YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain - Swatches and Review

Being prone to dry lips, I prefer my lip products to be of the hydrating variety but I love intense colours as well. So when YSL released their hybrid technology Glossy Stains last year – it just met all my lip needs.

This new generation of hybrid lipstick/gloss/stain technology with amazing wear just captivated me. I know there are countless reviews of the products already out in the web, but I’ll just add in my two cents today and explain why I love them so much!

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain is marketed as:
"a technological breakthrough, a must-have with an exceptional hold. Fresh and light, the texture does not run, streak or fade. Lips show off a new kind of shine, they are infused with show off a new kind of shine, they are infused with colour. The pleasure is reinforced by an extraordinary feeling of comfort."

Glossy Stain is packaged in a bold black plastic rectangular tube with a clear window on the panel to indicate the shade of the product with a gold applicator lid on top and a red embossed YSL logo.Overall, it feels weighty, practical, sturdy and looks classy – all things you would expect from a high end product and from YSL albeit not as luxurious as their other lip product packaging (hello Rouge Volupte Shine!).

The applicator itself has a tapered flatten tear-drop shaped sponge tip, which works very well for depositing the product on lips brushing out to cover and blend, and when turned on the side, the brush does a great job of defining the edges of the lip.

The formula is the stand-out factor of the product. It has a faint and pleasant rose/floral scent when applied to lip, feels initially watery with a bit of slip, giving it that smooth and moisturising feeling without any sticky or tackiness. Texture wise, it feels feather-light on lips . I actually feel like I’ve applied a conditioning lip balm rather than a siren screaming lip colour. It doesn’t give a glassy gloss finish but the mid-shine finish and really adds moisture to any dry lips.

Glossy Stains also delivers the most amazing shot of colour, gliding easily on application to provides sheer (one coat) to complete coverage on my medium pigmented lips, something I rarely see with gloss products and would only get with lip stains and lipsticks.

Not only is the initial colour intense, the staying power is amazing. Once applied on lips, this stuff lasts through all day of normal wear, even with eating and drinking without much fading at all (which easily equates to 4-6 hrs if I had to give a number). Seriously, the gloss factor may wear off but the colour survives through the whole lunch or dinner course. Of course, it isn’t as intense as first application, but it’s still respectably presentable as a lip stain and sometimes I don’t try to re-apply the colour, preferring to slick on a tinted lip balm to get a lighter shade of wear after.

Ever since my first YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain last year, I've been hooked. I started my collection  with the siren red shade #9 and have slowly been working my way through the brighter colours in the collection. Today I have 4 shades to swatch for you.

#9 Rouge Lacque is a true siren red with a cool undertone. It instantly glams and brightens up the face with its richness and intensity. Probably not for the faint hearted but definitely a starring shade for an evening out.

#12 Corail Fauve is a coral shade with a pink undertone in one coat and becomes more a coral red shade with 2 coats.

#14 Fuchsia Dore is a deep fushia with micro gold shimmer. On my lips, its looks a deep mauve shade and intensifies over time to be cool berry mauve that I adore for evenings.

#25 Fucshia Neo-Classic on my lips, it looks a rich fushia pink with warm berry base on my lips. Is is probably my favourite of the shades as it complements warm skin tones very well.

For my daily wear, I prep my lips with a lip balm (currently using Kiehl’s Lip Balm SPF 15), then lightly pencil in a nude lip pencil shade (to boost lasting power and act as a primer) before applying the Glossy Stain.

To me, these Glossy Stains are what technology can do to beauty products, bringing together all the best qualities of products in one. I can’t bang on enough of them and they are and will continue to be a staple in my makeup rotation. Although pricey, they are definitely worth their it and I’ve yet to find a good enough dupe, even in the L’Oreal Shine Caresse which I blog about here.

RRP A$50 at YSL counters in department stores or online here. I purchased mine online at Harrods (shade #25) and from duty free stores (with prices ranging from €27.50 to approx HK$240).

Almost a Hit: Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks

Lipstick technology have come a long way these days – you don’t have to spend a fortune or look too hard for one that not only gives good pigmentation but also comfortable wear. In fact, even drugstore brands are coming out with fantastic products.

The latest is from Revlon with their Colorstay Ultimate Suede lipstick (although in Australia, their pricing doesn't really sit in the drugstore price point like they do in the USA at only US$7.99!)

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipstick
I was lucky enough to win 3 of these in a recent giveaway on Beautyswatch and will be swatching them for you today:

Revlons’ Description:
A one-step, ultra comfortable lipstick that provides all day colour, giving lips a velvety, suede finish that looks and feels good.

