Product Review: OSHEA COLORS BULLET LIPSTICK VS HD MATTE LIP COLOR: NEITHER IS PERFECT, BUT ONE COMES CLOSER

Oshea Herbals sent over two lipsticks from its Colors range for us to test side by side, the Bullet Lipstick in Morning Glory and the HD Matte Lip Color in Tinch Of Mocha, and putting them next to each other made the gap between them impossible to ignore.

The Bullet Lipstick in Morning Glory is where the trouble starts. Oshea markets this range on a creamy matte finish that hydrates and softens with castor oil, but the pigmentation does not back that up on a single swipe. One coat barely registers; the actual shade only shows up properly after reapplying two or three times, which defeats the point of a bullet lipstick that's meant to deliver color quickly. It also leans dry rather than the non-drying finish the brand promises, so building up that color comes at the cost of comfortable wear.

The HD Matte Lip Color in Tinch Of Mocha is a different product entirely and a better one, though not a flawless one. It glides on smoothly and feels good the moment it's applied, with none of the dragging or patchiness we ran into with the Bullet Lipstick. Where it falls short is staying power. It isn't smudge-free, and it needs retouching after eating or drinking, so despite the HD matte claim, this isn't a wear-it-and-forget-it formula.

Between the two, the HD Matte Lip Color is the one we'd reach for again, but only just, and not without a caveat. Smooth application and better color payoff count for a lot, but this isn't a lipstick you can apply once and forget about. The smudging is real, and so is the need to touch it up after eating or drinking, so anyone buying it expecting genuine HD matte staying power should go in with that expectation adjusted. It's the better of the two we tested, not a flawless product on its own.

One thing worth flagging for Oshea directly: there's a naming mismatch between the packaging and the website that's likely to confuse buyers. The tube we received is labeled "Ultra Moist Lip Colour," while the same product is listed on osheaherbals.com under the HD Matte Lip Color category. Matte and ultra-moist are two different promises to a shopper and worth reconciling so customers know exactly what finish they're buying before it arrives.

To be clear, this isn't a brand we're writing off. We've used and loved Oshea's Rosemary Hair Growth Spray and their UVShield SPF 50 PA Sun Block, both of which are still part of our regular rotation, which made the inconsistency across these two lipsticks more noticeable than it might have been from a brand with no track record. The HD Matte formula shows they can get the application right. The Bullet Lipstick needs another look at its pigment load before it lives up to what the packaging promises.

The Oshea Colors Bullet Lipstick and HD Matte Lip Color were received at the Style Essentials PR desk through a brand representative from Oshea Herbals.

Reviewed by Style Essentials Edit Team