal fans know the truth about whether the same formula/quality is the same we fell in love with way back when, or if things truly have gone awry ... Don't worry you won't have to wait too long for my estimation - read on ... 

To put it bluntly - Atomic makeup has changed and not in the way you think. Compared to their vintage lonely planet days the brand has done the unthinkable and become even better! How can excellency be improved? Not too sure myself, but such a feat has been done. The formula of the liquid lipsticks are more mousey and not as liquidy, they dry down to a soft non-drying matte finish and the pigmentation is smooth and even. Yes, the scent has changed as it now smells exactly like Kylie Jenner and Jordanna liquid lipsticks which to me is not an improvement per se but, by no means undesirable. The packaging tubes which have gone from standard to plump are now rather thin which I really like. The shades available have expanded and now have other products than just liquid lipsticks (e.g. lipgloss, cream eyeshadow etc.). 

My Order

Altogether I purchased 10 products in the sale which ranged from around $7 to £8 dollars each. The usual retail price is $13 so, in sterling, each product would cost around £10.14 each. International shipping cost me $24.95/£19.46 and I had a customs charge of £21.95 added on top of it all. So, in the end, I basically paid full price (well 10p more) for each product. Not bad per se but, the sale wasn't really a sale then for me. 

Packaging 

The box has a very 70s/80s design and is much bigger than the new slimline liquid lipstick tubes which means they rattle inside. In fact, two liquid lipsticks can uncomfortably fit in one box which is a tight squeeze to make (and unmake) but, its possible. The look and feel of the products are high in quality and the wand is soft and makes application easy, although at times the wand can pick up too much product. Yet, with all this said I really like the packaging and wouldn't really want anything to change. However, after fitting two liquid lipsticks in a tube I did find the writing on the tube (Debbie) rubbed off :( - the things I do for you. 

Shades

I decided to pick up some classic/cult favs from the brand (Debbie, Brick City & Lexington) along with some now discontinued shades before it got too late. Overall, I think I got a good shade range to compliment what I already had from the brand. 

Swatch

Debbie: is marketed as a universal nude. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be a good "nude" for me but, it actually kinda works. The first time I applied it I felt it looked quite coral but, wearing it around I think its a true pink if I apply it full strength from the tube. I actually like applying just a little bit and then blending it in with my fingers for a very soft look. Personally, I'd wear this with a brown liner though if I was applying it full strength. 

Lexington: said to be a warm leafy brown and that would be right. On me, its a skin tone nude shade and I really like it on its own/brown lip liner or mixed a bit with Debbie. 

Brick City: a true brick red but on me, this looks much more brown than red. I do find it pretty on its own but, I like pairing a brown lip liner with it so it gives my lips some definition. 

Donna: a coral orange with gold shimmer. The formula for this is unlike any other I've tried from the brand - it's sheer and applies quite dry thus, the results are as is - patchy. A tad disappointing as I really like the colour but, luckily applying a lipgloss or lip balm rectifies this faux pas ... Also, recently I've added around 4 drops of Rosehip oil to the tube to improve its spreadability and its worked (a little hack I discovered all on my own a while back tee-hee) - now it applies smoothly! I'd recommend using fewer drops if you still want it to be a liquid matte that dries quickly so be careful with this trick. I'll showcase tips and stuff in a bit about this method so don't worry you may not have to toss dry patchy formulas!

Atomic: Life starts with atomic, not sure why it took me so long to try this probably because I thought I had this already but I didn't. This is similar to Baby Baby but more subdued and of course, I love it!

1988: I really wanted to try Lady Delancey but, it was discontinued long before I could get my mitts on it. I don't know why but I figured that Atomic Makeup NYC purples would be pretty dope for some reason ... and 1988 does not disappoint. 1988 is a funky glimmer bright purple that applies really nicely and looks pretty on. Note it does have shimmer/glimmer which appears when the product dries as you purse your lips together - it's super fun and pretty!