My View:
Packaged in plastic colour-coded bullets with clear lids, they twist up and down and you can hear clicks as you get to towards the base products to let you know you can stop the twisting.

These lipstick are indeed comfortable on the lips, being lightweight, you barely feel that you've applied a layer of product on skin, gliding smoothly on lips. I didn't feel that they were hydrating lips (it has Shea butter, aloe and vitamin E) but they were not drying and will accentuate chapped lips to remember to prep with a lip conditioner if you have dry lips.

Pigmentation is also very good, obviously not as colour-packed as those of high end products but a couple of swipes and full opaque colour can be achieved, even on my deeper lips (note: the shades I tried are darker shades, so the lighter shades may not show up as well on darker lips).

The formula has a satin (semi-matte) finish rather than the namesake suede finish and is tacky on lips. This is my one big gripe about the product. I love everything about it except the tackiness, which seems to get worse the longer you wear the product. I overcome this by slicking a non-sticky clear gloss on top, which changes the semi-matte finish but at least removes the sticky feeling and gives it added hydration.

Tip: Another way to reduce the tacky feeling is to apply a very thin layer of the product onto lips and use a lip brush to define the edges and fill in any gaps that didn't get colour with the product already on lips.

As for longevity, these easily last 4 hours straight without smudging or fading. It even fares well through eating, lose some pigment, but enough remains (at least on the richer shades anyway) that you still have colour on your lips. You usually would re-apply your lipstick after eating anyway to avoid the coloured-ring look (where there is no colour in the middle of lips) so lasting over 4 hours was more than enough for me.

095 Finale –  the little sister of siren screaming red shades, Finale is a rich fresh red that brightens the face and perfect for daytime wear as it’s not too dark but still packs a powerful colour punch.

005 Muse – a rich pink with a blue undertone that looks lovely on cool tone skin but equally alluring on warm skin tones.

075 Cruise Collection – a mid coral red shade on my medium lips. This is by far one of my favourite shades in lip colours and suites all skin tones, especially warmer skin colours

Overall, I quite like these new lipsticks from Revlon. I enjoy the light formula, good pigmentation and good colour selection. Except for the tacky feeling that gets worse over time, they could have almost been the perfect lipstick.

Have you tried this new lipstick? What are your thoughts?

RRP A$25.95 Available in 20 shades in pharmacies, Kmart, Myer, Priceline and Target

Swatches: Rimmel London Kate Moss Spring Collection

Last month Kate Moss released her Spring Lasting finish Lipstick collection with Rimmel London. And now that Spring has finally come, it seems apt that I show you the fresh colours now.

So what makes this batch of colours Spring colours? Well they are lighter in shades and fresher in hues, more representatives of the colours we see with the floral blooms in gardens and streets during Spring.

With the same formula and packaging as the orginal Kate lip colours (reviewed here), the shades were selected by Kate to give intense colour and easy wearability with its smooth creamy formula and soft shine finish lasts for hours without fade.

The collection showcases nude beiges, a fushia pink, rose pinks to a vivid red to cater for morning, night or weekend casual lip colour occasions and are packaged in a streamline matte black tube with Kate’s signature printed in pink instead of red in its original collection.

They really are beautiful shades in real life. I fell in love with 4 of the shades the moment I caught sight of them instore but they have been so popular in my local store, they were sold out and I couldn’t get my hands on a couple of shades. Luckily, I was sent the collection a week later so I have the opportunity play with and enjoy the fresh colours.

The shades from the season are #03, #26, #16, #19, #20 and #22 and I've swatched them all to show you below.

#03 is a beige nude that is not too pale is suits both warm and cool skintones thanks to its pinky-brown base.

#26 is the other nude shade in the collection. This one is more a lighter creamy beige and is good for blanking out lips so that other colours will appear more true to shade or can be worn alone if you are going for a concealer-lip look. You will need contrasting eyes (think smokey) and lots of blush if you don't want to look like a washed out ghost.

#16 is a fresh salmon pink. It goes on well with muted makeup and is the perfect pick-me up daytime shade that just subtly brightens the complexion.This shade benefits from a slick of conditioning lipbalm if you have lip wrinkles like I do to help stop the colours from sinking into the lines like the photo below.

#19 is a medium rose shade that looks sophisticated but is safe to wear everywhere as it's not too bright or attention-seeking. This would be the shade I'd carry in my bag everywhere for a fail-safe slick of colour.

#20 is a bright fushia pink. Now this would be Barbie's favourite shade and mine as well for stand-out lips in the evening. It does work better with cooler makeup colourings so make sure to match this with cool candy pink cheeks. It also immediately brightens up your face and the stained look after the colour fades is very flattering.

