Unboxing 1.19 - Best 4-in-1 Red Lipstick

Hi Guys,

Is anyone as sentimental as I am coming into the new decade? 10 years just flew by like it was all wrapped in a 1-day happy buffet feast! Anyway to help me cope with getting "older but wiser" - unboxing makeup of course! What else? It is definitely a good start I must say. Dont you agree?

The 2 actors starring in my Unboxing are #kkwbeauty (I ordered nude shades) and #roujedeparis (I ordered a red lip palette) which is in the clip above, you may catch both brands' #unboxing in my Youtube. The blog on "Unboxing with Swatch Comparisons" of the unboxed KKW items are from the "So Fire" and "Artist and the Muse" collection and my blog on it will be out on 19th Jan. I think I must own a ton of nude lipsticks comprising quite a spectrum too - from Peach Nude to Nude Beige with all sorts of undertones, so will be fun to blog the comparison swatches coming up. Also in the same vein, my blog for the comparison swatches of my red lipsticks including this Rouje de Paris palette is definitely in the pipeline as well.

So back to the main actor for this blog - the Rouje de Paris Les 4 Signature Palette...(the "KKW Unboxing" will be in my next blog as mentioned) :

If I could say 1 thing to this palette, what would I say? "You complete me" is what I would say. From the classy elegance of the gold heavy-steel packaging to the practicality of the compact version of the not 1 but 4 lip shades! This is like carrying around 4 lip bullets except I am only carrying 1 compact now. It was also love at first sight for me, because I have been looking for a heavy steel palm-size square (must be a square as I found it to be more unique) compact with a nice mirror for the longest time. For quick touch-ups plus having 4 different shades to mix-up to suit occasion-appropriate moments is a huge plus. As if that's not enough reason to add to my cart, these shades could also be used for eyes and cheeks. OMG!!!!!!!!! RoujedeParis je'taime. Where have you been all my life? LOL. That said, whether the formula will work on more #matureskin with combination-oily (eyelid areas) + dry (cheek areas) condition is yet to be seen. Check out my next blog for the answer.

Nevertheless, just using as lip colors, this wonderful palette is so far a winner for me. It also comes in 3 different color story and priced at $45 from their website. I think I dont need to even consider too long to "close this deal" on that rainy December day. And to top it all off? The shipping time was also another huge plus for me, I remembered ordering it on a Friday and I actually received this box 3 days later!!! What? Many items I ordered 3 weeks ago only just arrived last week! In fact, on this topic of quick shipping, Pat McGrath and Beautylish also offers super fast delivery. Love that. There was also a pretty nice thank you card from Jeanne Damas too, the Founder of Rouje of course; which I feel KKW Beauty should take a leave from. None of my orders from KKW ever came with even a "Thank You Note" let alone a card using super-fancy quality branded stationery. Though it isnt a deal breaker, but it is a great "brownie point" gesture from the perspective of offering a more awesome customer experience, no?

In my above clip is the swatch in white light and below are the swatches in natural day light. The red shades 3 and 4 below are the 2 shades in between the 4 swatches above. The lightest beige in my swatch above is the one on the far right and the brightest coral shade is the one on the far left above.

Before I start on my review of the textures, if you notice I have a powder puff next to this palette, to show the size ratio of this item vs a regular face puff, it is 1:1 to give a clearer indication of the actual size.

Now, regarding the textures, it is extremely emollient and buttery. Not at all drying. Feels very kissable on the lips too. So that is a nice outcome for the texture. As for the red shades, I am happy as we all know how tricky it is to find a good red shade that brightens up your look and instantly makes you feel a #millionbucks. Right? Also a wrong red shade can end up looking like we are "screaming for attention" when we actually dont want that kind of attention if you know what I mean. Haha. I am a medium skin color tone with neutral undertones, I cant wear shades of red that are too "brightey orangey" or too "fire-engine red" as well. It needs to have a purple-blue undertone that is not too warm nor cool. With this palette, the problem is solved, as I can mix up the 4 shades to get the effect I want. In fact I am already quite happy just mixing shade 3 and 4 above.

So whats my final conclusion? 9 out of 10 stars. I cant critique any part of this item even if I tried. Although if there were shade names somewhere behind or on the palette, being certified cruelty free plus a rose gold encasing option would mean total perfection palette for me. This is also made in Italy. I cant wait to see what else Rouje de Paris will create after this super beautiful product. For now, this will definitely be in my bag everyday. V