Be Nice: Is more than nice it's beautiful. It's a deep purple that's just so gorgeous *drools*. It's like the perfect purple that's so classical on dark skin though I can see this working well on all skin tones. Sadly, its discontinued but, I think exploding heart might be close to this (?). 

Red Lurex: A red with gold shimmer - drools again - decadence at its finest. Again - discontinued. 

Cyclone: A leafy jade green. Yeah, I know what you're thinking - trust me I tapped into an Atomic Makeup live ft. Navil Rico (the founder/creator herself) and her bestie Naomi T Grant and I was thinking the same thing - umm not for me - but swatched on the awesome duo, I couldn't help but think "oh my gosh it's cute!". I guess it's the type of shade you have to see in action to like ... Note - I haven't worn this out yet - but when I play around with the idea, I do like pairing Cyclone with a bit of a tinted gloss, as I think it makes it more "acceptable"  - I don't know why I think this but I do. I mean its pretty on its own and its a really comfortable matte - so I guess I'm thinking too much about it - anyway I'll let you know how many adults I scare when I do decide to get my cyclone on. 

Call Me: A pink toned gloss with bright gold shimmers. I have so many lip glosses that I usually don't get swayed to purchase new ones since, in the end, they all more or less do the same thing. Am I right or am I right?  I wasn't expecting much from "Call Me". I was merely going through the motions to at least try something "new" from the brand and mainly purchased it for review purposes rather than actually being excited about it. Yet, oh ye of little faith! It has truly surpassed my expectations and at first sight and swatch, I was truly blown away by how awesome it looked and felt. This lipgloss is so unique and is definitely a stand out product in my collection (and it smells good)! Since it does have obvious glitter in it (gold) I find that in non-direct lighting it looks kinda grainy/patchy (like most glitters do) and extra gold - so keep that in mind.

Amending Shades (as mentioned above)

From Debbie to Lexington, then Donna and Cyclone

I used a brown lip liner (Jordana Easyliner for Lips in CocoLoco) with the first two, a lip balm to help old Donna out and brought some life back to the cyclops with a lipgloss. These are all subtle changes but, for me, I feel it works better for my own comfort. 

Quick Breakdown

Formula: mousey, pigmented, quick dry down to a matte soft finish and not drying. 

Scent: smells identical to Kylie Jenner or Jordanna liquid lipsticks. 
Wear: excellent (no flaking) and works nicely with various lip balms!

To conclude

To date, Atomic Makeup NYC liquid lipsticks are the largest collection of the same brand of products in my entire collection so if that doesn't say something I don't know what will. I paid for all products myself, no one is paying me or sponsoring me to say anything. All I can say is - If you're ever in need of a nice feeling liquid lipstick that you can comfortably wear alone or with a balm, has great pigmentation, smells nice and wears well on the lips this brand can do no/little wrong. 

Liquid Lipstick Ingredients: Isodedcane Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Ricinus communis (Castor) Oil, Kaolin, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Polyhydroxystearic Acu, Mic, Silica, DL-alpha, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylic Gkycik, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene Glycol, Flavor May Contain [+/-]: Red 30 Lake CI 73360, Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Iron Oxides CI 77491 CI 7792 CCI 77499, Red 6 Lake CI 15850 Red 7 Lake CI 15850, Yellow 5 Lake CI 19140, Red 27 Lake CI 45410, Red 28 Lake CI 45419, Blue 1 CI 4209. Expiration: 12 months. 

Lipgloss Ingredients: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Polyhydrixystearic Acid, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) seed oil, Organic Theobroma cacao, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Hexylene, Glycol Flavour, May Contain [+/-]Red 30 Lake CI 73360, Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Iron Oxides CI 77491 CI 77492, CI77499, RED 6 lake CI 15850, Red 7 Lake CI 15850, Yellow 5 Lake CI 19140, Red 7 Lake CI 4510, Red 28 Lake CI 25210, Blue 1 CI 4209. Expiration: 12 months. 

Have you tried any Atomic Makeup NYC products?

Your comments are always welcome!