Yves Saint Laurent vs Urban Decay (Lipstick Comparison)

Okay so my issue is that it has literally gone so cold over night in Scotland! It's like the 31st of August was the last official day of summer and overnight it has decided to get all 'Autumn' on us.

Having said that the turning of the weather has also reminded me that university is now a mere 16 days away! A time of year where I usually turn my attention to knitted jumpers, layers and layers of tops over a measly pair of leggings and (most importantly) the shades of lipstick I am going to wear for the season.

Now as I mentioned before I have done a lot of overtime this past month which has meant my pay has allowed for a certain 'splurge' to occur. Over the past two days I've been investing in a little bit of Urban Decay and YSL make up which I will write about in a later post but right now I want to compare two of the lipsticks I've picked up.

Yes, it's another beauty post!!

So my little obsession with the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte line of lipsticks began when I found a Chloe Morello Vlog post on YouTube about her collection of 16 lipsticks from the range and oh my gosh I fell in love immediately!! The canisters they come in are so pretty that I couldn't really resist them and the colours were so gorgeous so I vowed to begin my own collection as of this month.

My urban decay lipstick however, was only bought because of a promotion that is on in the store I work in, buy two lip products get a goody bag free (I'm a sucker for a free eyeliner and make up setting spray) so I bought a nude coloured lipstick (used in this review but later given to my sister) and a dark purple colour.

So onto the comparison! (The following two photos are not my own)

1. First Impression of Canister
So we have two nude lipsticks. In terms of appearance I feel the YSL wins hands down, the gold shine and the band of colour around the middle are absolutely stunning and I think that you can tell straight away that this is a very high end lipstick.
The Urban Decay lipstick looks less upmarket than the YSL but it's canister is also very pretty when compared to others out there, especially because of its intriguing purple colour. So the YSL wins this round.

YSL-1
Urban Decay-0

2. Price
So the price of a lipstick is obviously going to play a big part in whether or not you purchase it. The Urban Decay lipstick costs £15 which I would say is an acceptable price to pay for something that is definitely a little more upmarket.

However, the YSL lipstick can cost between £23-£25 depending on whether it is a matte lipstick or a shine lipstick. The one I hold in the picture above is a shine version of the Rouge Volupte and cost me £13 after I (luckily!) rescued it from a bargain bin at work.

Now, as a student I would obviously go for the Urban Decay because it is a nice looking lipstick and is from a very reputable company, the only reason I buy YSL lipstick is because it is quite obviously a luxury item, it's something I'd buy as a treat to myself. My aim is to get one of the YSL a month but I'd prefer the matte ones purely because they are ever so slightly cheaper in price.

YSL - 1
Urban Decay - 1

3. Texture
Both lipsticks are very creamy in texture. The YSL feels slightly 'wetter' if that's the correct term to use but the Urban Decay is equally as moisturising. The YSL shine has bits of glitter throughout it which makes me think it could have more of a rough texture to it but it actually just glides over the lips.

Both lipsticks are also extremely opaque after just one application which means that you use much less of it and don't have to keep applying it throughout the day.

The only downside to the Urban Decay is that as the day went on my lips got a little 'tacky' feel to them which is common for lipsticks but I cant remember having a similar problem with the YSL.

Overall both lipsticks are exceptional for texture but the YSLs wetter feel can make you think the lipstick would come off easier whereas the Urban Decay goes on and feels a lot more durable.

We'll call this a draw

YSL - 2
Urban Decay - 2

4. Appearance
Below is a swatch of both lipsticks to show just how pigmented they are. Swatch number 1 is the Urban Decay and swatch number 2 is the YSL. As you can see here both colours are very similar so it helps you to see what the similarities are. The YSL is a much more glittery shade of the nude colour whereas the Urban Decay is a more matte finish. As you can see from the swatch both formulas are a thick consistency.

So the YSL lipstick is my go-to lipstick at the moment and I feel it looks really pretty, one good thing about it is that the glitter in it catches the light and gives you a nice glossy lip and since I usually got for a matte lip I found this to be a really nice change!

Also, I like the kind of neutral colour it is, its a nice light pink that's really pretty and is suitable for me to wear at work which is a really important thing for me.

Next up is the Urban Decay lipstick. Again the colour is really pretty but I prefer this one because its more of a matte finish which I prefer. I also like the lipstick because it looks moisturised on the lips, it doesn't look dry.

 

I think this is going to be a draw for the finishes of both lipsticks. Both are a nice pigmented colour with pretty, moisturised finishes that are both matte and shiny.

 

YSL - 3

Urban Decay - 3

 

5. Lasting Power

  Me and my sister wore both lipsticks on a night out (me the YSL and her the Urban Decay) and throughout the course of the night I had to re-apply the shade only once. Whist the colour stayed on very well there was some residue left on glasses etc but overall it didn't go dry and wasn't a worry for me on the night.

 

My sister however had to reapply her lipstick shade twice throughout the night because it kept coming off on her glass. She also wore this shade the other day to a friends and got it all over a cup. Whist the lipstick feels durable it doesn't seem to last very well when you have a drink. Apart from that my sister says the lipstick felt fine throughout the night.

 

YSL- 4

Urban Decay -3

 

Overall both lipsticks are very good. Whilst the YSL seems to be the longer lasting of the two (which is good due to how much it costs) you get an equally good product with the Urban Decay. If anything the price difference between the two could be down to the ornate nature of the YSLs canister or the more moisturising finish of the latter. Either way I feel both lipsticks are a lovely addition to my collection and more will definitely be getting bought!