The Spring Season: Warmer Pinks Lipstick Wrap-up

I’m actually surprised by the volume of warmer-toned pinks featured in the Spring Season. I always thought finding the right warm pink was difficult, but perhaps not!

Similarities…

• #1 (Benefit Candy Store) is a more pigmented, slightly more coral version of #3 (Chanel Exquise).
• #8 (Guerlain Gemma) is a stunning shade, and the closest dupe I’ve encountered thus far is #10 (Korres #22)–Gemma is brighter and pinker, but Korres #22 has the cool golden sheen of Gemma that makes it so unique.
• #11 (Lancome Voile de Rose) made a big splash amongst readers, and though we have no exact dupe, #9 (Korres #13) and #15 (Shiseido PK 327) come close.
• #7 (Guerlain Gabrielle) seems like a slightly more coral version of #17 (Urban Decay Peroxide).
• #5 (Cle de Peau #106) is a brighter, more intense version of #16 (Urban Decay Naked).

1. Benefit Candy Store Lipstick
2. Bobbi Brown Rose Guarden Creamy Lip Color
3. Chanel Exquise Lipstick
4. Chanel Ming Rouge Allure Laque
5. Cle de Peau #106 Extra Silky Lipstick
6. Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Lipstick
7. Guerlain Gabrielle Rouge G Lipstick
8. Guerlain Gemma Rouge G Lipstick
9. Korres #13 Natural Pink Lipstick
10. Korres #22 Rose Guava Lipstick
11. Lancome Voile de Rose Lipstick
12. Maybelline Warm Me Up Lipstick
13. NP Set Havana Lipstick
14. Shiseido PK 224 Lipstick
15. Shiseido PK 327 Sheer Lip Color
16. Urban Decay Naked Lipstick
17. Urban Decay Peroxide Lipstick

The Spring Season: Chanel Ming Rouge Allure Laque

Chanel Ming Rouge Allure Laque ($32.00) is a soft, slightly milky neutral (maybe even a little yellow-toned) pink with subtle pink and light gold shimmer with a glossy shen. Rouge Allure Laques are kind of like liquid lipstick, but they still have a glossy sheen — I always think of them as a two-in-one product: lipstick and lipgloss. Ming is one of the softer shades of the formula available, and I get about four hours of wear out of this shade in particular. The gloss fades a little faster–about two hours or so–but the color itself hangs around longer. I love the doe-foot applicator with it, though, because it has this curve that just fits the curve of lips, which isn’t typical of doe-foot applicators.

Is this soft pink the one for you? Would you wear it?

The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.

See photos and swatches…

Dragon (left), Ming (right)

Chanel Ming Rouge Allure Laque ($32.00) is the fourth to drool over in our seven days of Chanel Rouge Allure Laque feature.

Ming is a soft, medium pink that runs just a little warm, but overall, I’d consider neutral. It’s just this perfect girly pink that’s feminine, soft, and very, very wearable. This is a shade you could wear anywhere, anytime, and for any occasion. I could easily see this being a go-to for a quick slip of everyday color that looks gorgeous and lasts for hours. I found Ming has the least staying power, but I still was able to get through a light meal with minimal fading (mostly just the glossiness fades). It’s not as opaque as deeper shades like Coromandel and Dragon, but it’s still quite pigmented on my lips and covers up most of my natural lip color. What I like is that even though it’s very light, my natural lip color doesn’t seem to drag the color down at all–it looks very much as it does in the tube as it does on my lips.

Since I don’t want to just re-write what I say about the formula (since it is the same–if there are any variations, you can be sure I’ll call them out), here’s a quick bullet-point summary.

Pros

• Satiny, creamy lip color that hydrates
• Opaque color in one layer–very pigmented
• Lasts for hours and even through eating/drinking
• Glossy sheen
• Looks like a lipstick AND a gloss
• Easy to travel with
• Sleek packaging

Cons

• Pricey at $32 each

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 5/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you’re all about the pink lip, check this one out!

Availability: Nordstrom

See more swatches…

\Dynastie (#74), Dragon (#75), Ming (#76), Santal (#77)