I definitely went to the Cosmetics Company Store too many times this past holiday season 😂. I mentioned it recently in my review for the Bobbi Brown Bronzed Nudes Eye Shadow Palette, but the Cosmetics Company Store is a discount outlet for brands owned by Estee Lauder Companies. So anyway, on one of my trips to the store, I bought the Too Faced Cocoa Bold Em-Power Lipstick in the shades Ganache and Chocolate Lava for $13 (retail price $29). Too Faced describes the Cocoa Bold Formula as demi-matte, bold (color payoff), lightweight, comfortable, and long-wearing. As with many Too Faced products, this lipstick does have an added scent (chocolate raspberry). I can tolerate some fragrance in my lip products, but unfortunately, the scent in these lipsticks is too strong for my liking. I was able to test them out before I realized the scent was too much of a problem, so let’s get into swatches and how they perform.
Too Faced Ganache is described as a rosy terracotta nude
Too Faced Chocolate Lava is described as a cranberry red
I would call this a satin lipstick, but what does demi-matte really mean anyway? Obviously, it won’t be a flat matte, but how much shine makes it a demi-matte vs a satin? The only other lipstick I can recall being called demi-matte was the old-school Bobbi Brown Lip Colors. I’m referring to the original lipsticks that Bobbi Brown the makeup artist created to launch the Bobbi Brown brand in 1991. I think that the Too Faced Cocoa Bold has a little more shine than the old Bobbi Brown formula, but although the shine does fade a little throughout the wear, it never looked completely matte to me. If you aren’t familiar with the Bobbi Brown Lip Colors, I’d say that Laura Mercier Rouge Essential Creme Lipsticks (85 Brun Naturel, 70 Beige Intime) are the next closest finish I’ve tried. The Laura Mercier formula is a little less shiny at the start of wear but the wear down is very similar to the Too Faced Cocoa Bold formula.
Both Ganache and Chocolate Lava are very pigmented as promised. They go on with full color even if they are applied lightly. I also agree that these lipsticks are lightweight although I wouldn’t necessarily call them thin. The formula doesn’t sink into my lip lines, look dry, or emphasize any texture. Considering how cold and dry it gets here in the Boston area, I’m very impressed that this formula never feels dry and stays comfortable throughout wear.
I do get a good wear time out of this formula especially considering that it never dries down to a matte finish on my dry lips. It is close to 5 hours before needing a touch-up with Ganache and closer to 4 hours with Chocolate Lava. Since Ganache is a more natural shade you can’t tell it’s worn down as much as you can with Chocolate Lava. As usual, I drink a lot of water, and tea, and eat lunch while wearing lipstick, so I do consider this to be a good wear time. They do have a slight tackiness when I press my lips together, which I assume helps with the longevity, but it doesn’t feel sticky.
Comparison Swatches (Ganache vs Maybelline Mauve For Me and Chocolate Lava vs Ruby For Me)
As I mentioned, the scent of the Too Faced Cocoa Bold formula is quite strong and in my experience, it sticks around for a while. Sometimes the scent is noticeable for over an hour and other times I stop noticing it after about 30 minutes but suspect that I’ve been congested on those days. Regardless of how long the scent is noticeable, it does bother my nose and throat. That is just something that happens with some fragrances for me even when it’s a candle or perfume, my body is very selective. For instance, the lipsticks I used for swatch comparisons (Maybelline Color Sensational formula) have a very polarizing scent that people either love or hate but that scent doesn’t bother me. I do like the novelty of the chocolate raspberry scent, I just can’t tolerate it. It is a shame because I really do enjoy this formula.
Have you tried the Too Faced Cocoa Bold Lipsticks? What do you think of the scent?
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Nikki From HR 
That’s a great deal on the price and awesome that you’re able to get fairly good wear time. But of course that doesn’t mean as much if you can’t tolerate being able to actually wear them. It was the same issue I had with the Too Faced pot concealer. I really liked how it looked on me, but the plum scent (although pleasant) was too overpowering and headache inducing. It was unusable for me too. Not everything of theirs is overwhelming (ex: the chocolate eyeshadow palettes, the lip hangover balms), which is why I keep taking chances, but sometimes they really overdo it.
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Yea, the eyeshadows don’t seem as strongly scented to me either. I also think sometimes the issue is that the testers have lost some of their scent. I don’t think they smelled so strong in the store.
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