packaging - The Seventh Sphinx

If you’re in the mood for a luxurious lipstick, you might consider the Kyoto Red Silk Lipstick from Tatcha. An ancient shade with a modern formula and beautiful presentation. This is a limited edition offering but currently available. Observe the handwritten note on my packing slip!

The color is the traditional geisha shade of shu-iro, which translates to vermilion or scarlet in English; an orange-toned red. This, though, is a red that can present as a true balanced red, a cool rosy red, or a warm red depending on the context. Quite a wily shade, and hard to pin it down. Or, easy to pin it down at any given moment but then always changing on you. It’s clearly warm toned when put against a distinctly ruby/cool shade, but has a deep rosy red color on the cotton round when I’m removing it…perhaps it is warmer on the lips than in the bullet? I don’t know. Good luck.

The concept is that it gives radiance to any complexion. I’m not guaranteeing it would do that but I’m pleased with its chameleon-like nature, and—however it reads—I really like the effect.

Swatches in daylight, L to R (Kyoto Red in the center): Lancome Rouge in Love 181, Tom Ford Narcotic Rouge, Tom Ford Cherry Lush, Tatcha Kyoto Red, MAC Russian Red, MAC RiRiWoo, MAC Lady Danger

It’s not a sheer formula but it’s the sheerest of what I’ve swatched here. Lady Danger is more orange, Russian Red is darker and more blue-toned, Cherry Lush is brighter and rosier. I don’t find it as creamy as any of these formulas, actually, despite Tatcha’s silky promises, but it’s good for a matte formula (it’s more matte than the other matte formulas above, as well), and the fact that it isn’t crazy opaque makes the formula friendlier, in my opinion. I do an initial application to get a general shape, blot, and do a second application to refine the shape. Could use a lip pencil beforehand to make the edges more crisp but I tend to prefer softer edges anyway, so direct from the bullet is fine, with maybe a little help from my best friend, the cotton bud.

Wearing it in the previous post, doesn’t really come across as orange-ey here, I wouldn’t say.

If I had to choose between these formulas I’d probably go with Tom Ford’s matte over this one…(that is, if I wanted to spend ~$50) but this is a unique color to my eye, and that is in its favor. I also really appreciate the fact that this is almost exclusively a skincare brand that released just one shade of one formula of lipstick, and this is it. Thus saying, this is the only lipstick you need.* Rather, this is the only shade of lipstick a geisha needs, and don’t we all want to channel her intrinsic elegance and impeccable taste? I like this brand.

*Though, we know that is not the case here…

[My name is Meghan. If you’re new to my blog, welcome!]

The lipstick is faceted at the tip, creating a distinctive silhouette that reminds me of Charlotte Tilbury’s lipsticks and some of Tom Ford’s new releases but which is its own creature. I wouldn’t say this makes application more precise but it looks really pretty. Also, I’m confident that this is the heaviest lipstick I own. Luxe points.

Here I’ve just drawn on the booklet that accompanies the product. Doesn’t look orange here at all to me!

Kjaer Weis is an organic makeup brand designed by Danish makeup artist Kristen Kjaer Weis (pronounced Kē-yar Wīs). They are transparent about their ingredients and the products, made in Italy, are certified organic or natural according to Italian guidelines (not American guidelines, which leave much to be desired). The sleek packaging of this cream blush caught my eye on Garance’s site and my investigations were fruitful in that they also lead to the discovery of the highly promising retailer Eco Diva Beauty. If you want to spend a lot ($54) on a cream blush, this is the way to do it.

I picked up their bestseller, Desired Glow, a muted rosy peach.

This is truly creamy in the buttery sense, with a texture not unlike a soft lip conditioner, think Dior Crème de Rose…or butter, actually it’s a lot like butter. I tend to prefer cream over powder blushes and have a few I like but this is quite distinct from my other favorites, the Tarte cheek stain (a firm gel) and the Chanel cream blush (a dense cream-to-powder formula). Reminds me of the NYX cream blushes in general texture but is slightly more responsive (softer. Higher glycerin content?), and is executed beautifully. [For $54, it really ought to be.] Excellent, uniform pigmentation, relatively sheer. Not opaque, but not so sheer as the Tarte or other cream-gel formulas. Effortless to blend with fingers or a stippling brush, provides an undetectable brightening of the complexion.

I mean genuinely effortless, too. Completely sloppy, slap-dash application beautifully rewarded. There are a lot of good formulas out there these days, and probably hundreds (and counting) of formulas that are good enough if you are willing to put in the work of blending them, fiddling with them, supplementing them, but this is a good formula with virtually no work at all. This is what makes it stand apart, I think. Does this make it worth it? I can’t answer that for you. But it’s good.

On my light-medium olive skin it doesn’t read pink at all (pink always being suspicious, toddlers aside) but a neutral tanned peach. A soft terracotta. I can easily imagine this working well on much paler as well as much darker skin than my own. Suspect it would be nice on lips as well.

This packaging looks cool and weighs a ton (much more than you’d think. This is satisfying in the way of all small, unexpectedly heavy objects). Not sure how it would play out practically, chucked in a bag, but most of my stash stays at the home base so I’m not concerned about this. It’s not dangerously easy to shift the cover open but I’m not convinced it’s a great protective seal. Not a problem in a clean environment, which your makeup bag may or may not be. I don’t judge.

Tag: packaging

luxe lip: Tatcha Kyoto Red Silk Lipstick

Kjaer Weis cream blush