I’ll hold my hands up and admit that I’ve always been a lipstick fanatic. In my opinion, when it comes to the world of beauty, there’s no better feeling than finding your new favourite formula or discovering a shade that suits you perfectly.
And I’ll also admit that I’m just a little bit obsessed with the GIVENCHY Le Rouge Sheer Velvet Lipsticks; as soon as I tried them, I fell head over heels in love! So naturally, I couldn’t wait to share my latest obsession with the world. As a result, I’ve swatched each sheer matte shade to help you decide which shade (or shades) to add to your luxury collection…
The Formula:
Offering the 12-hour longevity of a matte lipstick but the comfort of a cream, GIVENCHY’s Le Rouge Sheer Velvet formula is sumptuously soft and lightweight. The lipstick glides over your lips to create a blurred matte effect; the colour is buildable too as it starts off as a light wash of colour that can be built to create a powerful pop of colour. Even when layered, the Sheer Velvet Lipstick feels smooth and doesn’t cling to dry patches. The lipstick isn’t creamy or balmy but it also isn’t drying; unlike a lot of lipsticks I’ve tried in the past, the matte finish feels comfortable and feather-light on the lips.
The GIVENCHY Sheer Velvet Lipsticks are infused with deeply nourishing natural mango butter extract, which hydrates your lips for up to 24 hours while vitamin E creates a protective barrier over your lips. A trio of waxes give the lipstick a sheer smooth texture, making them perfect for layering without flaking or bunching. To create a gentle matte finish, fine mineral powder and pigments have been combined with silky oils to create a blurred-effect and weightless formula.
The Design:
Each lipstick features the same glamorous GIVENCHY design. A combination of metallic silver and a pink velvet case, the lipstick exterior feels luxuriously weighted as it dons the classic GIVENCHY logo stud. Four of the lipstick shades are currently refillable (shades 16, 27, 36 and 37), so you can enjoy the beautiful velveteen case for even longer, reducing waste without missing out on your favourite shades.
The Shades:
The line-up of shades are highly versatile, featuring a range of cool, neutral and warm undertones to suit everyone. The more nude shades look similar on your lips as they do in the bullet if you apply just one layer, whereas some of the darker shades surprised me as they have a sheer finish with just one swipe but they can be built up to match the lipstick bullet exactly.
Wondering which shade is for you? Here’s a breakdown of each GIVENCHY lipstick shade and what they look like on the lips:
10 – Beige Nude is a peachy beige with a slight cool brown hint. This is a true ‘your lips but better’ shade that offers a subtle warmth.
16 – Nude Bois is a rosy deeper pink with neutral undertones – it sits on the pink side of a nude lip.
17 – Rouge Erable is a sheer red-brown shade with neutral undertones that can be layered to create a deeper red finish.
18 – Nude Fume is a cool toned brown-nude with a rich mauve twist. As you layer number 18, the mauve becomes more red-purple.
23 – Rose Irresistible is a pigmented bright neutral pink.
27 – Rouge Infuse is rich brown-red with a hint of cool-toned pink.
32 – Rouge Brique is brick red with rich orange tones, creating a dark coral with neutral undertones.
36 – L’Interdit is bright pillarbox red with a subtle hint of pink – this is GIVENCHY’s signature true red lipstick.
37 – Rouge Graine is a warm plum-toned red that is extremely buildable.
39 – Rouge Grenat is a dark burgundy red with brown-purple cool undertones.