Product Review: L'Oreal Paris Collection Exclusive Nudes

The limited edition celebrity nude lipsticks from L'Oreal Paris were a highly coveted collection that seemed to empty out as soon as it came in. It's been around for a while, and although it's somewhat hard to locate, it's still out there if you're willing to go around and try a variety of Pricelines and Big Ws -- they are around, but with newer limited edition collections on the release, they might be stashed in a little corner somewhere.

The idea behind it is great: that every woman can have a flattering nude lipstick based around their skin tone. Australia's version of the collection saw L'Oreal Paris team up with five celebrity spokeswomen -- some countries feature a sixth -- to create a stunning line-up of nude lipsticks. Despite the idea that it's not meant to be a one-lady-suits-all, I was determined to get my paws on all of them, and figure out a way to make them work.

Let's take a closer look!

L to R: Frieda's Nude, Doutzen's Nude, Julianne's Nude

L to R: Julianne's Nude, Eva's Nude

L to R: Eva's Nude, JLo's Nude

In sleek, matte black packaging, the Collection Exclusive Nudes really adds a sophisticated feel to your lipstick collection; it reminds me a little of the kind of lipsticks I would see in my mother's collection when I was young -- quite grown up! The Colour Riche logo is on top of the slanted lid, making them easily identifiable, the front is adorned with the signature of each shade's appropriate celebrity in a yellowy gold, and the bullet itself is embossed with the brand name.

The lipsticks vary in opacity. Some will seem rather sheer at first, but can be built up somewhat to show more colours. Some don't seem to build in colour on me no matter how thick I try to layer it, and others don't really need any layering at all.

L'Oreal Paris Collection Exclusive Nudes - swatches

Frieda's Nude (Mauve Tint) || The first of the collection that I ever bought. I was actually quite concerned that it would look terrible but I actually find that it matches my lip colour really, really well! Winter or summer, I find that it works all year round.


Wearing Frieda's Nude

Doutzen's Nude (Hint of Pink) || This can sometimes be a bit of a miss for me -- it's the sheerest of all the shades, and has a tendency to look like a milky white pink. It's better suited to my skin in the colder months, when my skin looks as pale as Jon Snow's.


Wearing Doutzen's Nude

Julianne's Nude (Rosewood Beige) || As a lover of pink lipsticks and Julianne Moore, I was after this one the most. It's a beautiful natural pink that suits my MAC NW20 skin tone all year around, come rain or shine. What's great about this particular shade is that you can either keep it sheer or build it up for a fuller pink lip.


Wearing Julianne's Nude

Eva's Nude (Peach Skin) || I was very curious about this, because based on everything I'd read, it was meant to be the shade that suited my skin tone best. For a peachy nude, it does really look quite nice, being natural without washing out my skin. It's probably best that I keep it for the summer months, however, as warm-toned lipsticks tend to make my skin look more orange in the winter.


Wearing Eva's Nude

JLo's Nude (Greige Glow) || I have no idea what 'greige' is, but this lipstick is generally a miss for my skin type. It's similar in colour to Eva's Nude, but it does make my skin look washed out and flat unless it's a blisteringly hot day outside -- in which case it looks sizzingly good. How or why it happens that way, I don't know.


Wearing JLo's Nude

Overall, this collection wasn't one that you needed to race out and buy every shade from. It's a great way to start a nude lipstick collection, especially if your idea of nude is one of those terrible shades of beige that blends your lips so well with your skin that you may as well not have any lips at all. Wear time varies generally between two and three hours, depending on the shade you're wearing, how much you apply and whether or not you eat -- but then the greatest thing about a nude lip is that you can eat and not worry about a ring of colour! The consistency of all the lipsticks were nice and creamy -- I didn't need to worry too much if my lips were on the drier side, as it didn't highlight any patches.

The collection is not as widely available as it once was, but it is still out there -- I was in my local Big W recently and saw three of the shades tucked away near the regular Colour Riche lipsticks!

Padawan Product Rating: B+

Did you get your paws on any of the shades in this collection? Which looks like your favourite?

Shae xo