If it seems like I’m the last person on earth to mention these new lip colours from Bourjois… I might well be! LOL! Well, I got lazy and then I went on holiday and … you don’t want my excuses. All you want to know is this “Should I throw my money at the Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque lipsticks?”
Hmmm…. Hmmm… Hmmm….
Do you like liquid lipsticks? That’s because this is what these Aqua Laques are. They are liquid lipsticks, that Bourjois says contains some sort of ground-breaking technology that makes it not your usual lipgloss.
Ok, to be honest, I’m tired of brands telling me that these sort of pigmented lip colour in a liquid form in a tube is not just another lipgloss. I get it. It’s a liquid lipstick. That’s not new. Can we get over that already and stop perpetuating that same old story? So, quit telling me that it’s a lipgloss with a difference and I might even give you a bit more credibility 😛
Right, whining aside, these liquid lipsticks are quite something. I like the pigment and I actually like how it feels on my lips. I think, if I were in the market for a nice shiny, pigmented liquid lipstick with pretty decent staying power and a wallet-friendly pricetag, I could do a lot worse than these.
The texture of the Aqua Laque is quite light. When I swipe it on my lips, it feels like a burst of cooling water. No, I’m not exaggerating, it really does feel like a burst of cool water! I think it’s that Aqua part of the name LOL
They come in a short, squat tube with a sponge tipped applicator that picks up a crap load of product the minute you remove it from the tube so do be careful.
The trick to applying these Bourjois Aqua Laque, for the best effect, is to use thin layers. So, when you remove the applicator, clean the excess down the side of the opening and then apply the remaining product on your lips. Because the product is so highly pigmented (I kid you not!) whatever remaining product is quite enough for you to colour in your lips with a lovely shine.
If you want it to look more opaque, then put on another thin layer. I emphasise “thin layers” because if you’re not careful, it will go on goopy and run out of line and you’ll hate it. So, don’t rush it. What this means also is that this isn’t a very friendly product to use when you’re in a hurry. I try to show you what I mean in these swatches.
On left, I’ve swatched full on, straight out of tube 07 Fuchsia Perché, a shade that’s hardly fuchsia! It’s a bright red and it’s beautiful if you love reds. On lips, it goes on a beautiful bright, but not in your face, red with a beautiful shine that makes you stand out like the standout that you are! 😀 Swatched straight from the tube, you can see that it’s fairly thick. I do find that the texture of Fuchsia Perche is thicker than the other 2 shades. I’m not sure if it’s to do with the colour.
In middle is 02 Rose on the Rocks, swatched after wiping down the excess colour from the tube. Rose on the Rocks is a very light rose pink that I wasn’t sure I liked, because I don’t do light, nude-y lip colours. But this one surprised me. I could walk around without looking like I had crawled out from a tomb! It does need slightly stronger eye makeup to balance it out, but it can work. Whew! The texture, as you can see, is a little thinner and more transparent. It’s like this whether or not I use it straight from the tube.
A surprise hit for me is 03 Brun ‘croyable on right. This was swatched also after wiping off excess product, but like Fuchsia Perche, I find the texture is a little thicker than Rose on the Rocks. It is also pigmented and is a deep browned burgundy shade I’d have run away from at the best of times. Colours like these tend to age you unless you have a deeper skintone, in which case, it’d look crazy fabulous on you! But Brun ‘croyable had just the right amount of red in it to flatter and I highly recommend that you take a look at this shade because it’s such a surprise, and in a very good way!
Here’s how they look when I wear them, just to give you an idea of how these lip products look on lips. The makeup is the same in all the photos and as you can see, 02 Rose on the Rocks could do with a stronger eye. I had even taken to wearing Brun ‘croyable as a day-to-day colour and it really does flatter me, I think, because it allows me to wear a red lip, without being too “red” about it. Like how Fuchsia Perche is a red-red 😀
The other thing I like is the shine on your lips. It isn’t an oily sort of shine, like you get with some glosses. The kind of shine that makes you look like you’ve been eating oily goreng pisang or an oily meal, and forgot to wipe your mouth. Instead, the Aqua Laque gives your lips a very lovely, fresh shine that has surprising lasting power.
With Brun ‘croyable and Fuchsia Perche, I can drink coffee, water and then head for lunch with my lipstick still looking fairly fresh. This is a liquid lipstick, mind you. So it’s quite impressive! It does transfer and will mark your cups so if you don’t like that, sorry. But I think you can forgive it, after you whip out your mirror for a touch-up and find that you don’t need one. I also find that the deeper shades leave a bit of a stain in your lips so it wears off quite prettily. Rose on the Rocks wears off more quickly and as you may tell, it’s my least favourite shade.
So, this is a very comfortable, shiny, glossy and pigmented liquid lipstick that actually feels moisturising (not drying) on, and it’s affordable and the colours are brilliant. So, is there nothing bad to say about it?
