Lancome Mercury Rising Color Fever Gloss
The Scarlet Season: Lancome Mercury Rising Color Fever Gloss
Lancome Mercury Rising Color Fever Gloss
($25.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a semi-sheer red with deep red shimmer. It’s a non-sticky gloss that feels moisturizing and lightweight on lips. On me, I found it gave me about three or four hours of wear without touch-ups, which is about average. This is beautiful on its own for a hint of red, but it can also be layered over a lipstick to give it a glossier, slightly shimmered look. It has Lancome’s signature lip applicator, which always reminds me of a bubble-blowing wand! I do like how it applies fairly evenly without having to work at it, too.
What about you? Would you wear this red?
The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!
Dolce & Gabbana Fire Lipstick
The Scarlet Season: Dolce & Gabbana Fire Lipstick
Dolce & Gabbana Fire Lipstick ($30.00) is a truly fiery red — it’s got that ember glow of the fire and the brightness of a red. This is most definitely one of my favorite orange-reds I’ve come across while doing The Scarlet Season. It’s creamy, opaque, and moisturizing. It wears well and lasts awhile (about five or six hours, plus a stain). It has a slightly glossy sheen while the finish is matte. I don’t even feel like I should have to say anything about this shade — I think it really speaks for itself.
What about you? Would you wear this red?
The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!
Guerlain Gentiane Rouge G Lipstick
Lip Luxury: Guerlain Gentiane Rouge G Lipstick
Guerlain Gentiane Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick
($45.00) is a smooth, lightly shimmered rose. This is exactly what I picture when I think of a rose lipstick. It’s pigmented, goes on opaque in just one layer, and it feels amazing (as all Rouge Gs do). It’s soft color that looks feminine and very wearable for a variety of skin tones.
This is definitely one of my favorite shades from the Rouge G line that I’ve tried, because it’s a color that works on so many levels. You can wear it alone, for the everyday, with a smoky eye, or with a neutral eye. It’s versatile, and I can appreciate a lip color that I can work into my look wardrobe with no fuss.
Of course, the price is steep, so this isn’t a product for everyone!
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re on the hunt for a rosy pink, Gentiane might be it!
Availability: Nordstrom
, Sephora
Givenchy Pearl Shine Rouge Interdit Shine Lipstick ($27.00) is an extremely sheer bright white-gold shimmered lipstick. This is the equivalent of the ultra sheer lipgloss that just adds a glossy sheen to your lips — because that’s about all this lipstick does for me. It’s kind of cool to look at, and on lips, it’s definitely a shimmery/frosty confection, but there’s no real color to it. I found it’s a lipstick you use to layer under lipglosses, but it’s not really something I’d wear alone.
It’s hydrating and has a fun, glossy sheen, but without the color, this lipstick falls flat, and for $27 and not even a smidgen of color? I don’t know if it’s worth it. I tried layering it underneath Givenchy’s Tender Pearl Lipgloss (also from the same collection), and it really didn’t add as much as I had hoped for. It adds a little extra shimmer here and there, but the gloss could have just as easily stood alone.
This lipstick gives “sheer” a new meaning, and while I can handle sheer, this seems a little too sheer even for sheer fans. I’m not sure if it’s a “shade” or we should just chalk it up to sheerness, so I’m a bit troubled by how to rate this product overall. (If it’s more of a shade issue, I don’t rate a product down simply because I don’t dig the shade personally.)
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- Product: 23/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a layering shade chocked full of shimmer… this might be it!
Availability: Sephora
Giorgio Armani #600 Rouge d’Armani Lipstick
Venturing Into Plums: Giorgio Armani #600
Giorgio Armani #600 Rouge d’Armani Lipstick ($30.00) is a fuchsia-plum shade in Giorgio Armani’s new long-wearing lipstick formula. The formula is supposed to deliver up to eight hours of wear-time without fading or feathering while feeling moisturizing.
Previously, I reviewed #401, which is more of an orange-based red (more orange than red, I’d say, though) — and the shade didn’t suit me personally, so it was onto the next… #600 is certainly a shade much more up my alley! It’s a bright plummy shade (which is why I’d describe it as a fuchsia-plum) that’s not so bright it’s hard to wear, but bright enough that it can be worn alone or as the star feature of a look.
On my lips, it certainly hugs and adheres to them – looks like it’s natural and yet obviously not (since it’s clearly a brightened up pucker!). It has a very glossy sheen and full color coverage. I initially thought it might be a little sheer, since the swatch wasn’t quite as opaque as it was with #401, but it proved me wrong once I applied it to my lips.
It’s definitely hydrating and wears well — I don’t know about a full eight hours, but I get around five or six, which is good enough for me. It’ll hold on decently through some drinking and a bit of eating, but I didn’t get stellar results through a full meal myself.
I found myself liking this shade much more than #401, and I was happy to see that it wears very similar to #401 as well (reds tend to wear the longest and best, because they’re so deep and richly pigmented!). I’m also still digging the packaging – there’s a magnetic clasp that keeps it locked into place.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Looking for a plum with a lil’ kick? #600 might be it!
Availability: Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue
Dolce & Gabbana Gold Lipstick
Holiday Dazzle: Dolce & Gabbana Gold Lipstick
Dolce & Gabbana Gold Shine Lipstick ($30.00) is a shimmery, shiny dose of bronzy-copper with flecks of coppery gold. This is not really a shade that works best alone but as a layering tool. This is a great lipstick to layer to achieve a warmer, brighter, or more shimmery lip color. It works particularly well under semi-sheer to sheer red-based lipglosses! It is semi-opaque, actually, because it does significantly cover lips, but since it’s more shimmer than lip color, it can look patchy on its own if you’re not careful. Even though it’s a shade I’d wear with other products, it can still be worn alone since it has decent coverage. Dolce & Gabbana lipsticks are very creamy, smooth, and always last a good four to five hours on my lips.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Add some dazzle to your lips with this shimmery lipstick from Dolce & Gabbana!
Availability: Saks Fifth Avenue
