Givenchy Le Rose Perfecto

After the success of Le Rouge Perfecto (released 2016), in 2019 Givenchy released these Le Rose Perfecto that were supposed to lip balms, versus Le Rouge Perfecto's sheer lipsticks. Of course I was curious. Seeing that they have several different reds, I picked up 4 colors to try: 301 Soothing Red, 302 Solar Red, 303 Warming Red, and 304 Cosmic Plum. 

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Honestly, I don't know why they bothered with two separate product lines. First of all, both have identical packaging. Since both lines contain the same amount of product, 2.2g/0.07oz., the tubes are the same exact size even! Secondly, the two formulas have the same texture, or at least they feel the same on my lips: balmy, moisturizing, has a mild minty tingly sensation, and leaves a balmy sheen. Don't get me wrong, I love the formula so I'm not complaining. However, the identical packaging and the identical texture confuse me quite a bit. Are they supposed to be different products?

Perhaps the biggest differences and distinguishing features between these two product lines have to do with colors, or rather, pigmentation: Le Rouge adapts to my body Ph and changes colors, is sheerer and build-able, and stains, whereas Le Rose does not change color, is pigmented, and does not stain. I think Givenchy might have swapped the two product names by accident. The sheer color-changing lippies should have been Le Rose and these pigmented ones should really be Le Rouge.

 

Anyway, perhaps Givenchy realized this as well, because in 2021 they revamped the Le Rose Perfecto line and discontinued the Le Rouge Perfecto. The newer Le Rose Perfecto line contains more product, 2.8g/0.09oz. of content housed in the same peach-pink leather-wrapped tubes that are the same length but are slightly thicker. The bullets are marbled and are eye-catching, but the colors aren't as pigmented as the older version. I picked up two colors to try too. Will post them later. 

 

Anyway, both Le Rouge and this older Le Rose version have great staying power, but in different ways. Le Rouge has its vibrant stains to fall back to, whereas Le Rose's staying power lies in the way it fades minimally and evenly into a tinted balm. Yesterday, I applied 2 layers of Le Rose 302 Solar Red after lunch and then spent the whole afternoon drinking milk tea and snacking, and wasn't even trying to preserve my lip color. When 6:30pm came around, I pulled out my mirror and expected to see naked lips, only to be surprised with bright orange balm on my lips that was even and not at all patchy! Even better was that my lips didn't feel dry. Wow! Count me impressed. Why did they revamp this line and change the formula again? It was perfect as it was!

- 301 Soothing Red: translucent and shimmer-free reddish pink that's surprisingly pigmented. Swatches very pink on the back of my hands but applies with more red on my lips.

- 302 Solar Red: translucent and shimmer-free flaming orange-red, also very pigmented. The moment I saw this bullet, I immediately thought of Le Rouge Perfecto LE 05 Spirited, so I compared them below.

 

I accidentally deleted the swatch photo, so I'll have to retake that on a different day. Just know 302 Solar Red applies a pigmented orange-red and fades to a balmy bright orange while LE 05 Spirited applies very coral and leaves a vibrant coral stain.  

 

- 303 Warming Red: translucent and shimmer-free neutral red. Again, the moment I saw this bullet, I thought it was quite similar to 301 Soothing Red above so I compared those two as well.

Same here--I accidentally deleted the swatch photo so I'll have to retake it as well. For now, please refer to the swatches of all 4 colors below. See how 301 Soothing Red is totally pink versus 303 Warming Red's neutral red?

- 304 Cosmic Plum: a deep magenta with violet shimmers that give the finish a pretty violet sheen. I can't feel the shimmers on my lips, so I don't mind them so much. It's not my favorite color of the bunch, but it's still gorgeous. I like this color much better after it's faded into an even and flattering berry tinted balm, still with the lovely violet sheen. Again, why did they tamper with this older formula? It's fantastic!

From left to right: 301 Soothing Red, 302 Solar Red, 303 Warming Red, and 304 Cosmic Plum. These are very pigmented on my lips. These sheer-looking swatches more accurately reflect what these lippies look like after they have faded into a tinted balm.