Christian Louboutin Silky Satin Lip Color – Youpiyou

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If you ask me, Louboutin is pretty much the epitome of luxury, in the sense that there’s almost always a more practical/less expensive version of whatever you’re looking at. Function follows form with this brand. Sky-high heels that scream ‘yeah, I’ll be taking a cab home’, eight-inch-tall nail polish bottles and the latest addition to the beauty line: lipsticks that practically demand their own display cases. Don’t get me wrong, the quality is there – everything I’ve seen/had from the brand was exquisitely crafted – but this isn’t going to be one of those ‘omg you NEEEEEED this’ posts. Because you don’t, and that’s the point.

I’ve been drooling over these since I first saw the promo images, and I was going to wait until I could see them in person to buy one. Unfortunately we decided to cancel our weekend trip to Neiman Marcus (uhhh, I mean, Chicago) due to some social events and work stuff. My willpower was crumbling anyway, so I decided to take the plunge and get one online. After much rearranging of online shopping carts, I settled on the Silky Satin Lip Color in Youpiyou.

Jump to the summary

Packaging

As promised in the product description, lipstick skips past ‘fancy makeup’ and goes directly to ‘objet d’art’. The design is a reimagined elixir vial – a magic potion, if you will. It reminds me a lot of the Guerlain Terracotta Kohl packaging. Great minds think alike, I suppose. The metal case is very hefty. Normally that would go in the ‘cons’ column, but at this price point I want them to feel substantial. The inside of the cap is the signature Louboutin red, which I think is a nice touch. The outside of the case is sleek and smooth, like a perfectly-crafted sculpture. I’m sure the cases are probably machine-made, but the point is it doesn’t feel like it is. The neck of the case has the Louboutin logo on one side and the color code printed on the other. The actual shade name isn’t printed anywhere, but I feel like if you have a bunch of these you’re going to have them displayed some way to know which is which anyhow!

The lipstick comes complete with a long ribbon, to be ‘worn like a precious jewel’ (pffffft). I’ll be really surprised if I see anyone wearing these in the wild, because they’re pretty large and heavy for a pendant. The cap does stay on firmly enough that I wouldn’t worry about the lipstick falling off the bottom though (as long as it doesn’t loosen up a lot with use). It took me all of 30 seconds to decide the ribbon was going to drive me nuts. I didn’t want to take it off completely, so I put it in some sort of weird fishtail braid. I kind of like it.

It’s also worth noting that it also comes with a little organza drawstring bag shaped to follow the lines of the lipstick case. I normally don’t use the little pouches included with makeup (though I do hoard them, no idea why) but I have been with this one. It’s too nice to toss it in my purse and let it get scratched up!

Color

Left to right: Youpiyou, Bite Pomegranate, Shiseido Lacquer Rouge Nocturne

In the tube the lipstick looks like an orangey-red, but on the skin it comes off as a bright reddened tangerine. I’m splitting hairs here, I know. I was flying blind on this purchase so I wasn’t sure exactly how the color would look, and I made a conscious decision to be ok with that. As it turns out, I freaking LOVE this color. It ended up being very different from anything I already own and well, just look at it! This is definitely the wrong time of year to pick up a summery color, but that’s not going to stop me from wearing it all winter.

Side note: based on this one particular shade, the images on the Nordstrom website seem to be a little more color-accurate than the ones on Sephora. Take that as you will.

Texture, application & wear

First off, the texture of this lipstick. I don’t even know how to say how great it is. It’s creamier and less slippery than a balm, but lighter than most moisturizing lipsticks. It doesn’t feel totally weightless though, it’s almost like a lotion for your lips. I always roll my eyes when products get described as ‘nourishing’ but that’s really the word that comes to mind when I wear this.

The finish of the Silky Satin lipstick stops just short of being glossy. It’s not the most forgiving of uneven texture, but it doesn’t emphasize it either. I can’t speak for all of them, but this shade doesn’t have any shimmer, just pure color.

Application? I wasn’t totally sure what to think about it at first. I nearly always use a brush to apply my lipstick, so my enthusiasm level dropped a bit when it went on incredibly sheer. You can see it’s also pretty sheer in a single-pass swatch, too (above, left). Then I tried applying it straight from the bullet, and voila! Almost full coverage, and it was nice and opaque with a second pass. I still use a brush to do the edges of my lips (I like a nice clean line) but straight from the tube is the way to go.

There are only two real criticisms I have on this lipstick. One is the scent. A bit floral, not terribly strong, but it reminded me of something and I kept trying to figure out what. Then I realized it smells very vaguely like Play-Doh. I don’t dislike it (the Play-Doh spaghetti machine was one of the highlights of my childhood) but it’s not quite as sophisticated as I would have expected. Either that or Hasbro is punching way above their weight in the fragrance arena.

The wear time is also a little shorter than I would have hoped for. Moisturizing lipsticks aren’t as long-lasting as matte formulas, that’s a fact, but the Silky Satin formula is on the short side even for those. Including my requisite two cups of coffee, it lasted about 2.5 hours before I started to notice it fading. It faded evenly and left some color behind, but by lunch time it’s outta here. It lasts longer without coffee and snacks, but that’s just not a life I want to live.