shiseido lacquer rouge- review and swatches

I've only ever heard good things of the high end Asian brand Shiseido, so I guess it was only a matter of time till I got my mitts on one of their products. And it was obviously going to be a lip product. Aaaaaaand the result of my whims is today's post, on the Lacquer Rouge in the shade PK226, Ophelia. It usually retails at a rather steep £23.50, but I got mine for half the price from Ebay.

The packaging is sleek and expensive-looking, and comes with a doefoot applicator stiff enough for easy application. I really loved the colour at first sight. It's a cool toned muted dusty rose, if that makes sense. It's on the sheer side, but not so sheer as to be pointless. That said, pigmentation does vary between shades, and I think some of the braver shades are pretty much opaque.

Honestly, I wasn't overly impressed with the texture of this lacquer. It's a little too slick and tacky.....not unbearably sticky, but definitely not as smooth and lightweight as I'd hoped. The plus here though is that it lasted really well- I had a meal and a cup of tea and was left with a decent amount of colour and shine, and my lips weren't dried into prunes.

Fancy swatches? Here ya go.



shiseido lacquer rouge- ophelia

So it's a mixed bag really. I think it can be summed up as follows: 'I am glad to have it in my collection, but would not repurchase, and wouldn't recommend buying at full price'. Oh, and just a note- some of the brighter and bolder shades are known for bleeding uncontrollably, so stick to the nudes and naturals guys.

Hope that was helpful. Hit me up if you have any questions x

review and swatches: maybelline color elixir lip lacquer

   Oops I did it again. I said I was done with lip lacquers, but here I am writing another lip lacquer post. In my defense, it's a great product and you lovely people simply deserve to hear about. In fact, it was the official lip colour of London Fashion Week. Phwoar.

    Isn't the packaging just fabulously clever? It looks like an ordinary bullet of lipstick with a plastic cap, but it twists open like a gloss. Deceptive and highly appropriate- a lacquer is, after all, a lipstick/gloss hybrid. 

    I got the shade Blush Essence, which is a 'raspberry sorbet' kind of pink, I reckon. In terms of formula and consistency, it's almost identical to the L'Oreal Extraordinaire I reviewed here, except perhaps a little lighter feeling, and a tad sheerer in terms of opacity. And seeing as I loved L'Oreal's offering, I love this one too. 

 What do you think? Do you prefer this one or the L'Oreal? x

review and swacthes: GOSH lip lacquer

It's the last of the lip lacquer posts guys, for now anyway. And it's a good finale. Introducing GOSH's lip lacquer, a little marvel of lippy that punches above its weight. I've got the shade 'lovely lips' which is a gorgeous nude with notes of peach, pink and light brown to make it a warm and flattering shade for a wide range of skin tones. Have a look.

    Isn't it sweet? The range comes in a variety of shades, one of which is called 'crispy lips'. Why, GOSH? They have varying degrees of opacity, some sheer as typical glosses, others much more of liquid lipstick pigmentation, and are housed in darling little glass bottles that look like nail polishes- a clue to the polished and shiny finish they offer. The applicator is a sturdy and fuss free doe foot. So far so good.

Gosh lip lacquer- lovely lips (outlined with lipliner)

       And the formula? It's a winner. Lovely lips is decently pigmented, and applies smoothly and evenly with no shoddy pooling or streakiness. It's super hydrating and stays that way throughout wear, making your pout all squidgy and juicy and kissy wissy. Longevity isn't great, but that's unsurprising given the consistency and finish, and at least the fade is even and natural. I really really dig this. And at £5.99, and often on promotion, I think you will too.

Let me know if you dig or if you dign't x

review and swatches: BareMinerals pretty amazing lipcolor

I like BareMinerals. So I was pretty chuffed when they launched their Pretty Amazing lipcolors and jumped at the chance to add another lip lacquer to my collection, and one that promised to be pretty amazing.

     Look: 'The innovative hydrating glaze of our Pretty Amazing^TM Lipcolor cocoons your lips in opaque high-impact lipcolour. The cushiony texture, insatiable shine and seriously polished appearance will propel you into an elevated state of gorgeousness. And our precision applicator handles like a race car, cornering, sculpting and accentuating every curve of your luscious lips for enduring colour with real staying power. Pretty Amazing.'

