NYC — Spring 2012: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

The only make-up I bought in New York was from OCC, or Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, which is a vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics company based in New York City. I was determined to make a trip to their only store in East Village, partly because I missed them at IMATS last year, partly because they're not widely available in Canada, and mostly because they won't ship nail polishes over the border. My haul includes:

Lip Tar in Anime, Ophelia, Digitalis, Hoochie, and Belladonna

OCC first became popular for their Lip Tars, which are intensely-pigmented, featherlight, liquid lipsticks. They go on slick and wet like a lip gloss, but are smooth, non-sticky, long-wearing, and dries down to a matte finish. Lip Tar is currently available in 36 shades, and while many of the colours can be worn alone, a lot of them are meant to be mixed to create custom shades. There is a light peppermint scent to them (from the peppermint oil), but they are taste-free. Due to the intense pigmentation, a very tiny amount goes a long way (I'm talking like, a tiny bead), because too much of this product will lead to feathering. I have yet to find another product that is comparable to these in terms of formula and colour range (MAC's Lip Mix, which is a PRO product, are similar in concept, but they are very limited in terms of shades). The Lip Tars come in new packaging now with more product (10 ml instead of 8 ml), matte tubes, and a pointed applicator instead of a slanted flat applicator. I actually prefer this packaging, since the old one dispensed way too much product.

Nail Lacquer in Chlorophyll, Chimera, Phantasm, Something, Pool Boy, Wasabi and Traffic

You know I had to stock up on the nail polishes, which are apparently some of the most pigmented and quick-drying on the market (they were developed for editorial manicurists, so they give opaque colour pay-off with little product that is camera-ready in little time). OCC won't ship these over to Canada because they're considered "Hazardous Materials," so I couldn't get my hands on these. I picked up seven shades, but Pool Boy is the one that I knew I had to snatch up — they were consistently sold out of this shade when it was released last year, and again at IMATS, so my friend who actually went couldn't even pick one up. The store had one bottle of Pool Boy left, and I snatched it right up before I even had to chance to peruse the rest of the store. I ended up picking up six other shades that I'd been eyeing on their website for the last year. Best of all, they signed me up for their pro program, which means 20% discount!

I just can't believe that's all the make-up I bought in New York.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

174 Ludlow Street

New York, NY 10002

(212) 675-2404