Cle de Peau Beaute Lipstick Cashmere

Onward with the saga of 103 Legend--my love for this color led me to pick up another Cle de Peau Beaute item, the LE (and yes, long discontinued) Lipstick Cashmere, which completes my lovely trio along with Radian Lip Gloss and Refined Lip Luminizer. There were three other products in this LE collection that I skipped, a Lipstick Sparkle, a Radiant Liquid Rouge Sparkles, and a Lip Liner Pencil. 

 

And thanks to Caty's generosity, I received a LE Lip Glorifier 513 Break of Dawn from the Holiday 2020 Enchanted Lake Collection, and I was so head over heels for the gorgeous packaging that I picked up the pair of lipsticks from that collection as well: another Lipstick Cashmere in 514 Enamoured, and a Lipstick in 515 Impassioned (will post next).

 

We'll start with the 103 Legend collection since that was what got us here. All pictures taken in natural light without flash. 

I like the packaging for the lipsticks much better than those of the Radiant Lip Gloss and the Lip Luminizer. The square tube is still pretty chunky and bulky I think, but in this case, the LE red lacquer metal gives it a luxurious feel. 

The Lipstick Cashmere is CdP matte line, and to be honest I think the formula could be a bit better. It's not as consistent as it could be. For example, 103 Legend is drier, less creamy, and less moisturizing than 514 Enamoured, and this is just 2 colors. Do I want to drop a bunch of dough to find out how the other colors fare? Not really. Right now, 103 Legend feels about the same as Yves Saint Laurent Slim Sheer Mattes on my lips (will post later), only at twice the retail. I know mattes are difficult to get right, but come on, CdP is Shiseido's high end line. Surely they can do a matte lipstick some justice? It doesn't have to be dry and chalky just because it's matte. Mind you, I'm not saying 103 Legend is dry and chalky. I'm just saying the formula could be more consistent in texture and hydration.

 

- 103 Legend: shimmer free, semi-opaque warm red. In this formula, this color didn't swatch as warm on the back of my hand like the Lip Luminizer did. However, once applied to my lips, the yellow base becomes pretty apparent. Also, I say this color is semi-opaque because I need 2 layers to get full coverage, which works out perfect for me because I rarely, if ever, actually go for that 2nd layer. I prefer less coverage when it comes to lip colors, and between an intense matte and a sheer/soft matte I will always pick the latter. 

Here are my three beauties in 103 Legend, all are LE's: Radiant Lip Gloss, Refined Lip Luminizer, and this Lipstick Cashmere.

 

On to the Lipstick Cashmere in 514 Enamoured from the Holiday 2020 Enchanted Lake Collection!

Obviously, the inspiration here is the White Swan (Lipstick Cashmere 514 Enamoured) and the Black Swan (Lipstick 515 Impassioned), not just on the paper box but down to the very lipstick tubes. I appreciate that special attention was given to the inside of the paper box as well--the pretty feather print, and the inside of the lipstick tube--the swan print.

These tubes don't the punchy red lacquer from the LE 103 Legend releases. They might appear bland at first glance even. But look more closely and you'll see that they're actually pearlized and are very pretty. See close-up photo above.

 

- 514 Enamoured: a semi-translucent peony pink that leans warm (left swatch), next to Lipstick 515 Impassioned's "bloody wine." Once applied to my lips, it slowly "warms up" to a coral pink even! At first glance of the lipstick bullet, I thought I wouldn't like this color so much. However, the translucency translates into a soft matte finish that's not only wearable but is also very flattering. So I'm very happy I picked this up after all, especially because it's a lot softer, creamier, and more moisturizing than 103 Legend above.

Here are my three beauties from the Holiday 2020 Enchanted Lake Collection, all are LE's: Lip Glorifier 513 Break of Dawn, this Lipstick Cashmere 514 Enamoured, and Lipstick 515 Impassioned (will post next).