     It sounds really great, doesn't it? To be fair, it is hydrating. It does have a polished, glazed finish. The colour is high-impact. But I wouldn't really call the texture 'cushiony'. It's not sticky or anything, but it it isn't lightweight either. It also has a tendency to pool a little so you have to remember to smush your lips together to redistribute the colour. The applicator is also a bit clumsy with the thicker formula too; t's a bit too flexible for it and makes application slow and a little clumsy. I'd definitely recommend using a good lip brush- it'll make for a smoother finish and more precise edges. And you need that with colours as bold as these.

     And dang, are they bold! I'ts the one thing I really love about these lacquers. The colours kick butt with their opacity, they're bright and fun, and they have great names. Names like 'fearless', 'bravado' and 'savvy'. I picked the shade Moxie, because it makes me feel like I am a creature of pizzazz. I'd describe it as a cool toned bubblegum pink.

    Oh, another good thing. The packaging has a matte and shiny leopard pattern thing going on. Funky. Here, have some pictures.

BareMinerals pretty amazing lip colour- moxie

For £15, I'd say this is a nice product which bridges the gap between lipgloss and lipstick quite well. 

Anyone else tried these? Let me know your thoughts x 

         

Review and swatches: Chanel Rouge Allure Lacque

     A new day, a new lip lacquer post. This time, it's a high end brand. Chanel Rouge Allure Lacque, in the shade Imperial (73). Ah. And it's the best, and most expensive of the lacquer league. Take a look:

   The packaging is typical Chanel class- sleek black tube, heavyweight and sturdy with gold accents. It twists open to reveal a doe foot applicator with a twist in the form of a deeper groove. It's a good twist; it sweeps across the curves of your lips and gets you neat, defined edges with minimum fuss.

   Onto the gloop. What lovely gloop. It glides on smoothly and comfortably, moisturising in a creamy rather than balmy way. The colour is opaque but not heavy feeling, and it is not sticky at all. Though it does transfer, it still lasts very well, partly due to its novel formula, which applies glossy and wet but settles to soft creme finish. The only real fault is that over prolonged wear it can bleed, but that's nothing a bit of clear lipliner can't fix. 

      Imperial is very pretty colour, though a bit tough to describe. It's a sort of rusty red brown. I reckon it would suit pretty much all skin tones, and would make a really gorgeous shade for autumn. Have some swatches! 

Chanel Rouge Allure Lacque- 17 imperial 

Thoughts? x

review and swatches: L'oreal color riche L'extraordinaire liquid lipstick

After yesterday's somewhat scathing review of Rimmel's Apocalips Lip Lacquer, I thought I'd dedicate the next couple of posts to the brands that offer lip lacquer products and get. It. Right.

   Up first, L'oreal Paris have recently released the L'extraordinaire liquid lipstick, in a decent selection of shades, from brights to naturals. They claim the product is a slam dunk for your pouty needs: the coverage of a lipstick, the shine of a gloss and the hydration of a balm. Bold claim, babes. Well, is it as as extraordinary as it sounds?

   Actually, yes. I got a peachy nude shade, Nude Vibrato (600). First impressions were good. Sturdy gold twist-open packaging that shows the shade of the product. A whiff of chemically raspberry- not too bad, certainly not sickening. A slanted, soft and flexible applicator that get's you a good sweep of colour in a few easy strokes. And the formula didn't let it down either.

  It is, as L'oreal states, glossy. It is intensely pigmented, pretty much opaque. It feels absolutely luscious on the lips. I wouldn't say it feels light, but it is very balmy and not sticky at all, and manages to stay hydrating throughout wear, which is where a lot of lip products fail. It doesn't feather or bleed. The colour applies evenly and without streaks.

L'oreal  color riche L'extraordinaire liquid lipstick- nude vibrato

It's a million times better than its Rimmel forerunner, and at £8.99 in most dugstores and online, it's pretty purse friendly to boot. I'm happy to recommend it. Good job, L'oreal.

Any of you tried it? What did you think? Let me know, bro x