I have tried a few liquid lipstick brands in 2016 (may I say it has been the year of liquid lipstick?), but just wasn’t the biggest fan. To me, they look and feel too matte & dry, accentuate lip lines and make me look like I have more makeup on than there really is (at least in my mind that’s what I see). I was pretty much ready to say Goodbye to liquid lipstick, but Chanel dropped the bomb with its launch of Rouge Allure ink. After hearing a few beauty bloggers raved about it, who also weren’t crazy about liquid lipsticks, I decided to give it a try.
Let me tell you, my wallet was not happy with this decision. It’s $49 SGD a pop (I purchased them before Chanel Beauty increased price for all its permanent makeup products), and I pocketed three: 140 Amoureux, 146 Séduisant and 148 Libéré.
Package:
As you would expect from the brand, the package is nothing but perfection. The product comes in a small frosted glass tube, with a sleek black cap and a gold Chanel logo on the top. It’s transparent, so you can easily see the color of lipstick, and something about the frosted tube is simply mesmerizing – I literally held it on my hand and stared at it for 5 minutes.
And yes, it’s a pretty small tube, much smaller in size than your typical lipstick or lipgloss, which means very purse friendly. It contains 6ml of product, a standard size for lip products.
Formula:
Very different from the classic liquid lipstick, the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink has a slip to it, feels creamy and applies exceptionally smooth. It reminds me a lot of the ColourPop Ultra Satin liquid lipstick. It’s very easy to get an even distribution of color, but I do still find the need to go back and over a few streaky lines to get the perfect look. I like the fact it doesn’t dry down immediately, which means you don’t have to rush to get the perfect line around the edge of lips.
Once completed, it takes 5-10 minutes to dry down. When dries down, it still has a bit of slip, the finish is close to semi-matte and pretty darn comfortable. But if you are looking for a completely matte lipstick, this is not for you. Personally though, I love it, because if something is not comfortable, I just cannot get on with it, no matter how drop dead gorgeous it is.
It easily lasted 4-5 hours on me with normal drinking and eating.
Color:
The fact I had the intention to buy just one Rouge Allure Ink, but ended up with three, pretty much tells you that I really, really like them.
140 Amoureux is close to my natural lip color, just a tiny hint pinker and peachier. So yes, another every day, throw-on-without-thinking-too-much kind of lipstick.
146 Séduisant is a bright coral red, reminds me a bit of the YSL Rouge Pur Couture 52 Rosy Coral. It instantly brightens the complexion, and still being rather wearable on day to day.
148 Libéré is the red I have been looking for for a long time. The struggle of finding a good red lipstick for my skintone is real! They either age me, or clash with my warm undertone. But 148 Libéré strikes the perfect balance of red and orange, I can totally see it in my holiday makeup bag – a black eyeliner, a bit of mascara and this lipstick, I can get ready in 5 minutes.
So yeah, I’m quite obsessed with the Chanel Rouge Ink line. Everything from the package, to the formula, and to the color are well done. Being Chanel, it’s certainly a pricey item, but I still think they worth the money.