Last year it was all about the eyes, whether they were dark smokey or bright and daring, however, this season it is the return of statement lips, whether they are shocking red or barbie pink and with this in mind I set off to Boots to buy some new lip colours.
Whilst looking across the make up in Boots I came across the Max Factor Lip finity pens and remembered seeing them advertised and wanting to give them ago. There was only 4 or 5 shades to choose from, which is no way near as many shades as what other brands have to offer, nonetheless I decided to buy number 06 (a dull, yet bright red). The colours all seemed to be within pinks and reds and there was no coral/ neutral/ brown shades so if you were after something like this then I suggest you look elsewhere.

~Avaliability and Price~
As previously said I bought mine from Boots, though they can also be bought from Superdrug and some larger supermarkets stores, along with department stores and some online stores. Though I suggest you go instore to buy them as the colours online/on the lip tint can be very deceptive and they come our very differently in real life as to what you expect from them. I also found that many of the colours were very similar and only had slight differences so it really is worth going instore and picking one for yourself.
The lipfinity pens cost around £7, with slight variations if there is offers on, my particualar one was free when I purchased a Max Factor mascara which cost around £10, so it is worth shopping around to see whether you can get a better price.

~What is it?~
It is a Lipfinity pen, which is basically a lip tint or stain. It looks very much like a pen / large felt tip and the nib of the pen feels the same as a marker pen would. A lip stain or tint is something which adds colour or depth by staining the colours of the lips rather than applying colour over the top of them as you would with a lip stick. The idea of these is that it will last longer on the lips than a lipstick due to it actually 'staining' them or 'soaking in' rather than simply sitting on top which is what allows the lipstick to wear off.

~How do you use it? / Is it easy to use?~
To use you simply colour your lips in with it and use as you would a pen. I use the very nib of the pen to line my lips first and then use the side of the pen in order to fill in my lips. It feels smooth to apply, but does not feel at all like a lipstick. It feels a lot more runny and more 'inky' than a lipstick which feels wuite solid to apply. Due to it having no moisture in it, I also found it quite drying to apply.
It was easy to use as first and was easy to colour in all my lips, however as it started to dry on my lips I noticed that it started to dry unevenly, where at the corners of the lips the colour seemed to be much more brighter and had more depth to it, whilst towards the middle if my lips it looked very pale and like there was very little colour there. I found that I had to go over my lips several times in order for the colour to look even all over my lips, however even then I was able to notice the subtle differences in colour across my lips. Therefore, although it was easy to use and did feel smooth to apply, it did take time and a few coats in order to get an almost even coverage.

~Was it drying/moisturising?~
As previously stated, when applying I did find it drying and over the period of the day I found it to get even more drying. I think this was mainly due to it being a lip stain, which meant that it didn't have anything moisturising / softening in it. This also exaggarated any cracks I had in my lips and just didn't make them look smooth. I had to apply a lip balm over the top in order to stop them from feeling so dry and in order to make them look softer / smoother.

~What did it look like once on / overall look / colour~
Once applied I wasn't too impressed with the look. It did definitley not give me even coverage and did look blotchy in certain areas where the colour was darker. Due to it being a lip stain it also seemed to exaggarate any imperfections in my lips, I dont have crack lips but they do get dry from time to time and this just made my lips look very dry, slightly cracked and uncared for which I wasn't too impressed about.
I did, however, like the shape and outline it was able to give my lips, I don't have small lips, though when wearing this it made them look fuller and bigger. The outline also made them more distinctive and allowed them to stand out, rather than them just blending into my skin and the effect was similar to that of wearing a lip liner.
I really liked the colour as it ws quite unusual as it was a dull red, but was also bright and had a lot of depth to it the same time. Though, it was hard to get this colour all over my lips due to it being ver hard to get an even coverage. The colour looked great with just a little bit of mascara and eyeliner and was definitley very eye catching and suited the season of stand out lips well, however due to it not being 'clean' and the colour looking uneven I was dissapointed. If the colour looked even then this pen would have been perfect for what I had wanted it for, though as it was it looked untidy and as if I had applied it in a rush.

~How long did the 'stain' last?~
The stain itself was very poor. Within an hour or two it began to rub off or the colour would lose it's depth. It also seemed to be rubbing off unevenly, again making the colour look blotched and uneven. I don't think it stained my lips anymore than a bright lipstick would and did not last aswell as other lip stains I have used which did not need reapplying. I found that I had to try and keep reapplying every hour or so in order to try and keep the colour looking fresh and to keep the colour even.
As a 'stain' I found that this pen did not work well at all, it only had the same staying power and overall look as a decent coloured lip balm would. I did find it stained the very outline of my lips, which looked awful. It looked as if I had been very heavy handed with my lip liner and had forgot to fill in my lips. If it had stained my lips in the same way all overall, then I may have been impressed, as it is this lip stain has done little to impress me.

~How long will it last/was it worth the money~
I can see this lasting 3 or so months. This is mainly due to the fact that it seems to dry out very quickly, especially the nib and a ot is needed in order to get an even coverage. I can also see that if you leave the lid off by accident that the whole thing would dry up and become completley useless (not that it isn't already) much like a felt tip would do.
This is not worth the money. It is that simple, I am glad that mine was free and I did not have to pay for it, though if someone were to offer me one again for free - even if I didn't have to buy anoter product- I'd still say no. There are far better products, which share a similar idea on the market at a fraction of the price!

~Overall thoughts~
Overall this is something that I will definitley not buying again and would not recommend. I had high hopes from this item due to the fact it was Max Factor as this is a trusted brand and I like many of their items, however this one was just awful. Perhaps if I had bought it in a lighter, pinker colour it would have worked better as any faults would not have stood out as much as they did on this darker, brighter colour.
I can only award this one star (though I would probably award it zero if that was an option!) due to it being extremley drying on the lips, having no moisture to it and the overall look being awful, the only thing I liked about it was the colour, but even that had its faults in that it was not even and looked blotched and messy once applied!