Clinique • Almost Lipstick in Black Raisin • Lips

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heidiland on 11/28/2007 1:01:00 AM more reviews by heidiland

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Other    

I was pretty excited when this came out... Black Honey has been a staple of mine for years. I am very picky about the texture of lipsticks, Almost Lipstick has been one of the few things I can use that is not a tinted balm. Black Honey is a perfectly rosy, flushed, pinky color on me. Hard to believe since it's almost black in the tube. I was hoping that Black Raisin would be similar, but maybe have just a little bit more of that naturalistic red tone. Raisin colors almost always work for me, but are often too dark.

I love the packaging, as always. It's quite chic. The product itself is the perfect weight and texture. You might have to apply it throughout the day, but the slim packaging makes it easy to do so without a mirror.

The color was a disappointment. Unlike Black Honey, Black Raisin goes on very dark. I was looking for more of a tint that would enhance my natural lip color, not cover it. It worked much like a regular lipstick, which wasn't why I purchased it. It looks like those matte brick red lip colors I loved back in the 90's. It fades quicker than black honey and turns to a dull brown red which is not terribly flattering on me, and completely washes me out. I think that if your lips already have a bit of natural color, that it would fade to a very lovely tint after the first application. On me, it's just bad. I'm sticking with black honey.

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annehelge on 11/7/2007 11:57:00 AM more reviews by annehelge

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I have used Black Honey for a couple of years now during the winter months, so I was really excited to see there are new LE colors now available on Almost Lipstick!

Seeing it was sold out almost everywhere only made me crave it more.
I first put it on when I already had some clear lip gloss on, and really loved the effect. It just made my lips a bit darker than they are naturally (I am very pale and have very light lip color. My lips are a lovely shape, but I´d prefer them bigger!), and I think it even stained them some. A big plus for me. It looked very natural and beautiful applied sparingly. It is a lovely colour, hard to describe, NOT brown as I feared.

Later, at home, I tried it on my bare, dry lips, putting on many layers - huh. Really dark, almost matte, makes my small lips almost disappear. Well this isn´t a surprise for me, the irony is I love dark dramatic lips but cannot wear them!

I think I´ll use this tube with lip gloss and enjoy it, but it won´t be a stable for me. Well, who knows? It DOES look almost better than Black Honey on me, very sophisticated.....WITH lip gloss and SPARINGLY applied.

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*TOP REVIEWER* jostrows on 10/10/2007 10:03:00 AM more reviews by jostrows

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I got this as a gift from my mom who purchased it for herself and didn't like it. If I only apply one layer of this shade it looks like a nice sheer natural brownish slightly plum color. If I apply 2 layers it starts to look like 90's style brown matte lips. Too dark and opaque. (Not good) I wouldn't purchase this because I hardly wear it now. I like Black Honey much better. I like the formula (not drying but not super creamy so that it slides off your lips either) and the slender tube is nice and makes it easy to apply.

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sparklegirlMpls on 10/5/2007 3:58:00 PM more reviews by sparklegirlMpls

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This moist, subtle lipstick isn't quite what I expected, but I really like it. I've used Black Honey for years and love that it goes with almost anything I'm wearing -- the primary exception being red. While it starts out in a reddish-brown shade on me (which looks great with red), it fades after a few hours to something with a lot of pink in it (pretty, but definitely not a good choice for wearing with my favorite red suit). So I was hoping that Black Raisin -- billed as being more toward the brown end of the spectrum -- would be a good alternative to wear with red outfits. And it is! It goes on as a sheer, soft brownish-plum and doesn't change color on me at all.

In addition to the great color, I love the texture: just the right amount of soft (not greasy-looking) shine, and it's truly non-drying (critical as we Minnesotans are getting ready for winter).
One of the primary differences between Black Raisin and Black Honey -- on me, anyway -- is that Black Raisin is much less pigmented. It doesn't deposit nearly the amount of color that Black Honey does. After I got over my surprise at that, I really got to like it. It is more subtle, but still lovely -- a nice middle ground between MLBB and perfect-for-fall color. Because it's limited edition, I bought two and definitely don't regret it.

