Wednesday, February 17, 2016

TATCHA A Plum Blossom 23-Karat Gold Illuminated Lipstick - Revisited

My beautiful, limited-edition A Plum Blossom 23-Karat Gold Illuminated Lipstick ($55), a gift from TATCHA, finally arrived. Perhaps FedEx took it to Alaska on its way. It certainly looked like Alaska here on Monday. Anyone could have been confused.

I already had a high level of anticipation from TATCHA's publicity, Eileen's photos here in Best Things in Beauty, and The Beauty Look Book's gorgeous photos, but nothing could have prepared me for its arrival and the sensory treat of opening the gift-wrapped box to find the presentation I had received. TATCHA has such class!

Look at the box photos above. I'm already picturing the beautiful box on my bureau, holding my earrings. Inside, it's just as pretty. Unwrapping this lipstick was a total delight for my senses. Removing the magnetic top from the tube was as elegant as it gets in lipstick land, and then gazing at the chiseled lipstick bullet was an extra-added benefit. Imagine me hyperventilating, and you have a good image of what it was like here a bit earlier.

I had a small window of full sunshine immediately after it arrived, so I hopped right outside to take a few photos. Like Eileen, I made one pass on my arm with the lipstick. I could have layered it to achieve a richer color, but I chose the one I saw on my arm with one pass. It's gorgeous. It has color and shine. What you can't see here is how hydrating it feels on my lips.

By now, you should know that lipsticks look lighter on my pale arm than they do on my lips, which carry their own color. The best approximation I can normally give you is a finger pad, where I always test lipsticks in stores. The pad of your finger is darker than your wrist, so it's a good place to test lipstick shades.

Unfortunately, today it was cold outside, stripping my fingers of the color I see on them right now, as I write - even making them puffy. That's why I photographed two finger pads to show you how little color they carried today. Still, A Plum Blossom was shining with the energy of the sun and an unparalleled radiance.

I would describe A Plum Blosson much the way Eileen did. It's a mauve-tinged pink, semi-sheer, and glowing. My lips bring out the mauve in the shade, and the light dances on A Plum Blossom, giving it as many facets as a rare cut gem. TATCHA says it was inspired by the iconic pink Japanese Plum Blossom peeking through a snowy Kyoto morning wrapped in golden light. Its texture? Plum fruit and silk extracts richly hydrate lips for for a creamy, lustrous finish to flatter any complexion, day or night.

Now for the bad news. It's sold out at TATCHA's Web site. I hope they order more. I knew it would sell quickly. Half of their stock sold the first day it was offered. The good news is that you can pre-order it at Barneys New York for delivery in March, only a few weeks away. That's currently your best bet for purchasing this exquisite lipstick.

Of course, it's available on eBay. One just sold there for $45.99. Some greedy individuals bought it for resale and raised the price to a usurious level ($99.99, for example). I mention eBay just in case you passed it on my first mention, but are now painfully regretting your decision and want it right now. Ordinarily, I do not promote eBay as a source for new beauty products.

I love TATCHA's A Plum Blossom 23-Karat Gold Illuminated Lipstick. I'm going to go do a happy dance.

Update 2/18: The box, I realized, was a gift to me from TATCHA. They used it to send my lipstick.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty

16 comments:

Mamavalveeta03 said...

This looks like a "Charleston Girl" color if I ever saw one! What a beautiful presentation! I'd keep the box, too. Everything Tatcha does seems to be touched by gold.

Unknown said...

I am absolutely loving my Plum Blossom Lipstick. It is stunning. Tatcha's original email to launch this product intrigued me but only after reading your first post, did I take the plunge and order one. Now, I wish I had ordered a spare! ;-)

franlynne said...

Thanks to you and I Eileen, I too am enjoying this lovely lipstick. Both the color and the presentation are just stunning.

Charlestongirl said...

Mama.val, Indeed. Touched by gold. I like that!

Charlestongirl said...

