[Elle:] I recently received a message from one of my followers, Marcie (not her real name), who asked if she could do a full guest post with a Younique product review. You may remember Marcie from my article ‘We need to talk about Younique’s train-wreck of an Anniversary Palette‘ – she kindly provided the bonus review.

After reading Maz Carrah‘s honest reviews of the Younique Shine Cleansing Cloths and Brow Gel & Liner Set from last year, I think its high time we heard something new.

Before reading Marcie’s review, please remind yourself that all views presented in this blog are as told to us by the authors, and simply reflect their own opinions. Your own personal experiences with MLM companies and products may differ, negatively or positively.

I’ll now hand you over to Marcie.

[Marcie:] Thank you, Elle! Here is my review of the Younique Moodstruck Splash Liquid Lipstick.

“Look, I applied it at 9am and it’s still going strong at 9pm!” “I’ve worn this all day; I’ve eaten and drunk and eaten again and it still doesn’t come off! Eeeeeeeek it’s amazing!”

Just a few of the things I’ve seen said about the Younique Splash Lipstick…

I’ll be honest, I’m not a big lipstick wearer. As someone who was a young adult in the early noughties I’ve very much been a fan of gloss. I own one lipstick, the ubiquitous MAC ‘Velvet Teddy’ Matte Lipstick, and wear that only occasionally.

I suffer with chapped lips in the winter so I’m always the one that looks like they’ve been eating chips all day I am that slicked up with Vaseline or whichever balm I have handy. Anyway, my local Y-friend was selling these on the cheap, and I thought Stellar was a nice browny colour (my usual shade) so I thought I’d have a try.

My Y-friend was offering the Splash Lipstick for £10, rather than £21 RRP (my MAC was only £16…) so I thought I’d give it a whirl. After all, it couldn’t possibly be worse than that Anniversary Eyeshadow pallet….

Younique being Younique, it took about a month for this thing to turn up. A month, I kid you not. My Y-friend had put her month-end order in and it seemed to take forever to get here. When it did, I was quite surprised at the size of the thing! As per usual, Younique haven’t scrimped on packaging… For reference these are like an oversized lip gloss tube – really big!

I put it on and initially was a little surprised. As opposed to the brown/nude look I was expecting, it almost had a purple tinge to it. My husband’s first words when he saw me in it were “Are you going for the corpse look?”

However, a couple of days later it seemed to have settled (weird) and it was a deeper brown than I thought, but I will admit I quite liked it. The only issue I had was that it felt quite thick and dry on my lips. It doesn’t have any moisturising qualities whatsoever; which I would expect from a lipstick in all honesty. Particularly one that commands the hefty price tag that it does.

So I thought I would conduct an experiment. Did it really stay on for 12 hours without any reapplication? Would it survive the copious quantities of tea that I get through in a day? Apparently this stuff can withstand a hun meeting at Costa Coffee and a night out on the tiles, so surely it could cope on a school day with me?

In a word: no. It probably stayed on about 3 hours and that was only when I was really looking closely at my lips to see any traces of colour. There’s a real gritty feel to these things. I expected them to feel soft and shiny like a matte lipstick should; but actually you end up with a quite unpleasant feeling on your mouth.

As for staying on for 12 hours? Well pictorial evidence is below.

The spoon is from my morning porridge. I was actually stunned at the amount of lipstick that came off! I didn’t feel like I was wearing that much but because this is so thick and gritty you end up with a thick later on your mouth that almost leaves you feeling like you have to put things in your mouth without them touching your lips.

My coffee cup is also there and shows the thick layer of lipstick it left behind. Now I expect transfer, but this was like an imprint of my mouth on there! The two pictures of my lips were taken an hour apart so as you can see in my experience there was definitely zero chance of not having to reapply this all day.

As you can see it’s patchy after about an hour, and has just settled in the creases in my lips. If I asked a Younique presenter, I’m sure I’d be told I’m “not applying it properly” or I “need their lip primer” or that I “should scrub my mouth with a toothbrush to make sure it’s smooth“… I work full time and have a toddler to get ready in a morning. My vanity has about 15 minutes including hair and getting dressed in a morning. I ain’t got time for that!