Unfortunately yes, there is. The scent. I was told before trying these that the Aqua Laque had no scent. Well, I’m sorry to burst your bubble but there is. It’s not a strong, perfumed scent like other Bourjois lipsticks. It’s a slightly sweet, chemical sort of scent. It’s not approaching radioactive, like this one, but it’s an unmistakeable fake scent. I don’t like it.
So I’m kind of torn. I like how the lipstick performs and looks and the colours I have flatter me even when I didn’t think they would. But every time I put them on, the scent makes me wrinkle my nose (and at my age you don’t really want to keep wrinkling anything for fear of the lines setting in!) and I feel like chucking it. It does dissipate, but not fully until an hour or so later when I find it bearable. So yes, I face a conundrum every time I look at these Aqua Laque lipsticks – do I slick them on and head out with beautifully shiny lacquered lips… or do I chuck them in the bin?!
IN A NUTSHELL
The Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque liquid lipsticks offer a lovely pigmented and glossy shine to the lips. They are easy to use, although I’d caution the use of thin layers to build up colour and texture as they can otherwise feel goopy on the lips. When first applied, it feels like a burst of water on the lips which is very refreshing and the texture is very light (if you use light layers) and not drying. I find the colours long lasting for me, and the deeper shades leave a bit of a stain. I do also find that the texture is a little inconsistent across the colours, so the more pigmented colours feel thicker and more opaque while the light shades are more transparent. There is also a slightly sweet chemical scent I dislike but not many people mention it so perhaps it doesn’t bug everyone.
PROS: Affordable, Shiny glossy texture that is flattering, Opaque and well pigmented colours, Portable packaging, Longlasting on me and deeper shades leave a bit of a stain so it wears off well
CONS: Slightly sweet chemical scent bugs me although it will dissipate over time, Texture seems a little inconsistent across the colours
WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who likes to wear lightweight liquid lipsticks, Anyone who wants an affordable non-drying liquid lipstick with lovely glossy colours and strong pigment
Have you tried these Aqua Laque liquid lipsticks? Do you like Bourjois lipsticks in general?
These have been out for a while, so I’d love to hear what you think about them. Do you have a favourite colour or do you want to debunk my review about the scent and tell me I’m smelling things 😛 I used to own a few Bourjois lipsticks way way back in the day and at one point, I was such a fan of their lipglosses, I owned quite a few! I’d buy them from Singapore where Bourjois has been available for far longer. I actually really liked them but they were all scented and that really bugged me so I stopped using them. I think I still own these old glosses. Probably time to chuck them out LOL! 😀
Paris B
Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque liquid lipsticks come in 8 shades Price: RM45.50 (but always wait for the discounts!) | £8.99 Availability: Watson’s stores and the Bourjois kiosk at Sunway Pyramid or online at Asos for worldwide shipping
I quite like liquid lipsticks as they give you a glossy effect without having to slather on an additional layer of gloss… These Bourjois Aqua Laques sound really nice, bar the fact that they come with a strong fragrance! I suppose I have to head over to Watsons to check them out properly as I am really liking the look of Rose on the Rocks!
These are really nice, Sukie but I think I’m just sensitive to the scent. Most people don’t mention it so I’d suggest taking a sniff at Watson’s and see if it bugs you? Definitely lighter than Guerlain but still scented! Oh and Rose on the Rocks is quite a surprise, because it’s wearable without putting you in zombie category!
Yay – I’m glad to hear that these babies perform well 🙂 I looove the original Rouge Edition Velvet lippies, so I finally ordered two of their ‘new colours’ to the range (since we still don’t have them here is Aus) and one of the Rouge Edition Aqua Laque lippies (we also don’t have these yet – it’s just ridiculous I tell ya!) just to test out the formula.
I have two of Bourjois’ newer lipsticks (also from the Rouge Edition line – the similar names are now confusing the hell outta me) and I can’t say that they have a strong scent, so perhaps they are worth checking out again! 😉 They have a nice creamy formula and they last a decent time on the lips (nothing out of this world though).
I’m told the Velvet ones are strongly scented so if it didn’t bug you then this won’t 😀 I hope you like these when you get them – the shine is incredible! I remember Bourjois made some really nice lipsticks and although they weren’t exactly that cheap, they were good! And sometimes, that’s what matters right?
So I had a good sniff of my Velvet liquid lipsticks and the scent isn’t strong at all! It’s almost like they didn’t try and cover up the scent of the product in it’s original form, so it does have a slight ‘chemical/artifical’ scent to it but it isn’t very bad (I sniffed all six of mine lol luckily no one walked in and saw me doing this!). Perhaps they tried to cover this up with the Aqua Laque lippies, with devastating effects lol
I love the Velvet versions, so if you can test them out somewhere before purchasing I would highly recommend them, as they are just to good to be true for the price! 🙂
LOL it would have been quite suspicious to walk in on your sniffing your lipsticks hehe… But thanks for doing it anyway! I was actually told by a friend that compared to the Velvet ones, the Aqua Laque is much lighter in scent to the point they could ignore it! So that’s something to think about 🙂 I’ll be sure to take a look at the Velvet lippies. I’m not so much into matte lipsticks, but hey, never say never right? 🙂
Oh wow – how funny is it that people can have such different perceptions or experiences with the same product! The only other possibility is that they have changed the scent recently… but if you aren’t a fan of mattes (which I didn’t realise!) the I guess they might be a bit ‘meh’ on your spectrum. The staying power of those guys is phenomenal for a drugstore product 🙂 I’m still waiting on my new Rouge Edition Velvet lippies and the one Aqua Laque that I ordered *sigh free worldwide shipping usually takes FOREVER.
