Pout Power: Rouge Bunny Rouge Succulence of Dew Lipstick Review & Swatches

Rouge Bunny Rouge seems to be one of those cult beauty brands that not everyone has heard of, so I’ll give a quick overview. Founded in Moscow nearly 10 years ago, by Alexandra de Monfort, who describes the brand’s philosophy:

“At Rouge Bunny Rouge we believe everyday is worthy of a soupcon of whimsy. As if the book of the Enchanted Garden lies open in our hands, we tell its enduring tales through powders that whisper over skin, unguents that caress and cajole and mesmeric vapours that seduce the senses. With indulgent textures tied with wistful tones, each fragment is created to enhance natural beauty, allowing you to become the protagonist in your own mysterious tale.”

As you can see, not your everyday beauty brand speak! The brand concept is based around Princess Rouge’s adventures in the dream-state Enchanted Garden with the Bunny and other fantastical creatures. All the products are poetically named. Think a more glamorous, grown-up Alice in Wonderland.

I’ll start by saying that I love me some Rouge Bunny Rouge. There is a sense of wonder (and I do love a bit of that ;)). It’s whimsical, playful, feminine without being too girly, elegant with a Gothic, slight Steam Punk edge. For those who aren’t in to all that, the clincher is that the products aren’t just pretty to look at, they perform beautifully. There is an effortlessness to how they apply on the skin. Pretty makeup to enhance not camouflage.

I like the attention to detail and that Rouge Bunny Rouge does its own thing not churning out products for the sake of following trends. One thing I would like to whisper in Rouge Bunny’s ear is to hurry up and add a wider range of complexion products suitable for us Enchantresses with darker skin tones.

ROUGE BUNNY ROUGE SHEER LIPSTICK* REVIEW AND SWATCHES I’m a matte lipstick lover. The words “sheer lipstick” do not fill me with joy. What is the point of wearing lipstick if it’s not going to show for heaven’s sake? So even though I’m a Rouge Bunny Rouge fan, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get on with the new ‘Succulence of Dew’ (again with the dreamy names) sheer lipsticks.

This collection is inspired by butterflies from the Enchanted Garden. In Rouge Bunny Rouge-ese: “Their finesse is captured and cradled here for you in a sensuously sheer lipstick which acts with the power of a gloss. Soft diaphanous colours hover on your lips so finely that they enhance and refine your naturalness into a graceful glamour.”

There are five colours in the ‘Succulence of Dew’ collection:

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Sheer Lipstick swatches — Rouge Bunny Rouge – Sheer Lipstick swatches

Jasmine-weighted Air: a bright but wearable fuchsia that screams summer. I LOVE this colour and wore it non-stop prior to #100LippyDays. I like it layered for full impact but you can just gently swipe for a less bold look. It leaves a light stain when it wears off.

Relish of Heaven: a juicy red. As it wears off, it leaves a pretty stain like the lips have been soaked in strawberries

Murmurings: a warm plummy brown. This is a colour that I wouldn’t normally pick up and I don’t have anything similar. It turns out that it’s really flattering to my skintone. I think it would make a great nude for dark skin with warm undertones.

Perfume of His Gaze: a cool mauve-tinged taupe. I can see taupe fans getting giddy about this.

Musings: a pinky peach or a peachy pink. This is slightly too sweet-looking for my taste but I do think it’s pretty.

PERFORMANCE

Love at first swipe.The colour glides on, saturating the lips and making them look juicy, or shall we say succulent. There is none of the wishy washiness of sheer lipsticks. The colour is buildable and ‘Relish of Heaven’ and ‘Jasmine-weighted Air’ in particular manage to pack a pigment punch yet at the same time be translucent. You get a shiny finish with none of the gloopiness or stickiness of lipgloss.

On the attention to detail front, the magnetic lid ensure the tube closes securely and stays put where you put it. The bullet shape somehow fits the contours of my lips perfectly though the creamy texture means that the shape doesn’t last too long.

Rouge-Bunny-Rouge-Musings-sheer-lipstick

The formula is very moisturising yet it doesn’t smear all over the place when applied. However be careful not to wind up too far as the butter-like texture of the bullet can easily break if you don’t take care.

The ingredients include mega nourishing rosehip butter, and an ingredient called’Hilurlip™’, which my mind keeps reading as Hurleylip! The complex is based on Sodium Hyaluronate, which like Hydralaournic Acid, helps skin absorb and retain water hence the lip plumping, hydrating effect. Rouge Bunny Rouge is not a “green” makeup range however it is paraben and mineral oil-free and contains nothing that concerns me in small quantities.

In summary, in case you can’t tell, I’m smitten with these Rouge Bunny Rouge lipsticks. They are a pleasure to wear, like the lipstick equivalent of French silk lingerie.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Sheer Lipsticks, 3.6g, €28/approx £19.50 www.rougebunnyrouge.com

I’m thrilled to be able to share a special offer exclusively for Wonderlusting readers. 20% off any order with the code below. NB: I don’t get any commission I’m just sharing the love:

Rouge Bunny Rouge Sheer Lipstick ingredients: PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE, POLYBUTENE, OCTYLDODECANOL, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA (MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX), POLYETHYLENE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYPHENYL DIMETHICONE, ISOHEXADECANE, ROSA CANINA FRUIT OIL, AROMA (FLAVOR), MICA, BIS-PEG/PPG-14/14 DIMETHICONE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, BUTYLENE/ETHYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER, ETHYLENE/PROPYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER,HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, XANTHAN GUM, BENZYL ALCOHOL, LINALOOL, TRIPEPTIDE-1. (+/-): CI 45410 (RED 28 LAKE), CI 19140 (YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 15850 (RED 6), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 15850 (RED 7 LAKE), CI 42090 (BLUE 1 LAKE), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77492 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES)