Red Apple Gluten Free Lipstick & Lip Gloss Review
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For happy, healthy lips have a Red Apple (or two) a day!
photos: we heart this
Natural makeup brands often perplex me. They sound so great on paper, with their healthy ingredients and kindness to animals, but when I use the products, I secretly find myself longing for the glossier, less earthy mainstream brands. Why, I wonder, can’t a cosmetics brand offer everything?
Enter Red Apple Lipstick, whose motto is “trying to save the world, one pair of lips at a time.” Red Apple strives to give us the best of both worlds with their luxurious, beautifully packaged lip products that are also natural and gluten-free. This is especially rare in cosmetics, and important for anyone with gluten sensitivity.
Did you know there was gluten in most lipsticks? I had no idea, but I bet anyone with celiac disease does. Red Apple’s lip line can be used by anyone, no matter what their dietary restrictions. In addition to being 100% gluten free, Red Apple products are paraben free and soy free; crafted with vegan ingredients and made in the USA.
The review team received a range of Red Apple’s Gluten Free Lipsticks ($17.50 to $23.50 each) for testing:
Rally Balm ($15) – packaged just like the lipsticks, this is a clear balm that helps protect lips from the damaging rays of the sun with SPF 8, and makes an excellent base for lipstick and lip glosses, extending their staying power.
Sunkissed – striking bright orange-y red creme with subtle gold sparkle
Crush On Me – hot pink creme meets fuchsia and violet
Reddy or Not – a bright sheer red with a satin finish, inspired by the amaranth plant’s bright flowers
Pedal Pusher – bright medium pink with a hint of fuschia
Strawberry Lips – a brown kissed red with a sheer consistency
Sunkissed, Crush on Me, Reddy or Not, Petal Pusher, Strawberry Lips
I tested Sunkissed and it is striking indeed – a bold shimmery orange-red with bright tangerine/blood orange undertones – this one is full of pigment that “packs a bold, brilliant punch.” This lipstick stains the lips for long wear, and has a strong, fruity scent. With its gold sparkle, Sunkissed is bold for daytime and can be made way bolder with additional coats.
I also tried out Strawberry Lips which is designed to match the color of summer strawberries. Its matte texture is almost balm-like and the color, which I love, goes on way lighter than it looks in the tube. It’s a great daytime red, flattering for most skintones. As with Sunkissed, the color can easily be built up with additional coats. It has a very subtle, fruity scent.
Want a few more bites of Red Apple? We’ve got more – let’s take a look at the six Gluten Free Lip Glosses ($22.50 each) we received:
Cotton Candy – pale baby pink with silver and pink glitter and lots of shine
Dancing Princess – pink/purple gloss with hints of fuchsia and glitter
Firestorm – metallic brick red
Metropolis – medium pink with lilac glitter
Diamond Sands – shiny and somewhat sheer golden nude with multicolor glitter
Wonderland – clear gloss with glitter and shine – it’s like a liquid disco ball!
I tested Metropolis, a bright-yet-light hot pink with lots of shine, which I found to be creamy and highly pigmented. Described by Red Apple as “fun and girly but not too intense,” I love everything about this gloss: the dreamy color, the doe footed applicator, the chunky square tube, the faint vanilla scent.
Cotton Candy, Dancing Princess, Firestorm, Metropolis, Diamond Sands, and Wonderland
Red Apple’s glosses are designed to glide on smoothly, with no stickiness or chemical smell. The color is not especially long wearing, but I even love reapplying it because the packaging is so nice. If the other colors are anything like Metropolis, which I’ve been wearing nonstop, I’ll be buying more.
Cotton Candy, Dancing Princess
Firestorm, Metropolis
Diamond Sands, Wonderland
Pros:
• World class makeup
• Zero Gluten
• Paraben Free
• Totally Vegan
• Solid, pretty packaging
• Red Apple is so sure you’ll love their lip products, they offer a 100% money back guarantee
Cons:
• I wasn’t crazy about the strong fruity scent of the Special Edition lipsticks (like Sunkissed). The regular lipstick and gloss scents were lovely.
we heartsters – do you buy gluten free makeup? Testers – did you enjoy a taste of Red Apple?
Melissa loves road trips, bargain shopping, drive-in movies, lip gloss and rock ‘n’ roll. She lives in Baltimore with her precious pup Zeus.
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I really liked the consistency of these lipsticks a lot. So much so that I told my two gluten-free girlfriends about them. The color and coverage is really pretty, I’d definitely get more.
I got to try out Wonderland. I love the consistency and the amount of glitter without feeling gritty. I also love the big rectangular tube. However the price is a bit steep for me per gloss, though I’m still tempted to buy more because of being vegan!
