Give ‘Em Lip! — Kissing Up To The New Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick Collection

If there were a League of Extraordinary Lipsticks, Make Up For Ever’s new Artist Rouge lipstick collection would be instantly inducted therein. The collection, which just hit Sephora stores and Sephora.com in August, consists of 31 cream shades and 14 comfortable and cushiony matte color, for a total of 5o show-stopping hues. Now, if you’ve been a MUFE fan for some time now (as I’ve been!), then you might recall their Rouge Artist lipstick line (yes, the name is essentially the same except that the order of the words “Artist” and Rouge” was reversed for the new collection), which I personally adored, but this collection isn’t simply a remix of its predecessor: all the shades are different, and the formula has been tweaked so as to deliver greater pigment pay-off, a more comfortable on-lip feel, and longer-lasting wear. The packaging is also different: whereas the Rouge Artist shades had a rectangular shape, these have a cylindrical one, and the caps are devoid of any logos in this case (whereas they were emblazoned with the Make Up For Ever logo in their previous iteration).

If you thought the Rouge Artist Intense shades were high-impact, then, consider this: each lipstick in this new Artist Rouge range was formulated with 25% more pigments than any Rouge Artist Intense shade. Moreover, because the micro-pigments used were triple ground, there’s a uniform color delivery so that there won’t be any patchiness or color bleeding when you wear these. To keep lips hydrated and smooth, meanwhile, the lipsticks contain fatty acid-rich macadamia oil, a natural humectant that locks moisture within the skin. This is particularly important for the matte shades since it makes them non-drying.

As for the colors’ longevity, the matte shades are purported to last up to 10 hours, while the cream hues can allegedly stay on for 8 hours. In my experience, these shades do have staying power, but they’re not in the same category as MUFE’s Aqua Rouge liquid lipsticks in terms of longevity so do expect to reapply every couple of hours if you want to maintain a bold pout. If, however, you’re blotting the color and subduing it a bit, then it will ostensibly last much longer.

Color pay-off and intensity aside, one of my favorite parts of this new generation of lipsticks is the shape of the lipstick bullet’s tip, which is described as having a “tear drop” shape but which I find more reminiscent of a comma or apostrophe. In other words, the tip has a bit of a curve to it so that you can glide the bullet over your pout and it will hug your lip perfectly, the tip providing the type of precision you typically get only by using a brush.

Now, onto swatches! I tried six amazing Artist Rouge shades — 4 of them cream colors and 2 matte ones. MUFE allots numbers to its shades rather than names, and either a “C” or an “M” precedes each number so as to signify whether it has a cream or matte finish.

Here are swatches of C305, C206, and C209:

As you’ll hopefully see from the photos above, C209 is a light pink with mauve undertones, a creamy consistency and a sophisticated satin finish. In natural light, the color looks a bit more flesh-y and tender, whereas in artificial lighting the shade is more reminiscent of ballet slippers and princess costumes but, either way, it’s super sweet and romantic! The C206 shade, meanwhile, is a true fuchsia, but it’s got more blue undertones than other fuchsia iterations so that it almost borders on magenta. As for the C305 lipstick, it’s a really intense honeysuckle pink with warm coral undertones that’s cheeky and flirtatious and a bit free-spirited.

Next, check out swatches of M501, M202, and C403:

As you can see, the C403 shade is a vermillion color, an orange-y red that’s punchy and vibrant. The two other shades have a matte finish. M202 is a slightly punk-y, rabble-rousing, ’80s-flavored shade with cool undertones that might remind you of  dark pink M&M candies or vibrant pink Jordan almonds. M501, meanwhile, is a deep plum color that’s vamp-y without being all the way gothic.

I’ve been wearing all of these shades because I’m so excited about them, so check out some photos in which I’m rocking them below! Hopefully they’ll give you an idea of what they actually look like when on the lips!

Here’s me wearing the M202 lipstick. I actually wore this to a Roller Derby match, and I felt like a badass even though I wasn’t the one on skates, zipping through people, and bumping my competitors.

Next, here are some pics in which I’m wearing the M501 shade. In these pics, I was headed to a Monster Truck event, so I was totally in that bad-to-the-bone mindset! That said, this color doesn’t have a classic matte finish, so that I’d actually classify it as more of a demi-matte but, technicalities aside, it’s a stunning hue.

Here, I’m wearing the C403 lipstick. I’m a sucker for a great red — whether it has warm or cool undertones — so this one’s been on heavy rotation!

Moving on to the bold pinks, here are a couple of photos in which I’m wearing the C206 hue. Hopefully, you can see that naturally glossy finish the color has, which is just one more reason to love it!

Here I am wearing the C209 shade, which is a really feminine light pink that’s got personality and pluck but doesn’t necessarily require an intrepid spirit to wear.

Last but not least, here I am wearing the C305 shade. Now, I love this shade (it exudes happiness), but I did find that, for some odd reason, the coverage wasn’t as opaque as I’d hoped so that, when I wear it in the future, I will most certainly use a lip liner underneath to ensure ever millimeter of my pout is coated.

Well, there you have it! That’s six shades that are beyond saturated with pigment, easy to apply (no lip brushes were used for any of these pics, nor did I apply primer, concealer, or any lip liner underneath since I wanted to show exactly how they looked on lips), and incredibly inventive in terms of tonality.

If you’re looking to spice up your lipstick collection, I strongly encourage you to experiment with these shades since you might just find your new signature lip color!

Each lipstick retails for $22 and is available at Sephora stores, Sephora.com, and Makeupforever.com