#22 is a bright tomato red that just screams confidence and power. Even if you don't feel it, this lippy will allow you to fake it till you've got it. It is a fairly neutral red and any complexion should be able to easily pull off this shade. Again this shade works best with lips prepped with a conditioner or lip balm underneath for so the colour sits better on lips. I have applied in the below photo on top of my Nivea lip balm.

Which shades do you like most from the Spring collection? I have to say I love them all with the exception of #26 which didn't quite work for me.  Being so affordable with a good working formula, Kate's long lasting lipsticks have such a good range of shades, you'll be able to find one (or more) that looks fabulous on you.

If you are after more swatches, be sure to also check out Yishan's swatches over at BeautySwatch.

RRP A$11.95 at David Jones, Priceline, Kmart, Target, Coles and selected pharmacies.
These featured products were provided for consideration.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks

I’m extremely late to the party with this post because I misplaced these pretty babies during one of my clean up late last year and so have totally forgotten about them. I re-discovered them during a recent sorting through of my body care stash and I’m so glad to finally be able to swatch them.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks

Kate Moss in collaboration with Rimmel London launched her first lipstick range in October last year and featured 9 shades in the Lasting Lipstick range. This new Lasting Finish formula is light, non-drying and has light reflecting properties to add depth and pack a punch of colour to produce intensely coloured lipsticks.

Packaged in a matte black case with a Vermillion red Kate signature, it is edgy and iconic but very practical as well. The formula of these Lasting Finish lipsticks is very agreeing with my lips. They are quite lightweight with a satin sheen finish and don’t dry my lips out. This is handy for winter lips as it doesn’t get accentuated flakiness as much as with creamier lipsticks can.

I can wear these for 4 hours without any colour fade and still have fairly conditioned lips if I don’t drink or eat which is a great feat but the longevity does drops dramatically when food is involved and reapplication afterwards is needed to get a fresh coat of colour again.

Coverage wise, they are very buildable and the deep shades are potent – one swipe you have you intense colour and a second coat will ensure all full coverage on the entire lip. The lighter colours may require an extra coat but its light formula means it doesn’t feel thick or tacky on lips.

Now lets get to the shades I have to share.

#15 is a frosty metallic aubergine/mauve colour with that doesn’t do much to flatter my skin. It is quite sheer and takes a few more coats for the shade to show as per my swatch below. I can only see myself using this to layer over deep shades rather than on its own as it just doesn’t seem to work for me.

#10 is the true classic red with no blue or brown base whatsoever. This intense and opaque red is something I’d rock if I feel very blah and want to draw attention away from my tired eyes onto something more alluring. It can be quite intimidating to wear unless you are used to wearing brights but if you are looking for a true red lip colour, this is the one.

# 11 is a deep vixen red. It reminds me of the Valentine roses and looks broodingly good for anyone who wants to make a statement lips Twilight style. And when this shade fades, its leaves a luscious berry stain that can carry you through a through another couple of hours with just a slick of glosss on top to give it extra shine.

#14 is a warm nude beige with a brown/pink base. If you’ve been having problems finding a good nude lip colour, you must check this one out. I’ve been searching high and low for a nude colour that doesn’t look too ghastly or concealer-like on my lips and I think I’ve finally found it here. It is neutral enough but has enough colour to not make like I’ve lost all my blood and matches perfectly with medium skintones.

#05 is a dusty pink shade that is neutrally balanced and works on both cool and warm complexions. It works equally well for morning, evening or a casual day out on the weekend, making it one of the most versatile shades in the collection.

As you can see, the Kate Moss collection range from bright reds to soft pinks and nudes and has a colour to suit every mood and occasion. Even beetter is that there are 6 new shades released this month to complement the existing 9 shades in the range, so there's no excuse that you won't find your perfect shade.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick RRP A$11.95 at Priceline, Kmart, Big Wid, David Jones, Coles, Woolworths and selected pharmacies. 
These products were provided for consideration.

Clinique Runway Coral Long Last Lipstick

It may be terrible weather with the chilly air and dreary skies in the Australian eastern coast at the moment but that doesn’t mean your wardrobe or makeup have to suffer from the same winter gloom.

Brighten up your face with a pop of colour as if it's Summer time. As they say, if you don’t have it, fake it.

Look at it this way, at least you will look good in those Instagram photos that you and your friends snap regardless of weather or season!

And nothing brings pop better than a bright lip colour, be they bright berries, sizzling reds or bold corals – they will bring some cheer to you face.

One of the latest coral is from Clinique. Good on them for releasing such a great shade that is normally reserved for the Spring season (or I should say we're lucky to live in the southern hemisphere so we get the Spring range of our northern hemisphere cousins).