I had no idea that lip products had gluten in them either! I got to try Cotton Candy and this was on par with any other standard lip gloss. It didn’t seem as long-wearing, but the lack of stickiness more than made up for it. I wore it over lip stain and it added a subtle glossy tint that was perfect! This was five stars for me, even though the price is more than I usually pay for glosses, this is a really generous size and it feels and looks just gorgeous…
I also am really impressed that this is gluten free – and paraben and allergen free as well. I had no idea that even makeup could set off celiac disease – how terrible, but how awesome is it that so many companies out there are taking that into account. I tested Diamond Sands and it’s gorgeous. Perfect amount of subtle shimmer and golden glow for a great nude. No stickiness and feels very moisturizing. I’m not a huge fan of the applicator – I like the sponge but it’s a little thin for me. That’s my only downside though – the packaging is clean, modern and classy. It’s pricey but has so many pluses I still have to give it five stars!
Red Apple doesn’t suffer at all for its healthy ingredients! I’ve been reaching for Strawberry Lips and Metropolis regularly, and have told my gluten free friends about the line, too. 5 stars.
Love the shimmer to them. might have to try this!
I tested out Rally Balm and it is a very good base to prep for lipstick. The consistency is nice and I was impressed with the natural ingredients in the Red Apple line. A little pricey for me, to spend on a base, but I would definitely like to try out some of the colors and glosses. Four stars from me!
I was curious about Rally Balm because it seemed like a perfect thing to have in my travel bag. I need all of the SPF I can get.
Hi there! While Rallye Balm makes a GREAT base, there is so much more to it than that! Most balms contain addictive ingredients suc h as menthol and eucalyptus oil and, in the long run, dry out your lips. Women who try our Rallye Balm often come back to tell us that their lips feel soothed, supple and moisturized after about 3 days of continuous use! Pretty cool! I apply Rallye Balm before bed and in the morning while I ‘m working on my face makeup. I’m happy you liked it!
I tested out Dancing Princess. I was impressed with the overall quality and texture of this line. It was very versatile to have in my purse because it looks good by itself or can give a nice boost to your favorite lipstick. Personally, the scent did not bother me — at all.
4 stars
Red Apple Lipstick sent me a bunch of products to test out for Lipgloss+Spandex blog and I LOVED them. I tested
-Rallye Balm
-lipsticks in Red!, Ruby Slippers, and Strawberry Fields
-lipglosses in Amor Caliente, Metropolis, and Bridesmaid
-lip pencils in Mocha, Chocolate, and Brick
Like @turboterp, my past experiences with green/indie/natural makeup brands hasn’t been the best. The products were more expensive, and they just didn’t stack up against traditional brands and products. That’s not the case with Red Apple Lipstick products. The textures and colors are very pretty, they wear well, and they’re good quality. Five stars.
What a lucky blogger you are, @lipglossandspandex ! I’m happy to hear you liked the entire line.
Who knew lipsticks and glosses had gluten in them?? I sure didn’t! I agreemwith @Turboterp, I have not gotten the best results with ‘green’ makeup either…not enough payoff is usually the culprit. Red Apple Lipstick seems to deliver and I would love to try the line!
Great review!
I just wanted to add: For those who are addicted to beauty but on a budget, we offer monthly coupon codes, many sales and a lipstick exchange program! Check out our website http://www.redapplelipstick.com and “like” us on Facebook for more information!
I never thought about cosmetics containing gluten–this is probably a kick a$$ product for folks w/ allergies. I got to test out Reddy or Not and this is a perfect “I just ate a cherry popsicle” red. The color can be blotted down for a sheer tint or slicked on for full-blown glamour. This is a great “everyday” red–it’s not too much, it’s just right. The slight fruity scent reminded me from something from my childhood–I couldn’t quite place what, but I found it to be quite pleasant and nostalgia-inducing. The lasting power on this was decent–about 3 hours. The texture was also fairly smooth–more of a sheer lipstick texture, as opposed to a thicker lipstick. Color me impressed! 5 stars! :)
That Firestorm gloss is calling my name now…
As a person with Celiac disease it’s important to me that my lip products be gluten free! I don’t get contact dermatitis from gluten, so it’s okay if my lotion or hair stuff has gluten in it (but I do have to be very careful to not get it on my hands where it could get on my food) but lip products really must be gluten free.
I tested out Crush On Me and I love the color! With the last of my summer glow it’s a great way to ease into the lighter tones I tend to reach for come winter. I find that it goes on pretty sheer, so it adds just a hint of color to my lips. The scent (a sort of fruity watermelon) isn’t distracting and goes away quickly.
Sadly, Red Apple lipstick is very drying on me. I couldn’t wear it all day without my lips becoming rather chapped and flakey, so I have to load up on the balm before hand. This dilutes the color even more, making it tough to even tell the difference some times. This drying nature plus the high price point makes it a tough sell for me. :(
2 stars. If the price were lower I would be better able to recommend it to someone who might have better luck with the drying.
I loved the shades of both the gloss and lipsticks. But I just couldn’t hang with the scent of any of them. Full disclosure, I do have a basset hound like sense of smell, and a fussy hound at that. All smelled really overly sweet and a bit like Strawberry Shortcake dolls (plastic-y sugar). I’d love to try again if they come out with some unscented versions, because the colors and pigment are killer.