Smitten With New Lancôme Rouge in Love Lipstick Collection
If you follow me on Twitter (@sickathanavg), you’ve already heard me profess my passionate, torrid, epic love of Lancôme’s new Rouge in Love lipstick collection. I met my new beloveds on a spontaneous trip to Sephora during some down time in between Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week shows back in mid-February. While perusing, I stumbled upon a display showcasing the new collection. I immediately gravitated toward the 381B Violette Coquette shade ($25 at Sephora.com), which looks like a cosmic, aurora borealis-worthy, neon violet hue in its sleek silver tube. And, since I’m a sucker for a deep, rich, and succulent red, I was bewitched by the 170N Sequence of Love ($25 at Sephora.com) color. I was so smitten with my two Rouge in Love lipsticks that, when I left the Sephora store clutching my miniature black-and-white shopping bag, I immediately removed the lip color I was wearing and applied the Violette Coquette shade. I was stunned by how the color smoothed onto my lips, the way the pigment practically melted atop every millimeter of skin over which it glided. Lips actually feel more moisturized after you apply the lipstick (and how often can you say that?) and the color appears multi-dimensional, sophisticated, and lustrous.
I was so pleased with the richness, depth, shine, and longevity of the the two lipstick shades I purchased that, over the weeks that followed, I kept growing my personal Rouge in Love collection, eventually amassing nine shades.
The Rouge in Love collection is divided into three categories: Jolis Matins, which incorporates soft, pretty, semi-sheer shades with precious mother-of-pearl shimmer, designed for daytime wear (and identified by the letter “M”); Boudoir Time, which includes punchy, vibrant, on-trend shades with contrast mother-of-pearl glimmer for after hours exploits (all named with the letter “B”); and Tonight is My Night, which features rich, seductive, kiss-me-deadly shades to unleash your inner temptress, all featuring gold mother-of-pearl specks (and identified with the letter “N”). All of the lipsticks feature a new polymer technology that yield long-wear color, nourishing oils that adhere to lips and moisturize them as well as a balm, and silicon that yields a vinyl-like sheen that can rival that of any gloss.
Now, the colors are all divine but the amount of coverage you can expect from each shade is contingent upon the family to which it belongs. The “N” shades (those in the Tonight is My Night category) offer the most coverage and, from my experience, also last the longest on lips. When I’ve worn the Rouge in Love 170N Sequence of Love, a passionate true red, or the 391N Fiery Attitude, a very deep açai berry juice hue, I’ve been able to go as long as 4-5 hours without having to reapply my lip color. Also, my lips felt comfortable throughout the day — at most, I perhaps had to dab a tad of lip conditioner within that 4- to 5-hour span. Best of all, the color never appeared flat or dull but, instead, maintained its luster and body.
The “B” hues in the Boudoir Time range, meanwhile, offer a bit less coverage, but they’re perhaps the most innovative of the bunch. In that range, you’ll find the tools to create the bright lip looks that are so hot this season — whether you want to go for an unusual neon violet pout with the Violette Coquette hue or you want to coat your lips with a Sunkist-worthy veil of glaze-like tangerine color by applying the 146B Miss Coquelicot lipstick.
Those of you who like sheer lipsticks, tinted balms, and glaze lip colors will likely flock to the “M” shades (those in the “Jolis Matins” range) since they have that coquettish, innocent, dewy quality to them. I will warn you, however, that I found these shades to be the most ephemeral, requiring more touch-ups than their more richly pigmented counterparts.
After the jump, you’ll find swatches of nine Rouge in Love lipstick colors, along with photos of me wearing some of my faves so you can get a sense for how they look when applied to lips!
Below, you’ll find swatches of the following lipstick hues: 322M Corail in Love, a very light, semi-sheer, pink coral color with tons of mother of pearl glimmer for a dazzling sheen that feels sophisticate rather than overly glittery and juvenile; the 381B Violette Coquette, an epic neon violet color; 377N Midnight Rose, a deep fuchsia pink; and 146B Miss Coquelicot, a perky coral-tinged tangerine hue.
Next, you’ll find swatches of the following shades: 340B Rose Boudoir, a cherry gelato-ish, glazed pink shade with warm undertones that offers medium coverage; 391N Fiery Attitude, which is one of the darkest shades in the collection, with its intoxicating purple-ish wine hue; 353M Roses in Love, a dewy, almost sparkling rosy pink reminiscent of camellia blooms; 307B Sweet Embrace, a creamy nude pink with a come-hither luster; and 170N Sequence of Love, a richly pigmented red with cool undertones.
Amazing, right?
Now, since lipstick swatches can be deceiving (there really is nothing like seeing how a color looks directly on the lips), I’ve incorporated a few photos of me wearing some of the aforementioned shades so that you can get a sense for their intensity, coverage, shine, and finish. Here goes!
Check out how the 170N Sequence of Love color looks like on my lips (it’s officially one of my favorite red lipsticks ever!):
Here’s me wearing the 340B Rose Boudoir shade:
In the photo below, I’m wearing the 381B Violette Coquette shade (one of my personal faves):
Here’s a shot of me wearing the 146B Miss Coquelicot shade (which is so on-tend given the orange craze right now!):
