Is it possible for the Shiseido Perfect Rouge to be a Glowing Matte?

Shiseido’s international makeup line used to be called The Makeup but its now called Makeup – shorter and sweeter. And with makeup artist Dick Page at the helm, Shiseido Makeup has taken on a decidedly edgier look. Great! I personally found it a little bland before 😛

This is my first time dipping my toes into Shiseido Makeup’s lipsticks and when I saw the name – Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte – I must confess to feeling a little crestfallen. I’m a bit like a magpie – I like shine and shimmer and Shiseido Makeup fell a little by the wayside outside my radar because it is “older”. But nevermind, I thought, I’m older now too! So lets see how a matte lipstick fares, since I don’t use mattes very much. Further, its a Glowing Matte which is a little puzzling and not a bit impossible.

The colour I have is RD325. Shiseido being Japanese, the colour names are quite self explanatory. In this case RD stands for Red so i knew this lippie falls in the red toned category.

There is no lipstick name but i checked online and RD325 is also called Coral Glow. Very pretty but i know you want swatches so hopalong now!

I’ll be honest. I’d used matte lipsticks before but they felt horrible on my lips. Dry and dull and one was a Shiseido lipstick from a while ago! However i must confess that this new Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte formula blew me away!

It is a little bit dry when applied. I find it pulls a little on the skin and is nowhere near as pigmented as it looks in the tube. That can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.

On my skin, for some reason RD325 or Coral Glow took on a bit of a fuchsia tone. It was a little odd and its more red and a little warmer in real life. But the fuchsia tone is there. Fortunately for me, its still a colour i can wear quite well so i’m not fussed. I’m not sure if its something that happens with all the colours so I’d advise that you check out the colours on your skin where possible.

Other than that, the formula is so light on the lips it feels like you’re not wearing anything! Very impressive for a matte lipstick. I did find that one swipe does not give a very even finish so what you see in the picture is about 2 to 3 layers. Yet its not heavy nor does it look thick does it? 🙂

It also lasts on my lips all the way past lunch till I wipe it off. If you are prone to dry lips you can apply a thin layer of lip balm before applying the lipstick.

It did not dry out my lips nor did it feel waxy and best of all, it did not look flat! Matte textures have a way of looking flat but this one doesn’t and yet it isn’t shiny or glossy. “Glowing Matte” is quite an apt description 🙂

Pros: Lightweight texture, lovely case, glowing matte formula isnt flat nor dry, lasts

Cons: Pricey, color changed on my skin, numbers are hard for me to remember

I felt the case deserves a mention. Its a metal case with a good heft. It looks very sleek and its something you won’t mind pulling out to touch up lipstick in public.

Although at RM95 a tube its pricey i don’t consider it as such because lipsticks from Japanese brands do tend to be on the pricier side. I’ve always found it a little odd. I reckon the price is alright for the quality but I’d say that this one is something you should test out in person first to see if you like the texture.

How do you feel about matte lipsticks? I was leery before but I’m thinking of trying another colour in this line. Perhaps something in the neutral category? 🙂

Paris B

Shiseido Perfect Rouge Glowing Matte lipsticks retail at RM95 a tube at all Shiseido counters