Bourjois | Rouge Velvet The Lipstick: Review and Swatches

Disclaimer: The products featured were provided for review.

The matte lip trend is going nowhere and more and more brands are offering their own take on the look. Recently, Bourjois has dropped a new line of matte lipsticks promising an intense pigmentation and a comfortable, nourishing wear. Do the new Rouge Velvet The Lipstick ($24 CAD) stand to their claim? Check out my review and swatches to find out......

Bourjois | Rouge Velvet The Lipstick

Packaging:
Bourjois's Rouge Velvet The Lipstick is housed in a plastic tube colored to resemble the lipstick shade inside. The bullet has a unique teardrop shape and a tip that slightly curves upwards to hug the lips. The curved design flattens out after just a few swipes but the elongated shape makes application much easier and more precise. The packaging quality is pretty decent but for a $24 lipstick, I do expect a little more pizzazz.

Bourjois | Rouge Velvet The Lipstick

Formulation:
Marketed as a hybrid lipstick that's both extremely matte and richly nourishing, the Rouge Velvet The Lipstick indeed features a very unique formulation. Unbelievably silky and smooth, the color glides like butter on the lips and the pigmentation is phenomenal. However, what's really interesting is that within seconds of application, the silky satin texture completely sets to a true matte finish, as one would expect with a liquid lipstick. Although not completely transfer-proof, the color stays smudge-proof and smear-proof. However, as the lipstick sets, it does feel slightly drying and mask-like. There's also noticeable creasing and cracking. With the deeper shade here, the phenomenon is not as noticeable but with the softer colors, the texture makes the lips look rather parched.

02 Flaming Rose: A soft powdery pink, Flaming Rose is very pigmented. However, this one creases quite a bit after it sets, making the lips appear dry and wrinkly.
06 Abrico'dabra: This is a subdued soft orange. The pigmentation is very good but like Flaming Rose, there is noticeable creasing after setting.
11 Berry Formidable: A deep wine red, Berry Formidable does not suffer from the same creasing issues as the other shades but the finish is a touch patchy despite my many efforts to smooth everything out.

Bourjois | Rouge Velvet The Lipstick in "02 Flaming Rose"

Bourjois | Rouge Velvet The Lipstick in "06 Abrico'dabra"

Bourjois | Rouge Velvet The Lipstick in "11 Berry Formidable"

This is by far one of the most unique lipstick formulations I've tried. The smooth application and the intense pigmentation are beyond impressive. However, the crease-prone finish is problematic and I would have preferred a completely transfer-proof finish given that the formulation feels not much better than your average matte liquid lipstick. Borjouis deserves huge props for creating something innovative but I am personally going to stick with regular liquid lipsticks for achieving that true matte lip.

Availability:
Bourjois is available in Canada exclusively at select Shoppers Drug Mart and online at www.beautyboutique.ca. For more information, visit Bourjois.ca.

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