Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Mandorla

Can you believe I have never purchased a single piece of Dolce & Gabbana makeup? As a beauty addict and a lover of D&G leopard silk-lined jackets (I have a nice collection of them), you would think D&G would be a natural for me. Fortunately or not, there is nowhere to see and purchase D&G makeup in the DC area. When I see the ads for the collections in the magazines, I am not drawn to the colors. It has been easy to do without.

Then Sabrina tempted me. Her features on the D&G Italian Summertime Collection were intriguing. Check out this The Beauty Look Book link to one of her three fabulous posts. I wanted to try Mandorla Classic Cream Lipstick ($30). It looked like a nude I might wear, so a friend helped me get it.

Sabrina and I have very different coloring - meaning she has some color. She's a gorgeous gal with shiny hair to die for! Mandorla looked like a pretty and interesting nude pink, one that might actually look good on me. Most nudes are too light for me. While my lips have some color, if I wear a nude, truly beige lipstick, I can look ghastly. I need some color. On Sabrina's beautiful skin tone, Mandorla appeared to have enough pink to work for me, although she noted that the shade is extremely pale on her lips. She was so right!

Mandorla doesn't work for me. Even on my arm, it looks like it should work, but it's too pale on my lips. I can wear it, but I have to apply a fairly colorful gloss over it to give it (and me) some color. My reaction is, "Why bother?"

I've included a few swatches on my skin. They were taken outdoors in sunlight of various intensities.

Mandorla is nice and creamy on my lips, but so are many other lip colors. It has a gleam, but it does not shimmer. As I usually tell you, my skin reflects light, so it shines (that may be good or bad - I do like the idea of glowing). Mandorla is definitely a nude on my lips, but it appears to have no pink (or peach) on my lips. It's just beige. It is fragranced. Because the fragrance dissipates quickly, the scent is not a distraction. The finish has a glow, or radiance, but definitely not a shimmer. Any shimmer you see on my arm is from the sun's reflection.

Mandorla is not long-lasting. Just to make sure I was right about my initial impressions, I applied it yesterday morning and checked my lips when I got to work (about 45 minutes after I left home, with stops for gas and groceries on the way). It was still there when I got to my office. Then I ate a cherry turnover and drank some orange juice. After that, there wasn't a trace of the lipstick left. Most long-lasting lipsticks would have left some stain after eating a light meal. Mandorla didn't.

D&G's Classic Cream Lipstick is available at Saks.com in a wide variety of shades. Online, they don't excite me. I need to see them in person to find a shade I might love. It was still fun giving the lipstick a go. You always win some and lose some when trying new things - sight unseen. Experimentation is part of the joy of makeup, and my search for a great nude lipstick for myself continues.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty