Secrets of the (L'Oreal) stars (L'Oreal Color Riche Star Secrets Lipstick)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	L'Oreal Color Riche Star Secrets Lipstick
Date:	21/08/09 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good colour coverage, long lasting

Disadvantages: Not hugely moisturising

I had lipstick on the mind a few weeks back. I became a little obsessed with finding some lovely new lippy and spent absolutely ages pouring over websites looking at the different options available. It was whilst doing this, I came across the Star Secrets range by L'Oreal. I hadn't heard of this range but it made it onto my shortlist!

Star Secrets is a range of lipsticks which are inspired by what L'Oreal describe as their 'female ambassadors' - in other words, the famous girls who model for them. This includes amongst others, Claudia Schiffer, Eva Longoria, Milla Jojovich and Penelope Cruz. Each colour lipstick is supposed to 'embody the character and spirit of each model' if L'Oreal are to be believed!

So, on my lipstick mission, I headed to Boots, to peruse what they had on offer. I did look at this range, amongst many others, but couldn't make my mind up, so left empty handed.

By chance, later that afternoon, I popped into TJ Hughes, and was surprised to find a whole display of these lipsticks for a bargain price of just £1.99! This was an extremely good value, especially seeing as that same morning I'd seen them in Boots where they retail at £7.82. Really, at that price, I couldn't not buy one!

I picked up shade 708, which is Aishwarya Rai's colour (Bollywood actress if you're wondering). This is a lovely shade - a pale pinky-brown nude. It actually looks very dark on the L'Oreal website, but is a much more neutral tone in real life, and I'd guess it would look good on most skin tones.

The casing of the lipstick is quite nice to look at, being shiny black with a gold band around the middle featuring the L'Oreal logo. This gold band gives it a little touch of elegance and makes it look a little more expensive than it actually is. The lipsticks also have the signature of the corresponding celebrity in gold subtly printed on one side.

The lipstick has a slanted tip and glides easily over the lips and does not feel thick, heavy or waxy on application. In fact, it's one of those lipsticks that you really can't feel you're wearing. For me, this is a big plus point, as I hate being continually conscious of my make-up - in the way I sometimes do when wearing heavy foundation or a particularly sticky lipgloss. This I can just apply and forget about.

The results I get from this product are fantastic. It gives a strong colour, yet does not look thick or cakey and is not over the top. The lipstick is not completely matte, it gives the lips a beautiful glossy sheen, that just looks like naturally moist lips.

The lipstick does feel slightly moisturising to the lips, but not overly so. Saying that it certainly isn't as drying as some of the lipsticks I've used in the past, but it's not particularly creamy, so doesn't moisturise as well as some lipsticks which are specially formulated for that purpose.

I've found the staying power of this lipstick to be excellent, it never seems to come off until I take it off. Saying that, when I have a drink, I have seen it transfer onto the cup, yet it still seems magically all still be on my lips!

Overall, I'm very pleased with this lipstick, and it's one of my favourite new products! If you're near to a TJ Hughes, I'd suggest heading down there, to get this for nearly a quarter of the retail price, but to be honest, I'd be happy enough to pay the £7.82 that Boots charge, it's so lovely!

Summary: A great lipstick