A Walk on the Bright (Purple) Side – Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense in #15 (Violet Pearl)

Greetings from darkened doorways, my fellow rogues!

I’ve previously posted about another purple lipstick, also from MUFE, and I wanted to bring your attention to this one as its opposite! Where Satin Blueberry is dark, Pearl Violet is bright. Where the former is a satin, the latter is a metallic shimmer. What both of them have in common, however, is that they are gorgeous lipsticks.

Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in #15, Violet Pearl, with Grog’s brother Blog.

Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense #15 (a.k.a. Violet Pearl) is a shimmery, metallic bright violet lipstick. If you’ve always wanted a purple lipstick but the conventional offerings are always a bit too reddish or ‘plum’, this lipstick has your back. It is boldly, unashamedly, beautifully violet. The application is surprisingly good for such a metallic lipstick, which I normally find drag like the feet of a bored cave troll. It goes on quite smoothly and only needs two or three careful passes to get excellent coverage. The wear time is somewhere in the region of 3 hours, which is about average on me, although it can wear slightly patchily depending on how you treat it (no feasting if you want it to stay smooth!). Its other wondrous property is that it isn’t drying in the least on me, which is something I often find with shimmery shades.

Blog is a little more steadfast than his brother , and is keeping this lipstick cautiously in his sights. Despite his amusingly appropriate name, you’ll note that Blog isn’t laughing.

This lipstick is as fun as it is beautiful, just like a well disarmed trap. While its darker fellow can be more serious and mysterious, Pearl Violet is a riotous party of colour. I wish more companies made this kind of lipstick, with this quality. No, it isn’t a one-pass, full pigmentation kind of shade, but it’s also not drying, not draggy and moderately hydrating, which is pretty damn amazing for a metallic. Your lips will be so gem-like, you’ll have dragons trying to add you to their hoard (the perfect way in to raid one, just saying…).

Now for some swatches…

Three-pass swatch under artificial light to capture the shimmer. I catch both blue and pink glitter here, my fellow sparkle fanatics!

I find artificial light the best for showing the glitter and shimmer in things, and you will find that the light from a nearby torch, candle or dragon will have the same effect.

Daylight swatch! Complete with goosebumps, because the breeze was a little chill.

Next up is daylight (morning) – the shimmer is a bit less intense/obvious, but the colour is still as gloriously purple as ever. This is still about two or three passes for ‘opacity’.

…and here we have…artificial daylight! A dalight bulb lamp, that is. This shows…well, just that it’s really pretty, I guess. Also that after three passes, the opacity is really quite good.

And finally a ‘daylight’ bulb lamp. You can see that the colour stays quite true under multiple sources of illumination, consistently giving you a satisfyingly vibrant, shimmering violet. The only tip I’d give for easier application is making sure your lips are smooth and lightly balmed first (wipe off any excess ‘greasy’ balm though), just to keep application simple. But then I suppose that goes for most lipsticks anyway. I didn’t find that I experienced any sort of feathering or beeding, and it doesn’t seem to magnetically attract itself to your teeth either.

Aha! Blog has managed to vanquish his foe. Or so he thinks, anyway. The lipstick is still having a great time – just look at that glorious colour!

I acquired this lipstick in Paris, and traveling constraints once again meant I had to dispose of the packaging. As such, I cannot give you a snapshot of the list of ingredients right at the moment. The website for the product does indicate that it is ‘paraben free’, for which they (once again) receive a massive eyeroll. The packaging is simple and classic, even a bit functional, almost as if someone mated a medicinal product with a Chanel lipstick tube. It shuts with a satisfying and solid click and the bullet moves smoothly and cleanly in the tube. What can I say? MUFE makes a good purple lipstick!

The product has a light, pleasant violet scent (how appropriate) and no particular taste (that isn’t related to the fragrance)

The verdict: An excellent, comfortable, riotously, unashamedly violet purple lipstick. Perfect for the rogue who knows how to have a good time, and do it in style.

The practicalities: Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick in #15 (Pearl Violet) costs EUR 20.50 for 3.5 g/0.12 oz, is permanent, and may be acquired, with the rest of the MUFE line, from assorted Spehoras around the globe (although the available colours are highly variable, in my experience).

Until next time, fellow adventurers, don’t forget to check for traps!

Syl

I am an adventuring rogue, not a mercenary for hire, and as such, all opinions expressed here are my own, based on a genuine fondness for/interest in this product. If you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to pin your parchment to the board (contact me) at thepaintedrogue [at] gmail [dot] com., or use the contact form provided!