Tuesday, February 14, 2012

[Beauty] Initial Review: Fashion 21 Red Romance Lipstick collection

Because it's never too late to wear a red lippy!!!

Who said reds were just for Valentine's? It's wearable practically any time of the year... it depends on how intense you wear it, or how your mood dictates it. If wearing a red lippy makes you happy, then GO WEAR IT! ^__^

...Or it's just my way of saying, "Er, Valentine's is over, and this is a late review. Kthx." ^^;

I've always been a fan of red lipsticks; in fact, red was one of the first lip colors I've worn as soon as I discovered make-up in college. At that time, I didn't even know that reds should be worn with caution. Whuut? I like red on my lips, I like it as dark or as "wearable" as I like, so there. xD

That's why when I've discovered that local cosmetic brand Fashion 21 has a collection all comprised of different shades of red, I went ahead and grabbed the lot of them. Well, not all at once. :P But I did manage to nab* all seven.
*FTC: I'm not sponsored or paid to do this review; all items here were paid by me own monies. ^^


So sorry if the lighting's bad. Hadn't had much sunlight for the past few days...


Their respective names: Prom Date, Heartthrob, Sexy Red, Warm Kiss, First Crush, True Love, Miss Valentine

How many different types of shades of red exist in this world, anyway? I'm guessing that no matter how closely these lippies resemble each other in shade (especially the middle three), they just make up a small part of the red color spectrum.

Which leads me to believe that one can never have too many shades of red lippies. :P

Now, for swatches (I swatch very poorly in this one, mind you. Pardons... I only did a couple of quick swipes for each shade):

On me arrrrm:

Without Flash

With Flash!

Well, that was useful. O_o

Anyway, moving on to the lips:


Prom Date - the darkest red among the seven. It's more on the brown-red side; best perhaps for a night out, but if you want rich candy apple red lips in the day, just go for it! :)
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Heartthrob - also a dark red; the lighting is a bit deceiving here. :P A bit more blue-based than Prom Date.
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Sexy Red - Once again, pardon the poor swatch! This is a red about a shade lighter than Heartthrob, and a blue-based red. I think all reds are sexy so... it's a redundant name. :P
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Warm Kiss - personally my favorite shade, because it matches the shade of my hair. :P As the name suggests, it's a warm red, but may look "cooler" on yellow-based skin tones (aka Asian skin tones harhar). Worn lightly, it might even look pink-ish. BUT! I've always worn this full-swing so far (the lip swatch is a lie. Haha). Goes great with the hair, of course. Haha.
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First Crush - my second favorite. :) Surprisingly warmer than Warm Kiss, and more on the orange-red side.
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True Love - a red that's now leaning towards pink, quite visibly, especially compared to the first five shades. One of my newer acquisitions so I haven't had the chance to wear it a lot yet.
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Miss Valentine - as the swatch shows, it's more of a pink than a red "red," and no, I didn't use a light hand for this swatch... my lips are just crazily pigmented as it is. I'm still trying to get my girly side to like pink, but I can forgive this shade because it's a red on the pinkiest side among the seven, after all. ^_^
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As you've observed, this collection's inspiration is VALENTINE'S what with the choice of color alone, and the names of the shades. Not to mention the lovely and sleek red packaging... (the sticker labels need a bit more work, methinks. They're basically "cheap-looking" stickers whose print would fade rather quickly).

Hmmm... here's what the collection's section looks like in the Fashion 21 web site:



There's the packaging and hmmm... the color swatches may be a bit misleading; the only ones that I can vouch for and which are nearly accurate as seen in the web site are Heartthrob and Miss Valentine. Otherwise, depending on your screen settings, the colors are a teensy bit off. ^^;;

What the web site says about the product:










They are color-rich and moisturizing; however, they all have different pigmentation. Some of them need more than a couple of swipes to achieve a nice, bright, full-on red. My lip swatches were rather clumsily done (haha hellow thar, n000b), but more or less, you'll see how a thin layer would look like on highly-pigmented lips like mine. Long-lasting? Well, reds tend to leave a nice (albeit sometimes uneven) stain on the lips after a day's wear. I can say that they'd last a good 2-3 hours before they start to fade into a stain.

To summarize!

  • Lovely red shades
  • Moisturizing when first applied
  • Seven shades of red to choose from
  • Leaves a nice stain at the end of the day
  • It's a local brand! Support! :D
  • Very affordable! It's a sweet treat at only 155Php a pop so you can collect all shades in no time







  • Not as long-lasting as expected
  • Can be drying after a while (without re-application)
  • Pigmentation and texture may be inconsistent depending on the shade

And on with the drill:

Rating: 3.5/5 

Will I repurchase? Man, I already have all seven. :P But if I do run out of Warm Kiss, and if I still have red hair then, I might just get me another tube. ^_^ 

P.S.'s: It's a Philippine brand and available in most Watson's and Robinson's Department store outlets. Fashion 21 is a brand partnered with Fanny Serrano Cosmetics; the former is geared towards teens and young adults, while the latter is marketed more towards ladies in their twenties onward. That's not a rule set in stone, though. Both brands have quality products, except that Fashion 21 seems to have more options and varieties that look like candy on a rack. How can girls resist? xD 

P.P.S.'s: The Red Romance collection is available year-round. It's not a seasonal limited edition thing as far as I know; the collection just happened to have been inspired by Valentine's. :)


Well, a Belated Happy Valentine's to you all! (If you're single, don't feel bad. Bake cookies. Heehee)


Here's a fishie; hope ya likes~~ <3




Lurve,






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