For Fall (or Autumn) this year, Estee Lauder is taking the metallic route in their “The Metallics” range of products that have high reflective shine for eyes, lips and nails. There are 6 Pure Color Vivid Shine lipsticks in this range of which I have one to show you – Pure Color Vivid Shine in Mirrored Orchid.
Truth be told, when I hear “metallic” and “lipstick” in the same sentence, I hold back a little. The reminder of the metallic, almost frosty lips from the recent 80s still lingers. Yet, I found Mirrored Orchid not quite as metallic as all that, which is a good thing!
The packaging is the same as that for all the Pure Color lipsticks with their shiny golden cover and the clear lucite base that reflects the colour of the lipstick within. Saved me many an extra step in the mornings, when looking for a lipstick to go with my look. For those wondering, yes the signature EL fig scent is still present in the lipstick. Not unpleasant and seems a little lighter than I remembered, but it’s there.
But what’s this Vivid Shine and how does it translate into Mirrored Orchid? What is a Mirrored Orchid?
Well from what I can understand, this colour is to represent that of an orchid, which is interpreted as a deep plummy-red. The lipstick is infused with loads of shimmer but it doesn’t really go on sparkly nor frosty. Estee Lauder says it gives lips a chromatic finish with lip colours that suit every skintone thanks to the high impact pigments and pearls. Chromatic finish. Gosh, we’ve only heard that in nail polish haven’t we? 😀
What I find is that the lipstick swatches quite differently on hands and on lips. On hands, it is smooth and feels quite buttery. No grittiness despite the shimmer in there, and the shimmer in the swatch is quite noticeable.
Swatches Left: Estee Lauder Pure Color Vivid Shine Mirrored Orchid Right: Guerlain Rouge G Madame Batifole
On my wrist, Mirrored Orchid has a decidedly metallic note and appears infused with shimmer. The colour is a red with a plum base which deepens the colour and makes it Fall-appropriate. In our warmer, sunnier climes, it is a little less flattering in the day, but lovely for the evening when you want to channel a deeper, sexier look.
On my more pigmented lips, I find the colour is a bit deeper and whilst it is shiny, the metallic note doesn’t turn frosty.
What I do realise however is that the formula did not apply as smoothly on my lips as I had earlier thought. Being a deep coloured lipstick, you do have to be careful with the outlines, and if you have flakes on your lips, it’s definitely worth exfoliating or putting down a balm beforehand to get a smooth colour.
Pigmentation is superb. It’s all just 1 layer of colour that you see in the 2 swatches above, and for that, it’s impressive. It also isn’t drying. You just have to be a bit careful with application. The shimmer is really only visible up close and there is no frost so all in all, I’d say that this is a nice plum-red lipstick for someone wanting a deeper lip shade with a bit of shine.
In a nutshell
The Estee Lauder Pure Color Vivid Shine lipsticks are limited edition colours for Fall 2013 with a decidedly shinier texture. Mirrored Orchid is a deep plum-red lipstick with very pigmented colour and saturated shine, that fortunately doesn’t look frosty. Nothing worse than a frosty plum lip! I find the formula, whilst creamy, can catch on flakes on lips and can also accentuate lines if not careful. It also looks more shiny when swatched on the arm, as opposed to wearing it on the lips where the shine becomes a little more natural, and less shimmery. They are beautiful, but I can’t say I’m quite sold on this colour even if it does look rather lovely when worn.
Pros: Deep colours and lovely saturated shine, Not drying, Lightweight texture, Very pigmented, Not frosty nor overly metallic when worn on lips
Cons: Saturated shine and shimmer may not suit everyone, Formula can catch on dry or flaky skin on lips
Who will like this: Anyone who doesn’t mind lipstick with high shimmer shine, Mirrored Orchid would suit someone looking for a plum-red lipstick for the Fall season
You will have noticed that I swatched Mirrored Orchid alongside Madame Batifole Rouge G above. In my mind, they had a similar shade and I thought Mirrored Orchid would make a more affordable option for someone looking for this sort of shade. But swatching them side by side showed me they were quite different. Mirrored Orchid is deeper, and more suited to a Fall sort of look. Madame Batifole, whilst gorgeous, is a little brighter. So, they are both different, which justifies you getting both, or if you prefer, getting the more affordable EL one 🙂
Do you transition your lipstick colours for Fall? Do you wear deep colours here in sunny Malaysia?
I don’t transition lip colours but pretty much wear light and dark colours all year round. Having bright sunny skies most of the time does make it a bit harder to wear a deeper lip without looking a bit too vampy but when I do pull out a deep lip colour, I keep my makeup simple and let the lip draw attention 🙂
Paris B
Estee Lauder Pure Color Vivid Shine lipsticks come in 6 limited edition shades – Mirrored Orchid, Burnished Bronze, Glow Fuchsia, Hot Lava, Gilded Honey, Coral Halo Price: RM90 Availability: Estee Lauder counters Limited Edition: Yes, The Metallics collection Fall 2013
That’s a lovely plummy shade! Don’t you just love how these colours simply brighten up your face? (I don’t need another lipstick but it’s good to live through your stash haha!)
Yes it’s a very nice shade and yes, everyone needs these sorts of colours in their makeup stash! Out with the nudes already! 😛
the colour looks absolutely gorgeous on you!
I’m still trying to finish up my Revlon sticks ;P
Thank you Juan 🙂 I’ve given up trying to finish anything haha! 😛
Wow, the colour looks so deep on your lips 🙂 I have the earlier version of the Pure Colour lipstick in Crystal Orchid and although the colour is nice, I find the lipstick drying. I have not used it for a long time because of that reason but maybe I should try to wear it again to determine if it is indeed drying. I have always love the packaging of this lipstick though, it is so classy and elegant.
