Casual Red: ILIA Tinted Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang*

Oh, hai - I'm that beauty blogger you used to follow who all of a sudden kinda disappeared off the face of the Internet. But seriously, I know I said I'd like to start posting more a few posts back, and then couldn't get my sh*t together for the entire month of March, but hey - life's not easy with very little sleep. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about THAT; instead, I've wanted to show you my favorite red as of late.

You may remember I was quite a fan of ILIA Beauty Lipsticks that I first tried last year, and after that discovery, my interest was piqued and I couldn't wait to get my hands on one of the brand's cult products, the Tinted Lip Conditioner* ($26 for 0.14 oz/ 4g, available on Ilia's website here, as well as at Sephora). I asked my lovely PR person for the shade Bang Bang, hoping for a brightening red suitable for everyday wear, and I wasn't disappointed.

In terms of formula of the ILIA's Tinted Lip Conditioner, I would actually refer you to my review of their Lipsticks (here). That's right - I don't find that there's major difference in texture between the two. The Lip Conditioner is a rather firm lip product, very unlike my other favorite sheer lip formula, the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (here's my review of the shade Tulip in case you're curious). Ilia's tinted balm is waxier and feels a lot thinner on the lips than the Fresh, so if you find that the latter is too slippery for your liking, you'd be much happier with Ilia's Lip Conditioner.

I was also quite surprised at the level of pigmentation in Ilia's 'sheer' formula - maybe it's down to the shade, but I found Bang Bang to be nearly as opaque as Ilia's Lipstick range. You will get a more translucent look with one of two layers of both the Tinted Lip Conditioner AND the Lipstick; I've built up several layers of both products in my arm swatch, and you can see that the Lipstick is more pigmented, but you could also keep on going with the Tinted Lip Conditioner for near full opacity. That's exactly what the brand intended though so no complaints here - just know that if you're picking one of the brighter shades in the Tinted Lip Conditioner range, you won't get a 'barely there' tint but rather a nice pop of color.

L-R: Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang, Aveda Nourish-Mint Lip Gloss in Chuparosa, Ilia Lipstick in Lucy's Party

Bang Bang is a neutral classic red - on my cool-toned skin it reads rather warm, but I think it still suits my coloring, and would be a great choice for nearly all skintones. I actually love experimenting with mixing and layering Bang Bang with other lip products; I loved doing a gradient lip with the above-mentioned Fresh Sugar balm in Tulip, and I also think it looks great mixed in with my other favorite from Ilia, the Multi-Stick in Fine Romance (reviewed here).

There you go - I hope you enjoyed this little review of another product from Ilia's range. In case you were not aware, Sephora US now carries a few more Ilia products, including my beloved Multi-Sticks, as well as most of their lip range: regular Lipsticks, the Tinted Lip Conditioners, AND Lipstick Crayons. All of these products can be found here (non-affiliate link). I'm myself very tempted to purchase At Last, a dusty rose in the Multi-Stick formula, during the spring sale event :) What have you got on your wishlists at the moment? I'd love to know!

Disclaimer: Product featured in this post is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!

Not My Kind of Red: NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Le Palace

How 'bout I distract you from this dark and dreadful time we seem to be going through with some make-up? I was really excited to score this deluxe mini of the NARS Velvet Lip Glide ($26 for 0.2 oz/ ~6 ml) with a Sephora order late last year. I've heard really good things about this new formula, including adjectives such as 'unique', 'weightless' and 'long-lasting', and I'm all about innovation when it comes to beauty products. Also, how beautiful is this simple yet elegant packaging?

However, having acquainted myself with my Lip Glide over several days of wear, I'm a little confused. First of all, shouldn't the shade be called Le Palais? (Uhm, seems like Le Palace is a famous hotel/ night club in Paris, so probably the brand didn't just mean any palace. Okay then). But joking aside, I feel very conflicted over this lip product. Is it a gloss? Is it a liquid lipstick? Is it a stain?

The texture of this product is quite slippery and feels silicone-y on the lips - a little bit like a 'dry oil' or one of those dimethicone-heavy face primers, if you will. The brand promises a 'semi-matte' finish', but to be honest, I see quite a bit of shine on my lips, especially right after application, but then it dries down to more of a satin as the time goes on. It seems that you can vary the finish depending on the amount of product you choose to put on: one fine layer is a satin, a thicker coat or two layers look quite glossy. The overall formulation quite reminds me of Fyrinnae Lip Lusters, which are not a new product by any means - I reviewed two shades of those (Shangri-La and Visual Kei, here) back in 2012. There's a pleasant sweet vanilla scent to the NARS Lip Glide but luckily no taste.

