It's a long running joke in our house that each lipstick I buy is the same shade...erm, do they not know that every nude is different? Not that my family read here, but if they did, the lipstick I'm swatching today would surprise them as it's...green. Yes, really!!
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The L'Oreal collaboration with fashion house Balmain isn't a new one, but I found this lipstick online earlier this year and it just so happened to be the colour I was really intrigued by at the time of launch. I don't get out often to Boots or Superdrug to test their makeup brands (well with Covid, nobody does now), so I don't buy much in the way of drugstore/high street brands these days and after initially eyeing this collection, I'd forgotten all about it, until I stumbled upon it here.
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The 12 piece lipstick collection was split into 3 categories (called "tribes"). The black cases are the Couture shades (nudes, red, purple), the marbled blue cases were Rock and there were some interesting shades in there, including blue (I really wanted the taupe) and then the Safari tribe is housed in marbled green and the lipstick colours were earthy toned and this is where my shade lies. Just luck the case I most liked is the shade I bought!
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Designed by Balmain creative director, Olivier Rousteing, the packaging is gorgeous. It's similar to the regular shape of L'Oreal Color Riche lippies, but the high-shine marbled green with gold accents is so much more desirable than the usual black or pale gold. Whilst it's beautiful to look at, it is very lightweight and plastic feeling, so there's no expensive, luxurious quality to the feel.
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The finish of these lipsticks is apparently the Color Riche Matte formula, which I haven't tried before (had plenty CR, but not the matte). My shade is Balmain Instinct, which is a khaki green with sporadic gold shimmer. I'd say the finish is more of a satin, there's a definite slight metallic sheen and of course with the glitter, it just doesn't feel like a true matte formula to me. It swatched beautifully, I was worried it would perhaps be a little patchy, though I haven't tried a look with this yet on my lips, so it could apply differently there. The bottom two photos show the glitter a little clearer, but it's subtle.
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Definitely an unusual addition to my lipstick stash.
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