Haul & Swatches: Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick

So you know when I go to buy makeup, I take this super serious and organised stance, researching colour descriptions, trawling blogs for swatches, scribbling notes, saving photos and in the end completely confusing myself by adding more discoveries along the way to my wishlist? Well I spent two days figuring out which of these new Estee Lauder lipsticks to buy. Two entire days. Unfortunately it's something I have to do when I'm unable to get to the shops. I could swatch 'em at a counter and make up my mind in about 2 seconds flat, but that's not an option for me right now. Anyway I bought two online and have another to buy once I figure out if it's different enough from those I've already got.
The new lippies are called Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick and have created a real buzz in the beauty industry already. I can absolutely see why. It's the first time in years that EL have formulated new packaging for their lipsticks and this one is very impressive, with a cool, sleek, laid-back kinda elegance. It feels incredibly weighty and luxurious in navy blue with gold ends and branding scribed into the top. The shade name is clearly stated on the base and inside you'll find more branding on the...what would you call the twisty bit you turn up? "The twisty bit"! I'm a big geek fan of that clicky noise lipsticks make when you put the lid on, but this one has gone one step further with a magnetic closure. Like my Guerlain ones, once the lid is almost at the base, it automatically closes itself, thus avoiding those loose lipstick lids and mushed lipstick in handbag moments. I can verify the snapping shut bit is extremely satisfying even without an actual 'click'!  I may have demonstrated several times to my sister while she looked on blankly. Then she smeared chocolate fingerprints onto my brand new cases, when I forced her to try it herself.  Clearly we are not related.    
Inside the lipstick looks so glossy and creamy, even before application. I obviously opted for nude shades, but there are pinks, reds, coral, darker browns and even plum. There's bound to be a colour for everyone. The one I originally wanted was 110 Insatiable Ivory (below), which was described as a warm nude.
Some photos made it look quite dark and I prefer light nudes, so I was a little concerned it would be quite brown in real life. My photos I suppose also look quite dark and in the swatches it's not the palest nude I've ever seen, but it's still oh so lovely. When it comes to the swatches, remember I literally haven't seen the light of day in weeks, so my hand is as pale as you can get. On my lips it doesn't look nearly as dark.
The other one I got was 120 Desirable (above) after to-ing and fro-ing between that and Impulsive. You'll never believe the amount of blogs I went on that had photos and swatches that weren't labelled, it was rather annoying! I knew exactly what I wanted from their pics, but there was no real reference to which shade was which. I think Impulsive may be lighter than Desirable. Desirable is described as lip tone pink nude, while Impulsive is a light, milky pink nude. Maybe there's not much in it and this is why I'm holding off buying it, if it's too similar.  I then also wondered if Desirable would be too similar to Insatiable Ivory, but you can clearly see the difference when they are side by side (Desirable is the lighter, pinkier one on the right).  I quickly applied them to the lips last night before bed, because I was super excited to see how they looked.  I applied one to the top lip and one to the bottom and ok, the lighting wasn't perfect at that time, but I did think they looked very similar!  They don't in the swatches though.   
As I thought from looking at them, they apply so smooth and creamy (my swatches don't do that justice). Despite these being the lighter shades in the range, they only need one swipe for a noticeable colour. I haven't had the chance to wear them all day to see how long lasting they are, but I've heard good things about that.  I suppose the shades I picked aren't super unique, but for this amazing creamy formula, I'd quite happily buy more!  They are shades that I'll wear loads and so it's money well spent in my opinion.  Speaking of, they are priced £24 each and I actually had £20 on my beauty card and for the first time, spent it online (you can do that now), so technically I got one free-ish (there was 10% off last week too).  For the swatches, I took one inside (below), then as the sun was shining so brightly in my window, another where my hand was directly in the sun (bottom).  
I bought mine from Debenhams who currently have a lovely GWP instore until the 15th (buy two products, one to be skincare or foundation) or you can opt for the gift I got by buying online, which is a makeup duo and bag. There's no restrictions on what you can buy (just two EL products and if the gift doesn't add to your basket, it's out of stock). You get a mini Sumptuous Extreme mascara and this adorable lipstick keyring. It's like Barbie sized, it's so darn cute!! I really should've placed it next to something for a comparison of just how ickle and tiny it is.  It's a Pure Color Crystal shimmer lipstick in 41 Tiramisu and I've swatched it next to the others below. It's a sheer rose with sporadic shimmer.  
I would seriously recommend trying these lippies for yourself as I'm sure you'll be completely enthralled with them too.  I'm desperate to see Impulsive and buy it decide if I need that too, then if I see the others I might go bold and buy something non-nude!  Go me! A quick note that I've been updating my shopping links page and added tonnes of new brands to it.  If you click through any of these links or ads and make a purchase, I get a small commission.  I'm sure I don't have to explain that I'm still completely honest in my opinions and reviews-I've previously linked to Debenhams (and other brands on that page) a million times before without commission, so it just seemed silly not to, when I naturally do it anyway.  Let me know if you've tried these lipsticks or suss out Impulsive for me!