I would agree that the Velvet Lip Glide feels quite weightless on my lips, which you'd expect from something with a rather thin formula. Unfortunately, as the day goes on, it feels neither comfortable nor hydrating. If anything, my lips feel a lot drier than with just about any standard bullet lipstick, and having looked at the ingredients' list, I'm not surprised - kaolin clay is the second ingredient. You know, clay as in stuff you put on your face to help with oily T-zone and to tighten pores. Am I the only one confused by that?

To top it all off, I don't find my Velvet Lip Glide to be any more long-lasting than just about any cream finish lipstick in my collection. Sure, once it wears off (which it does very quickly on cups and tissues and so on), there is a bit of a stain left behind, but that's also true for my other lip products in red and deeper shades. But overall, my biggest gripe with this formula is the fact that it feathers and bleeds outside my lip lines, even when I use the smallest amount of the product.

L-R: NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Le Palace, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, ILIA Beauty Lipstick in Lucy's Party

The shade Le Palace is described as a 'deep cherry red'. I can't say I agree with that description - to me, cherry red suggests a cool-toned red a la Revlon's 'Cherries in the Snow', while Le Palace is decidedly warm and even pulls a little orange on my fair skin with cool undertones. I'd describe it more as a 'paprika red'. It's not really a very deep red either; don't expect a vampy look out of this Lip Glide. While Le Palace doesn't do anything for me, I think it'd be a flattering hue on skin with yellow or olive undertones.

L-R: NARS Le Palace (one dip of the wand into the tube), NARS Cruella, ILIA Lucy's Party

There you go; can't say I'm too smitten with this new release from NARS, and Le Palace has now been placed in my give-away make-up pile. Have you tried the Velvet Lip Glides? What did you think?

PS. Thank you for all the caring, wonderful comments on my last personal update post and an even bigger thank you for those who shared their stories with me - I feel very grateful to have such amazing readers as you. To those of you who seemed very worried and urged me to see a doctor: like I said, I do already feel much better but should it get worse again, I will of course talk to my health practitioner. Also, look who was trying to help me take photos for this post - you're welcome ;)

An Unexpected Love: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipsticks in no.9 Rose Stiletto and no.19 Fuchsia

I was pretty surprised to be selected for another YSL Beauty VoxBox from Influenster, you guys (here's my invite, in case you've been wanting to take your chances). First off, I didn't absolutely swoon over the Touche Eclat Blur products in my first one, reviewed here, and secondly, I would generally say that I suck at social media. I'm not on Facebook, I don't have Snapchat, I barely Instagram and, well, I tweet, but mostly about my latest blog posts, which probably isn't all that useful for beauty brands. Yet somehow I was chosen to receive these two newly relaunched YSL Rouge Pur Couture Satin Radiance Lipsticks ($36 each for 3.8 g) in no. 9 Rose Stiletto* and no. 19 Fuchsia*, and much to my delight, I've been enjoying them tremendously!

I've tried the YSL Rouge Pur Couture formula in the past - here's my review of a Limited Edition Pink Grenadine shade. I obviously quite like the old formula as it's survived many lipstick declutters, but it's also not one of my absolute favorites; just somewhere in the middle, I guess.

You can see here that the packaging of the Rouge Pur Coutures changed quite a bit; it's still predominantly gold and, uhm, rectangular, but I'd say I like just the pure gold and black of the new tube a bit better. It's also a bit sturdier and more weighty in my hand; just what a luxury lipstick should feel like. I've tried to find some information on whether the formula changed as well, and while nothing I had come upon gave me a definite answer, I do believe these new Rouge Pur Coutures are in fact a different formulation.

Let me start by saying what has NOT changed in the Rouge Pur Couture formula. It's still an emollient and richly pigmented lipstick, meant to dress the lips in one stroke. It also has the exact same YSL lipstick smell, a bit floral and definitely different from their fruity Gloss Voluptes; more along the lines of the Glossy Stains.

