Maybe Not Sultry, But Still Pretty

MAC Plumful Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) is a muted medium pink with a touch of plum, which gives it a slightly darker overall appearance. It has a lustre finish, but it delivers a surprising amount of color pay off (semi-opaque). I originally bought this to use in the Sultry Season, but it’s just not vampy and dark and sultry enough for that purpose! However, it is a gorgeous shade of pink without being milky, candy, or bright. I think it’s very wearable for both cooler and warmer skin tones, though it leans slightly cool. I don’t know how I went this long without Plumful in my stash!

Lustre finishes are supposed to be more moisturizing but can be somewhat drying (but Plumful wasn’t), but they’re often on the sheerer side; I’m happy that Plumful isn’t, just because some of the lustre shades barely show up at all. All MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented but have no discernible taste. I typically get four hours of wear out of MAC lipsticks, with some of the darker shades going as long as five.

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MAC Plumful Lipstick

MAC Plumful Lipstick

MAC Plumful Lipstick

MAC Plumful Lipstick

MAC Plumful Lipstick

MAC Plumful Lipstick

MAC Plumful Lipstick

Cle de Peau #117 Extra Silky Lipstick

The Sultry Season: Cle de Peau #117 Extra Silky Lipstick

Cle de Peau #117 Extra Silky Lipstick ($52.00 for 0.07 oz.) is a creamy darkened raspberry with a plummy edge.  Extra Silky Lipsticks are one of my favorite lipstick formulas, for their lightweight feel, moisturizing properties, and the way colors look on.  It hugs lips but never feels drying or clingy; it always looks smooth, lush, and rich.  I haven’t met an Extra Silky shade I didn’t find appealing–nearly universally so.  The color applies opaque, even though it feels and looks like it might not in the swatch.

I recommend applying less than you think, because it’s easy to over-apply the product here due to the creamy nature of the formula.  At this price (and the amount you get), you don’t want to waste a single bit!  These are also scent- and taste-free as far as I can tell.   I don’t have any exact dupes at the moment, but perhaps as the series progresses, we’ll find something.

Is this the right vamp for you? Would you wear it?

The Sultry Season is a series of posts featuring deep, rich shades of brown, berry, plum, and wine lipsticks and lipglosses — just right for autumn — that runs through October 2010.

See photos and swatches…