Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in PK 365

So, when I was at Sephora last month, I noticed that Shu Uemura's make-up line had its own space on the wall (prime real estate in Sephora, really). For the longest time, Shu Uemura's make-up (except for the mascara) was exclusive to Holt Renfrew in Canada, and then I saw it at Sephora Eaton Centre sometime over the winter holidays last year and thought they were the only location to get it (a lot of brands will make exceptions to be carried at the Eaton Centre despite its exclusivity due to that location being the busiest in Canada). But, nope, on this day, we were at the Sephora at Fairview Mall, which is in a decidedly much more suburban area, so I now assume Shu Uemura is being made more widely available here. 

I hadn't paid much attention to the brand in years simply because I didn't have much access to it, so needless to say, I spent quite a while playing around with their products while I was at Sephora. As you can imagine, I wanted quite a few things, but had to limit myself to one item since I was on a budget (but I wanted to take advantage of the VIB sale) and decided on a lipstick in a delightfully summery shade. Shu Uemura's lipsticks are housed in silver metal tubes with outer clear plastic casing; each Rouge Unlimited lipstick contains 3.2 grams of product, and retails for $36 at Holt Renfrew and at participating Sephora locations.
Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in PK 365

PK 365 is a medium vibrant watermelon pink with warm undertones and a natural sheen. This is a permanent shade. The texture is soft and creamy, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter and more reddened than YSL Rose Culte Rouge Volupté, warmer and brighter than MAC Perpetual Flame Pro Longwear Lip Creme, more pink than MAC Lady at Play Mineralize Rich Lipstick, and less pink and more pigmented than MAC Speak Louder Lipstick. 

I'm in love with this formula! It glides on as creamy and smooth as YSL's Rouge Volupté lipsticks, but it's more lightweight and more hydrating. It actually reminds me of MAC's new Mineralize Rich Lipsticks, but a bit more pigmented. This particular shade gives off complete even and opaque colour coverage, and wears about five hours before needing to re-apply — but even as it dries down, it's incredibly comfortable to wear, keeps my lips feeling soft and moisturized, and doesn't bleed or settle into lip lines. I really need to give Shu Uemura more attention; I had bought several single eyeshadows (which are now discontinued; they only offer eyeshadow refill pans for their custom palettes now) from a Shu Uemura store when I went to Hong Kong nine years ago, and I remember them being gorgeous, pigmented and smooth... but I think I threw them out (gasp!) when I moved a few years ago. I know Shu Uemura is more known for their eyelash curler on this side of the world, but there is a whole world of colour waiting to be discovered, and I foresee many more Rouge Unlimited lipsticks in my (very near) future.