In my opinion, the overall feel and performance of these lipsticks have been improved in the revamped range. To me, they seem even creamier and more opaque than the older formula (although it is possible that my older tube has just got a bit more dried out over the couple years I've had it). I believe this trend in many new product releases was started last year by the NARS Audacious line - intense pigment in a comfortable formula that just glides on the lips. However, one downside to many of these super creamy lipsticks (and something often mentioned about the YSL Rouge Voluptes) is that they're too slippery and slidey on the lips, sinking into the lines and outside the contour of your lips.

Luckily, that's not the case at all with the new Rouge Purs - they stay put very well, and even leave behind a bit of a stain. When you first apply the Rouge Purs, they seem to have a standard creamy finish (no shimmer), but in about an hour, they settle more into a satin or even a matte that wears comfortably for another 2-3 hours (that is, until the next meal, which is when I have to reapply). These don't draw attention to my vertical lip lines, and they don't dry out my drier-than-Death-Valley lips, although they're not exactly moisturizing either. For a high pigment, creamy lipstick, they feel surprisingly lightweight on the lips. All in all, big thumbs up for the formula.

L-R (both photos): Maybelline Color Sensational in Warm Me Up, MAC Viva Glam V, YSL Rouge Pur Couture in Rose Stiletto no. 9 (three swipes each)

I will admit that I was a bit worried about how the two shades selected for us would go with my fair skintone, but I'm pretty happy with both no. 9 Rose Stiletto and no. 19 Fuchsia. Rose Stiletto is described as a 'rich berry rose', and I think it's a quite an apt description. On me, it's a warm deep rose veering almost on a wine shade; it has hints of both brown and plum. It's like a less mauvey version of that MLBB that's so popular right now. I've swatched it against some of my darker nudes, but you can see it's a lot darker than that - more in the Bite High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb territory.

Rose Stiletto is a perfect everyday shade for fall and winter; it doesn't draw too much attention but on my skintone, it's a deeper option than your standard nudes. It feels like a sophisticated, grown-up shade that would work well in a professional environment.

On the other hand, Fuchsia no. 19 is the complete opposite of Rose Stiletto. Described as a 'magenta purple', it's an incredibly bright, attention-grabbing shade. I would say it's more pink than purple, but it definitely leans purple and it's the most cool-toned hot pink in my stash (hopefully you can see that in my photos). I don't see why Influenster chose this particular shade for fall, but in all honestly, if you're a fan of vivid colors, you could wear Fuchsia all year round.

L-R (both photos): Lancome Shine Lover Lipstick in Effortless Pink, Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Shalimar, YSL Rouge Pur Couture in Fuchsia no. 19

I have to admit that I haven't braved wearing Fuchsia outside of the house yet. You can somewhat see it in the face shot, but this shade looks almost neon on me - fun, but not entirely suitable for everyday wear, at least at its full strength. I'll play around with it a little bit and attempt to tame the beast by wearing it more as a stain (which would also make me less nervous about smearing it on my chin - yes, speaking from experience here).

There are currently 41 shades of the YSL Rouge Pur Coutures on the Sephora's website, and while some may be Limited Edition, that's plenty of colors to satisfy even the pickiest lipstick lover. I'm actually quite tempted to swatch a few more options next time I'm near a store, although you know I do NOT need any more lipsticks :) Have you tried these new lipsticks from YSL? What is your favorite opaque lipstick formula?

*Disclaimer: I received the two YSL products featured in this post complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster (anyone can sign up for free here, you don't need a blog or YouTube channel - just social media outlets). All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!

Easy (on the) Orange: Nature Republic Botanical Shine Lip Tint no. 3

I haven't purchased any make-up this month. Nothing. Nada. So, I'm kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel here for products to talk about - well, more like the bottom of my 'to be reviewed' box, which is where this little guy has been hiding: it's the Nature Republic Botanical Shine Tint in the shade no. 3 ($5-7 for 9.5 g), a coral orange with golden shimmer.

If you're a fan of lip/cheek tints, you know that shimmer in such formulations is a pretty rare occurence, which is why I was interested to see how this would perform on the lips. The packaging is quite standard with a nice doe foot applicator that makes it really easy to trace the outline of your lips and fill everything in evenly. There's a little bit of a fruity floral scent to the product that dissipates quickly after application. The tint came sealed in plastic - this is where the strange dotted lines on the cap come from, I guess the plastic they used for the cap got stained somehow :)

The texture of this tint is quite thin, and it spreads easily and mostly evenly on the lips. To begin with, there is some glossiness to the Botanical Shine Tint, but it dries down to a matte finish; well, what I mean by this is that the colored base is matte, with the golden shimmer sitting on top. I usually dislike shimmer and glitter in lip products, but I was quite surprised at how much I liked the finish of this Nature Republic Tint when it was freshly applied. Unfortunately, the longer I had it on my lips, the more issues I experienced with this product...

