Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick (Review & Lip Swatches)

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick, £8.99
Boots | Superdrug | Amazon | Very

When the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipsticks first made an appearance, I was instantly drawn to them; I surely don’t need any more lip products, but the claims of a soft matte velvet finish, 24 hours lasting power and a non-drying feel on the lips were far too irresistible. Let’s start from the beginning!

Summary

• Matte finish
• Bold colours
• Lightweight
• Soft velvet texture
• Non-drying
• Bright colours
• Lasts 24 hours
• Slant foam applicator
• 6 shades ( 2 reds, 2 nudes, 2 pinks)

About

The Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick is a lightweight liquid lipstick with a velvet matte finish that lasts up to 24 hours. It comes in a clear plastic bottle and the cap matches its corresponding shade, which I thought was a lovely touch. This lipstick has a very strong ‘industrial’ smell, which I find very unpleasant, but it kind of fades a few minutes after application. Everything about this lipstick resembles a lipgloss, including the little foam applicator. It’s available in 6 bold shades of red, pink and nude.

Finish & Formulation

What probably makes this lipstick most attractive is that it’s a highly pigmented liquid that sets to a velvet matte finish on the lips. Compared to the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer, the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick feels very wet and slippery, whilst the Rimmel one is a much thicker cream. Even though the ‘wet’ feeling disappears, I found that the Bourjois lipstick doesn’t completely dry on the lips; it kind of turns into a powdery finish once it sets and if you rub your lips together, you can feel the lipstick sliding. I totally agree with the claim that this lipstick is not drying on the lips, but if you have extremely dry lips, it can cling to dry patches, so make sure to exfoliate your lips and apply a clear lip balm first.

Lasting Power

Bourjois claims the Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick lasts 24 hours, but, wearing lipstick for 24 hours straight is not something I’ve ever needed or wanted to do. I found that this lipstick stains the lips pretty quickly, but it starts to fade around about 4 hours after application. It does come off on my fingers when I press it to my lips, and it also comes off on glasses and mugs. It was pretty easy to smudge it and rub it off my lips, but it still leaves a light stain on the lips which only comes off with makeup remover wipes.

Application

I apply the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick straight from the foam applicator, starting with a dot of the product on the centre of my lips, and then I blend it with my fingers; that gives a nice sheer tint, so you could stop there, or continue to build up the colour even more. I repeat this process a few more times to get a vibrant look, and I finish by using the foam applicator to precisely run through and define the edges of my lips. After the application, I noticed the lipstick stained my fingers, which I could only remove by washing or wiping with makeup remover wipes.

Shades

There are only 6 shades available in the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick collection, and they are: Personne ne Rouge, Frambourjoise, Hot Pepper, Peach Club, Ole Flamingo and Pink Pong. The colours are divided into 3 categories of reds, nudes and pinks, but they are all very bold and intense, even the nude ones. I have one of each category – Peach Club, Frambourjoise and Personne ne Rouge; the lightest shade of the bunch is Peach Club, which is an orange-based peachy nude, but definitely more orange than nude. Frambourjoise is a vivid fuchsia pink and Personne ne Rouge, which is my favourite, is a bright open red.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think this is a very exciting launch by Bourjois, and definitely an innovative product that deserves an honourable mention! I’m a little 50-50 about this product because I love the intense pigmentation, the staying power, the applicator, and the packaging, but I dislike the smell, the powdery feeling, the lack of more natural-looking shades, and the fact that it never really dries on the lips. If it wasn’t for the hype around them, I probably would only have bought one shade, and that would have been Personne ne Rouge, which seems to only one that really suits my skin tone. I’m not disappointed but I’m not impressed either, so I’ll stay on the fence this time.

Price & Availability

The Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick is priced at £8.99. When it’s not out of stock, it’s pretty easy to find in any pharmacy in the UK, but Bourjois is not as easy to find in the US.

• UK: Boots | Superdrug | Amazon | Very
• US: Amazon

What do you think about the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick? Have you tried it?

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