REVIEW: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics OCC Tint Tinted Moisturizer

I know I've been posting tons of reviews, but I'm really trying to bust through my to-do list, and a lot of people requested this review. I mean, "I've been getting an email every week" a lot. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?), this product neither inspires nor infuriates me, so I haven't been looking forward to the review. I'm also one of those touchy-feely people who isn't totally thrilled by a company name based on a very real and serious mental disorder. ("A line obsessively crafted from the finest ingredients possible, to celebrate the driving compulsions of makeup fanatics everywhere"--oh, bullshit; you wanted an edgy name and you need to just admit that.) I still want to give my two cents on the product, though, because I can see it being quite useful to some people.

The OCC Tint comes in a plastic dropper bottle and costs $29.50 for a full fluid ounce. It has a rather basic formula and is free from a number of common irritants, including silicones, parabens, and sulfates. In fact, when people ask for a foundation that will work for sensitive skin, the OCC Tint is usually at the top of my list of recommendations.

Natural light on top, flash on the bottom. From left to right: OCC Tint in Y0, Buxom Show Some Skin in Tickle the Ivory, NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia.

I got a bottle in the shade Y0, the lightest yellow shade. This shade is extremely pale and has col yellow tones; swatched up against my Buxom Show Some Skin foundation and the NARS Sheer Glow I keep around for swatching purposes, you can see that all three look practically identical. I will note, however, that the OCC Tint seems to oxidize a little on my skin. This puts it in the NC10-15 range.

There is also an R range that has (shocker!) red undertones. The range goes from very pale to very dark, but there are only 10 shades total. This means that if you don't have a perfect match, you may have to mix to get the best color possible.

Now, I mentioned before that this product doesn't contain silicone, and that becomes obvious when you start attempting to spread the product. Silicones are often responsible for giving base products their slip, something the OCC Tint is noticeably lacking in. It takes some work to get this product to smooth in to the skin; I got the best effect with a stippling brush.

While this product is listed as a "tinted moisturizer," it really only fits that bill in terms of its coverage, which is light and somewhat buildable to medium. It has a natural matte finish.

The OCC Tint is not very kind to dry skin. I was so grossed out by how it looked applied to my bare face that I decided to junk that entire batch of photographs and do another series over top of a light moisturizer. Even with the moisturizer, I noticed definite clinging on my dry patches, like the spot between my eyebrows. The moisturizer did help a little, though, so if you're dry-skinned and very keen on trying this product, you could maybe get away with it layered over a rich cream.

The wear on this tint is decent. I did notice quite a bit of oil breakthrough on my nose, but the actual coverage seemed to stay in place. Also, despite emphasizing my driest patches, my face wasn't itchy during the day. I developed a bit of a red irritation spot under my lip while photographing this foundation (visible in the 6 hours photo); however, I can't be totally sure the foundation was the cause, and it did fade after a few hours.

I wasn't wowed by this product on my skin, so I'll be moving it out of my collection. I also don't think it's going to be most peoples' top choice, since there are so many other options on the market. However, if you're looking for a silicone-free base with a broad shade range, the OCC Tint is one of the few readily available, moderately priced, and decently workable products on the market.

RATING: 3 out of 5

This product is available at OCCMakeup.com.

REVIEW: OCC Lip Tar in Divine

We all know I loves me a strong lip color. When I say strong, I mean Strong with a capital S: something most people wouldn't wear, something that completely stands out from the crowd, something that garners heaps of comments (some positive, some negative) from the masses. Traditionally, that means a super-bright red. But lately I've been drawn to peaches and pinks with hints of coral in them.

And that's how I ended up impulse buying the OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) Lip Tar in Divine. Hey, I'd already bought the Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Pencil in 18C and a mini-tub of the Soap & Glory Righteous Butter--it was a pinky-coral kinda day!

My first order of business was to swatch this bad boy. I found a few colors that are comparable, but none of them are perfect dupes. MAC Force of Love lipstick is darker and more red, making it appear almost fuchsia by comparison. Butter London Teddy Girl gloss is lighter and contains far more white. MAC Betty Bright is the closest dupe I found, but it also has a slightly whiter base and is a bit more coral than pink. I think Divine looks a good bit cooler in this swatch picture than it actually is because the other products are more yellow.

Then it was on to the second order of business: flailing about with glee and delight at how stupidly pigmented and pretty it is.

Granted, this isn't exactly news: OCC Lip Tars are notoriously pigmented. Dozens of YouTube tutorials have popped up, stressing that newbies apply the tiniest amount of product possible with a lip brush. And I have to agree with this wisdom if you want opaque, even coverage: use a small, synthetic brush and build the color slowly. A little goes a long way.

If you don't want opaque coverage--and in this instance, I was headed for my teaching job, so I wanted to tone it down a smidgen--then you totally can apply this stuff with a fingertip. Put a dot on the back of your hand and pat the product on your lips until you get the brightness you desire. I wanted a soft, pinky-peach, so I used next to none, and I slicked some gloss over top to soften it further. (It photographed darker than it was in reality, but you can get the general idea here: it's definitely wearable this way.)

I absolutely LOVE the color this leaves on my lips. It's beautiful and professional and kinda-sorta nudes out my lips without making me look like a corpse.

But alas, the formula isn't quite so perfect, especially if you plan on doing the pat-it-on method. Though it doesn't feel particularly drying when I'm wearing it, it definitely does dry out my lips. I took the above photo immediately after I'd exfoliated my lips, applied a thick layer of balm, and dabbed on the tiniest amount of product...and it's a horrifying city o' flakes.

You can't really see the flakes unless you're about 6 inches away from my face, but still: not pretty. (As a sidenote, this is a more accurate representation of how Divine looks on my lips when I pat on a tiny amount.)

Applying an opaque layer of the product will hide the dryness a bit more, most likely because the formulation is quite thick and the brightness/opaqueness of the color is distracting. But you can definitely still see some flakes here, and every little line in my lips is accentuated.

So the formula is a complete bust, especially if you're new to makeup and you aren't quite sure how to work with such a fussy product. But..is it sad to say that I still want to love this thing? The color is just gorgeous! And you can't REALLY notice the dryness and thickness unless you get close to me!

...did I just try to justify keeping this product? Ugh, we're done. Off you go, Divine; you are clearly toying with me.

I won't be keeping it, of course, because MAC Betty Bright is similar enough, and I have little patience for lipsticks that make my lips look like crap when there's a more attractive dupe out there. But sigh, nevertheless.

Rating: 2 out of 5.