Liz, I'm so glad you got it. You bring up an interesting problem. Pre-order from Barneys!

Charlestongirl said...

Franlynne, I'm so glad you got it. I'm proud that my readers will be wearing this gorgeous lipstick. Like a BTiB Lipstick League! We need a secret handshake.

hytrud said...

Since I have not purchased a 'real' lipstick in the past year, I splurged on TATCHA's, A Plum Blossom 23-Karat Gold Illuminated Lipstick. The color is very, very pretty. However, I also found it to be drying on my lips, and perhaps it is the 24 karat gold injected in it that dried out so fast? I use a lip treatment on my lips every night before I retire, so it's not my lips, they are pretty much baby soft. mmm...will keep on using it but disappointed that I have to use a gloss over it each time thus far.

Charlestongirl said...

That's unusual, Trud. In this weather, though, you should use a lip treatment in the daytime too. Give it a try.

Eileen said...

This extraordinary springtime blossom of a lipstick seems to be garnering raves from everyone who experiences it and it is worthy of every single one of them. Tatcha really outdid themselves in creating this luscious plum. The base color is so well balanced making it suitable for cool or warm complexions and the way the light plays with it is gorgeous. The micro-fine golden sparkle (real gold btw) is delicate and subtle, but has enough presence to play up the contours of the lips as the light shifts. I also love how Plum Blossom interacts with the color of my rosey lips. It's just so beautiful! But this lipstick goes beyond looking good. It is loaded with Tatcha goodness and so it treats your lips like a luxurious balm while packing the pigment of a fine lipstick. I had seen Tatcha's preview, but when I actually received my Plum Blossom, I was completely blown away. Everything from the presentation, to the case, to the product itself, exceeded all my expectations. Sunrise: A Plum Blossom is a real jewel!

Eileen said...

Hi Trud,

I'm sorry your plum Blossom has not worked out for you. I doubt that the gold is causing a problem because it is not a common allergen or irritant. It could; however, well be something else in the formula. Sometimes as much as we want to love a product, it just doesn't want to love us back :-( In any event, Tatcha graciously accepts returns. I've never had to return anything, but I have dealt with their customer service before and it is superlative.

Charlestongirl said...

Trud, if you are interested, go to a dermatologist to do a patch test. That's the only way to objectively prove that a product has an ingredient in it that is an allergen to you. I've done it. Turned out to be my favorite eye shadow.

If you aren't up for that, try a lip protectant under it first, or as Eileen suggested, return it. If it were my choice, I'd want to narrow the field and have a patch test. After my test, we were able to narrow my problem to a red dye.

hytrud said...

Ladies, I am going to try using a neutral lip colored pencil beneath this luscious colored lipstick because the color truly is radiantly soft & so beautiful. The Pink color on my fair skin & reddish blonde hair is perfect for me. I look best in Pink clothing as well. I am so in love with this radiant color that I will find a way to limit the dryness. I am going to exfoliate my lips, as I do my face once a week and give that try. And, rub with some real passion with an exfoliating cloth/toothbrush to swell up the lips to increase the blood to the lips thereby creating more moisture. I'll skip the Dermatologist at this time because it's winter time and my skin is super, super dry. When it starts to warm up here in NC on the coast, I'm confident the dryness will lessen towards Spring & Summer. Tatcha shipped the very next morning, after I placed my order at midnight on their website by the way & I received my package in 2 days from the West Coast all the way to the East Coast in North Carolina. Maybe they have Super carrier pigeons in San Fran now to ship out their products!

lys said...

Thanks for another line tip - awesome find! I preordered from Barneys with your recommendation. Honestly, the makeup department is almost Overwhelming for me. You really have excellent taste!

Jill said...

My box was not this nice. I am sad :(

Charlestongirl said...

Jill, I'm sorry. After I posted it, I realized my box was a gift from TATCHA.

Jill said...

Oh no, don't be sorry! I'm glad you got such a gorgeous box. You deserve it after all the help you give us!