I swatched all of the new Aerin Beauty Rose Balm Lipsticks a couple of days ago here. Today I’ll show you my picks along with lip swatches. Aerin Beauty Rose Balm Lipsticks ($30 each for 0.14 oz/4g). These are buildable lipsticks with a moisturizing feel. There is a very soft rose scent which I find similar to the Rose Hand and Body Cream. It’s a sweet soft rose that fades after a few minutes. For reference it’s not as strong as the rose scent in some Chanel lipsticks. The Rose Balm Lipsticks have a soft shine to them which makes them look like a shiny balm but they have the pigment of a lipstick (meaning more coverage on the lips than the MAC Lustre formula). Coverage is quite good from medium to full coverage. They apply better on the lips versus the hand or arms. You do need a smooth lip to apply. If you have any flakies, I recommend prepping your lips with a balm first for about 5 minutes or so to smooth them out. Since the colors adhere well to the lips they can enhance anything that is chapped or peeling.
I tried Poppy in store and photographed it on the lips before it faded. I purchased Coral Sand, Liebling, Pretty and Wild Lilac for myself. I bought Geranium for my mother as a Valentine’s Day gift so it is not swatched below.
Swatches without flash:
Swatches with flash highlight the shine factor:
Close ups and lip swatches shown below of each shade I bought. Here is Poppy which I tested in store but did not purchase. If I remember correctly Poppy may have had a tiny bit of shimmer in the tube but on the lips the shimmer does not show up.
Coral Sand is a fresh peachy shade. The Aerin rep in San Francisco was wearing this color and it brightened her whole face (she had light skin and dark brown hair). I think this one would be flattering on almost anyone. It’s the perfect shade of peach for the transition into spring.
Liebling is a cool mauve. It looks darker in the tube than it applies on the lips. On me it pulled very blue-toned due to my olive skin. I saw it on some cooler-toned lighter skinned women at the counter and it looked amazing on them. I like this one but it’s a bit too cool-toned for my taste – but I usually have a hard time wearing anything mauve on the lips.
Pretty is the perfect pink in my mind. It’s a neutral soft pink that doesn’t wash out the skin. This one is my favorite out of the collection.
Wild Lilac is a dark vampy wine color in the tube. Similar to Clinique’s classic Black Honey, this translates into a brighter wine on the lips. On me it pulls cool-toned however on the hands it swatched more red. The color on your lips will probably depend on your skintone. I swiped it twice a bit unevenly before I photographed it. If I had pressed my lips together to blend a bit it wouldn’t have been quite as blotchy.
Geranium is a stunning brighter rose pink cream. It’s the kind of color my mother loves. She’s a loyal Estee Lauder and Chanel fan and likes anything bright. I thought this new lipstick would be right up her alley.
One last photo:
Overall thumbs up. If you’re an Estee Lauder fan you will love these as well. The overall feel of Aerin’s line is like an updated modern version of Estee Lauder. My heart still belongs to Chanel, Tom Ford and Edward Bess for lipsticks, but Aerin’s Rose Balm Lipsticks are close behind as a new favorite. My must-have shade after testing these is Pretty although Perfect Nude is still calling my name. See all the lip colors swatched in this post.
The latest from Aerin Beauty includes 10 new shades of Rose Balm Lipstick ($30 each for 0.14 oz/4g). I’ve been impressed with the Aerin Beauty lipsticks but the new Rose Balm formula takes lipsticks to a whole new level. These are moisturizing, full pigment, cream colors with a natural sheen. For a slightly glossy-finish lipstick these are long lasting and have surprisingly good coverage. These come in a heavy weight gold tube. The packaging is sleek and has a simple classic design.
I played with these a couple weeks ago when I was in San Francisco and came home with Liebling (a cool rose). Last week I purchased a few more shades and have been thrilled with each color. It’s amazing that every single one of the colors is beautiful and naturally flattering. I will have lip swatches up this weekend of the colors I bought. For now here are all the shades hand swatched. I have my eye on the Perfect Nude shade because it really is a perfect nude. In my attempt to try colors I don’t usually go for, I skipped it for now.
Instore lighting, sorry for the bad quality, this was taken with my iPhone. Top Row: Whisper, Lady Beige, Cabana, Coral Sand, Pretty. Bottom Row: Liebling, Geranium, Perfect Nude, Poppy and Wild Lilac.
The shades described:
Whisper is a pale pink that has a slight sheen to it
Lady Beige is a transparent but pigmented flesh nude
Cabana is a peachy nude
Coral Sand is a coral peach
Pretty is the perfect natural pink
Liebling is a cool rose pink (this is the only one that has a slight hint of shimmer)
Geranium is a bright pink rose
Perfect Nude is a neutral cool nude pink
Poppy is a rose warm poppy shade
Wild Lilac is a cool wine-plum
Shades photographed at different angles. These were taken in the evening. Some of the photographs make the colors look shimmery but it’s really just the sheen/glossy finish that is reflecting.
I hope you find these swatches helpful if you don’t have an Aerin counter near you. Aerin Rose Balm Lipsticks are $30 each. You can find them at Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus and all Aerin Beauty counters now.
It’s that time of the year where my skin and hair is in desperate need of that extra boost of moisture to fight dry patches. Finding lightweight moisturizing products can be a bit of a challenge for my sensitive skin. My nose is particularly sensitive so light-fragranced items are a must. My go-to fixes and staples this season right now:
Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream $40 is a lovely light-scented hand treatment, it’s a bit pricey for me to justify using on the body, but it’s a nice moisturizing cream for the hands. It smells like candied roses which is really nice (coming from a person who doesn’t really like strong rose florals).
Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Cream $55 is probably the priciest hand cream I own, I was lucky to get this as a gift with purchase one year. It smells like a spa treatment. It’s a bit heavier than most hand creams I use but it dries down to a soft silky finish. It helps diminish those dry lines in the hands upon application. Read the reviews on Nordstrom.com and you’ll see this is well worth the price.
L’Occitane Extra-Gentle Lotion for Hands and Body $20 is the perfect body lotion for me. I’ve gone through five bottles already and keep one at work and one at home. I’m a huge fan of L’occitane’s Shea Butter line. They have several different options of moisturizing intensity depending on your skin needs. I like this one because it melts into the skin and makes any itchy dryness disappear without being too greasy. I love the lightweight scent – it’s very soothing and comforting. It’s neutral enough to be unisex. My husband and male co-workers always borrow mine.
Caudalie Divine Oil $49 is relatively new to me. I’ve written about the mini size that I’ve tried which is perfect for the purse. I loved it so much I bought the full size in the trio set. I spray it on the legs and elbows. It smells fresh and light and feels nice on the skin. It’s also designed for the face and hair – I’ve only tried it on the ends of my hair to add a bit of shine (although I prefer other hair treatments).
Jo Malone Vitamin E Vitamin E’ Body Treatment Scrub $90 is the ultimate luxury body scrub. It’s a spa in a tub and smells like a luscious honey dessert. It’s strongly scented and extremely moisturizing – if you visit your local Jo Malone store or counter they should be able to make a small sample for you to try. It’s really REALLY amazing.
Deborah Lippmann Cuticle Oil $20 is one of the first cuticle oils I’ve tried. In the past I’ve tried substituting baby oil but found it hasn’t really helped my dry cuticles. This one is made of pure white jojoba oil, vitamin E and coconut oil (it smells like coconuts). It works well on my cuticles and a little goes a long way. Be careful to keep application to the cuticles as it can feel a bit sticky on the finger tips. The texture is perfect to actually stay on the cuticles (versus some oils that are so liquid/fluid they roll off quickly).
By Terry Baume de Rose $60 review here. My holy grail lip treatment, but still a three way tie with the Jo Malone and Hourglass.
Drybar The Chaser Shine Pomade $28 is the hair cream of all hair creams. It adds shine without being too heavy or greasy looking on the hair. I find it lasts all day long. I’ve used it a couple of ways. One is right after I shower on towel-dried damp hair. This is the only thing I’ve tried that lets my hair air dry perfectly without any frizz. It makes the perfect pre-heat treatment as well (whether it’s blow drying or straightening). I also find it makes a great finishing product to add a bit of texture and shine. Bonus is that my husband likes it on his hair as a pomade (even though it’s really a cream). The smell is incredible too.
What are you winter skin and hair savers? I’m all ears to hear what your favorites are!
A few things I’m loving right now all have a rose theme in common. I haven’t always been a fan of heavy rose-scented beauty products. It took me a while to get used to the floral fragrance in Chanel and Burberry beauty items. My current obsessions are all rose-themed.
Aerin Rose Hand and Body Cream ($40 for 4.2 oz) is the biggest splurge I’ve made for a hand and body lotion. The price is a bit steep but worth every penny. The tube is fairly large and it works wonders as a hand cream. I love the scent which smells like candied roses with very soft and feminine feel. The cream nourishes the hands and absorbs quickly but still keeps the hands feeling moist but not greasy. It’s a total must for me as a hand saver during the dry fall/winter months.
Diptyque Roses Candle ($28 for 2.4 oz approximately 20 hours of burn time) is a warm rose scent. It’s perfect for fall to winter. I like burning this by itself but it also burns nicely alongside Baies or Mimosa. I love that this gives a warm fuzzy feeling.
By Terry Baume de Rose ($60 for 10g/0.35 oz) is a cult classic. I’ve been eyeing this for years (literally years) but could never bring myself to splurge since I tend to avoid lip products that come in pots. (I prefer tubes for easier application.) However several beauty enthusiasts and friends insisted I try this and they pushed me over the edge. I’m happy to report that it’s every bit amazing as they claimed. The Rose Balm doubles for lips and nails, but I’ve only tried it for lips so far. It has a smooth texture and a unique luscious feel that I’ve never felt in any other lip balm. There is a rose scent but it’s very faint. How does it compare to my other two favorites? I’ll have to do more testing, but for now I can’t live without all three. The texture of the By Terry is slightly thicker and adheres to the lips better and feels like absolute heaven on the lips. My favorite part of Jo Malone’s is the scent (it’s heavenly) and packaging. I love the Hourglass because of how it performs combined with the spa-like scent it has. I’m hard pressed to pick just one – but will report after a bit more testing. Bottom line is the By Terry is worth every penny. I don’t ever want to be without this lip balm. (I keep wondering if the gloss version is good too?)
Chanel Rose Moire Le Vernis ($27, limited-edition) was previously reviewed here and here. There’s something so lovely about a shimmery rose-mauve pink. I’ve worn this numerous times since I first bought this color. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend you check it out at your next trip to the Chanel counter.
Dior Enchanted Rose #451 Addict Gloss ($29.50, limited-edition) is a new shade from the holiday collection. It’s an irresistibly gorgeous neutral peachy pink infused with gold shimmers. It’s sheer on the lips alone but works wonders when layered over an opaque lipstick. Review and swatches to follow very soon for it’s own feature.
Are you fan of rose-scented or rose-colored beauty products? What are your favorites?
