Guerlain’s Exotic Paradise Collection saw the release of four new shades of KissKiss Lipstick and four new shades of Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine Lipstick. All of the lipsticks retail for $30 a pop, which makes them pretty pricey for most of us. To be honest, I liked all of the new shades, but I wouldn’t say any of them are absolute must-haves.

I think the Maxi Shines are the perfect answer to anyone hunting for a subtly pigmented, sheer lipstick that goes on smoothly and gives a nice sheen. Grenadine Shine was particularly lovely for me, just because it is a subtle coral, making it an easy, everyday shade for me to wear. I was thinking Forever Beige would be a nice way to do a more neutral lip that wasn’t nude, but I wasn’t lovin’ how it turned out in my lips, so I’ll probably have to take that one back. On the other hand, Flushy Beige is a really lovely shade of rosy beige, which is incredibly natural-looking when applied but it amps up my natural lip color quite a bit. It makes my lips look slightly puckered, flushed, and subtly pink.

Right now, I’m leaning towards giong back and picking up Corial Passion and Baby Shine. I have some cool pink lipsticks, but they tend to be too cool to wear easily, so Baby Shine might give me a less intense cool pink to wear more often. Corail Passion is coral, and well, I love coral lipsticks–do I need to justify it anymore?

See swatches & lip swatches!

Row 2: Pomme du Desir, Orange Interdit, Cerise Tentation; Rose Impudique, Corail Passion;

Pomme du Desir, Orange Interdit, Cerise Tentation; Rose Impudique, Corail Passion;
Forever Beige, Flushy Beige, Candy Shine, Honey Shine, Baby Shine
Grenadine Shine

Flushy Beige, Forever Beige, Grenadine Shine

Grenadine Shine

Forever Beige

Flushy Beige