I have worn my Splash a few times, but it’s quite an unpleasant feeling on your mouth. It also glides on well the first use, but after a week or so it’s a lot less thick and actually feels like it’s running low. It needs a few layers built up and I don’t expect that after a week. The thickness is a major issue. I wear make up every day and don’t like to be able to feel it. I can always feel this when I’m wearing it – it’s heavy and unpleasant and seemed to show up any creases, chapped areas and lines! It’s like one day it’s full, thick and heavy and then another it’s like you’re pumping the tube to get the last bits out!

Once again I am disappointed. I keep trying to give Younique a chance, and they keep letting me down. Their foundation was cakey; the lip liner is, well, lip liner, and quite frankly past 1990 no one should be using that; the eyeshadow was pants; and the lip stains look like I’ve been rubbing a boiled sweet on my lips! Plus the amount of effort required to use a lip stain would involve me getting up an hour early to put it on, wait, put it on again, then wait…. No chance.

I did do a similar test again with the MAC Velvet Teddy as I thought it was only fair. I put it on in the morning and it too came off on a spoon and a cup. The differences are it felt light, it moisturises and it doesn’t make ridiculous 12 hour claims. Lipstick does not stay on for that long – you wipe it off when you eat, drink, lick your lips, anything! Plus, my Velvet Teddy lasts ages and doesn’t dry out after being used for a fortnight.

I get so mad when I see Y-bots with these things saying that they’ve only had to put it on once that day and skip out of the door. From my experience this is once again more lies to push overpriced tat. Needless to say, I won’t be buying another one!

[Elle:] Big thanks to Marcie for sharing her opinion with us. I am sure she’ll be back with more reviews in the future.

Do you agree with Marcie? Or, do you think she’s got it wrong? Leave a comment below, and I’ll make sure it reaches her.

Do you want to do a guest review of a Younique product, or would you like to write anti-MLM articles with the coalition? Be our guest and check out our submission guidelines – we would love to hear from you.

Don’t forget to share any of your cosmetic recommendations with me – its always good to share. You can comment below, or contact me via Facebook, Twitter and now Instagram!

What’s next for Elle Beau?

On reflection, I do feel that I would like to rewrite my Poonique story into a proper novella – whether its an ebook, or if I find someone who would put me in print. The main reason being, I missed out “the smaller stuff” for the purpose of keeping the reader interested and driving the tale forward. When I wrote this blog, I wanted to mainly focus on the dodgy tactics I experienced, but on reflection I would like to talk more in-depth about everything I can remember.

I would like to rewrite my tale with the spreadsheet as more of a prominent reference point – it will also help me recall things in chronological order (i.e. when certain monthly kudos were released, little paltry orders etc). Mia is still lurking in some of the training groups, and is finding me screenshots to illustrate certain chapters. So, as well as writing anti-MLM articles, I will be working on producing a full, comprehensive story in the interim. I hope to set up a Kickstarter for this once I have an idea of costings.

If you like the anti-MLM aims I am working towards, please consider supporting me via Patreon. Anything is gratefully received.

Stay subscribed for upcoming anti-MLM news and articles, and of course the ever-popular #ShitHunsSay screenshots.

Are you stuck in a MLM and are looking for a way to leave? My friends at Bot Watch have produced a fantastic guide on how to get out – read it here.

Or, are any of you concerned for a loved one who is totally and utterly wrapped up in MLM? Bot Watch have advice for you on what to do and how to remain supportive – read it here.

Please, also check out the good work of the people of Bot Watch, Juice Plus/MLM Lies Exposed and Timeless Vie. They work tirelessly to expose the truth and lies of the MLM industry, so anyone considering this line of work can make a fair, informed decision . In fact, I now have a Recommended Reading page for Anti-MLM writers and interesting lifestyle bloggers I think you will enjoy, such as Chammy in Real Life and my first Patreon, @yourolly.

For something a little different to pyramid schemes, I would also recommend a look at what Bad Psychics are up to. Award-winning and seen-on-TV, they have worked to expose false claims made by psychics, mediums and the paranormal since 2003.