Review: L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Collection Star Velvet Pinks

I've lost count of how many lipsticks I have in my collection (at this point I don't think I even want to know, heh). "Why do you need so many?", "But the colors look the same?", "Surely you need just one color from each color family?" — are just some of the statements I field whenever I open my traincase, but I try to explain that each tube has its own merit and nuance, however imperceptible they may be. Only a true lipstick lover would understand. So, yeah, I change lipsticks depending on my mood and the occasion, but on days I feel I need a little cheering up, I always reach for pinks.

Last month the most beautiful package arrived for me, and damn if it didn't cheer the gloomiest of my moods then nothing ever will.

Following the success of their Color Riche Collection Star Matte Reds (swatched and reviewed here), L'Oréal Makeup Designer/Paris introduces their newest lipstick line: the Color Riche Collection Star Velvet Pinks as their answer to the age-old question, "What is the perfect shade of pink for me?" Each shade is custom-made to fit every Filipina skin tone to complement the natural pink shade of their lips.

Camelia | Fuchsia | Iris | Jasmine | Nymphea | Primrose | Rose Lotus

Like the Matte Reds, L'Oréal's beautiful endorsers also handpicked their own lipstick shade to represent them, and this is shown by each ambassador's signature on the cap. This can also serve as a helpful guide when lipstick-shopping, as you can instantly choose the lipstick picked by the star whose complexion matches yours the most.

I swatched and reviewed all seven colors for you. ♥

Camelia chosen by Doutzen Kroes, for fair skin tones

Camelia on my lips

Camelia is a bright Barbie pink that I honestly don't wear often, but upon trying it on, I found it wasn't so bad. I daresay it suited me, even, and it looked great with my purple hair. It felt powdery on my lips but not drying.

Fuchsia by Liya Kebede, for medium skin tones

Fuchsia on my lips

Fuchsia looked almost like Camelia except that it was more, well, fuchsia and almost neon. Think pink highlighter. Again, this is a happy color that won't look out of place in a music video of a pop song.

Iris chosen by Aishwarya Rai, for medium skin tones

Iris on my lips

Iris looks petal pink on my hand but applied deep pink on my lips. Subtly pretty, it's a perfect "first date" or "meet the parents" lipstick.

Jasmine chosen by Naomi Campbell, for fair skin tones

Jasmine on my lips

Jasmine is my favorite among the seven not only because it's the namesake of my favorite Disney Princess, but also because look. At. That! Isn't it pretty? It's a beautiful peachy-pink nude that manages not to make me look sickly.

Nymphea chosen by Eva Mendes, for deep skin tones

Nymphea on my lips

Nymphea is a warm pink that reminded me just a tad of OFRA Laguna Beach. It's my second favorite of the lot (and apparently of my officemates', too, as they wanted to snag it off me after they saw my swatches). Beautiful and safe but not at all boring, it's perfect for job interviews or important client meetings.

Primrose chosen by Blake Lively, for fair skin tones

Primrose on my lips

I hear Primrose and I immediately think, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" LOL. Primrose is a watermelon pink that I don't think suited me that much.

Rose Lotus chosen by Jennifer Lopez, for deep skin tones

Rose Lotus on my lips

One purple to rule them all. Heh. Rose Lotus is a deep mauve pink that would look so good with shimmery gray eyeshadow. Perfect for parties!

Again:

A side by side comparison of all colors

On Wednesdays we wear pink. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, too. There's a Velvet Pink for every day of the week, you guys!

Each color applies smoothly with little to no tugging. And even if they're not really hydrating, they're non-drying, and I think that's very important. Velvet, indeed. However, they apply quite sheer and you need more than two swipes for color to appear. Still, I definitely think that no matter how many pink lipsticks I already own, these colors are unique and don't look like the others in my beauty box. I also think that at P400 a pop, they're pretty affordable and would make perfect gifts for your mom, your sister, your girl friends, and/ or yourself.

Thanks to L'Oréal and the beautiful girls of Ogilvy, I was able to give away a set of these lipsticks to one lucky Instagram follower, and that one is Nikael Javier.

A huge thanks to everyone who joined my #PinKrissyfied contest! The correct answer is Velvet Pinks by L'Oreal Color Riche 💗 I wish I can choose more winners but I only have one set of lipsticks with me. Congratulations, @nikaeljavier! I loved how you incorporated shades of pink on your artistic flatlay and for that, you won all seven colors from the collection! Please email me thru mail@krissyfied.com so I can send you your prize. Thank you! 💕

A photo posted by Kristel Ann Cruz (@krissyfied) on May 16, 2016 at 12:38am PDT

The L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Collection Star Velvet Pinks are exclusively imported and distributed by L’Oréal Philippines and are available in all L’Oréal Paris makeup counters nationwide. For more information about this collection and other L’Oréal products worth checking out, visit L’Oréal Paris Philippines' Facebook page.

Disclosure: I got the complete collection as a gift from L’Oréal Paris and Ogilvy but I was not required nor compensated for this review. All opinions are my own. Read my complete Disclosure Policy here.