Sparkled Beauty

If you have not noticed, Sephora Collection has introduced a lot more new lines lately besides the Rouge cream lipsticks (with shiny black tube).

I bought a representative item or two from each line to try out and am quite happy with them.

First brownie point for Sephora lipsticks is the packaging. Similar format of a long cap that comes down to the base of the tube with safe wrap along the length that carries the sticker with shade names, and colour indication at the bottom, but with different colour theme and material for each line.

The downside is once the wrap is removed, there is no direct way to find out the shade name. The sticker on the inside tube (under the cap) only has the shade number, not name, which I find is a huge inconvenience. Let's see how the lipsticks wear.

First off, a Rouge matte lipstick called Rebel Chic, in a black tube with matte cap, 0.1oz/ 3g, $15.50.

Enriched with shea butter and vitamin E derivative, Rouge matte lipsticks are supposed to be long lasting with intense ultra matte colours and up to 8 hours of continuous moisture.

Rebel Chic stays true to most of the claims but the wear. On my lips, it lasts for a few hours until a meal and half of it wears off.

I would have love to see a matte lipstick to hold on a bit better but I like the colour, pigmentation and the comfortable wear, so there's that.

The Rouge shine lipstick line has 2 different finishes, so of course I had to try both - Duchess (with shimmer finish) and Summer of Passion (high shine finish), with semi matte silver tube, 0.14oz/ 3.9g, $15.50 each.

The formula has the Hydra-Comfort complex blend of moisturizing oils and anti-oxidant vitamin E for comfort.

The shimmering and metallic formula (10 shades) is said to contain 3D shimmering particles and shea butter for radiance while the high shine finish (nearly 30 shades) includes clear pigments and carnauba wax for a wet-lip look.

Then there is the Rouge balm line, advertised with SPF20 in the US but not in Canada. I chose Soft Red, 0.12oz/ 3.5g, $15.50.

It is meant to be a balmy lipstick with a comfortable gel formula with yuzu extract and a vitamin E derivative that nurtures lips while adding a satin pop of color, spotting a red plastic cap instead of metal, with a slanted bullet.

What makes the Rouge balms different is the claim of having "vibrant color in one swipe" besides the light-reflecting pigments and juicy shine. As you might notice below, Soft Red shows up quite pigmented for a balm, although with a more messy swatch because of the slanted tip.

In order: Rouge shine in Duchess (shimmer) and Summer of Passion (high shine), Rouge matte in Rebel Chic and Rouge balm in Soft Red.

Rebel Chic sure wins the pigmentation game, while Duchess and Summer of Passion go for the slightly sheer and comfortable look, which I enjoy a lot more than I thought I would. Soft Red fits right in between these two lines for comfort and colour payoff.

There you have it, Sephora Collection caters to almost all of us with different lipsticks formula. There should be a line that suits your preference.