Bourjois Rouge Velvet liquid lipsticks are one of the most exciting High Street beauty releases I’ve seen in a long time - due to hit shelves in April. Think an intense pop of vibrant, mesmerising colour, lightweight texture and insane lasting power with a matte finish. These will make your lips the main focus of your face and work best with a subtle make-up look that allows them to take centre stage. Bad hair day or tired eyes: pop this on and no-one will notice!
It’s breaking my heart a little bit that I haven’t been able to capture just how sumptuous these are on camera - all that lovely sunshine disappeared and the sky darkened just as I was photographing them. As I write, I’m not sure if I’ll publish this tonight or re-take the pics tomorrow… I’ve used the best of my (minimal) editing skills to capture the colours as accurately as possible, but believe me, they’re better in real life.
I don’t know how Bourjois have done it, but these do actually look like plush velvet on the lips. Not in a weird way, but they have that rich, intense jewel coloured plush effect of expensive velvet and seem to make lips look fuller and softer.
What are they?
Rouge Velvet are highly pigmented liquid lipsticks, which apply like an opaque gloss and dry almost matte, with a teensy bit of slip, just enough to prevent lips feeling uncomfortable - or like the surface might crack (an unpleasant sensation I’ve experienced with similar formulas). Despite the strong pigment and serious lasting power, they apply as easily as a standard gloss or lipstick and then set slightly: once they do so, they feel so lightweight it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them. Daily use probably would leave lips a little dry - and after two days of constant testing mine could use a bit of balm - but it’s nothing major and I’ve definitely experienced more dryness after just a few hours wearing other liquid lipsticks.
Swatches
The colours are flipping gorgeous, as you can see. There are 8 in total and I’ve been testing four (as pictured left to right above):
- 07 Nude-ist - a deep rosewood in a much deeper tone than I expected. Maybe it’s too close to my own lip colour, but I expected this one to be quite subtle and it’s not. I don’t dislike it; I’d just prefer it to be slightly lighter for a more nude effect.
- 03 Hot Pepper - an orange toned, Marilyn-esque tomato red. Shades + this = the only make-up you need on sunny days.
- 05 Ole Flamingo! - raspberry toned hot pink that nestles between pink and red. This is much more wearable than Pink Pong and probably my favourite.
- 06 Pink Pong - in-your-face, verging on neon magenta, this is not for the faint hearted. I’ve worn it all day and it’s a bit much for daytime - I did get some looks. I do love it though!
Performance
It’s worth pointing out that the colour and boldness of these are slightly buildable. One thin layer will give the most subtle effect. Pat it on over lip balm for an even softer result (though this will reduce lasting power). Most lipsticks have a short wear time on me… I’m impressed if they pass an hour. These survived 4-5 hours of meetings, lunch, coffee and even a quick smooch. They weren’t immaculate after all this, but they were still *there* - and literally stayed until I removed them at bedtime with Bioderma - still leaving a slight stain.
In these pics I’m wearing Hot Pepper (left, way more vibrant in real life) and Pink Pong. My pics of the other shades really didn’t do them justice, so I didn’t feel it was fair to include them.
The packaging is stylish and practical and even the doe foot applicator looks and feels velvety.
Application Tips
- To moisturise your lips without interfering with the formula, use a balm while you apply other makeup, then blot off any excess with a tissue before using Rouge Velvet.
- Use an invisible lip liner to avoid colour smudging over the edges of your lips, especially if you plan to eat.
- Use a regular lip liner in a similar shade pre application for a neat edge. This isn’t essential as the applicator works well on its own, but if you’re not used to such a bright shade it will give you more confidence while applying.
- Because the colour is so strong and hangs around for so long, soften any harsh lines where the colour stops on the inside edges of your lips, by sweeping the clean wand (or a finger) over them before the product sets. This just gives a more natural looking finish.
- If the product is wearing off and you’re not in a situation where you can top it up, apply lip balm and work it into any excess product left on your lips for a more even look.
Four additional shades include a deep peach, burgundy, crimson and deep pink. Bourjois Rouge Velvet are available now at £8.99 each HERE. They look and perform as if they cost at least twice that.
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