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I must confess, I have had brand new tubes of Lipstick Queen's Jean Queen Lipstick and Jean Queen Lip Gloss sitting unused, unswatched, and unloved in a drawer since some time last year. I guess that neither looked overwhelmingly exciting in their tubes so they just sat and sat and sat- that is until the other day when they both caught my eye when I opened that overstuffed drawer that has turned into a no man's land for makeup that isn't in rotation, and hasn't yet been reviewed. So I pulled them both out of the drawer for the sole purpose of reviewing them. What I didn't expect is that I would really love both them both a great deal!
They just seemed rather blah, and too muted for my cool pale coloring, but the lesson learned: don't make assumptions- looks can be deceiving! On my lips this is the quintessential MLBB lipstick. It is a pink with just enough red to make it a very interesting hue. If that was not enough, this lipstick really excels with respect to texture: It is a soft, smooth, creamy, shiny sheer lipstick with enough slip that it just glides on my lips like satin. It is so unbelievably comfortable to wear that I find myself rubbing my lips together just to feel the silky texture (of course that reduces wear time, but I don't care!). The formula is so sheer that it is it really more like a tinted lip balm than a lipstick. It is less pigmented than many of the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters, and the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines (notwithstanding the darker shades in both lines).
It is weightless, moisturizing, and unscented- which are traits seldom found in the same lipstick. Lipstick Queen suggests that this is a universally flattering shade, but I have a hard time buying sweeping generalizations that one color will be equally flattering on all skin-tones- I just don't see how that is possible given the vast disparity in pigmentation, hue, undertone, texture etc. That said, this is a lovely color that livens up my lips, and it is sheer enough that I can apply it without a mirror without looking like a clown gone wrong!
Lipstick Queen describes Jean Queen as, The Ultimate lip color to wear with jeans! Jean Queen is a lovingly created special pink that offsets the blue in the denim and lights up your whole face at the same time. Special emollients and moisturizing ingredients provide a super silky feel on the lips and just the right amount of shine to contrast with the very matte nature of denim. The lipstick is super sheer and glides on for that pouty stain look.
Jean Queen Lip Gloss is nearly identical in color to the lipstick, though it is a touch lighter, a touch more sheer, and seems to be a little bit more blue-based than the lipstick. Like the lipstick, the lip gloss is ridiculously comfortable to wear. It is neither sticky nor goopy, and it isn't too thick. They are formulated to be worn together or separately, and are intended to be the perfect accompaniment to jeans.
I varied the outdoor lighting in the pictures below in order to try to capture the colors as realistically as possible. Additionally, I really applied the gloss very thickly- so while it appears quite pigmented in these swatches be assured that it is actually quite sheer when applied to the lips in a normal fashion.
$18.00 each at Barneys New York
Yes! This has been my favorite lipstick since the day I bought it, and I wear it almost every day. In fact, I had to wait for it to come back in stock, and the moment it arrived and I tried it on, I immediately ordered two backups from Barneys. MLLB, indeed!
ReplyDeleteYou totally captured the rosy pink goodness in this lipstick.
SEPARATED. AT. BIRTH! OMG! Seriously! I can't believe that these have been sitting in my wasteland of a drawer since sometime last year!! Seriously, what is wrong with me. I L O V E this lipstick so much- I'm not sure how I lived without it. I think I am going to have to carry this one in my purse. It is simply perfect for our cool fair skin too! What's interesting is that I took picture of the swatches with Mr. Seicento's work camera and for some reason (perhaps the lighting) they all came out looking tomato red. Believe it or not I was finally able to capture the rosy pink goodness with an iPhone- go figure! Additionally the price point is so far below the couture prices, and only a few dollars more than MAC (MAC wishes that they had a single lipstick that could even come close to this).
DeleteI'm simply crazy about this lipstick!! This is my new favorite lipstick- I can't imagine ever being without it, and I can be pretty fickle about most makeup!
I carry one in my purse and have one at my desk. I have pretty much begun using this as lip treatment and only use my Julie Hewett lip balm immediately after I brush my teeth and before bed, since rosy lips and white linen pillowcases are not a great mix.
DeleteI totally agree that the price is perfect. It caught my eye when this lipstick was released about a year or so ago, but Poppy described it as a warm pink--so I promptly forgot about it. Then I went on a search (as I do every few months) to find a MLLB color. LM Sparking Pink was a dud, as was NARS Dolce Vita. I knew I needed something clear, not muddy (e.g. no brown or beige) and moderately bright. I was also adamant that it FEEL GOOD on my lips. I bumped into reviews on this lipstick and saw people describing it as cool. Of course it was nowhere to be found, and I assumed it was a limited edition lipstick and I had missed the boat.
The kind people at Barneys said it would be coming back in stock, and so I ordered one when it did, fully prepared to hate it the same way I hated LQ Rose Sinner and Saint Rose (too warm). So no one was more surprised than I when I fell head over heels in love with it.
That beautifully sums up how I feel about it as well. It is a huge surprise. I fully expected to hate it because of the way that it looked in the tube, and frankly my initial swatches didn't exactly wow me either. However, once i put it on I was just enchanted. I think I will have to keep multiples on hand as well. This is just such an unassuming little lipstick that really turned out to be something extraordinarily special. I think this is something that every cool-skinned fair beauty should have in her stash!!
DeleteI have this unused too. I don't normally wear a lipstick this dark but you have my mind spinning now. Should I?? Your swatches are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou too?! What is with us? We are both cool-toned and fair skinned-- this is the perfect shade for us. Zuzu wears it every day, I just learned. I thought it looked so boring and muted in the tube, and the lipstick and the lip gloss are actually quite sheer, but can be built up a little. This is the greatest MLBB shade and it feels like a lip balm. You really must try it-- it is the loveliest color on despite how boring it looks in the tube. I definitely think you should. I'm so glad you like the swatches!
DeletePBI but do at least try it on Marcia. It applies much more sheer and glossy that it would appear by looking at the muddy color in the tube. I ADORE it. But if your lip pigment is very light, it could be a bright color on you, but as Lola says, swipe once and you get a nice little boost of sheer rosy goodness.
DeleteDo it! You already have it, so what do you have to lose?
Oh, and you already know how I hate lip gloss. I don't hate this. Lola captured the essence of it perfectly. It's just a creamier version of the lipstick, slightly cooler.
Marcia- I totally agree with Zuzu- at least try it on. I suspect that you will be as shocked as we were that this unassuming little lipstick that looks so meh in the tube is a real stunner for cool fair skinned beauties.
Deletewow, for a year!! I laughed :)
ReplyDeleteI have always been curious about this brand. I wish the Barneys near my work carried this brand. I am thinking about getting Sinner Pink and maybe Fifteen Minutes of Fame Pop Art Gloss - 2 Min.
I know, right?! It's kind of embarrassing that I left it sitting unused for so long. I was prepared to hate it because it looked so boring, but wow did I ever misjudge it! The quality of the lipstick and the lip gloss are really outstanding. I haven't tried any of the other colors, but I definitely want to have a look at a few more.
DeleteIt's too bad that your Barneys doesn't have it in the store. I would definitely give the line a try though. I think that you would really like it, Nicolle. You might really be wowed by Jean Queen as well- I know we have very similar taste in makeup!