Estée Lauder Pure Color Love lipsticks, my review

Estée Lauder is desperately trying to renew its clientele at the moment. Well, at least, the launch of these lipsticks Pure Color Love lipsticks clearly gave me that impression.

I don’t know what comes to your mind when you think of the Estée Lauder brand, but in my case, I have a very precise memory: when I used to work at the Bon Marché in Paris (a few years ago), there were events once or twice a year organized by the Estée Lauder brand to thank its best clients, at their stand. And I admit that nothing entertained me more than checking it out from a far with my colleagues at the time. I called it “the annual gathering of old-fashioned hairdos and navy blue ensembles”. The best Estée Lauder clients had all exactly the same look, it was crazy to see so many elaborate chignons and Hermes/ Dior/ Chanel bags per square meter! Besides, the Estée Lauder sales assistant also looked just like her clients, so for me, they all perfectly symbolized the idea I had of the brand’s target. Roughly speaking, the old wealthy bourgeoisie.

And at the moment, I really feel that the brand Estée Lauder is trying to change that target population. First, there was the launch of the brand The Estée Edit, the cool and funny Estée Lauder’s little sister, which was aimed at the famous Millenials I talked about last week in my Glossier post. The Estée Lauder group clearly chose the face of The Estée Edit, Kendal Jenner, with the Millenials in mind.
This new brand was not present in all the markets, only in the USA at the start and then in the UK. However, this adventure, The Estée Edit, didn’t last long since the group Estée Lauder decided to stop it after only one year of activity.
So I feel that their strategy is now more about refocusing on the Estée Lauder brand by offering products that appeal to the Millenials and not only their older clientele.
And the recent nomination of the very trendy French makeup artist, queen of social media,  Violette_fr as Estée Lauder’s Global Beauty Director only reinforces this feeling.

The Pure Color Love lipsticks are therefore the perfect example of the brand’s will to renew itself:
– a big advertising campaign on the usual channels (TV, magazines) but also on social media (YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat …) using again their special Millenials muse Kendal Jenner as the face of the campaign,
– a luxurious packaging but less classic than the other lipsticks of the brand (no more navy blue),
– a fun and bold range of colors and finishes (some glitter, a chrome/ metallic finish, some very intense mat shades),
– a ludic concept with lipsticks with different finishes that can be layered to customize your lipstick as you want,
– a more “affordable” price (10 dollars less than the range of the Pure Color Envy lipsticks).

In short, with this range of Pure Color Love lipsticks, Estée Lauder brought a wind of change!

Estée Lauder Pure Color Love lipsticks, presentation:

What the brand says about them:

“There are no rules in Love.
Color. Create. Customize. Fun, daring lip color with good-for-you ingredients that help smooth lips and renew moisture. In four fashion-forward finishes:
Cremes, Chromes and Shimmers have a deliciously balmy texture.
Mattes are bold, vibrant, rich and long-lasting, feel weightless. Keep that “just applied” look for hours.
Mix, remix, create your look. There’s so many ways to Love.”

The Pure Color Love lipsticks are the “affordable” range of Estée Lauder lipsticks. Well obviously $25 remains a high-end price, and clearly, this product is totally luxurious!
The packaging is super sleek and pretty even if I have a small preference for the super heavy and chic Pure Color Envy lipstick’s packaging.

The range includes 30 shades (!) and four different finishes: matte, cream, shimmery/ glittery and chrome/ metallic. The pigmentation of the latter is quite light compared to the other finishes, I feel like it has been designed more as a kind of top-coat that you need to layer on top of other finishes for a metallic affect. But if you dare, you can wear it alone if you want! wink

And precisely, the concept of this range is to mix, layer and combine the colors and the finishes between themselves. For example, shimmery or metallic finishes can be applied on top of the matte finish or you can do an “ombré” lips effect with two matte or two creamy colors (a lighter color in the center of the lips placed on a darker or more flashy shade) (this technique gives a lot of volume to the lips). The possibilities are multiple!

I chose four shades in 4 different finishes:
– Strapless (cream),
– Juiced Up (matte),
– Ripped Raisin (shimmery),
– Pocket Venus (metallic).

I tell you more about them:

Estée Lauder Pure Color Love lipsticks, my test and thoughts:

– Packaging:

A pretty metallic and plastic tube, in a light golden shade, like a platinum effect. It’s a beautiful thing. Well, I still prefer the packaging of the superb Pure Color Envy, but it’s still quite luxurious.
I’m a little less convinced by the shape of the stick, which is kind of straight and tapered and weird. The shape is OK for the application when it’s brand new, but from the second use, it’s much less precise. I applaud the desire for a change in the design of the stick, but I’m not sure it’s ultra practical in the long run.

– Texture and feeling on the lips: 

The textures depend on the finish, but these lipsticks are all quite nice to wear. They’re comfortable without being too rich, and they leave the lips feeling moisturized (yes, even the matte finish). They contain several nourishing ingredients including three superfruit oils (grapefruit, mango, and acai).
The texture is not the most lightweight, but it doesn’t really bother me.

– Finishes: 

Four different finishes: matte, cream, shimmery/ slightly glittery and chrome/ metallic. It’s a good variety of finishes! And I’m delighted with the comeback of glittery finishes after years of matte finish domination, it’s a nice change!

– Scent:

They smell like a cupcake, it’s a little bit too sweet for my personal taste but it’s not too overpowering, so it’s OK.

– Pigmentation and opacity: 

It totally depends on the finish:
– the creamy finish has a semi-opaque pigmentation,
– the matte finish is super opaque and pigmented, very intense,
– the shimmery finish has a semi-opaque pigmentation, such as the creamy finish,
– the metallic finish has a rather light pigmentation (but it’s buildable). I think it’s not supposed to be worn alone but rather to be layered on another lipstick, like a top-coat.

 – Color range:

30 stunning colors and quite original for some! The choice is wide, and these are not just classical colors, some are quite bold and daring (a bluish black metallic, a metallic teal brown). It’s good to see this kind of colors in a classic high-end brand!

– Application: 

I apply them directly on my lips from the bullet. As I said above, the shape makes the application easy at first, but after a few uses, it’s not as precise and practical.

– Lasting power:

It depends and varies according to the finishes. The creamy and shimmery finishes last about 4-5 hours on me. An average lasting power for this type of finish. And they’re very comfortable and fade very nicely on the lips.
The matte finish is quite long-lasting, it lasts all day long! It’s so intense that I just need to make a micro touch-up to the center of the lips after a meal and it stays hours after that!
It’s a little less comfortable than the other finishes, but I wouldn’t describe it as drying, really not.

– Value for money:

They retail for $25 for 3g of product (it’s not huge). It’s a little more affordable than the other lipsticks of the brand, but it’s still expensive. Of course, Estée Lauder is a luxury brand, the packaging is qualitative, the formula contains some nourishing ingredients, so all this has a price. But still, the value for quantity is not the best in the market.

Estée Lauder Pure Color Love lipsticks, the colors:

You’ll notice that I mainly chose pink shades, there is clearly a theme in my selection lol

– Strapless: a pretty pinky mauve nude, my kind of nude. The perfect color that goes with every makeup look.

– Juiced Up: a stunning dark raspberry pink, super intense. I love this kind of shade, it’s very sophisticated!

– Ripped Raisin: a pretty shimmery pink with a warm undertone. It contains micro specks of glitters that gives a nice volume to the lips. It’s super flattering and easy to wear.

– Pocket Venus: a kind of pinkish red with pink and gold glitter. It looks gorgeous when applied as a topcoat on top of another color, I love it!

Finally, here are the swatches:

And on me:

– Strapless:

– Juiced Up:

– Ripped Raisin:

– Pocket Venus:

– Juiced Up + Pocket Venus:

I applied Pocket Venus on top of Juiced Up for a metallic and glamorous effect, and I love the combo!

In summary:

[wprs-pros][wprs-cons]

It’s a nice lipstick range that changes a bit from what Estée Lauder has gotten us used to. And it’s pretty cool to see such an iconic classic brand trying to do something different.

The Estée Lauder Pure Color Love lipsticks are available on the brand’s website for $25.

And you, have you tried the Estée Lauder Pure Color Love Lipsticks? Any shades on your wishlist?

Photo credit: bonnie-garner.com