Clinique Runway Coral Long Last Lipstick 

• This is a nice and bright warm coral that universally flatter all skin tones. It is rich and creamy and goes onto lips smoothly. From a shade perspective, its a fairly good dupe for Tom Ford's True Coral, which is slightly more red whereas Runway Coral is a smidgen more pink tone(see swatch comparison below). However, Tom Ford is far more pigmented and creamier in texture when worn. 

• Runway Coral provides medium to full coverage with a sheen finish which helps to gives a full-lip look. 
• The other great thing is that it isn’t prone to feathering off the edge of lips when worn so there is no fear of colour bleeding onto skin and needing touch ups every 30 minutes. 
• As for lovegivity, it does well without food and drinks (unless it’s from a straw) but the colour will fade quite a fair bit with eating and drinking. 
• Because of the creaminess, it does show up dry lips so be sure to prep your lips with a lip scrub followed by a balm before slicking on this lippy. 

Daylight, no flash on NC30 Skin

Runway Coral is a limited edition and online exclusive that was created by Clinique Global Colour Artist, Jenna Menard and looks beautiful paired with peachy cheeks in this cold winter weather.

RRP A$36 at Clinique Online for a limited time. Get it before it runs offline.
This featured product was provided for consideration.

Lancome's Rouge in Love: 159B Rouge in Love

The year's greatest lipstick launch to-date would undoubtedly have to be Lancome's Rouge in Love. Launched last month, the lip colour boasts 6 hours of perfect wear with high-intensity colour with a feather-light feel.

The ad campaign is fronted by one of my favourite girls Emma Watson who's now all grown up from her Hermione Granger & Harry Potter days.

The signature shade of the new collection is shade 159B Rouge in Love which is what Emma wears in the advertising campaign. And let me tell you I am indeed in love with this rouge the moment it touched my lips.

159B Rouge in Love is a bright ruby shade on my lips and although it is not as deep on my lips as it appears for Emma, it is fresh, vibrant and equally sexy and appealing.

The first thing I noticed is that it feels like a balm and even has the shine of a one but the pigmentation is intense and the lightest signature lancome scent of the rose.
I used a brush to apply in the below pictures but it only takes a few swipes and my lips were bursting with colour.

From a wearability perspective, it has a medium and easily buildable to opaque coverage. And because it feels so moisturising, I forget that I'm wearing lipstick when I have this on - it certainly is very suitable for the dry weather or even the office environment where air conditioning and heating is cranked up high all the time.

Because of its hydrating nature and shine factor, it also does a great job of smoothing lip wrinkles and lines and gives the illusion of luscious full lips. 

The colour stays on for hours as well before drinking and food obviously wears it down quicker than normal. I did not test for the full six hours as I cannot go a few hours without snacking on some food or drinking from a glass.

If you are looking at swatches of other shades, be sure to head over to Ponikuta's blog where she has swatched 159B Rouge In Love, 377N Midnight Rose, 322M Corail In Love

I'm head over heels with Rouge in Love and know that I'd be collecting a few more shades in the range in the coming months.

Have you tried Rouge in Love yet? What type of lipsticks do you like?

Lancome Rouge in Love is available in 21 shades. RRP A$45 for 4.2ml at Lancome counters in Myer, David Jones and selected pharmacies.

Estee Lauder Pure Lip Color – Crystal Honey

I’m a sucker for glittery and shimmer lips and have always wanted to expand my collection of lip products with a shimmer or pearl as I think they are most flattering on lips.

My recent purchase towards expanding my shimmer lipstick collection is from Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal range.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Crystal - Crystal Honey RRP A$45

With the signature light plum scent on application, the pure lip colour crystal range give a sheer buildable coverage that tints lips with just the right amount of colour and leave a medium shine.

They also have a pearl & iridescent shimmer finish that catches the light to give lips the appearance of extra volume.

It has a beautiful formula; creamy yet hydrating and sits comfortably on lips for a good 60 minutes or so before needing any touch-ups.

Crystal Honey is a honey beige shade with a warm undertone. It looks quite neutral on my lips and if not for the iridescent shimmer, would look quite bland. But as you can see below, shade is only one factor and add in the bling, and you turn something rather dull into an exquisite shade that I can happily apply throughout the day at work.

Don’t you think this shade gives beautiful luscious lips?

Do you like shimmer lip sticks? What lipstick finish do you prefer?

Pure Lip Colour Crystal range is available in 12 permanent shades and additional seasonal additional at Myer, David Jones stores. I think Crystal Honey was a limited addition as I don't see it listed on the Estee Lauder website.