YSL's Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy Glossy Balm Crystal Color - Four New Shades

This past spring, I fell in love with YSL's Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy Glossy Balm Crystal Color ($30). I purchased every shade. The glossy, tinted balm dresses the lips in a sheer veil of brilliant transparent color boosted with vitamin-laden and antioxidant-rich fruit extracts. Its ultra-light texture leaves my lips feeling soft and hydrated and looking shiny - just the way I like them.

I was delighted that four new shades have been introduced this fall.

• Sweet Fig (#7)
• Iced Plum (#8)
• Cool Guava (#9)
• Tangy Mandarine (#10)

I purchased three of the four, shown at right. I do not have #7, Sweet Fig, pictured above at left. Long story, but it came home with me by accident, so I took its picture.

As in the spring, I'm thrilled to have these new colorful and glossy lip balms. YSL must have known me when it introduced Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy. The shades are so sheer they are wearable by all - no matter what their shade. I even purchased what appears to be orange in the tube, but it's a wearable shade - even for us cool-skin types. I would have purchased the one new shade I didn't purchase if money were no concern. It's pretty, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

Glossy balm. Crystal color. Lips are adorned with a sheer veil of brilliant color. Boosted with fruit extract rich in vitamins and antioxidants, lips become deliciously sensual. The ultra-light texture leaves lips feeling soft and hydrated for up to eight hours and is ideal for year-round use. The juicy, sheer color is perfect for summer while the soothing, moisturizing texture feels sublime.

I took my swatch photos in full sun in alphabetical order, starting with #8 near my wrist and working down to #10. In one photo, my arm faced the sun directly, and in the other, I turned it at a slight angle to show more color. The shade not swatched, #7 Sweet Fig, is a very sheer brick red. How do my three new beauties look? Sheer, pastel, and flattering!

While #8, Iced Plum, and #9, Cool Guava, look almost indistinguishable on my arm, one is more lavender, as you can see in the tube. On the skin and lips, #9, Tangy Mandarine, is a brilliantly flattering ripe peach - so much prettier than it appears at first glance in the tube. That's a lesson. Try these in person; you'll fine the shades much softer on the lips than they appear in the tubes.

As we all expect from YSL, the tubes are gorgeous - classy and functional, with their hint of the color behind the central logo on each. That's a touch that distinguishes these glossy and colorful balms from other brands. I can glance into my makeup bag and select the shade I want in an instant - and I always have at least one of these with me.

I'm a happy beauty addict this week! I purchased my new YSL Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy Glossy Balm Crystal Color shades at Neiman Marcus. They are available at YSL's Web site and will be at other YSL counters soon.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty