I was in a red-pink-coral (watermelon pink, punchy red however you want to call it) kick earlier this spring-summer (and got sick of it before I finished touching everything I bought), and now I am finally cracked open this one.
Strawberry Suede was a shade made famous by Lisa Eldridge and one that has been long discontinued by Revlon. The main reason I was interested in this color was somebody suggested that Rimmed matte 109 is a dupe for this color. Despite the slightly crumbly and thin formula of Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte in 109, I love that shade so I thought hunting down Revlon would give me a same color in a much better formula(not necessarily true) and a much more substantial matte packaging(I wish Revlon would bring this back!)
As soon as I opened the tube, the difference in tone is small but rather apparent: Strawberry Suede is more punchy red while Rimmel has a creamier base color and more orange undertone. If Revlon is watermelon, Rimmel would be papaya/cantaloupe. I prefer watermelon for my tummy but cantaloupe is more flattering shade for me.
On the arm swatch the two looks so similar that I forgot which is which (I might have labeled them backward but it was really hard to tell). Revlon Audacious matte balm is glaringly pink and Lush It Started with a Kiss is deeper and more ruby compared to the rest.
I guess this is another case of cult favorite doing absolutely nothing for me. The lipstick has a different formula that's harder on the stick but deposits color on the lips easily. Even though the pigmentation is great but I find the texture thinner and mildly slippery (hence it doesn't look crisp on the mouth when I apply it straight out of the tube).
Thanks to the thin-slippery consistency and the cooler base color of Strawberry Suede, it picks up all the purple from my lips and looks very bright (makes my skin look ashy too). Anyway, I don't think the formula of Strawberry Suede is any better than Sultry Samba (another Revlon matte that has a dryer texture and less color payoff per swipe) but at least it isn't terribly slick.
So, I guess I should stay away from hypes.
This is so interesting!
ReplyDeleteI had this but got rid of it before Ms. Eldridge said anything about it. If I remember it correctly, it looked quite yellowish coral on me. From where I see it, the color shows up almost a neon hot pink. The red colors in Revlon mattes are the best in formulation, it seems. I'm still keeping the two I got a long long time ago..
I'm currently on the hunt for a "strawberry red," but since neither Revlon nor Rimmel is cruelty-free, I guess I'll check out the one from Lush.
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