Bellatrix Lips And Tips Gift Set - Emerald

Knockoffs amuse me tremendously for some reason.  When Walgreens got their holiday beauty giftsets in, I was drawn instantly to an assortment of (six?) little $3 sets that want desperately to be Butter London Lips & Tips.  They're even called Lips And Tips too...but the "brand" name is kinda quirky.  Bellatrix?  Am I nuts or does everyone's mind flash to Helena Bonham-Carter in one of her cackle-y-er roles and nothing else?  I bought one just to see if it's any good at all.  All of the xmases in my teens left me a little leery of off-brand cosmetic gifts.  They bring back memories of allergic reactions and sticky glosses.  I did this for you, the polish gift buying and receiving public...and for...science!


I bought the Emerald set, which comes with a green-leaning teal cream polish and a flecky fawn shimmer lipgloss.

The polish doesn't have a shade name, so I'm just calling it Emerald.

This is two coats.  The formula is just ok and can be slightly patchy.  You can see a little streaky spot on my middle nail.  My photos don't quite get the color right.  It's a bit darker in person.  It's almost exactly between Sally Hansen Kiwi Bikini and Maybelline Urban Utopia, though not as green as Kiwi Bikini.  Honestly, it's not bad!  I can't vouch for the other shades, but if you get Emerald in your stocking, there's no need to fake a smile.

The bottle has the same outer cap as Butter London, but makes things considerably more obvious.

I love how it makes a point of noting that it was designed in Canada.  They should have called it Margarine Ontario.


The lipgloss doesn't have a shade name either.

I can't say it's bad, but you can tell it's cheap.  Cheap glosses rarely feel anywhere near as good on the lips as the pricier ones.  This is dollar store stuff, but not bad as that goes.  The shimmer is slightly gritty, but more noticeable on the lips than the photo makes it look.  The happy surprise here was that it's unscented.  It only smells like petroleum and not fake fruit.  Huge relief there!


I couldn't get a decent photo of the packaging.  The plastic is way too shiny!

Even this screams "Please think I'm Butter London!"


Bottom line: The packaging goes further toward imitation than the contents do, but it's not bad.  Would I spend $3 on another for myself?  No, probably not...but I wouldn't kick it out of my stocking for being a knockoff.