Monday, July 22, 2013

OCC Creme Colour Concentrate Review and Swatches

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is a brand I've grown very fond of lately.  Their most well known product is, of course, their lip tars, which are mixable, opaque liquid lip colors that come in unique colors.  Now, OCC has an intense cream product that's suitable for use on eyes, lips, and cheeks.  I bought two of them, Cthulu, a pea green, and Terra Firma, an orangy brown, and fell so desperately in love, I purchased three more, Miriam, John Doe, and Grandma.
The texture of these products is similar to a dense, matte lipstick, and bear resemblance to the Illamasqua cream pigments.  One of the benefits of these is that they are safe for eyes and lips, and they don't crease as badly as the Illamasqua product when used on the eyes (and please note, I am very prone to creasing), though, being cream products, they are prone to creasing.  Topping with a powder shadow or a loose powder will ameliorate that problem.  On cheeks, they're slightly dry, but blendable.  They'd do best either blended onto an emollient base or tapped lightly.  On lips, they are a satin-matte finish, and are quite comfortable to wear. 
What I love most about these are the nuanced and unusual colors, something anyone who's used a Lip Tar has come to expect from OCC.
Cthulu is described as a dirty, pale olive.  It is a light pea green shade, with subtle gray and brown undertones.  It's reminiscent of a 70's avocado colored refrigerator, only lighter.
Terra Firma is described as burnt sienna brown.  It's a russet orange-brown shade that would work well on eyes, lips, cheeks, and, while an unusual color, I still think a lot of people would be comfortable wearing it.
John Doe is described as pale, ash-toned taupe.  It's a very light beige-taupe with strong gray undertones and a hint of yellow.  It's very cool and light, and makes for an excellent cream contour problem on fair skins.  Compared to Illamasqua Hollow, it is cooler and very slightly lighter.
Miriam is described as a subdued, whitened plum.  It is a grayed light purple, leaning mauve, with a bit of pinky warmth.  It's an unusual, but not necessarily unflattering, lip and cheek color.
Grandma is described as a clean, classic coral.  It's very similar to the lip tar of the same name, and is a very bright coral with a good balance of bright pink and orange undertones.  To my eye, it leans slightly toward orange, though that would change depending on skin tone and natural lip color.
 
Cthulu
Terra Firma
Swatches of Terra Firma (l) and Cthulu (r)
John Doe
Miriam
Grandma
Swatches of (from top to bottom) John Doe, Miriam, and Grandma.  Grandma appears slightly redder than in real life.
Comparison of Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment and John Doe
Swatches of John Doe (left) and Illamasqua Hollow (right).  Sorry I switched them.
As you can see, Hollow is warmer than the ashier John Doe.
 
OCC Creme Colour Concentrates can be purchased form Sephora online or from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.  They retail for $20, which is what I paid for all these suckers.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the swatches, and comparison of John Doe and Hollow!

    ReplyDelete