When Clarins announced that they were revamping their iconic Joli Rouge Lipstick range, I was excited to try the new formulation as I already own three shades from the original line up and I love them so I was intrigued to see how the new formulation would compare. Not only have Clarins reformulated the lipsticks, they’ve also revamped the packaging as well as adding 25 new shades which is pretty exciting. Even though Clarins have relaunched their Joli Rouge Lipstick range with an improved formula, the price hasn’t changed (yet) which I love, and they retail for £19.50 on the Clarins website or on counter.

Packaging wise, the Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks used to be packaged within an oval shaped silver casing which was pretty weighty (you can see the old packaging here). The packaging is now much sleeker, with the casing being slimmed down and are now slim cylinders which are much easier to store than the previous oval shape. Clarins have done away with with the silver, and have plumped for gold which makes sense as they use gold packaging for the majority of their eyeshadow quads, blushes and powders. The packaging still feels weighty, and the inside of the tube is red as well as the base which fits the Joli Rouge name perfectly.

The lipstick bullets have the same shape as the original Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick formula, with a slightly curved tip which hugs the contours of your lips perfectly and allows for a super precise application. The formula is extremely smooth and creamy, and they really do remind me of a lip butter than a lipstick as they’re so effortless to apply. They glide across the lips, and you can choose to wear them sheerly or you build up the colour with an extra swipe or two depending on your preference.

The formula is enriched with organic Salicornia extract and mango oil, and claim to intensely moisturise the lips for six hours whilst providing suppleness and comfort. Just like the original formula, the new Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks have a delicious mango scent. Due to the balminess of the lipsticks, they’re not the most long wearing but they last for around two hours which I think is pretty good for a lipstick with a formula as creamy as these. They really do leave my lips feeling soft and smooth once the colour has worn away, and I think they’ll be my lipsticks of choice come Winter when my lips are in dire need of moisture.

The 25 shade line up is seriously amazing, and there is a shade to suit absolutely everyone. I particularly love that the range includes so many wearable pinks and nudes, as they’re my favourite types of shades to wear. I have three of the shades, and I’m already lusting after further shades as they’re just beautiful. The three shades I have are; 707 Petal Pink, 750 Petal Pink and 752 Rosewood.

Petal Pink is a medium pink shade, and it has the glossiest finish from the three shades. All of the Joli Rouge Lipsticks are very glossy and balm-like on the lips, but Petal Pink is definitely the one with the most shine from the shades I’ve tried. Lilac Pink is my favourite shade, and has become my new favourite replacing MAC’s Creme Cup as my go-to pinky nude. It’s the most gorgeous pinky nude, but it does have a subtle lilac tone to it which looks so incredibly flattering against my pale skin tone – I absolutely love it. Rosewood has a very subtle shimmer within the bullet, but you can’t detect the shimmer once on the lips.. it just looks shiny which I prefer, as I’m not a fan of shimmery lipsticks. Shade wise, Rosewood is a rosy pink, and it is the most pigmented from the three shades that I own. If you like comfortable, hydrating lipsticks, you really must give the new Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks a try as they tick all of the boxes and more…

Every brand seems to be jumping on the liquid lipstick bandwagon, and Essence have released five shades of Liquid Lipstick and they retail for just £2.50 each from Wilko. The new Essence Liquid Lipsticks are described as being a 2 in 1 formula which combines the coverage of a lipstick, with the shine of a lipgloss. The packaging is very obviously inspired by the Dior Fluid Stick packaging, with a lipstick bullet shape within the centre. I really like the packaging, and that the lids are colour coordinated to reflect the shade inside which is perfect if you own multiple shades.

From the five shades on offer, I have three of the shades; 01 Colour Party, 04 Show Off! and 06 Make a Statement. Even though the shade range is pretty limited, I’d like to think they’ll add more shades in the future as Essence usually have really great shade ranges across their makeup line, but the shades do cover all bases with nudes, pinks and a couple of reds so there’s bound to be at least one shade that’ll suit everyone.

Each of the Essence Liquid Lipsticks have a doe foot applicator which is quite narrow rather than the rounded shape you usually get with a doe foot applicator, and I find this narrower shape makes for a much more precise application, and the middle of the applicator features a small well which holds extra product so you don’t have to keep dipping the applicator back into the tube for more product which again is similar to the Dior Fluid Sticks.

Colour Party is my favourite shade from the three that I own, and is a pretty light pink which looks a little bubblegum-esque in the swatch above but on the lips it’s a lot more muted I can assure you. Show Off! is a bright reddy coral shade which almost looks neon on the lips, and Make a Statement is a dark reddy brown shade which isn’t particularly flattering on my pale skintone, but I imagine it’d look lovely on darker skintones. They feel quite smooth on the lips, with no detectable scent whatsoever and the weartime is around one to two hours, with Show Off lasting the longest from the three shades that I own.

I’m not entirely sure I’d describe these as being liquid lipsticks, as to me they’re more of a pigmented gloss. I do have to do quite a lot of swipes to build up the colour for an opaque finish, and I’d definitely say even then they don’t give the coverage of a lipstick like they claim. Due to their glossiness, they are a little sticky but not uncomfortably so, but they’re not perhaps the lip product of choice if you have long hair on a windy day as it could get a little messy. I would recommend using a clear lipliner with the Essence Liquid Lipsticks as they all have the tendency to bleed a little; especially Make a Statement but for £2.50 each, I think they’re really nice glosses but don’t buy them expecting a full on liquid lipstick like the Lime Crime Velvetines or the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks, as I think you’d perhaps be disappointed.

The shade Velvet Teddy is described by MAC as a “deep toned beige”. I think this is accurate, you can see the shade on me in the photo above. The lipstick does look different on different people, for example on me it looks almost like a purple-brown (see photo above).

 

The formula of Velvet Teddy is matte, but it isn’t really drying and can be worn comfortably. The matte finish means the lipstick lasts quite a long time, which is especially good for a nude shade.

 

 

 

Overall I do love Velvet Teddy. The shade is an amazing dark nude and the matte finish helps achieve the ‘Kylie Jenner’ look. The colour can be worn for a minimal look during the day or paired with dramatic eye makeup for the night. So… is it worth the hype? YES!

 

 So have you tried Velvet Teddy yet?

 Do you think it is worth the hype?

 Let me know in the comments below.

 

This MAC Lipstick in Velvet Teddy costs £15.50 and is available to buy directly from MAC or from department stores such as Debenhams.

 

EMILY XXX