The GXVE by Gwen Stefani Gratis Thread!!

[niki172]

Hello BIC! This is the official thread for the brand new - exclusive to Sephora - makeup line GXVE by Gwen Stefani. This thread is a dedicated place for gratis recipients to share their feedback, unboxings, and swatches for the incoming GXVE by Gwen Stefani products.  Let's get B-A-N-A-N-A-S and dive right in!

Founded by Gwen to share her love of beauty the line is inspired by bold clean colors and elevated classics that are loved and worn by her everyday. I love the fact that everything offered in the line is Clean Beauty certified, Vegan, cruelty free, stage worn and tested before being approved by Gwen as Hella Good. 

GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Anaheim Shine Clean High-Performance Satin Lipstick Original Recipe That red lip is everything and I can't wait to try it out! Please feel free to post your questions, swatch pics, and initial thoughts here. I hope to see a flood of pictures from our lovely Community members here in that signature red lip and I'm also really excited by the eyeliners as well GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Line It Up Clean 24-Hr Gel Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner Bathwater .

[quspork]

Congrats on receiving this fun gratis, @itsfi!

[itsfi]

@quspork, thank you! Congrats to you as well. TeamBIC and GXVE were very generous. Lots of goodies in this gratis. 😍 

[lmaster]

Congratulations 🎉🎉 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

Thank you @lmaster! It’s been a lot of fun trying out these beautiful treats! ♥️

[SportyGirly125]

@itsfi Congrats on the gratis. Lovely pictures and review.

[itsfi]

@SportyGirly125, thank you. This was such a generous gratis package.

[Ispend2much6]

@itsfi  Great review- and congratulations!

[itsfi]

@Ispend2much6, thank you. This was such a generous gratis. Lots of pretty treats to play with. 

[Sunnysmom]

Congrats @itsfi , it’s all just amazing as usual and I love your detailed info, very helpful! Pics are best ever. I cannot wait to hear more about your red lips! 🥰

[itsfi]

Thank you @Sunnysmom! That’s very sweet of you to say. The reds are very pretty and wearable. 💄 We’re spoiled. 

[curlychiquita]

Congratulations, @itsfi! Your pictures are a work of art!

[itsfi]

Awwww, you’re too kind @curlychiquita! Thank you. 🤗 Taking photos is becoming a nice creative outlet for me. 

[Saradestin]

Beautiful pictures @itsfi !! And those swatches are so cute! I love them! 😍😍😍 you made everything look so beautiful!

[itsfi]

Thank you so much for your kind words @Saradestin! 😊 Lots of fun treats in this thoughtful gratis to shoot and swatch! ♥️

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Congratulations! Cute swatches 💖

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, thank you. It was fun putting the swatches for this gratis.

[Missnur]

Love your swatches 🎶💙🖤 they are so cute! 

[itsfi]

Ahhh, thanks so much @Missnur! It was fun being able to swatch and play with these beauties. 😊

[faeriegirl]

Congratulations @itsfi!

[itsfi]

Thank you @faeriegirl! 😃 This is such a fun gratis. 

[eshoe]

@TeamBIC, thank you so much for including me as part of the GXVE gratis! 

I had a request to help take photos, so I will share a few taken by my daughter, with my initial thoughts.

Spoiler

Spoiler

I have yet to test these. I am taking it slow as this is a lot of look! Today I am wearing the GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI I’m Still Here Longwear Clean Matte Liquid Lipstick Original Recipe #. I love how soft and silky it is going on my lips. Iwish liquid lipsticks remained as comfortable over the long haul. It has been a couple of hours, and after a cup of coffee and sparkling water, there has been zero transfer. Impressive! That being said, my lips feel dry, and it is a little uncomfortable for me. I will top it with one of the bullets soon to see how it feels. Maybe that is the secret.

GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Eye See in Color Clean Multidimensional Eyeshadow Palette Simple Kind Of Life 

Spoiler

What I appreciate most is the choice to include this in a curation of bold lip options. If I am going to wear a bight, eye-catching lip, I need to tone down everything else, and this does just that. I applied Faithful to Freedom on the inner half of my lid and I Was in Love on the outer part. I applied the ‘darkest’ shade, ‘Obsessed,’ in the crease but did not notice much definition.
I feel this palette could easily have been pared down to a single shadow, or perhaps a palette with four different neutrals for a variety of skin tones.

The Eyeliners

Spoiler

Such a cool choice to include a metallic blue, GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Line It Up Clean 24-Hr Gel Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner Bathwater # , in a capsule collection. I opted for GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Line It Up Clean 24-Hr Gel Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner Spiderwebs  today and for a gel liner, was immediately impressed with how smoothly it applied. I almost solely use liquid liners for a tiny wing, but using my SEPHORA COLLECTION PRO Smoky Liner #24 #, I was able to easily create a softer version with ease. I plan to test Bathwater this week. 

Perhaps this is a QC issue; the cap is noticeably crimped. Spiderwebs was easier to open, although it did break and had to be resharpened immediately. I could see this being an issue with people who purchase these. It was so difficult to open Bathwater that I contemplated just cutting the portion under the cap off completely 😂Thankfully that was unnecessary, because the shade is beautiful.

Swatches

The brow products, GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Most Def Clean Instant Definition Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil 5 and GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI Hella On Point Clean Ultra-Fine Brow Pencil 4: 

Spoiler

Is it silly that the products I was most excited for were the brow products??? More than any part of my makeup routine, I am most impatient with my brows. Between trying to find just the right pen/pencil with just the right color, texture, shade, and shape, I feel like Goldilocks some days. 

The shape of Most Def intrigued me as I have not seen anything like it. The surrounding part of the applicator helps control where product is applied, making it a quick and painless process. It also glided on evenly using gentle pressure, which meant less time spent removing excess. My brows are somewhere between an ashy taupe and slight warm brown, and while I can easily find one or the other, it’s difficult to find something that looks natural all on its own. I used the Ultra-Fine pencil to add just a handful of soft lines under the brow to straighten them, and finished with SEPHORA COLLECTION Clear Long-Lasting Brow Gel 0.16 oz/ 5mL #. Although the brown pencils both seem to pill in the swatches, I did not experience that on my browns. My arm is likely drier than my face, which might have attributed to that.

Finally, the GXVE BY GWEN STEFANI All Time Prime Clean Hydrating Prep & Smooth Face Oil 0.95 fl oz. / 28 mL 

I opened and applied it this morning as the final step to my skincare routine. It is a very thin, lightweight and quickly absorbing oil that left my skin the teeniest bit grippy, ideal for makeup application. The scent reminds me of baby oil, and remained noticeable while applying makeup. My concealer and foundation went on smoothly, making me slightly concerned that everything would slip away by the end of the day. Yet a few hours later, everything is just where it was this morning. In addition, my skin is soft and appears fresh, rather than weighed down with products. I look forward to seeing how this will wear over the next few weeks, and even into the (hot) summer months.   

I appreciate being able to test and share my thoughts on these. Even though a few of these are way outside of my comfort zone, it helps me to learn more and experiment aka have a little fun with makeup. Thanks again, TeamBIC 🙌🏼💄