The Spring Season: Temptalia’s Favorites
After many, many months of swatching and testing, these are my favorites–a whopping eighteen of them! During the Spring Season, we featured cooler nudes (9), cooler pinks (8), soft corals (8), lipglosses (15), warmer nudes (15), and warmer pinks (17) for a total of 72 different lipsticks and lipglosses in varying shades of soft coral, nude, and pink.
Comments & Thoughts
When I picked my favorites, I went through all the different folders I had for Spring Season shades and marked the ones I loved. At the end, I wound up with eighteen–a little much, but who says there is a limit on favorites? I do, however, obviously gravitate towards certain shades and tones over others.
- #1 (Benefit I’m With the Band), #3 (Cle de Peau #2), and #17 (NP Set Mauritius Lipgloss) are all in the same family. #3 is my favorite of this shade family, though.
- I also love the texture of Cle de Peau’s Extra Silky Lipsticks, which necessitated the inclusion of both #4 (Cle de Peau #103) and #5 (Cle de Peau #106). You’re just lucky I held off on including #124, too!
- Oh, Guerlain! Similarly, Guerlain’s Rouge G lipsticks still have my heart–as evidenced by #6 (Guerlain Garance), #7 (Guerlain Gardenia), #8 (Guerlain Gemma), #9 (Guerlain Georgia), and #10 (Guerlain Guerlinade). I haven’t found a dupe (nothing even similar enough to bother talking about!) to Garance nor Gardenia, but I feel like Gardenia may be substituted with a peachy nude and satisfy some enough. Gemma is similar to #12 (Korres #22). Guerlinade may be duped the best (based on my current lipstick repository) by #14 (MAC Freckletone), but Freckletone is significantly sheerer, glossier, and brighter/peachier–Guerlinade looks more muted in comparison, and obviously creamier and more opaque.
- #8 (Guerlain Gemma) is similar to #9 (Guerlain Georgia) except with that cool gold sheen and a rosier pink base, but #12 (Korres #22) is like a more muted version of #8, too. #8 is my favorite of the three, but #12 comes close and it’s what, a third of the price?
- #11 (Korres #13) is a lighter, pinker version of #15 (MAC Velvet Teddy).
- Benefit I’m With the Band Lipgloss
- Chanel Santal Rouge Allure Laque
- Cle de Peau #2 Gloss
- Cle de Peau #103 Extra Silky Lipstick
- Cle de Peau #106 Extra Silky Lipstick
- Guerlain Garance Rouge G Lipstick
- Guerlain Gardenia Rouge G Lipstick
- Guerlain Gemma Rouge G Lipstick
- Guerlain Georgia Rouge G Lipstick
- Guerlain Guerlinade Rouge G Lipstick
- Korres #13 Natural Pink Guava Lipstick
- Korres #22 Rose Guava Lipstick
- Lancome Voile de Rose Lipstick
- MAC Freckletone Lipstick
- MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick
- NP Set Mauritius Lipgloss
- Smashbox Splendid Lipstick
- Urban Decay Naked Lipstick
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).
- Benefit Candy Store Lipstick
- Bobbi Brown Rose Guarden Creamy Lip Color
- Chanel Exquise Lipstick
- Chanel Ming Rouge Allure Laque
- Cle de Peau #106 Extra Silky Lipstick
- Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Lipstick
- Guerlain Gabrielle Rouge G Lipstick
- Guerlain Gemma Rouge G Lipstick
- Korres #13 Natural Pink Lipstick
- Korres #22 Rose Guava Lipstick
- Lancome Voile de Rose Lipstick
- Maybelline Warm Me Up Lipstick
- NP Set Havana Lipstick
- Shiseido PK 224 Lipstick
- Shiseido PK 327 Sheer Lip Color
- Urban Decay Naked Lipstick
- Urban Decay Peroxide Lipstick
Guerlain Gemma Lipstick
The Spring Season: Guerlain Gemma Lipstick
Guerlain Gemma Rouge G Lipstick (#64)
($45.00) is a sweet pop of posey pink. It has a delicate gold sheen and shimmer, but it’s one of my favorite pinks for the spring. It has enough brightness to pop when worn alone, but it can still be a nice way to complement a subtle spring eye, too. Creamy, opaque, and easy to apply, Rouge Gs are high on quality (and high on price, I know). They have Guerlain’s traditional scent to them, though it does seem a bit subdued in comparison to their KissKiss line of lipsticks and glosses. The wear time is four to six hours for me on these.
Is this the perfect pink 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.
Guerlain Gemma Le Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick
Guerlain Gemma Le Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a dazzling confection of medium pink with a golden glimmer. It applies opaque in one to two layers, and it looks natural yet still more color pop than a my-lips-but-better (MLBB) shade. I’m really a big fan of how smoothly and evenly the Rouge Gs apply, and Gemma is no exception. I think this color is universally flattering, because it’s a nice, neutral medium pink. The gold shimmer adds a little oomph to the color, too. This is a shade you could wear year-round, so this is definitely going to make its way into my everyday lip color stash.
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: This is one of my favorite shades that I’ve seen from the Rouge G lineup — it’s a very pretty in pink shade with just the right amount of shimmer.
Availability: Nordstrom
See lip swatches… Continue reading →