Basically, the tint starts balling and gunking up on the lips as soon as it dries down. Any sort of rubbing motion (you know, unusual behavior such as pressing your lips together, or talking, or eating/drinking) causes the product to bunch up together. I tried it a number of different ways, and the same thing happened every single time. This unfortunate property also makes it difficult to layer the product for more opacity, because then it starts balling up pretty much right away.

L-R: Balled up tint after rubbing my lips together, the state of my lips after removing the gunk with a tissue

As for longevity, I found the Botanical Shine Tint to wear much shorter than most stains I've tried so far. After having a light snack (pistachio ice cream with strawberries, nom nom), most of the color and shimmer disappeared from the inside portion of my lips. If you rub off all the balled up gunk that happens while wearing the product, you're left with a subtle warm red tint to your lips - which is quite pretty in terms of the actual shade, but my lips also looked very dried out and puckered even after having worn it for about 15 minutes. If your lips are anything like mine - meaning full, but not very wide - it does nothing to smooth out vertical lip lines or improve the texture of the lips.

L-R: Nature Republic Botanical Shine Tint no. 3, Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain in Flouron, Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss in Candy Bar

Here's a somewhat random shade comparison to give you an idea of shade depth and undertone. I definitely prefer the texture and wear of the Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain in Flouron, and as far as easy to wear orange lip shades, I would absolutely grab for my Chanel Rouge Allure in Conquise over this (not included in the swatches, but here's my review).

Oh, hello! I feel like I haven't seen you in a while :) I'm wearing one freshly applied coat of the Botanical Shine Tint no. 3, the Koh Gen Do Aqua foundation and Hourglass Ambient Blush in Dim Lighting for this look.

Have you tried any Korean lip tints, and if so, what are your favorites? Do you like wearing orange lips in the summer?

Summer Sheers: Lancôme Shine Lover Lipstick in 323 Effortless Pink

So far, I've been really picky this year about my new lipstick acquisitions. Maybe it's the realization how long it takes to use up a lip product after rotating through the same couple of options in my Project Make A Dent, maybe I just haven't really been blown away by any of the new releases... Either way, I knew that I wanted a new sheer lipstick for the summer. The combination of a bright shade in a more translucent formula has been my go to in the warmer months for the past couple of years, so when Lancôme released their new range of sheer lipsticks, after much hesitation, I decided to pick up one: the Shine Lover Vibrant Shine Lipstick 8H Moisture in 323 Effortless Pink ($25 for 0.1 oz).

Let me just say that I really appreciate how Lancôme decided to keep their hydration claims on the reasonable side with 'just' 8 hours of moisture. After foundations claiming to last anywhere from 16 to 20 something hours, I like that they aren't joining the game of the most ridiculous claim around. The Shine Lover lipsticks come in a pretty silver outer box with the shade NAME of the lipstick, however, the bottom label on the lipstick tube only lists the shade NUMBER. I guess it's not a big deal for most people, but I'd prefer to have the shade name of the sticker as well.

Speaking of the lipstick tube, I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box. From looking at photos and promo images online, I expected the white tube to made out of a flimsy lightweight plastic, but it's actually a lot heavier and sturdier in my hand, and the white has a pretty opalescent finish. I also like the minimal design with silver stripes and Lancôme's rose on top of the cap.

Effortless Pink no. 323 is a sheer cool-toned hot pink shade in a lightly glossy finish, no shimmer. In the tube, it looks scary bright, but applies very, very sheer on the lips with one swipe; the intensity can be easily built up though. In that, it reminds me most of the discontinued Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers, but maybe a hair more pigmented and less glossy. Among my collection of other bright pinks, it's the most similar to Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Tulip, but even more vibrant. The Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine PK331 is warmer and contains micro shimmer particles.

