Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge

These Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge were a goodbye present for myself before I left Japan last August ^.^ I've read over and over how great these are, and I know I'd regret it if I leave empty-handed (well, I hardly did, but that's an entirely different story...). 

There were 10 shades available at the time, and I picked up all 10 because I just couldn't decide which was better. Japan likes to make its lip colors super wearable, which is very nice and user-friendly and all. However, this wearability can be a double-edge sword - the colors can look frustratingly similar and they can be difficult to tell apart in the tubes. You will see an example of this below as I had to swatch 5 similar-looking colors side by side just to compare. In my case, this wearability is a triple whammy because, well, I want them all LOL!

From left to right: BE-1, BE-2, OR-1, PK-1, PK-2, PK-3, PK-4, RD-1, RD-2, and RS-1. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Thank goodness I picked up these Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge when I did because Lavshuca changed their packaging this past May. And unfortunately, the new packaging is nowhere as classy and sophisticated as it once was. Sure there are 9 new colors in 2 different finishes (Bright and Purely), but the lipstick case is all pink and plastic-y. Then again, 9 new colors in 2 different finishes!!! Hmm, I wonder if they left the awesome formula alone. Shoot, I might not be able to control myself...

***Screencap from Lavshuca JP.

This means my reviews are for the old packaging and most of the colors are discontinued, although I'm pretty sure you can still get them online via various shops. The cap is clear maroon with a cute "nub"at the top. It clicks close securely and is quite sturdy. The metal twist-up bullet inside is slim and sleek, but it feels slightly flimsier and after snapping on the cap it rattles a tiny bit when I shake it in my hand.

So the formula, yes, it is as exquisite as everyone says it is. Unscented, no taste, buttery smooth but not melty and retains a nice tug during application. Extremely moisturizing and long lasting. The color lasts for a good several hours, and when it fades it does so evenly. I would apply these after lunch and by dinner time some 5-6 hours later, I would wipe my lips and the kleenex would come away with tons of color still on it! Some of the colors do have shimmers, but they are fine enough that none turn frosty on my lips. I'm super duper impressed with these lipsticks. I gave 2 to mum in law and she actually called to gush about how much she loves them too!

- BE-1: a shimmer free peach nude that has some translucency despite the opaque swatch. It turns peachier on my lips, matching them so perfectly I don't need a mirror to apply. I would love to call it a my-lips-but-better color, but because it matches so well I ended up looking like I'm just wearing lip balm. Oh well...

- BE-2: a creamy beigey nude, also shimmer free. Opposite with BE-1, despite the swatch it's somewhat opaque. Thank goodness it's just one shade lighter than my natural lip color, so it's still wearable and is actually a good nude shade for me. Just a toucher lighter and I wouldn't be able to wear it at all. If you are looking for a color to tone down your pigmented lips, this is it.

- OR-1: a candied orange with silver shimmers. This turns peachy on my lips, just like how it swatched. Thankfully, the silver shimmers aren't frosty and barely shows up ^.^'

- PK-1: a shimmer free creamy petal pink. One of my favorite colors that I carry with me in my bag! In a pinch I've used it as a cream cheek color before and it gave me a really lovely fresh flush ^.^

- PK-2: a shimmer free crearmy fleshy pink. I know my picture makes it look dark but it's definitely a my-lips-but-better color! It matches my lips very well, but unlike the BE-1 above which looks just like a lip balm on my lips, with this one I still get a very natural but polish, and somewhat girly pinky lips.

First half: BE-1, BE-2, OR-1, PK-1, and PK-2.

- PK-3: a shimmer free creamy peach pink. Despite the swatch it does have some opacity to it and is one shade lighter than my natural lip color. Like BE-2, this turns out to be a nice peach pink nude color for me, but just a tad lighter and I wouldn't be able to wear it given the opacity. This is another good one if you're looking to tone down your pigmented lips.

- PK-4: a shimmer free milky nude beige with pink undertone. It's this pink undertone that differentiates it from BE-2 above, even if barely. Thankfully, this is another wearable nude for me.

- RD-1: a pinky strawberry red with shimmers so fine they don't show at all! This is another one of my favorite color and I carry it around with me all the time.

- RD-2: a muted but still vampy deeper red with notes of red wine. Again the shimmers in this color is so fine they don't really show up, but there are enough of them to give a lovely glistening, semi-metallic sheen.

-  RS-1: a violet wine with silver shimmers that don't really show either. This is the third of my favorite as it's very buildable and can either be feminine and pretty with one layer or vixenish with 2 or more layers.

Second half: PK-3, PK-4, RD-1, RD-2, and RS-1. As you can see, the last 3 colors are the darker and more pigmented ones out of the bunch!

So as I go through and swatch the colors, I found several that look quite similar on the back of my hand despite appearing different in the tube. Those colors are BE-1, BE-2, PK-2, PK-3, and PK-4 and I have swatched them side by side below for comparison. 

From left to right: BE-1, BE-2, PK-2, PK-3, and PK-4

I also tried the following pairs on my lips:

- BE-1 versus PK-2: sure enough, it's lip balm versus my-lips-but-better. 

- BE-2 versus PK-3: beige nude versus a milky peachy pink, both are a shade lighter than my natural lip color.

- BE-2 versus PK-4: these two are almost indistinguishable in the tube and they swatched so similar in the above lineup that I swatched them again side by side for a better look. As you can see, PK-4 is pinkier and that's about all the difference there ^.^'

BE-2 and PK-4