Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Plump-in-Colour Plumping Lip Balm

Was shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale when I spotted these Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Plump-in-Colour Plumping Lip Balm. I'd read that folks had sung their praises for these so I picked up three colors to try: 4 Exposing Coral, 5 Delirious Orange, and 6 Lunatic Red.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

These come in the iconic metallic (silver, in this case) and round tubes with the gold YSL medallion belt in the middle. The color band supposedly matches the actual color bullet inside. As a whole the packaging is weighty and substantial in my hand. It sure feels nice to hold (not as nice as Suqqu's old packaging but hey, I'm totally biased) and the price point definitely reflects that. I have to admit that the black heart-shaped core is super cute even if gimmicky.   

These lippies are strongly scented though, and with an artificially fruity and fake melon scent I'm not too thrilled about. This might sound harsh, but for all the prestige in the brand name and luxury in the packaging, it's ironically the scent that cheapens the product. 

Unfortunately, I think the formula isn't as great as everyone says it is either. It's supposed to be a balm but it has this super thin texture and applies with lots of slip, not in the Suqqu-Creamy-Glow-Lipstick-cult-status-lacquer slip but more like the silicone-y slip that I hate. It does wear comfortably but in an artificial way, as in the moisture just sits on my lips and never really soaks in, so I wouldn't call it a balm by any measure. There's a pleasant minty sensation that lasts for about 30 minutes but I don't see any plumping action. Over all, I'm glad I tried these on sale, because when it comes to high end brands, I feel I get better quality pay off with Japanese brands. But again, I'm biased so take what I say with a grain of salt.

- 4 Exposing Coral: a pretty and shimmer-free coral with slight white base that thankfully adapts and thus is still wearable.

- 5 Delirious Orange: this one is perhaps the biggest mystery to me. In the tube it looks orange red but it applies a--drum roll please--medium pink, both on the back of my hands as well as on my lips. There's nothing orange about this color. In fact, it stains a little and even the stain is bright pink! Could they have mislabeled my tube somehow? The only thing I like about this one is the lack of shimmers, otherwise for me it's a complete bait-n-switch.

- 6 Lunatic Red: my favorite one of the bunch, a shimmer-free transparent neutral red. Finally, something I like!

4 Exposing Coral, 5 Delirious (totally not) Orange, and 6 Lunatic Red.