Clarins Joli Rouge Brilliant

A few months ago Clarins USA had a sales event, which was all the excuses I needed to try their Joli Rouge Brilliant in the older packaging at 30% off of retail (the line was revamped in late 2015 with gold packaging) ^.^ There were several colors on sale and I picked three: 20 Coral Tulip, 21 Pink Orchid, and 22 Coral Dahlia.

 ***Screencap from Clarins USA.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

I haven't seen the new gold packaging so I can't comment on it, but I totally see why they updated the old packaging--it's hideous! Granted, the oval silver tube is weighty and more substantial than the plastic POS that is Addiction Lipstick Sheer's packaging, but it's also gigantic, larger than Addiction even! Perhaps I could use it as a weapon in a pinch. Surely I could hurt someone throwing this at them =.="

Here are the candidates for super-sized packaging. As you can see, Clarins takes the cake with Addiction as runner up.

Thank goodness, this is yet another case for fugly-packaging-fantastic-formula. These lipsticks wear comfortably on my lips with a moisturizing formula that's just right, not too thin but not thick. The finish is translucent, totally my jam, with decent pigmentation. They are scented though, with a sweet berry fragrance I don't mind but would rather not have. I'm glad to have caught these at a discount, because I probably wouldn't buy them at retail. I just don't have the space to store oversized tubes like these.

- 20 Coral Tulip: hot pink-coral with dense and shamefully obvious white shimmers that both show and feel slightly gritty on my lips. Upon application, unless my lips are in perfect condition this color will bring out all the dry flakes. Thankfully, it "adapts" after a minute or two. I do like the color very much, but I so wish they'd tone down the sparkles.  

- 21 Pink Orchid: medium rose with finer and therefore less obvious white shimmers than 20 Coral Tulip above. The finer shimmers also make this color smoother and leave an almost transparent finish. Love this!

- 22 Coral Dahlia: reddish coral with scattered micro white shimmers that don't show at all on my lips. This color goes on buttery smooth and is my favorite color out of all three!

20 Coral Tulip, 21 Pink Orchid, and 22 Coral Dahlia.