I wonder what made Sephora and Make Up For Ever decide on Fuchsia (no. 36) as their Rouge Artist Intense GWP item. Rouge Artist Intense, their newest lipstick formula, got Make Up Forever a lot of positive buzz. Between the creamy texture (less so for the matte finish, as far as I could tell from a quick Sephora visit), great coverage, intense pigment and the color selection, it offers a lot for under $20.
I first swatched the mini 36 Fuchsia on my arm and was intrigued by the deep color. It's brighter then my usual plummy lipstick choice but it didn't look bad at all. I liked the satin finish and the smoothness on skin, so on to the lips it went. Cue disaster. I'm sure there are women who can wear this shade, but I'm not one of them. It looked loud bordering on vulgar, something no amount of creamy texture and shiny finish can save. And apparently non of the lip glosses I tried to wear over the lipstick to tame it down could help, either. No matter what I tried, the too bright pink came through and made me look like a porn star Barbie.
I think the formula is good, especially if you're in the coverage and intensity camp and not having dryness issues. It requires good lip maintenance, otherwise every imperfection shows up, at least in the dark colors. The satin finish is definitely my favorite of the three (Rouge Artist Intense also comes in matte and pearl). It's just that this shade was not the best introduction to this Make Up Forever product.
Bottom Line: One day I'll try no. 31 or 32. Just let me get over the trauma.
Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense ($19) is a Sephora exclusive, online and in store. The mini size I'm showing here was a GWP.
All photos are mine.
