little white truths: Clarins Rouge Eclat Lipstick in #13 Woodrose

Clarins Rouge Eclat Lipstick in #13 Woodrose - review and swatches

1 Comments

Today I'm in the process of editing photos for my September Project Pan update, but since this product was on my PP list and I've now finished it, I wanted to sneak this review in first.

It's a sample lipstick that was given to me by Mum - a Clarins-only user who often winds up with GWPs and extras like this one in packs - which happily means that she passes on things she doesn't want to my sister and myself.

I must say, when I first opened and swatched this lipstick I was expecting to love it because it feels super hydrating when applied and it's nicely sheer but buildable - exactly my kind of formula.

But I don't love it. Not even a little bit. More on why below.

A quick comment on the packaging: it looks nice but these plastic lid arrangements are a bad idea - or at least that's how it's turned out for this product.

Why? The inside of the clear cap becomes dirty and covered in lipstick smears very quickly, so mine now looks bloody awful and it's not something you'd want to pull out in public because it looks so grotty. You'll see what I mean in both my Project Pan update and also my next empties post, so stay tuned for those if you're interested.

Clarins claims/product details:

Lip colour meets lip care
The first age-defying lipstick from Clarins: protects lips against hydration, boosts collagen and protects against free radicals
Created with Nutri-Youth Complex, this luminous lipstick is pigment rich and creates younger-looking, fuller lips
The more you wear it, the more luscious your lips will become
Available in 15 shades
RRP $40 AUD

There's the bullet in direct sunlight:

Below I've done a heavier swatch and a lighter one in different lights.

Direct sunlight:

Natural light:

My bare lips for reference:

Wearing a sheer layer, direct sunlight:

Natural light, outdoors (you can see it has already started to fade in the centre of my bottom lip - and it's already bleeding - even though I took this photo straight after the above one):

Natural light, indoors - and yes, it has already faded and bled even more:

And below I've done a few good swipes for a more opaque coverage, indirect sunlight:

Verdict

I don't like this lipstick at all. I've given it a 'disappointing products' tag because I was expecting to love it, given all the rave reviews I've read and also how nice it felt on my lips the first time I applied it.

It's a thin, balm-like lipstick in terms of texture. It has a sweet, tropical scent (I smell pineapple and sugar) that isn't too strong or offensive, and the fragrance does fade quickly so I can't smell it after application.

It glides on beautifully and feels so wonderful on the lips when you first apply it, but after using it daily for over a week, it's completely dried my lips out so I've had to call it a day and move on to something else that can manage the dry lip issue this product has caused.

Yes I do have dry lips so I'm used to having issues with finding non-drying lip products, but this one has been worse than most.

It also fades and slips around unbelievably on me - even if I don't eat or drink. I'm not sure why that's happening but it's bloody annoying. Indeed, I've never used a lipstick that vanishes into thin air like this one does.

I've also never used a lipstick that has bled as much as this one! Honestly, it's unbelievable - so essentially this is an unwearable product for me and I wouldn't touch another one with a barge-pole.

On top of that, it emphasises texture and settles into lip lines - not something my dry, 37yo lips need.

Honestly, I'm baffled by this product. It seems to work for everyone else except me! But just thinking about it, the fabled Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors (I've reviewed one here) don't work for me either - even though they're HG products for many - so perhaps there's something that Clarins includes in its lip formulas that just doesn't gel with me personally.

So yes, I don't like this product at all and I don't feel it meets any of its claims. But I'm not going to say 'don't buy this' because the formula seems to work wonders for others, so let's just say that I'm the problem ; )

Blurgh.

About Post Author

Little White Truths

Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris condimentum nibh, ut fermentum massa justo sit amet risus.