To complement the Fall 2013 looks, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty has introduced 4 new limited edition Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks along the Classy / Arty lines.
The shades include:
I didn’t set out with the intention of finding a matching lipstick for my YSL City Drive Arty palette (reviewed here), and I think wearing both the eye palette with either of the suggested matching rouge pur couture would be just too much for me. However, after perusing the entire lineup of YSL lipsticks, I somehow ended up purchasing #54 Prune Avenue.
On first glance, #54 Prune Avenue looked intimidating in all its dark brown plumy goth-ness. However, when swatched, it reveals a very classy yet edgy, medium-dark wine red. It reminds me of a good bottle of cabernet shiraz, all dark sensual and warm mellow chocolate-y flavors swirled together.
It is an intense lipstick, certainly not for the faint of heart. However, after playing around with it a bit, I realized Prune Avenue lent itself well to a dabbing technique that I sometimes use with heavily pigmented lipsticks. Holding the flat side of the lipstick against my lip, I simply dab it in quick strokes all along my lips instead of swiping across, creating a stain whose intensity I can tune to my satisfaction. Depending on the look I’m going for, I may also add on a slick of one of those Spring / Summer 2013 glosses from my collection. I found something sheer with some shimmer (like Dior’s Diablotine) worked best to bring out the plum notes of Prune Avenue while livening it up for the day.
#54 Prune Avenue closely resembles Tom Ford’s Black Orchid, albeit with just a slight hint of chocolate to it whilst Black Orchid leans a bit more towards a red undertone. However, both are close enough, and with YSL’s rendition at a fraction of the price, it might be an interesting pick. Not to mention Black Orchid is not available in Asia, and will soon be discontinued in the US.
Overall, YSL Rouge Pur Couture #54 Prune Avenue is a sensual, creamy lipstick for the true connoisseur. It has enough slip so it doesn’t feel dry on the lips. However, a matching lip liner is strongly recommended as it does tend to smear upon contact. My suggestion is to blot, and then reapply a 2nd layer. This is not a “pretty” lipstick, and it takes some bold attitude to wear it. But when you do, something spectacular is bound to happen. Enjoy!
xoxo
dupe! 🙂
yup