Back to Basics! A Classic Red for Every Rogue: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice (#720)

Greetings from the last shadowy doorways of 2013, my fellow rogues!

There comes a time in every rogue’s life where he or she realises that their kit is missing a critical component. Amidst all the newfangled trap defusing equipment and exotic sleeping draughts, there is a corner of their kitbag that is crying out for a solid, dependable classic: the Classic Red Lipstick. Or possibly hemp rope and hinge grease. It could go either way, really.

Hemp rope and hinge grease may be useful, but they don’t make you feel unstoppable – enter Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice, a lipstick with a pedigree equal to its pigment. This shade has been produced by Revlon since 1952, which, if nothing else, should tell you that it’s one of the most multi-purpose, striking shades out there. Other shades may fall by the wayside, but Fire and Ice goes on – just like an exellent rogue, really.

Sigryn is a classy dwarf warrior. She knows her classic red lipsticks – and wants you to as well!

Alright, babbling aside, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice is a classic, opaque, red creme (satin finish) lipstick. It will give you intense colour in one pass, and the bright red colour leans either pink or orange depending on your skintone. On this rogue, it leans slightly pink, but is still definitely a hot, red pink. It is truly stunning. The packaging is standard Revlon, and is totally functional – a nice aspect of the tube is that the top is transparent, so you can see at a glance which colour is inside (saves time when rummaging through the spoils of your last dungeon raid to find your lipstick. Especially when the owners of said dungeon are bearing down on you, brandishing edged weapons).

As you can see, Sigryn is mesmerised by the magnificence of this classic red lipstick. You will be too…
(note the transparent top to the cap – very handy!).

Now for some swatches: the first one is in natural (morning) light. The swatch pulls somewhat orange in this picture, interestingly. You can also see that the texture is very opaque, and leans to the semi-matte end of satin.

Interestingly, this natural light swatch looks both orange-y, and matte. This isn’t exactly untrue of this lipstick (it can pull orange-red on some skintontes, and it is toward the matte end of the spectrum), but it’s not quite how I experience it in real life. I guess its magnificence is just confusing the camera.

Next up is diffused light, just because I could. The colour really glows, no matter what light you put it in. Definitely not a shade for the faint of heart, but then again, if you are feeling timid, sometimes a gorgeous, unashamed, vibrant lipstick can be just the thing to boost your confidence. Remember, mindflayers can sense fear and weakness, no matter how momentary. Before they get the chance to feed on your psyche, dash on a lick of this, and your confidence will send them packing. Essential for deep dungeoneering defences.

Diffused light! Just because. Here you can see more of the red tones in the lipstick, and some of the satin shine.

Now we have direct artificial light, to give you the best idea of the extent of the sheen on this lipstick.

Sheen! Also, this is the reddest of the swatches, to my eye. Such a dynamic colour…hooray for another multitasking product!

The wear time on this lipstick is phenomenal on me – enough to see you through the journey to the dungeon, the dungeon itself, and then the celebration in the tavern arfterwards. In other words, about 6 hours. I will admit, however, that I follow Lisa Eldridge’s method for bulletproof red lipstick, which includes using this lipstick to lay down a stain first. I am, as usual, too lazy to use lipliner, but even after 6 hours I only see minor feathering – no migration.

One small warning (but also a recommendation, oddly) is that this lipstick stains like a %$&#*!. This is great, in the sense that you can use it as a lipstain, a cream blush (if you’re brave and talented at blending) *and* a lipstick, but you need to be quite careful during application. I only ever apply lipsticks staight from the bullet, and use the tip of the bullet for ‘lining’ and filling in the edges, because that’s just how I roll (I’m a rogue who likes to live dangerously). If you usually prefer to use a lip brush however, this is probably not the lipstick to try a new application method with.

Below is a photo of the stain left from the swatch. The lipstick was only on my skin for about five minutes, and I couldn’t scrub the stain off. It will require either scrubbing with makeup remover, or  (on the lips) the action of many, many hours of saliva (you all know what I mean – spit will remove any lip product eventually, and we’ve all probably used it as an emergency makeup remover at some point).

The stain left by brief contact with Fire and Ice. As you can see, it does lean a little pink on me – it’s actually very pretty as a lip stain in its own right.

Fire and Ice has no particular smell or taste, so the minotaurs will have to look elsewhere for prey. The texture is smooth, has a slightly ‘coating’ feeling, and has normal levels of moisture for me. It doesn’t dry out my lips at all, but it isn’t precisely *hydrating*, in the active sense. One final note on the stain – because it is so bright, and isn’t easily ‘dissolved’ by things you put on top of it, I find it useful for altering the colour of other lip products. I have a greyish purple lipstick that I will review for you all soon, and I like to put a stain of Fire and Ice underneath to give it a bit of pep. If you have a nude lipstick, or a brown lipstick or a pink lipstick (or any lipstick, really), that you feel isn’t quite right for you because it’s too sheer/pale/sickly/dull, then try a stain of Fire and Ice underneath it before you give up on it – you might be surprised by how attractive the result is!

The verdict: An excellent, long-wearing, opaque, intense, bright red lipstick. Perfect as a lipcolour, a stain, a blush, and a ‘revivifyer’ (may have made that up) for other products that aren’t quite pulling their weight. As if that weren’t enough, it’s also a classic, historic shade, prefect for any rogue who likes to come out on top in any situation (make of that what you will…).

The practicalities: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice (#720) costs NZD ~28.oo / USD 7.99 for 4.2 g/0.15 oz, is permanent, and may be acquired from chemists/drugstores etc the world over.

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!