YSL Beauté Rouge Pur Couture Colour Pure Éclat Satiné SPF 15 for Holiday 2011

There are four new YSL Beauté Rouge Pur Couture Colour Pure Éclat Satiné SPF 15 lipsticks ($30) for Holiday 2011. Since I'm a thorough YSL lip color fan, I had to have one of them. My choice was extremely unconventional. I bought #39, Pourpre Divin.

The lipstick, called Pure Color Satiny Radiance Lipstick SPF 15 in English, came in two light shades and two dark ones. At that point, they had no testers, so I was flying blind. The light shades looked too light, and the dark ones appeared to be very dark. I assumed they might be somewhat sheer and took a chance on the bright purple Pourpre Divin.

In retrospect, I should have selected one of the light shades. Although I can wear purple-toned lip colors (and adore the new Sparkling Wine lip gloss), the bright purple lipstick is out of my comfort zone. It's beautiful - just not the best color for me. Because this formula is opaque, the rose in my lips doesn't influence the appearance. It's bright purple on my lips. It's also fairly dark - not the best intensity for my fair complexion during the daytime.

I took my swatch photos in full sun. As you can see, Pourpre Divin is really purple. It has some shine, magnified by direct light, but I think I would like more if it offered more shimmer. The name, with "satin" in it, should have tipped me off to the finish. Sometimes, I overlook those little details when I'm doing drive-by shopping (i.e., shopping in a hurry).

Fortunately the Rouge Pur Couture formula feels great on my lips, and I can modify the shade with lip gloss. I've tried several shades, such as rose, pink, and brown, and they all toned down the purple, making the resulting color a gorgeous plum. I'm wearing it now topped by Rouge d'Armani Pink #507, and the look is exquisite - enormously flattering. It's long-lasting too.

Here's my conclusion about Pourpre Divin. If you want a purple lipstick that you can wear without blending or adding a lip gloss, this shade is gorgeous. I'm not sure how many women can wear a full-on bold purple, though. If you are willing to experiment, using the various lip glosses in your collection (or try some new ones), you will find this shade easily adaptable to the right hue for your fall and holiday look. It's a stunner, particularly for evening.

You can find the new YSL lip colors for Holiday 2011 at YSL counters. I haven't seen the latest YSL colors on the YSL Beauté Web site yet, but since they are arriving at the stores, they should be widely available soon. I bought mine at Neiman Marcus.

What do you think? Is there purple in your future?

Photo at top courtesy of YSL Beauté; other photos by Best Things in Beauty