On the bright side, the shipping is at least free! 🙂 But I know what you mean. I love it when shipping is free to me, but then, they put it on the slow boat. Sigh…
Oohh.. going by my current preference inclination towards lip gloss/lipsticks in liquid form, I must definitely make a trip to Watsons and will keep fingers crossed for a sale tag on the item when I visit. Of the 3 shades, Rose on the Rocks is the one that I would probably end up with – unless they have something that’s even more nude..
Ooh if you like liquid lipsticks you’d like these. Super light on lips but the colour is crazy! I believe there’s a nuder (is there such a word?) colour – 01 will be the one you’ll look for!
Thanks for your review, PB. I swatched these at Watsons the other day but they didn’t have the tester for 03 Brun ‘croyable. Looks really good on you! I’ll have to go back to check again… and take a proper sniff 🙂
I think you’d like 03, Lily 🙂 It’s a surprisingly wearable brown and I rarely wear brown lipstick!
Wow those are gorgeous! I love 07, it looks so bright and happy.
Bright and happy is the perfect way to describe 07! It seriously gives you a wonderful pop of colour and shine on the lips, if you aren’t fussy about the scent 😀
I love the glossy finish of these, and the colours are so pretty. But the scent worries me. I think I’ll have to give them a good sniff at the shop.
Please do give them a healthy sniff Gio and I think they’re quite affordable in Europe, coz I’ve seen them go on Buy 2 Free 1 and that’s such a deal!
03 Brun ‘croyable looks so good on you and it is a shade that I would love to try on. I do not own a liquid lipstick so I need to head over to Watson one of these days to try it out. Hope the scent is not too unbearable 🙂
That’s a shade you should most definitely try, Victoria! Take a look and see if the scent is fine by you (maybe I’m just being sensitive) and better yet, wait till they go on sale 😉
I can’t use lip products whose scent I cannot tolerate – I don’t use Guerlain lipsticks for this reason. I threw the only one I had out – it was a gift so I didn’t feel so bad. But I’d say chuck them out! Or give them away. If you wrinkle your nose, it seems like you’re torturing yourself lol! Btw, I just discovered NYX butter glosses – they remind me of these liquid lipsticks. They are probably not as long lasting nor do they stain lips but the finish and feel are similar. They have a vanilla scent quite reminiscent of MAC lipsticks. I have snagged three already and thinking of buying more before I head home :p Have you tried these before? Is NYX available in M’sia?
Yes, you’re right. I’ve just realised recently that Guerlain lipsticks are quite heavily scented and while I used to be fine with them before, I’m getting more bugged by scent in products these days. I wonder if it’s because I’m getting older? Or just pickier 😛 As for NYX yes, we do get them here in Sephora (I know, what a strange place to find NYX!) and I’d never tried the butter glosses! I’ll take a sniff and a look the next time I’m there. They aren’t very expensive from what I remember so I guess it’s worth giving them a go! 😉
I’ve gotten addicted to lipstick lately and these look great~ (Only thing is that I can’t stand too much scent in my makeup products; it’s the one reason I’ve never gotten into MAC lipstick, or into Guerlain products.) My current favourite of the liquid lipstick is one from Shuu Uemura and the ones from Shishedo.
If you like the texture of Shu Uemura (and can stand the scent which I can’t) then you won’t have a problem with these! They are much more glossy and brighter than Shiseido 😀 Take a look and see next time you’re near a counter 😉
Oh how I love these!! I too have 07 and 03 but I also bought 04 – Viens si tu roses 🙂 I carry it with me since the day I bought it! I love these babies (just as much as I like their sisters – Velvet line). Also, I am sure, everyone else also tries it but, I sometimes mute the colors of aqua velvets with these, so when used together they kind of balance each other: when I use one of these on top of velvets, the dryness that comes with velvet lippies kind of gets muted and the (sometimes) over glossiness of these are also muted :=
I think that’s very clever to mix the two, Casey! I doubt many people would have thought of doing it so thank you for sharing! It does sound like a very clever way to get the best out of both lipsticks 😀
I really love the original Velvet formula, but want to try these ones, too. FINALLY!
I read your post Marina! 😀 I think I have a Velvet version lying around and it seems to get a lot of love. I’ll check it out and you definitely have to check these out!