While the shade itself is nothing terribly unique, I do find the Shine Lover formula to be quite unlike other sheer lipsticks/ tinted balms in my collection. It's incredibly smooth and lightweight on the lips; so much so that I actually forgot I was wearing it, and started devouring a watermelon slice without removing it first, which could have ended pretty Joker-like with any other lipstick - but since the Shine Lover formula is so thin, it didn't really migrate from my lips at all. It does seem to stay put quite nicely, and when the subtle shine wears off, Effortless Pink leaves behind a bit of a stain; I still had on a pretty pink flush after dinner.

L-R: 1 swipe of Lancome Shine Lover in Effortless Pink, 5-7 swipes of Effortless Pink, Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Shalimar, Fresh Sugar in Tulip, Shu Uemura PK 331

One thing that may be a bit of a let down for some is that the Shine Lover finish is in fact not very shiny at all. It has comparable shine/ gloss level to a standard creamy lipstick; to give you some examples for reference, the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Shine and the Fresh Sugar tinted balms are both more glossy on the lips. I personally don't mind - from browsing online swatches, I expected a lower level of shine - and I think that's also the reason why the Shine Lover stays better on the lips than other sheer formulas.

The scent on these is a very delicate fruity floral; I can only smell it a little in the tube and the fragrance doesn't linger whatsoever. As for the '8H Moisture' claim, I can't wear any lipstick for that without touching up, but I will say it's certainly not drying, which is already a huge accomplishment on my flaky lips. When applied, it also doesn't catch on dry patches, and while it doesn't plump up all the fine lines, it doesn't gather in them either, making the overall appearance of my lips more smooth and healthy.

I'm really happy I decided to try out this new lipstick from Lancôme; so far, I'm pretty impressed with it, and it's one of my new favorite lip product formulas. Even though the shade is so cheerily bright in the tube, it looks very naturally pretty on the lips; truly, an 'Effortless Pink' color. Have you tried these Shine Lover lipsticks already? What is your favorite sheer lipstick formula?

My Spring Make-up Palette

Happy second day of spring, beautiful readers! Can you already feel it coming? Last year, after experiencing the season on the East Coast for the first time, I bitched and moaned that New York didn't get any spring at all - it was just bitterly cold, then grey and rainy, then straight onto summer. But you know what, this year, even though it's still rather chilly and nothing at all is blooming yet except for my house orchids, I feel the change in the air, in the angle of sunlight, in my energy levels. I'm ready for warmer weather!

Taking a page from Gummy's book, I decided to shop my own stash for some spring-themed make-up. I'm all about the de riguer springtime shades like pastels and peachy pinks, because they suit my fair complexion very well. Nearly all of the products featured here have been previously discussed and reviewed in detail, so... Let's just feast our eyes on some cheery product shots, shall we?

For the eyes, I obviously had to whip out my Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in BL215 Static - I don't own another eyeshadow palette that's more perfect for the season than this one, and as a bonus, it can be layered over different eye bases for a variety of looks. To be completely honest, I rarely do that though; I prefer to use these shades as accents in the inner corners of my eyes or along the lower lashline. I basically plan to use bareMinerals Eye Color in Celery, Fyrinnae Electric Stardust and When I Grow Up, as well as MAC Satin Eyeshadow in Heroine, a beautiful periwinkle blue, in the same way, or to add interest to a pencil eyeliner, like the NYX Slide On in Pretty Violet, on the upper lashline. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost can add some dimension via its angelic champagne sparkle to any eye look I decide to create.

L-R: Laura Mercier Sugar Frost, NYX Slide On in Pretty Violet, Fyrinnae When I Grow Up, MAC Heroine, Fyrinnae Electric Stardust, bareMinerals Celery

Nothing groundbreaking on the lips, but I was happy to be reminded of the gorgeous texture of Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine in PK331 and the Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in Coral, both sheer, lightweight, comfortable, glossy formulas. To balance out the high-end stuff, I also threw the Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist into my current make-up basket. Since all of these products give off intense shine on the lips, I didn't really need a gloss, but I always enjoy wearing the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer.

L-R: Covergirl Watermelon Twist, Clarins Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer, Shu Uemura Supreme Shine PK331, Giorgio Armani Sheers in Coral 301

For blush, I was really feeling The Face Shop Pastel Cushion Blusher in Coral Cushion and the NYX Powder Blush in Pinky. The first is a bit too sheer, the other a bit too pigmented, but the effect of both once applied is that of a youthful, glowy cheek. No arm swatches, because... lazy.

The consequence of taking these extreme face close-ups is not only realizing you have stray brow hairs that need plucking and freckles even on your browbone, but also feeling the odd detachment of your own face looking alien to yourself.

