The product: Lancome Color Design lipstick in The New Pink (sheen)

There are three things that I can’t stand in a lip product: heavy scents, colour that moves around, and chunky glitter. This lipstick does a stellar job of the first two, delivering semi-opaque, slip-free, scent-free colour, but fails the third category miserably. Despite the gorgeous, perfect-for-summer shade (Lancome calls it a “perfect, not-too-bright medium pink,” and I have to agree), the amount of glitter loaded into this lipstick turns me off it completely.

For those who like a shimmery lip, though, this would be a great product to go with. It’s a very flattering pink, and the formula is divine – lightweight, smooth, and moisturizing. I’d say the coverage is medium but layerable, but the finish is quite glossy for a lipstick )so even if it’s applied opaquely, you’re never going to end up with a really heavy, overly made up lip).

All in all, I’m left a bit heartbroken by this one. The formula feels great and wears really well, and the colour is gorgeous, but the amount of silver shimmer (which, yes, I can feel on my lips) ruins it for me.

Lancome Color Design lipsticks come in five finishes (cream, sheen, shimmer, metallic, and matte) and retail for $22 US/$27 CAD, though shades that are often featured as gifts with purchase (like this one) can be easily found for $10 or less online.

a few swatches at different angles and in different lighting

The ingredients:

Polybutene, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, octyldodecyl neopentanoate, microcrystalline wax, isostearyl isostearate, triisostearin, PEG-45/dodecyl glycol copolymer, polyethylene, disteardimonium hectorite, calcium aluminum borosilicate, calcium dosium borosilicate, silica, alumina, synthetic fluorphlogopite, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, octyldodecyl/PPG-3 myristyl ether dimer dilinoleate, BHT. +/- colourants.