Stash visit- Guerlain Rouge G/ Serie Noire/ Kiss Kiss Lipsticks reviews

A quick stash visit again to various Guerlain lipsticks.

Guerlain Rouge Serie Noire #70 Fuschia 

It's a medium brightened pink (without being full fuschia, but it is still bright), it's creamy and glossy and applies like a dream. There's a slight shimmer in the same color base. Comes in a black tube packaging (not sure if it's limited edition to this collection only).  2011 as well.

Rouge G B64 Bee below- this was limited edition from 2011 with the Bee collection.

It's a medium plum (buildable to full coverage) with slightly golden shimmers. It's really creamy but still retains a light shine.

 You can see the golden bit on the handle is actually a bee design. 

Guerlain Rouge G #25 Garconne- a true creamy neutral/ cool toned red. It's creamy and glossy and shiny and without shimmers.

Guerlain Kiss Kiss Strass Brilliance Crystal #323 Rouge Imperial

Ruby scarlet red, deep jewel toned, buildable to quite a dark shade. This is the kiss kiss strass series which has more "sparkly" finish, richer shimmers, but not metallic.

Guerlain Kiss Kiss 520 Red Booster- it's a bit flatter than Kiss Kiss strass and while it is satiny finish, definitely not as shiny as all the other Guerlain lipsticks.  A red with slightly golden pearly sheen. I found this to be a bit drier.

Guerlain Kiss Kiss Strass #363 Rose de Larine

Again the Kiss Kiss Strass series are very sparkly and shimmery - it's a beautiful beiged medium pink base with silver shimmers. Unfortunately the silver shimmers just doesn't work on my skintone and end up looking a bit ghastly on me.

Overall thoughts are the Guerlain Rouge G series are a lot better than the normal Kiss Kiss lipsticks (other than the Kiss Kiss balms which I haven't linked any above, they are really lovely as a daily light lip tint that is rather moisturising). However I still don't feel Rouge G are worth the pricetags- they are just way too steep for a lipstick.

The kiss kiss lipisticks are usually a little bit drier, and some shades can be a bit too shimmery or sparkly and looks gritty on the lips (while they feel fine on the lips in reality, just look a bit too shimmery).

Guerlain Kiss Kiss Baby Nourishing Lip Balm #261 Rosy Nude swatch/review

Guerlain Kiss Kiss Baby Nourishing Lip balm are really just sheer lipsticks that is rather moisturising. While it's called a lip balm, I don't think it's as nourishing as a normal lipbalm, but at the same time the consistency is unique and different to a normal lipstick and a lot of other sheer lipsticks. It just glides on so easily over the lips.

I love this when my lips are slightly chapped too, it seems to glide on and conceal and dryness and very soon you get a kissable looking pink lips.

Not to mention how it's housed in the Guerlain packaging with the silver tube with bamboo like segment design. So pretty!

I have #261 Rosy Nude, which swatches as a light rose pink, however on the lips it's a neutral pink rose, much like how the lipbalm itself looks in the tube:

Sorry for the poor swatch- it's showing as a sheerish red, but reallyit's more a rosy pink.

Here it is on my lips- seriously my lips were really dry today but with this, any dryness is easily masked underneath. #261 Rosy Nude is also such a pretty color, simply swipe on and you get those perfect natural looking pink lips.

Overall 5/5. The lipbalms are lightly scented, I don't think it's as strong as a lot of other Guerlain products and I rather like the scent.  I get 3 hours wear out of this and it wears off quite evenly.

Guerlain Terracotta Gloss & Shine Moisturising Lip Balm Sun Shimmer #01 Blonde Sun review/swatch

Isn't the name a mouthfull? Really, it is honestly that long!
 

Guerlain Terracotta collections are released virtually every single summer. The Gloss & Shine Moisturising Lip Balm Sun Shimmer has been in the collections regularly  (with different color released each time) for last 2-3 years as far as I can remember.

This shade #01 Blonde Sun was in from the Orient Sun themed Terracotta collection (I think 2010?). It was the lightest looking one out of the 3 released at the time, so I thought I couldn't go wrong with it.

 

To my surprise, despite being called moisturising lip balm and 'gloss and shine' and all, these are more like liquid lipsticks- the consistency is a bit thicker than expected (e.g. comparable to MAC Lipglass in the more pigmented shades I thought).  Definitely not a lip balm or tinted lipbalm/gloss like I expected.

You can see based on swatch on the skin how pigmented these are. On the lips they show with as much pigmentation. The shimmer is pretty consistent too so it will show up on the lips as well (instead of wearing off like a layer of glitter). 

