Retro Chick Reviews – Arbonne Runway Rouge

This is the last of the lipsticks I have been sent by PRs to review….

I will be purchasing some of the more common brands myself to try out (so expect some cheapies!) and I might put out another shout to the PR world for lippies to try!

This time it’s another brand I hadn’t heard of, Arbonne lipstick in Runway Rouge / Rouge Chic, and is up at the pricier end of the scale at £15 for the lipstick.

As you can see it fared pretty well, with only the shade (which is subjective) and it’s texture letting it down.

The Blurb

The email I initially received promised long lasting, feather resistant lipstick. Which is fabulous for a vibrant red. The holy grail of lipsticks!

From the website:

“Long-wearing, feather-resistant lipstick glides on easily for full coverage, and intensely conditions and hydrates lips. “

The Pros

Starting with its appearance it’s a nice sleek “stylo” style lipstick, which I quite like as they’re easy to tuck into the corners of handbags. There’s nothing fussy about it and it looks very elegant, almost too grown up for me!

I found the application the best of all the lipsticks I’ve tried. It went on smoothly and it’s narrow tip meant it was easy to get a precise lip line, in fact, this was a dream to apply, I couldn’t fault it at all.

The colour was smooth and bright and had a nice light reflective property, almost a gloss, but with full coverage. It’s quite a contemporary finish, not a semi matte vintage red, but it’s easy to wear for every day.

As promised I didn’t experience any feathering at all and the colour was indeed long lasting. As long as my lips were moisturised it wore off smoothly.

The Cons

My biggest con was that I just didn’t like the colour very much. I found myself wishing I’d been sent a less orangey pink shade as it would have probably promptly become my favourite every day lipstick. If you suit a more orange red then this might be the one for you.

The texture also has that slightly gritty feel when you apply it, which can be unpleasant, but it does wear off. I also didn’t think it was as moisturising as promised and if I reapplied during the day without using a lip balm or similar then I found I started to get uneven wear and unattractive flaky lips. It’s a remove and reapply lipstick I would say, not a top up!

Finally, that packaging might be elegant, but it’s a little bit boring. I want a £15 lipstick to look excitingly glamorous!

The Verdict

I really like it for every day wear, I prefer a more striking matte colour for evening.

But at £15, is it a bit pricey for every day wear? Well, it does what it says it does and lasts well, so I guess if you have £15 to spend then it really, really is. As long as you can find a shade you like.

Arbonne is available through a network of independent consultants (a little like Avon) or can be purchased online.

Today’s full face lipstick photos is bought to you courtesy of the words “dark”, “mysterious” and the phrase “bad nights sleep”