The Rogue at the Social – Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Have We Met?

Greetings from the darkest corner of the Annual Adventurers’ Social, fellow rogues!

So, when I say ‘darkest corner’, I should probably clarify that it’s because that’s the natural place for all the rogues to hang out and swap lockpicks. I don’t retreat there out of any particular feeling of social pressure, although (to be honest) the alternatives are more ‘extroverted’ but not really more social. I mean, you’ve got the warriors brawling, the paladins and clerics trying to out-zeal and out-aura each other, the bards jamming up near the stage and the druids communing out in the backyard. As for the rangers, well, they’re into the whole camo thing anyway so it’s OK if you can’t find them. Me, I prefer the darkness.

This is all a very roundabout way of relating to the name of the latest piece of treasure from my recent Dubai Lootstravaganza – the lipstick called ‘Have We Met?’ from Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel line, something I’d never tried before (by reason of it being Sephora exclusive). The lipstick reminded me of those Adventurers’ Socials – lots of introductions, unfamiliar faces, excitement and the sort of ‘eyeing each other up’ you do when you’re trying to work out if you’re going to have to fight them off to be first to the good loot in your next catacomb. Fortunately,  Have We Met? passed with flying colours!

From the original Loot post: Marc Jacobs Have We Met? and YSL Rose in Tension (reviewed here)

Have We Met? is, I should say from the first, exactly the sort of lipstick that gels (ha. ha.) with me perfectly. It’s in the peach/pink spectrum, has gentle pale gold shimmer, is sheer enough to be put on without a mirror but gives the perfect MLBB look to my zombie mouth, and lasts a comfortable, hydrating 3 hours – not so long that you can really get through a full dungeon without reapplying, but not so short that you start to get more irritated by it than by the goblins gnawing at your shins. I might collect outrageous purples, and LOVE the super-longevity of other lipsticks, semi-sheer, inoffensive, hydrating pinks are my go to for every day. If they have sparkle in them, this is a definite bonus. So: if you like super opaque, super long-wearing lipsticks, this may not be the one for you.  I’d still advise you to swatch it anyway, just because it’s super pretty.

Susie the Rockbard gaining the upper ground over the guy who spilled her drink. Skeletal Necromancers can be total dicks.

The Marc Jacobs line was one that I was particularly keen to try upon gaining access to a Sephora, actually – I’d read decent reviews of the lipsticks and eyeliners and new brands are always exciting. When I reached the counter, the eyeliners were mostly either destroyed or absent (out of stock I assume), and there only seemed to be about 4 colours on offer in total (which I think is slightly less than you can get in the US?) so I swiftly moved on to the lipsticks. Not that I need much encouragement to do that anyway *cough*.

This guy just won’t quit! There’s always that *one* skelemancer at the Social who never knows his limits. Fortunately, the sleek black wall of MJ’s lipstick tube is on hand as a fortification.

There were several shades that caught my eye, but as soon as I saw Have We Met?, I knew that was the one for me. The classic red (Neo-Noir) appealed, but I was sort of unofficially on the lookout for things that I would be likely to wear on an everyday basis. Have We Met? fit the bill perfectly, and a couple of token swatches later it was resting happily in my basket. I can’t believe I had overlooked this shade when Christine was doing all her lovely swatches of the line over at Temptalia, but it may have been covered by that ‘well, I have no real way of getting this’ haze that overcomes you sometimes, living in Middle Earth.

While Susie and the Skelemancer (pluralise that last word and that could totally be a band name) argue, take a look at that superfine golden shimmer!

Anyway, to come back to the point, this lipstick is a medium, light (but not pale!) pink with superfine golden shimmer in it that gives sheer-buildable, even coverage. As soon as I put it on, I was even more strongly reminded of a favourite lipstick of mine – Revlon’s Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait. The two lipsticks differ in many respects: Peach Parfait is warmer/peachier, its glitter is larger/grittier and it’s meltier in the tube. In terms of wear, coverage, application and feel (aside from PP’s ‘grit’) however, they have a lot in common. I should probably mention at this point that you should not be deterred by ‘shimmer’ – Have We Met?’s shimmer is so fine that what you get is a luminous, almost glossy effect that incorporates a bit of a plumping illusion. This is not a frost, kids!

Swatchy goodness. I’ve added a little swatch of Revlon’s Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, as Have We Met? reminded me of it in several ways.

The packaging is totally functional, and also quite stylish in that ‘shiny black case with metallic detail way’. It has a magnetic closure too, so it’s quite secure. The scent is that faint, pleasant vanilla-type one, and I couldn’t taste anything during or after application.

Lipswatchy goodness! Peach Parfait once again makes an appearance. The sun has an indecisive relationship with the clouds.

 

I feel like I should qualify my ‘sheer’ statement from earlier by really emphasising that this lipstick is *wearable* sheer, but easily buildable to ‘normal’ coverage. The application is smooth and easy (Look Ma, no mirror!) and as you can see from the lip swatches above, it makes even horribly dry winter lips with natural zombie colour look plump and smooth and ‘MLBB pink’. The pictures will also hopefully confirm my promise that this shimmery treasure isn’t a frost (if you’re averse to those – frost mages may be disappointed!), and go some way towards convincing you that this lipstick is definitely worth your time if you’re looking for a nice everyday pink with a bit of added sparkly interest. I must say, I’m very pleased with this example of the Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel line, and will definitely be investigating other colours when I’m next in a position to do so. So, uh…how about some conferences in the States, Academia? *nudge* 😉

What do you think, fellow social-adventurers? Have you already met your perfect MLBB lipstick? Have you tried the Marc Jacobs line? Do you also rogueishly hug the shadows at large social gatherings or are you cutting up the dancefloor with the wizards?

The practicalities: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel lipsticks cost US$24 for 0.12 oz / 3.4 g, are permanent, and may be acquired from Sephoras in the US and the Sephora in the Dubai Mall (at least), as well as http://www.sephora.com.

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! All images and text on this blog are the property of The Painted Rogue unless otherwise stated. If you nick off with any of it, be prepared to find that your morning hot beverage tastes a little…different than usual. Didn’t the rogue say something the other day about that new poison that makes your innear ear itch maddeningly for the rest of your life? I think she did…