#01 Blonde Sun is a bronzed rose- or rose tan shade, with same colored shimmers infused throughout. It's very pigmented, you can see on the second skin swatch even spreading it out it still remains equally pigmented. I thought I was going to get a soft nude pink based on the color in the tube, how wrong I was.

Overall 3/5. 

Mostly because it's just not my color nor the consistency I expected.  I sort of understand why the Terracotta line doesn't sell as well in Asia (as with most bronze/ tan themed European brand collections), these tan/ brick shades really brings out a lot of yellow from my skin and I look rather sallow.

The high pigmentation and consistency also means I can't just slap this on without it looking rather out of place on my lips. It looks like a color a lot more suitable for those who are naturally more tanned, or with a golden/olive skin tone, or need to be complemented with a bit more makeup such as a bronze cheek color.

In terms of moisturising properties, it's as good as most lipglosses out there, it's not drying but I wouldn't call it a lipbalm because it's just not what you would expect a tinted lipbalm to be. This should really be marketd as a liquid lipstick.

Spring makeup must see! Armani/Albion/Paul & Joe/Maquillage/Coffret D'or / Aube Couture (February Spring Biteki special edition)

Biteki is one of the top Japanese beauty magazine much like Voce and Maquia (comparable to what Allure is in the US I suppose). Every quarter they release a special pamphlet which features almost EVERY single brand's seasonal collection (not just usual boring promo pictures but literally every item of the actual product), so you can see lipstick shades in actual colors and all the eyeshadows or even eyeliners/ eyebrow pencils all under professional photos!

Along with the pics you also have with a quick description of the product (e.g. this eyeshadow is meant to feature a sheer iridescent finish, or this lipstick line is a pigmented creamy finish), and whether product is Limited Edition (yes the word that makes all women crazy.. =P ) in addition to Japanese RRP prices and color codes/ full names (unfortunately not with English product names too- but I can always figure it out in the end by comparing against official website). Best of all is the main magazine body often uses those products on models, and in this little pamphlet it also notes like 'please refer to page 90 of the main magazine' where a product in the pamphlet featured in spring collection was applied to a model. How neat is that! so you can see great swatch pics on the model. (of course there's some photoshopping but I find the colors quite accurate).

Here are some extracts from magazine on things I want to get, there are so any pages in this supplment, I only took a few pics of the ones I'm interested in, respecting the copyright of the magazine, I highly recommend purchasing the magazine if you could (though this magazine RRP is 550Yen in Japan yet I can only find it for $19AUD in Australia, hello! what a ridiculous markup!)

(Japanese brands below can be purchased from http://www.adambeauty.com/ (cheaper but less choices and slower updates) or http://www.ichibankao.com/ (more expensive but quicker updates)). Not affiliated with either sites.

Maquillage

Suqqu

Suqqu is a Japan exclusive so far I believe (and also UK as a reader pointed out! thanks!), it's quite pricey...

Jill Stuart-

The same pink looks...

Shiseido Integrate

(Which is a drugstore line)

Est and Eprise (both are premium makeup lines)

Kanebo Coffret D'or (I dont find the lipstick swatches too helpful though- neither is the main website, however if you like light to medium shades, most colors are really user-friendly and foolproof, other than a few really dark ones in the swatches you might want to check out first before purchasing sight unseen.

Ayura- again, mostly sold in Japan.

Sofina Aube Couture

Aube Couture is the new line replacing "Aube", it's a bit more pricey, however I think they are also trying to grow into a more mature brand. I'm quite excited about this! purchased a few items already, need to find time to try them.

Giorgio Armani Pink Lights collection- again, super overpriced brand as we all know it...I think the botton left is the 'Blending Cheek Duo' in #4- Rosewood and something..can be seen on official website, RRP60USD (booo)

Shiseido International

Estee Lauder and Clinique

Very interested in that EL palette, I've seen gorgeous pics elsewhere of it!

Clinique ones features 4 Limited Edition eyeshadows in the blossom print (in previous years they've been releasing blushes in that print).

Guerlain Paradis

Guerlain new collection features many single eyeshadows and the Paradis palette #404, unfortunately it's one of those brands that seems to grow in price exponentially...

Paul & Joe Ingenue Collection (reviewed in my blog) and the regular line additions - see my earlier posts for reviews on the Ingenue collection.

RMK Translucence

Lunasol- blossom collection

YSL

hrrrm a tad weaker this year, nice colors but not very exciting, just variations of spring shades really..

Hope you find these helpful! I compared some actual product pics against my photos above and they match quite reasnoably well.