New LANEIGE Silk Intense Lipsticks

LANEIGE has updated their Silk Intense Lipstick range recently with revamped formula, packaging and shades. The new lipsticks come in sleek white and silver magnetized tubes that are more sturdy and grown-up looking than the original.

Compared to the original Silk Intense Lipsticks, the new formula is similar in intensity and coverage and share the same lightweight creme texture. However, I find the new formula less "slippery" feeling and easier to build up. The shades also contain ultra-micronized pigments so they go on more evenly and can be built for opaque coverage or worn sheer without looking patchy.

I've worn these a few days now, and I'm pretty happy with the feel and performance. I have not had issues with them making my dry lips flaky or uncomfortable, which ironically happens with some thinner, more slippery creme lipsticks. In fact, when my lips got quite parched and wrinkly in-between swatches these lipsticks just plumped them right up once I applied the next shade. Despite the creamy hydrating texture, they do last pretty well and a simple wet wipe is surprisingly not sufficient to remove it completely from skin. 

Silk Intense Lipstick 335 Get the Red

There are 35 shades available in Singapore at S$36 each, which is a good price point considering the luxe feel of the formula. They do somewhat remind me of Rouge Diors and Rouge Cocos in formula, with the exception being that the shades are obviously designed to suit Asian/pale-to-medium skin tones.

I've swatched them all below roughly separated by color category or the effect they have on the face, and marked LANEIGE's Star shades with **.

Soft peachy/pink Silk Intense tones

These softer tones look quite soft against the skin but have somewhat "natural" undertones. My personal pick here is 430 Pink Garden. These colors will probably look like pink-nudes or peach-nudes on most people.

430 Pink Garden

The next group are more typical Korean "It" shades. Coraly pink tones with a touch of juicy vibrancy.

I especially love 147 Raspberry Pink, which I'd describe more like watermelon pink, and 142 Love Me New Me, a classic K-style pink coral. Both shades look great worn ombre-style with minimal makeup, for a glowy stained lip effect.

As for the pinks, there are a couple of great ones as well. I personally would not use 101 Neon Pink or 350 Peony on their own but I do love 149 Cherry Popcorn and 362 Urban Jungle especially. I'm usually not a fan of pearlescent pink shades but I also found myself really liking 145 Glam Pink. I suggest applying a tiny bit and pressing your lips together for that rosy baby-lips "no makeup" effect.

362 Urban Jungle

Then there are the red-based shades which have a softer feel than the truer, stronger reds. These are shades that look classy but aren't too harsh or dramatic for girls who aren't quite ready to graduate to scarlets yet. These are all extremely flattering and easy to wear. They make skin glow and can be worn full-on or sheer as a stain.

One I particularly want to highlight is 320 Wannabe Red which is a brick shade. This is one of those brown-toned reds that is subtler than true red, but just as chic.

320 Wannabe Red

 Now for the neutrals and MLBB (My Lips But Better) colors. I was surprised that there are a number of them because typically, most Korean brands don't put out many neutrals. They're not very into the whole 90s/Kylie thing. Happily though, there are a few lovely shades for neutral lovers here.

I do like most of the shades here but my special pick is 465 Privilege, which has the perfect balance of rose and brown for a MLBB look. Below is the shade applied with a light hand. Perfectly flattering everyday shade that you can throw on with any eye look.

465 Privilege

Then there are the super fab reds and vermillion reds.

I pretty much like ALL of these. And because the texture of the Silk Intense Lipsticks is quite cushy and creamy, they actually don't go on as hard and dramatic as they can in a more matte texture. There is a softer semi-translucency to these creamy lipsticks that allows you to get a softer effect just by skipping liner or using a neutral one instead of red. When you want a stronger look, just use a matching lip pencil.

I've swatched the star shade 335 Get the Red higher up in the post, and that is a gorgeous bright Maraschino Cherry red which is neither too orange nor too blue based. But if you don't want your lips to look too bright, I would actually suggest 345 Carnival of Love or 360 Bloody Burgundy. 360 is a shade very similar to what I wore for my wedding banquet when I had on a scarlet Cheongsam.

Trick: pairing a true red lip with strong eye makeup can look garish and overdone, but switch to a deeper red which is not so opaque, and suddenly it just looks sultry.

Lastly, there are 5 shades which I didn't group with the rest because they didn't exactly "belong". 220 No More Orange is (surprise) a juicy tangerine orange, and 375 Purple Fever and 380 Midnight Wine are plum/purple tones. I PARTICULARLY love 380 because it's one of those multi-purpose lip shades in a texture that's perfect for wearing in different ways.

• sheer as a sweet rosy stain
• full on for vampy drama
• sheer first, then concentrated in the center for a stained ombre effect

380 Midnight Wine applied full-on

Just for demonstration, I'll also show how I apply this for a soft girly stain. The semi-glossy formula of this lipstick makes it perfect for this sort of effect because even sheered out and rubbed out to a stain, it retains some creaminess, which makes it easy to work with.

1. Apply lipstick only to the lower lip

2. Press lips together

3. Check where color is patchy and use a ring finger to tap and spread color gently

4. Soft rosy flushed lips with a soft comfortable sheen

Finally, there are the two strange shades. Yellow and Grey. Unlike the white and black transformers of yester-year, these are designed to do two things.

1. 250 Exotic Yellow makes lipstick shades a bit brighter and more vibrant. If you add it to red it goes to a vermillion/coral. 
2. 800 Forest Fantasy is a grey that "neutralizes" and subdues lip shades. If you apply it to pink it becomes a more muted neutraly rose-beige.

 I tested it with 245 Coral Effect, a soft warm coral-beige tone. With Exotic Yellow it becomes more of a tangerine and with Forest Fantasy it becomes an MLBB rosy-beige. These are fun to own and experiment with but here are a few reminders.

• These work better with medium tones. They might be too strong for pale lipsticks and not strong enough to make much difference with super dark or intense ones.
• A quick way to transform your lip color without hassle is to apply the transformer on bare lip first, then your normal lipstick over it. This gives you a bit more control cos it's easier to just swipe on more regular lipstick for a more subtle change. Also, the mixed color left on your lipstick is good for one more reapplication while you're out and about. (Saves time, and you don't have to clean up your mixer lipstick before using it with a different shade next time.)