YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick in 19 Fuchsia in Rage

When YSL initially came out with their Rouge Volupté Shine Lipsticks, I was truly uninterested and had written them off has boring because they seemed too similar to many lipstick/lip gloss/lip balm hybrid formulas already out there (e.g. Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine, MAC's Sheen Supreme, Dior's Dior Addict, etc.). But this past summer, I found myself at a Sephora in Buffalo and 19 Fuchsia in Rage totally caught my eye. So I swatched it on my hand, and it was game over — I was completely smitten. Of course, I was all set to buy it, but that particular Sephora was sold out. Which only made me want to buy it more. I came back to Toronto and walked into several Sephora locations and couldn't find that shade anywhere. Like, it wasn't even being carried here. It's available online, but I didn't want to put in an order for the sake of buying one lipstick (before I was a VIB Rouge member, it was only free shipping with a purchase of $75 or more). Then I went to Pennsylvania last month and with renewed vigour, I was on the hunt yet again for this lipstick. And, just my luck, the store I went to (at Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh) had one left. It was meant to be. And, thusly, I ate my words and bought a Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick. They are packaged in a weighty gold metal tube with the YSL logo surrounding the centre of the tube, and a small mirror at the top of the cap. Each Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick contains 4.5 grams of product, and retails for $39.
19 Fuchsia in Rage 19 Fuchsia in Rage

19 Fuchsia in Rage is a medium-dark vibrant purple-toned magenta pink with a glossy finish. This is a permanent shade (possibly only available online and in the US). It has a light tropical fruit scent and flavour. The texture is lightweight and creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter and more purple than MAC Girl About Town, darker and much more pink than MAC Up the Amp, slightly more purple than MAC Love Forever! Pro Longwear Lipcreme, lighter than MAC Zen Rose Sheen Supreme Lipstick, similar though sheerer and glossier than Shiseido RS 320 Fuchsia, darker and more purple than NARS Schiap, and darker than NARS Full Frontal.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! YSL describes the Rouge Volupté Shine as "an innovative and comforting lipstick enhanced with fruit extracts rich in vitamins and antioxidants that leave lips visibly softer and smoother with up to eight hours of hydration... The luscious, hydrating texture glides on your lips leaving a lightweight aqua shine effect." I definitely agree that these feel really smooth and lightweight going on, and the finish has that almost-wet glossy look (especially great when I am too lazy to apply gloss on top). The semi-opaque colour pay-off gives an almost jelly-like effect, which makes lips look fuller and plumper, too. They do feel hydrating when worn, though I can't say it had any lingering or long-lasting hydration after it wore off. For such a lightweight, glossy lipstick, though, these do wear really well — about four hours before starting to wear off — and this particular colour leaves a stain, too, which makes the wear-time appear longer. As someone who owns nearly 400 lipsticks, though, that's not what makes this particular lipstick special. Yes, the packaging is nice and screams "luxury" (it is $39, after all), but this colour is just stunning. I was actually wearing this yesterday (my birthday!), and I got compliments on it nearly everywhere I went. Fans of fuchsia, magenta, and purple — this is a definite must-have, and worth every damn penny.