Lipstick is not” just a lipstick” anymore. Christian Louboutin, designer extraordinaire, forayed once again into the world of cosmetics. This time he launched lipstick to his already successful nail polish and shoe empire. He is a genius because he has the ability to transform the “ordinary by changing the mundane physical characteristics” of shoes, nail polish, and now lipstick, and he turns them into expensive and desirable objects d’art. He has become a “fairy godfather” to women, and his opulent creations would make even Cinderella proud! He appeals to a woman’s psychological needs as much, if not more than the physical demands of her esthetics. The French designer sees lipstick as a woman’s “magic wand” with the power to transform her looks, and enhance her moods. His famous trademark, the “red sole on every shoe bottom” color, a vivid, high gloss red, has bee extended to his nail polish, and now, to his lipstick. He has created the Louboutin color in each of his three formulas, and showcased them in black vials, setting them apart from the thirty- five other colors that are in gold vials, less we forget his brand. Louboutin “red” cannot be ignored! It is what makes his shoes, nail polish and lipstick highly recognizable to women worldwide, because his “red” brilliantly implies status, glamour and prestige.
Louboutin has created a lipstick masterpiece unlike any other known to womankind. We have never before experienced such opulent lipstick packaging. It alludes to the fact that this is no ordinary lipstick! This “object d’arte” is presented in a glossy black box. Once opened, the ornament (lipstick) is lying, like a vampire in her crypt, embedded in red velvet. (What a sense of humor Louboutin has) The line includes thirty- eight colors in three formulas. Velvet Matte has nine colors; Sheer Voile also has nine colors. Silky Satin, the most popular of the three, has twenty colors. The trademark color, Louboutin Red, is produced in each formula (black vials!) The other thirty- five colors are housed in a gold vial, (maybe a magic potion?) All are capped with a crown encircled with turrets at their base. And when we say over the top, even the top has the Louboutin red inside the crown! Louboutin’s inspiration for this design was Ancient Babylonian Architecture and the Art Deco Movement. Included with each lipstick is a silk ribbon, that can be slipped into a ring on the top of the crown and worn like an ampule around your neck (we dare you!) If you care to carry it in your handbag, also included is a silk cover. The price of this lipstick? Just, a mere, ninety dollars! We don’t know of any other lipstick on the planet that costs ninety dollars! (the man really has a great sense of humor!)
Getting down to the nitty gritty, let’s talk formulas. Velvet Matte has an intense, rich pigment that glides on the lips in one stroke. It sets to a matte finish and leaves you with a full, opaque coverage. The actual texture is slightly drier than the other two formulas. Pinky really felt that dryness, and didn’t like the formula at all. She felt it was difficult to apply because it did not slip on as the other two had. Although, I liked the lipstick. It didn’t bother me that it was drier than the other two. There are natural oils and seed butters in the ingredients that aid in preventing your lips from drying out. It is extremely long-wearing, and stayed without straying for approximately four hours. It does have a perfume scent, but it disappears after a few seconds. A very “dressy” look for a special occasion.
The Sheer Voile formula had a creamy, smooth application on the lips. It left a transparent wash of color, creating a very sheer coverage. It was highly glossy, and left us with a luminous finish. It had a soft scent. It was very hydrating. We both felt that, out of the three formulas, this was our least favorite. It was too sheer. We agreed that this is definitely great for a tropical vacation, or geared more toward the summer months.
The Silky Satin formula definitely takes lipstick to another level. We both agree that this is our favorite formula. All it took was one stroke to achieve the coverage we love, full and opaque. The pigments are deep and rich, adding to the full, luxurious coverage. Even though some color did transfer to a glass, it was an insignificant amount, and it didn’t affect its approximately four- hour wear time. Not dry at all, it left our lips soft and supple. It had a slightly glossy finish that had a beautiful sheen to it. This left our lips feeling and looking amazing. We would wear this formula anytime day or night, and every season, it’s that versatile!
The downside of this product is the ridiculously high price. Ninety dollars is way too expensive to spend on a tube of lipstick. When we discussed if we would ever purchase this product again, Pinky said she would because she feels that this is much more than “a lipstick. It is more of an accessory, like a Chanel handbag, or a pair of Louboutin shoes. She said it would make any woman feel special. Picture yourself at an elegant wedding, you are in a magnificent dress, you take your ornament out of your purse, open it, and slip the lipstick’s mysterious vial across your lips.Your lips become vibrant with color. What could be sexier than that! I also would purchase the product again because I think it would be next tot impossible to find a lipstick that could outperform this one. The package design must have created some of the high cost, and is really unnecessary when you just want lipstick, yet, if ever your down in the dumps, need a major lift, or you want to feel like a Queen for the Day (or night), the package is pretty awesome ,and, yes, in the top and over the top! If that’s what it takes to bring a smile to your face, and you can splurge, GO FOR IT! Why not! You deserve it!
We purchased our lipsticks at Neiman Marcus, Saks and Sephora. The Louboutin lipsticks are paraben free, mineral oil free, DEA free and Phthalate free.these lipsticks are reportedly made in the USA.