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taitiana on 9/22/2007 7:16:00 PM more reviews by taitiana

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Oily   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Pros: slim tube makes it very easy to apply. Why don't all lipsticks come in this slender tubing? You can actually apply it without a mirror. Color is a very subtle dark berry, but doesn't turn pink, which is nice.
Cons: You have to apply 3+ layers to even see it at all. Way too light. Extremely drying on the lips. And wears off very quickly. I ended up giving mine away after two days and will never repurchase.

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*TOP REVIEWER* 2ksmom on 9/18/2007 2:57:00 PM more reviews by 2ksmom

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I purchased Black Raisin as an afterthought (it really didn’t sound like “my kind of color” but I have all the other “Black” shades- Black Honey, Black Raspberry, Black Plum- and I am kind of a dork because I felt like I had to have the complete set.) I usually don’t like anything too brown, but surprisingly, this shade is quite nice. It’s a sheer, reddish brown (more brown than Black Honey). I usually prefer neutral or cooler lip colors (for my fair, neutral-toned skin) but this is nice change for fall (looks nice with warmer browns and golds and greens). It has a slightly glossy finish and feels comfortable on my lips. It only lasts an hour or 2, however, it’s easy to reapply. Unlike the other Almost Lipstick shades I have, I don’t like how this looks on me if I apply multiple layers (too brown for me), so this is strictly a light, casual, day-wear lip color for me. If you find the original Black Honey too pinkish, you will likely be pleased with Black Raisin, since I think it’s a warmer version of Black Honey. I had a hard time finally getting my hands on Black Raisin, since it’s LE and many stores were already out of it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Aligirl on 9/14/2007 4:53:00 PM more reviews by Aligirl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy   Eyes: Green    

My search is over for a natural go with everything lipcolor..This was everything I had hoped Black Honey would be..which morphed into this oddly fuschia red shade..and Black Lily which was better then Black Honey but still left me with this weird fuschia ring around my lips.Black Raisin is a perfect stained sheer raisin;for lack of a better description as I don't find it really brown or plum either as some of the other reviews suggest..It's incredibly natural with my NC15(warm/neutral) complexion..I really can't stop staring at my lips..Will be getting backups

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*TOP REVIEWER* kimk on 9/12/2007 5:09:00 PM more reviews by kimk

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I simply must get at least one back up of this...It's the color I've wanted forever, and the +)%@)*&#! company makes it LE!!!! ARGH! It's a soft sheer lip color in a perfectly browned shade of natural red. Not too dark, not too bright, just perfect. Wears nicely, and applies easily.
Um, you don't want this color, you won't like it. Leave them all for me - I will take them off your hands... ;-D

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*TOP REVIEWER* ah63 on 8/24/2007 12:09:00 PM more reviews by ah63

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I absolutely love this color! This works soooo much better on me than Black Honey. It is very natural looking, very sheer. I would describe this as a neutral brown with plum. Love the slim silver packaging. I definitely need a back-up. If this was not LE I would buy this again and again and again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* MillasonPaige on 8/12/2007 9:45:00 PM more reviews by MillasonPaige

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Terrific, terrific color. Much more brown than Almost Raspberry, so more sedated. Looks absolutely stunning with Sunset Glow blush and neutral eyes.

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aeperez80 on 8/10/2007 11:54:00 PM more reviews by aeperez80

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I love this lipstick! Black Honey used to be a favorite, but this is definitely my new favorite! It has a beautiful sheer wash of color with a bit of shine. The color is definitely not as pink as Black Honey...a bit more of a warm brown/berry. Since this is a limited edition, I plan to buy a couple of more tubes for safe keeping!

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vengland on 8/8/2007 10:00:00 AM more reviews by vengland

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

I was looking forward to this lipstick's release because Black Honey turns too pink on me, and I heard that Black Raisin had more brown tone to it- it does not disappoint! This wears as a nice pinkish-brown on my lips, very natural and MLBB (for reference, I have pale skin with warm undertones and my lips are not darkly pigmented at all). I do have a problem with Almost Lipsticks settling into the lines of my lips, but since they're so sheer, this is not a huge/obvious problem. It takes me a looong time to finish a lipstick, but I would probably repurchase this one.

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*TOP REVIEWER* mhooven on 8/7/2007 10:00:00 PM more reviews by mhooven

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Terrific lipstick, great color. It is not sticky and will be great for Fall!

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