Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick: L'Exubérante, La Raffinée, and La Sensuelle

I have wanted to try Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet lipsticks since they debuted this past fall, but I got sidetracked with tons of other fall collections (mostly because I don't live near a Chanel counter and they don't have a Canadian online boutique, so I always end up getting other brands instead). So when Murale had their Optimum points redemption event (redeem 50,000 points for $100 instead of $80!) last week, I took advantage of all of my points and redeemed them on three shades of Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet, and only ended up paying $20 (plus tax).

I have always been a fan of Chanel's packaging, because it's simple and streamlined, but still look and feel very luxe. The Rouge Allure Velvets have a click-style tube (very much like a click pen), so the lipsticks themselves are cased in weighty gold tubes (embossed with Chanel's double-C logo on the bottom) and "click" into black plastic square tubes (with Chanel's logo printed on the bottom in white). I love this packaging, though it can get annoying if you toss it in your purse, and something hits the tube and "clicks" the lipstick out of its casing. The formula itself is creamy, with high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. They go on smoothy and evenly, and wear incredibly well (at least six hours before needing to re-apply). The finish is, as the name implies, like velvet — not as flat or dry as a matte, but not shiny or glossy ("semi-matte" is also a good description). There is a very subtle floral scent, but it is undetectable once it's on the lips, and there is no taste at all. Each lipstick contains 3.5 grams of product, and retails for $40.

L'Exubérante, La Raffinée, and La Sensuelle

L'Exubérante, La Raffinée, and La Sensuelle

#37 L'Exubérante is a medium bright warm-toned hot pink. This is a fantastic bright pink for those with warmer skintones (many hot pinks are cool-toned). It is lighter and less red than YSL Rouge Volupté in #11 Rose Culte, brighter and warmer than MAC Love Forever! Pro Longwear Lipcreme, less fuchsia than MAC Show Orchid, and much more opaque than MAC Lustering.

#34 La Raffinée is a medium rose pink with brown undertones. Though rose pinks are usually cooler, the brown undertones in this shade make it universally flattering on everyone. It is warmer than Illamasqua Climax, darker than MAC Cosmo, and less peach than MAC Fanfare.

#40 La Sensuelle is a medium-dark blue-red with brown undertones. This is a beautiful darker red that should work on all skintones and undertones. It is more brown than YSL Rouge Volupté in #12 Forbidden Burgundy, lighter and less pink than YSL Rouge Volupté in #18 Red Taboo, and very slightly cooler than MAC Viva Glam I (though they are very similar).

The colour range of Rouge Allure Velvets is very limited at eight shades, though well edited so there is a colour to suit every skintone and undertone. I am extremely pleased with these three shades. The colours are rich and intense, and they glide on very smoothly without tugging or skipping. I didn't experience any bleeding or migrating, even after hours of wear. These are not moisturizing or hydrating (and they are not touted as such), though I don't find them particularly drying (you may need some lip balm after five or six hours of wear, though). They kind of remind me of Illamasqua's formula, or MAC's Mattenes. These are definitely more on the expensive side at $40 for 3.5 grams of product (making them more expensive than YSL and Dior), but if you're on the hunt for a good matte lipstick and these shades appeal to you, they're worth checking out. However, there are lots of dupes out there for less, so I would skip these if you have similar shades (unless you are a Chanel fiend, and there's no shame in that).