For this Face of the Day, I kind of took the 'all the things, all at the same time' approach to feature as many products as I could combine in action, but on a normal day (who am I kidding, what is a normal day?!), I'd only reach for a couple of products from my spring palette and pair them with some boring neutrals. For the eyes, I used Laura Mercier Sugar Frost on the lid with some lighter brown to add definition to the crease, and lined my upper lashline with a dark eggplant eyeliner (Urban Decay Rockstar from my Project Make A Dent), layering NYX Pretty Violet over the top on the inner half of my eyes. I love how that turned out!

On the lower lashline, I combined MAC Heroine and Fyrinnae When I Grow Up, with Electric Stardust in the very inner corner. The rest of my face is a standard base of Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Procelain set with MUFE HD Powder (Project MAD again), some light bronzing courtesy of The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder, NYX Pinky on the cheeks and Shu Uemura PK331 on the lips. Clearly, I don't match my make-up to my outfits, because all of these cool tones look rather clashy against my red sweater. ANYWAY.

Which products out of your make-up stash do you always bring out for spring? Have you bought any pieces from spring collections this year? Or do you abhorr pastels and impatiently look forward to the warm summer shades?

Succulence of Dew: Rouge Bunny Rouge Sheer Lipstick in Dissolved in Dreams

Even though I'm trying hard to be good and not buy any make-up this month, I still have a lot of new products waiting to be tested and reviewed, so worry not, there's going to be plenty of things to talk about. The Rouge Bunny Rouge Succulence of Dew Sheer Lipstick in Dissolved in Dreams ($24 for 3.8 g) is one of such backburner products; I've had it sitting unopened for... maybe a year and a half.

Since I got it as a gift with purchase with a Beautyhabit order all this time ago, the packaging has been redesigned slightly - it's an all black tube now. This lipstick is a prime example of why I should not make orders based on the free gift: as it turns out, I absolutely did not need it. Lesson learnt; but now that it's in my stash, at least I can churn out some verbiage and photos for your benefit.

Not that it's a bad product; I just don't really care for it personally, for a number of reasons. First, it's not really that sheer, which is what I was hoping for. Secondly, and most importantly, the shade I have, Dissolved in Dreams (008) is a 'shiny watermelon with a silver shimmer'. This short description reveals two big problems: not only do I have watermelon lipsticks up the wazoo, but that silver shimmer? It's LARGE particles of shimmer verging on microglitter. Which I do not appreciate in my lip products.

The formula itself is nothing outstanding, and together with the glittery finish, really reminds me of some of the Revlon Lip Butters, particularly something like Peach Parfait. Despite the fact that the untouched bullet of the Rouge Bunny Rouge looks nearly matte in my close-ups, the lipstick is quite slippy and glossy, and unfortunately tends to gather both in vertical lip lines as well as around dry skin.

It does wear comfortably on the lips and I have to admit that it feels very smooth - no grittiness from those silver shimmer particles. However, it also transfers and wears off very easily, as most sheer lipsticks are wont to do - and then you have to deal with one of the main reasons I dislike glitter in lip products, which is that weird ring of sparkly bits around your mouth that persists long after the color itself has disappeared from your lips. It feels moisturizing while on the lips, but doesn't leave my lips any more hydrated by the end of the day; nor moisturizing nor drying per se.

L-R: Rouge Bunny Rouge Dissolved in Dreams, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi, YSL Pink Grenadine, MAC Jest

And again, how in the world I am able to buy the same shade of lipstick over and over again from all different brands is beyond me. Rouge Bunny Rouge Dissolved in Dreams is the most similar to the discontinued MAC Viva Glam in Cyndi, although the latter is in fact more sheer, less coral and lacks the annoying microglitter. It has a comparable level of warmth to another discontinued shade, YSL Pink Grenadine, but it's a much glossier formula. It's also quite close to one of my newer acquisitions, Guerlain Rouge G in Georgia. And probably another fifty lipsticks in my stash. WHY.

So there you go - I think it pulls a bit coral red on me, but I'm guessing it could pull a bit more pink on someone with a warmer skintone. I haven't quite made my mind up yet if I want to keep it as a back-up to Viva Glam Cyndi, or if I'd prefer to pass it on to someone who may love it more than I do. Have you tried any of the Rouge Bunny Rouge lip products? What are your thoughts?