Obsessing Over This Designer x Drugstore Lipstick Collab!

Drugstore

L'Oréal Paris X Balmain Color Riche lipstick collectionA good lipstick is an essential beauty product; even if you’re not massively into makeup, chances are you’ve spent a long time searching for the perfect lipstick shade. Naturally, when Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing announced he’d be creating a lipstick collection with French beauty brand L’Oréal, the fashion and beauty world released a combined YAAAAS of excitement – myself included! I’ve always been a huge fan of Balmain, so when they launched the L’Oréal Paris X Balmain Color Riche collection late last year, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. The collection promised some really cool colors that make the hunt for your perfect lipstick shade so much more exciting. Here’s why it’s still one of my fav makeup collabs of the last 12 months.

The collection: 12 limited-edition matte shades in L’Oréal’s classic, highly-pigmented Color Riche formula, $13. The collection is divided into three categories to represent different tribes; Glamazone (green packaging) Couture (black packaging) and Rock (blue packaging) – I love this idea of different shades embodying different femininities. I’m also SO obsessed with the campaign they created alongside the collection, which brings the whole theme and inspiration behind the collection to life.

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Glamazone: The colors are inspired by the Amazon jungle and represent fierce, and bold shades: 469 Fever (red/ orange), 647 Safari (beige), 648 Glamazone (earthy brown), 905 Instinct (green).

Couture: It wouldn’t be Balmain without some cool couture shades to celebrate Balmain’s Parisian origins: 468 Liberation (deep purple), 246 Confession (peach), 365 Confidence (pale pink, gold metallic), 365 Domination (red matte).

Rock: As the name implies, these shades are all about rebellious, rule-breaking colors: 902 Legend (dark brown), 467 Freedom (matte purple), 650 Power (red/ brown), 901 Rebellion (blue).

What we thought: The lipstick shades are really beautiful, and I love the diversity of the shade range, which has some super unique colors like blue and purple that look amazing on lots of different skin tones. I LOVE the Safari shade, which is such a pretty, nude pink shade, while the Glamazone shade is a quirky, grey-brownish shade that is to die for. L’Oréal lipsticks are always amazing quality – they go on smoothly, have a buttery formula, and intense pigmentation – and these are just the same. They also last really well, so although it’s not a long-lasting formula, it’s super comfortable and lasts a good few hours if you’re not eating or drinking. The formula also contains camellia oil, which is brilliant for keeping lips hydrated.

My tips: Because these have such a smooth and creamy formula, it’s important to exfoliate your lips first so that the canvas is completely smooth, otherwise you can see dry patches quite obviously. I also find that using a lip liner helps to really define and improve the wear of these.

Shop the L’Oréal Paris X Balmain Color Riche collection here.