Thank you Victoria! I have one of the Crystal shades too and you’re absolutely right, it was drying. Bleh. The regular Pure Color line is better IMO!
So yummy-looking! I’m looking forward to seeing this collection in person. EL does fly under radar sometimes, though they have interesting releases.
Absolutely, Mag! I often overlook EL but they have been doing some nice things in recent times.
Thats a gorgeous shade! Reminds me of Rebel from MAC 🙂
Not familiar with the MAC shade but I’m sure it’s fab! 😉 Thanks Parita!
You look absolutely stunning wearing this! I tend to avoid EL lipsticks because there is a certain scent I’m not comfortable with, but their recent releases have been really gentle on fragrances 🙂
Thanks Lily 🙂 Yeah they do have that signature Fig scent I wish they’d do away with. They seem to have toned it down in recent times, but it might be better if they did away with it altogether!
Hi Paris~ So gorgeous on you! Brightens up the whole look 🙂 And yummy looking too! I wear brighter lip colours all year round. Hehe. Pretty much. Sometimes soft pink but not nude or pale coloured ones. They just look dead on me.
Thank you Rin 🙂 I wear bright colours all the time too haha! Life is too short to look dull all the time eh? 😉 I hate the nude lip trend. Whoever thought that blotting out the lips makes a woman look good is mad 😛
That’s a beautiful shade for fall. It looks great on you!
Thank you Gio, and it is!
I don’t usually put on lipsticks because I have an ultimate sensitive lip.
But sometimes you just wanna look pretty and be vain, that’s when I will ignore the consequences and just put it on! My lipstick colors are mostly natural shades, don’t have any dark color ones. But this color looks great! Been thinking to get a hot red color and a darker ones, maybe will consider this! but my lip skin does peel off very often because of allergy.
This is gonna be so off topic, but do you have any recommendation on face ampule?
Thanks in advance~ ^_^
Aww sorry to hear about your sensitive lips, Audrey. It sounds like there maybe an ingredient in there that doesn’t suit you 🙁 Is it in all brands or just some? If it does aggravate the allergy it might be a good idea not to wear one. Or have you tried using balm under it to “protect” your lips? The colour will be lighter, but it will allow you to wear lip colours 🙂 I’m afraid I don’t “get” ampoules. From what I understand they can be serums or primers but I otherwise don’t quite understand them, so nope, no recommendations. sorry!
I might just have a creamy, non-frosty dupe for this… *Rummages in collection* Hmm, Rimmel’s Heartbreaker seems a little bit less purple.
Looking gorgeous as always, PB! ^.^
Thank you Hanny! And a creamy non frosty lipstick in a similar shade would be HOT! 😀
This is such a beautiful color. It has been a really long time since I’ve gone beauty shopping. I shall remember to pick this one up the next time I decide to spend some cash. Thanks! 🙂
Most welcome, Hani 🙂 There are some other shades in this range or other ranges that may catch your eye too so keep an open mind. Lipstick possibilities are out there 😀
I love this shade and it looks absolutely great on you!
I never paid a lot of attention to Estee Lauder products and I don’t even know why.
I think I may have to try this, it’s just the kind of shade I go for at this time of the year 🙂 x
Thank you S 🙂 EL is quite understated isn’t it? I used to think of it as an aunty or old lady brand but maybe with age I’ve grown into that aunty so some of it actually appeals to me now! HAHA 😀
Looks lovely on you Paris!! And I like your photo, looks like you’re really having fun with the photo shoot hehe
Thank you Biianca and yes I think I was haha! 😀
This is really pretty! Your type of red. Yet I am quite sure it will suit me too!
I love Estee Lauder Vivid Shine line. The glosses are incredibly pigmented and good too!
Thank you Jyoan and I’m sure it’d suit you too! It’s quite a neutral sort of shade. Oh and the glosses! Oh my! I may have found my perfect nude… or as close to nude lip! 😀
The season really doesn’t matters to me at all too. I wear what I like, more to match the occasion and therefore matching my clothes, than to suit the season. This kind of colour is great for night dates/dinner. It is a bit too much at my workplace.
In the day, I go for paler shades of orange, corals, and pinks.
Yeah it’s hard to keep up with trends when we live in countries without distinct seasons isn’t it? I rather like that to be honest. We get to wear what we want, when we want, all year round!
Really pretty on you Paris! I think EL lipsticks are pretty great and want to look at them a lot closer now.
Thank you Tracy! I remember you had Hot Lava so I want to check that one out! 😀
OH I envy you that you pull off cool and warm red tones! 😀 Both guerlain and EL looks great on you. I remember your earlier post from Lipstick Queen. That looked beautiful on you too!
Just a matter of finding the right one, my dear 😉 thank you!
I do wear darker colors during fall but that is not something I stick to. It all depends on the occasion or if I am wearing anything bold or not. Change is season does not act as an indicator for me.
xx
Lovely colour! I haven’t wanted an Estée Lauder lipstick for the longest time, and as though I needed more lipsticks in my stash, I am actually lemming for 4 of the shades from these 6 new lipsticks! I want this one, Hot Lava, Coral Halo and Glow Fuchsia! I can survive without the coral one, as I have just finished up Revlon Tutti Frutti which is a similar shade. But gosh, this one, Hot Lava and Fuchsia are simply gorgeous when I swatched them today.
You picked some nice colours, Vonvon 🙂 I have to agree Hot Lava is calling my name too!