The L'oreal Colour Riche Collection Star lipsticks available in the Philippines were specially chosen to suit a wide array of Filipina skintone and hair color. Five shades, worn by five amazing celebrities, are available for those going for the barely-there lip look.

Product Information:

"Collection Star gathers the most beautiful female icons of our time to design these five nudes to ensure that Filipinas get only the most glamorous take on nude fashion."

Price: P400.00
Weight: 4.2g
Packaging: Plastic, gold

Perfect Nudes? - The Collection Star Experience

The packaging isn't really something I fancy but the stars' signatures and the little square color info that tells you the lipstick shade are quite nice to look at. The bullets seal quick and tight so I don't have to worry about it getting wrecked even if I carelessly chuck it in my bag in a hurry.

 L-R: L'oreal Colour Riche Collection Star Lipsticks in Barely Plum (by Sonam Kapoor), Barely Moka (by Gong Li), Barely Coral (by Fan Bingbing), Barely Greige (by Jennifer Lopez), and Barely Pink (by Doutzen Kroes)
 
On the actual lipsticks-- all lipsticks are rich and creamy, which I don't really prefer as I'm more of a matte-lip girl, but I was able to choose a few nudes I know I can wear. Only Barely Plum and Barely Moka were opaque-at-first-swipe, the rest had to be swiped on at least thrice to show up on my pigmented lips. Wear time is about 3-4hours.

Let's review each L'oreal Colour Riche Collection Star shade:

Barely Plum - a beautiful, universal nude. It is a nice pop of color and I like how it doesn't emphasize some dry areas of my lips. This one has got to be less glossier than the others and probably is my favorite of the lot.

Barely Moka - I loved it when I first used it but when I figured it had too much sheen to my liking, I picked it up less frequently. This lipstick has superb formulation but the finish is just too glossy for me. I know girls with really thin lips will like this though.

Barely Coral - My true nude color. However, I am not fully sold on the formulation. I will need a couple of swipes to make it pretty on my lips and add a few more on drier areas. I don't understand why this swatches on my arm well but translates differently on my lips.

Barely Greige - lovely when swatched, awful on the tube, more awful on my lips. This has the most chunks of glitters on the tube and I don't understand why. Luckily, the glitters help create an illuminated nude look, almost like 3D lips even. HOWEVER, the color hardly shows up on my lips. That's not really the kind of nude I'm looking for.

Barely Pink - The colour is cotton candy pink and will definitely be a nice nude for girls with the fairest skin. It looks funny on me so I'm passing.

Overall Thoughts

P400 is not a hefty price tag considering the L'oreal Colour Riche Collection Star lipsticks have decent formulation and wear time. I wouldn't depend on swatches (either on arms or on lips) as these colours vary depending on one's pigmentation and lip moisture levels. Go try them out at counters before purchasing!

Personally, I love L'oreal Colour Riche Collection Star Barely Plum the most. I like Barely Greige the least and if I should choose a 2nd and 3rd favorite, it will have to be Barely Coral and Moka respectively. I'm neutral on Barely Pink since I am not fair, and if I were, it will probably be as good as Barely Plum on me.


Disclaimer: Products were sent to me by L'oreal Philippines. A review/post was optional.

I have been using the RESIST C15 Super Booster for almost a month now (thank you for the trial size, Paula's Choice Philippnes!) and this tiny dropper bottle has never let me down! It instantly brightens my skin after use which makes up a lot for the other discouraging skin imperfections I wince from-- pock marks and huge pores.

A moisturizer or a serum?

The website does not particularly mention it's a serum (like it does with its other products) but I'd say it is one. It is described as a concentrated, light-as-water liquid treatment product designed to supercharge serums or may be used alone. It is a blend of 15% stabilized vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid) at a pH of 3.0, vitamin E, ferulic acid, and peptides which altogether repairs visible signs of aging and stimulates collagen production for smoother, brighter, and firmer skin.

The wonder booster promises to:

• Quickly brighten the skin
• Visibly reduce brown spots
• Promote firmer-looking skin

                                                 Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster, trial size 3.5ml- P500

How I Used It:

The 3.5ml trial bottle can last 3-4 weeks despite it being designed for a two-week consumption. Directions for use is to apply once or twice daily after cleansing, toning, and exfoliating & dispense 2–3 drops and add to your favorite Paula's Choice serum, or use alone and follow with moisturizer where needed. 

First week: I used Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster 2x/day after cleansing & applying clindamycin, my antibacterial toner. I follow with Neutrogena ultra sheer or Banana Boat Sport sunblock in the AM and retinoic acid gel in the PM.

