Guerlain Rouge Automatique Lipstick Samsara (124) - Review, Swatch, FOTD

Imagine yourself in one of the poshest stores in one of the poshest shopping areas of the world surrounded by men and women in Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Prada etc and you are there wearing a dress with Bata rubber Hawaii chappals, the ones we wear at home! Yup that was me inside Guerlain's iconic 68 Avenue des Champs-Élysées boutique in Paris. Believe me never have I felt so awkward in my life but I was battling severe shoe bites and a foot infection so it was either chappals or not walk at all and I obviously chose the former. 

You just have to see the Guerlain boutique. It is so luxurious and opulent. That day the entrance was decorated with white roses and inside there are crystal chandeliers, marble sculptures, huge flower decorations etc etc. The moment I walked in I saw the guard looking at me with a 'Are you really wearing flip flops to this store' kinda look but I just flashed him a sweet smile and went inside very matter of factly. I knew that everything in the store would be priced much higher than what I would get at duty free (nearly 10 Euros more!) but I still wanted to buy something and at the end settled for the Rouge Automatique lipstick in Samsara. It is quite an old shade but the berry-red color is just perfect for our Indian skin tone. 

Guerlain Rouge Automatique Lipstick Samsara (124)

MAC Limited Edition Pleasure Bomb Lipstick - Review, Swatches & How to Create a Dupe

This post is dedicated to the gorgeous and super sweet Shivani of Shivani's Beauty Blog without whom this lipstick would have remained a distant dream. Pleasure Bomb released with the MAC RiRi Hearts Holiday Collection and this was the only thing that I desperately wanted from the collection. Unfortunately and God only knows why, MAC did not get this color to India so as expected there was disappointment all around. I had lost all hope till one fine day, Shivani extends her helping hand and offers to get a few from her seller. I also have to thank Samannita for letting me know of it asap and I was the first one to place the order. A couple of weeks later, the lipstick is delivered to my house and it very soon replaced Party Parrot as my all time favorite lip color!

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick - Review, Swatches, Photos

I just realized that it's been ages since I wrote about a red lipstick and considering my obsession with reds, that's completely unacceptable! So here I am bringing to you a lipstick that's not yet released in India but a worldwide rage currently. Presenting the MAC Rihanna Viva Glam Lipstick that I picked up in Singapore last month.

In Singapore, MAC lipsticks are for 29 SGD which is around Rs 1400. At that time, my conscience had really pricked me after I bought it. It was saying " Couldn't you have waited for a few more months? It would have launched in India at a much lesser price!!" But now that our dearest MAC have hiked their prices, I know that when it launches here, it will probably be of the same price that I paid for in Singapore. So no guilt feeling now at all :D.

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick looks different from the usual MAC lipsticks. The bullet is a frosty red and I love how funky yet classy it looks. Strangely, it does not have MAC's signature vanilla smell. It is a frost finish and described as a 'blue-red'. I don't agree with MAC's description at all because it's a bright red with warm undertones and I do not see any trace of blue in it, at least on me. The lipstick has a hint of gold and pink shimmer that does not transfer on to the lips and the pigmentation is amazingly good. The texture of the lipstick is quite creamy and it just glides on the lips. It is slightly hydrating and lasts on me for about 4-5 hours and does not stain the lips on fading. To sum up the review, I love this lipstick and if you love reds too, grab it when it launches here. Don't get put off by the frost finish because it hardly looks frosty on the lips. It just looks HOT!

Here are more pics of the Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick on me. I've gone for a very OTT look here, pairing a bright red lipstick with bright blue eye shadow from The Body Shop Color Crush range. The inspiration is a look that TBS created for Jatinn Kochar's show at the Kingfisher Ultra Bengal Fashion Week that I attended last saturday. I know it's really 'theatrical' but then makeup is all about experimenting and having fun right?

What do you think of the lipstick and the look? Do share in the comments below.