Shiseido's Perfect Rouge formula was a thing of great and underrated beauty, let down by slightly awkward undertones which made most shades unwearable for me -- Dragon made it into last year's favourite reds roundup, but that was the exception that proved the rule. For spring 2013, Shiseido reformulated and relaunched the entire line, and my choices now included two new shades: RS347 Ballet (a vibrant pink, slightly rosier than hot) and RD142 Sublime (an offbeat red softened by coral).
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They've mostly retained but sleeked-up and darkened the metallic rounded octagonal casing, and the bullets are now engraved with SHISEIDO GINZA TOKYO, a nice touch, while retaining the clever indentation that makes them hug the lips tightly in a straight-from-the-bullet application. The new formula has a great deal of slip -- far more than the old Perfect Rouges, and indeed more than the majority of other lipsticks on the market -- it's a rich, creamy slip, rather than a thinner silicone-y slip [e.g. By Terry Rouge Terrybly, Givenchy Le Rouge] or a lightweight liquid glide [e.g. Suqqu Creamy Glow], and one swipe deposits dense pigment with a creamy gloss.
The unctuous feeling is immediately impressive and easy to like and communicates that quietly luxurious vibe that Shiseido sells so well. While well pigmented (though less so than By Terry Rouge Terrybly or Suqqu Creamy Glow), these are not opaque, and will be skewed by underlying lip pigmentation. On my very cool mauve-pink lips, both shades look cooler and lighter than on my arm.
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...which is thankfully pretty true-to-promo on me -- Sublime is the headliner shade from the line:
Unfortunately, without the promo lighting/photography and a Dick-Page-prepped, model-perfect pout, the new Perfect Rouge texture just isn't up to par -- while not exactly sinking into my vertical liplines, it doesn't do a thing to plump them out or, despite the glossy finish, to conceal them; if anything the creaminess is the 'filmy' kind which tends to sit on top of skin texture rather than melding with it, unlike the recent release I loved (Givenchy Le Rouge).
Worse, I find those liplines deepening steadily over a day spent in Perfect Rouge, while two days' wear in a row inevitably leads to flaky, chapped lips which requires a few days of assiduous Blistexing to heal. While the Perfect Rouge lasting power is good rather than spectacular (requiring reapplication after a meal), it behaves similarly to the film-forming, long-lasting formulas I can't wear (Armani Rouge D'Armani, Lancôme Rouge In Love), as if after the pigment fades the base remains and contributes further to the drying effects of this lipstick as reapplications build up. (I do apply balm before any application of this formula.)
I jettisoned Ballet fairly quickly, because while flattering and pretty and all that jazz, it's no game-changing beauty once skewed cooler and paler by my lips:
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To get the (more interesting to me) shade Ballet [left] appears on my arm, I had better luck layering two Guerlain shades, Girly and Chamade [right], which together are sufficiently opaque to stay pretty much true on my lips.
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Of course, the shade I fell really hard for, Sublime, I loved precisely for its uniqueness (at this point in my red addiction, finding a unique red -- imagine!) and therefore proved impossible to franken. :(
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If any of you should come across anything Sublime-ish on your makeup travels, please do let me know!
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Shiseido Perfect Rouge are made in the US and retail at £22 in the UK. For more swatches from the new line, see Evonnz and The Make-Up Blogette.
For details of the full-face looks in this post are, along with other looks featuring these lipsticks, click through.
They've mostly retained but sleeked-up and darkened the metallic rounded octagonal casing, and the bullets are now engraved with SHISEIDO GINZA TOKYO, a nice touch, while retaining the clever indentation that makes them hug the lips tightly in a straight-from-the-bullet application. The new formula has a great deal of slip -- far more than the old Perfect Rouges, and indeed more than the majority of other lipsticks on the market -- it's a rich, creamy slip, rather than a thinner silicone-y slip [e.g. By Terry Rouge Terrybly, Givenchy Le Rouge] or a lightweight liquid glide [e.g. Suqqu Creamy Glow], and one swipe deposits dense pigment with a creamy gloss.
One swipe onto bare arm, natural light
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| Ballet | Sublime |
Ballet reads as a bright, cool bubblegum rose:
Sublime is a paradoxically clear-and-soft corally red:
...which is thankfully pretty true-to-promo on me -- Sublime is the headliner shade from the line:
Unfortunately, without the promo lighting/photography and a Dick-Page-prepped, model-perfect pout, the new Perfect Rouge texture just isn't up to par -- while not exactly sinking into my vertical liplines, it doesn't do a thing to plump them out or, despite the glossy finish, to conceal them; if anything the creaminess is the 'filmy' kind which tends to sit on top of skin texture rather than melding with it, unlike the recent release I loved (Givenchy Le Rouge).
Worse, I find those liplines deepening steadily over a day spent in Perfect Rouge, while two days' wear in a row inevitably leads to flaky, chapped lips which requires a few days of assiduous Blistexing to heal. While the Perfect Rouge lasting power is good rather than spectacular (requiring reapplication after a meal), it behaves similarly to the film-forming, long-lasting formulas I can't wear (Armani Rouge D'Armani, Lancôme Rouge In Love), as if after the pigment fades the base remains and contributes further to the drying effects of this lipstick as reapplications build up. (I do apply balm before any application of this formula.)
I jettisoned Ballet fairly quickly, because while flattering and pretty and all that jazz, it's no game-changing beauty once skewed cooler and paler by my lips:
To get the (more interesting to me) shade Ballet [left] appears on my arm, I had better luck layering two Guerlain shades, Girly and Chamade [right], which together are sufficiently opaque to stay pretty much true on my lips.
Comparisons
with Lipstick Queen Oxymoron Matte Gloss Free Ride, Guerlain Rouge G Girly, Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RS404 Disco, Guerlain Rouge Automatique Chamade and Champs Élyséees, YSL Glossy Stain 24 Fuchsia Intemporel.
Of course, the shade I fell really hard for, Sublime, I loved precisely for its uniqueness (at this point in my red addiction, finding a unique red -- imagine!) and therefore proved impossible to franken. :(
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| this be my sad "y u no love me back, sublime?" face |
Comparisons
with Becca Watermelon Beach Tint, Lancome Color Design Matte Stylista, RMS Beauty lip2cheek Modest, Addiction Last Scene, Guerlain Rouge Automatique Samsara [which has a similar kind of soft/bright vibe as Sublime but is muted by more conventional berry tones].
If any of you should come across anything Sublime-ish on your makeup travels, please do let me know!
mysteriously drying ingredients list
Shiseido Perfect Rouge are made in the US and retail at £22 in the UK. For more swatches from the new line, see Evonnz and The Make-Up Blogette.
For details of the full-face looks in this post are, along with other looks featuring these lipsticks, click through.