Second week: I cut down use and applied at night only. I observed results were not very far from the twice-a-day habit.

Third week: I've read that this product can oxidize over time rendering it less potent so I got back to using it twice-a-day. I thought I could skimp on this as once-a-day usage works mighty fine as using it 2x/day.

I dot three drops on my face using my fingertips in this fashion:

Little Pain, Big Gain

Two things cringe-worthy about it is that it feels sticky upon application which consequently takes time to get absorbed, and it's not the best-smelling skincare product out there. However, it is able to improve skin clarity in an instant giving the skin a healthy, supple and bright aura. I have not noticed a significant improvement in skin texture in 3+ weeks of use.

I like using the treatment in the morning as it helps face bases look a lot cleaner against the skin. Best news is that throughout the time I've used it (almost a month already!), Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster proved to be hypoallergenic & non-comedogenic.

Other things I like about it are:

1. It is economical to use, thanks to the dropper. Each bottle can last few more days/weeks than it actually should and that's always a good thing.
2. The bottle and dropper-type cap are specially designed to prevent the product from unnecessary light & air exposure which can degrade Vitamin C and E.
3. Trial size bottle is great for travel!

The trial size was very promising I decided to buy the full size! I'm hoping to achieve a firmer skin texture a few more weeks into this serum.  (List of Paula's Choice Resellers in Manila, Cavite & Laguna, bought mine from Skin Box/Amanda Castilo, free shipping till May 15!)

Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster, full sixe 20ml- P3000; trial size 3.5ml- P500

What It's Not

It's not a moisturizer, nor a pore shrinker, or a zit zapper. Also, the significant improvement in skin clarity dies down within the day. I would recommend constant use of the product may it be once or twice a day. Trial size is suuuper sulit at P500!

A Quick Note on Ferulic Acid

I stumbled upon the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and learned how ferulic acid can provide additional stability to topical Vitamin C and acts as a photoprotector rendering Vitamin C effective even in the morning. What's even better is that with the right amount of ferulic acid in the solution, thymine dimer formation can be reduced thus lowering the risk for skin cancer!

Final Thoughts

I've always known that with a brighter skin complexion, I can somehow get away with huge pores and acne marks. And true enough, I do. Oral glutathiones have addressed my dull & sallow skin but the weight gain is unforgivable. With Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster, I'm getting radiant skin everyday and people hardly notice I'm only getting around 4 hours of sleep on a daily basis. I will have to restructure my schedule to be able to get a healthier amount of rest and who knows, I might be able to make the temporary skin brightening effect permanent!

One Super Final Thought on the Super Booster

And because this is a comeback post and especially on a super great product, I won't pass up the chance to get goofy & exciting by doing a follow-up after the final thoughts heading and naming it the super final thoughts section. If that confused you, this won't: I'm giving away a trial size of the Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster to one lucky reader!!! Jump to the separate post about the giveaway to keep comments in this review a lot less spammy :)

I never stopped exploring beauty during the months I have not been blogging. It was during these times I gave lipsticks a little more attention as I've always been a balm-and-tint girl, too afraid of lipsticks emphasizing my already full lips.

It wasn't easy looking for a shade and finish I didn't feel like tossing out after a few swipes, post-purchase. I wanted something close to my lip color and is almost sheen-free. Let's talk about a lippie I've been using a lot lately-- VMV's Velvet Matte in Roustabout.

How much: P1,050.00/ 4g
Where to buy: VMV counters in SM department stores, Trinoma Mall

You can classify Roustabout as an MLBB shade. It's brick brown on the tube and salmon on my lips. I'd say it's a notch more pink than my normal lip color and I love how it lights my face up.

Here, indoors and using flash photography:

And under natural light, without flash:

Roustabout is neither lip staining nor long-wearing. I notice major fading after the 3rd hour.

This is a nice color but I can't say it's a good buy. The finish may be wonderfully velvet, but it's a pain to put on! With or without lip balm, there's an uncomfortable drag when I use it. Also, it takes several swipes to get an opaque coverage sans a lip conditioner. Its weak formulation and barely satisfactory wear time doesn't justify the price tag. I've tried Shiseido's version of matte and they are buttery against the lips and covers fully at first swipe.

A few weeks after getting Roustabout, I learned that VMV holds a "Buy 1, Take 1" promotion for their lipsticks; had I gotten this on sale, it would've been a wiser purchase.

I know I could've gotten a similar shade from a more trusted lipstick brand for the price I paid for. What I'm unsure of is if the shade is as sheen-free as this one. VMV Velvet Matte Lipstick in Roustabout is still a tube-for-keeps as it is a nice warm shade and has a quality matte finish that's most flattering for my lips!