Shu Uemura Supreme Shine Lipstick

When I first saw this Shu Uemura picture I gasped! Both the model and the makeup are absolutely stunning, and the lips had me mesmerized. I HAD to own that lipcolor! The Shu site says that the model is wearing Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine Lipstick ($30) in BG935 with OR520 in the center. Despite the torrential downpour today, I had to detour to Bergdorfs to see these lipsticks! They are all lovely in person but at over $32 a pop here (with NYC taxes), I realized I'd have to make do with just one.

Shu describes the Supreme Shines as a "fusion of breakthrough watery dewy shine and rich color payoff. Revolutionary film keeping capsule, ultra shine oil and shu uemura's signature hybrid pigment create a smooth, thick veil on the lips that glides on easily to deliver unforeseen shine and vibrant pure color payoff."

Hyperbolic though that may be, this is one fine lipstick! It's ultraglossy but not at all tacky or gooey, and smooth and moisturizing but isn't nearly as thick in texture as Clinique Buttershines or Stila Shine Lipsticks. This formula really feels unique.

I can't speak for all of the colors, but BG935 is definitely on the sheer side. It's a pretty neutral beige pink with almost holographic microshimmer. It doesn't exactly make my lips look like those of the model's (that would require Photoshop and surgery!), but the color is actually pretty close. Sometimes I'll see a lipstick advertised or credited in a magazine and it appears a completely different shade in person. In this case I actually believe that the color stated is the one used. The OR520 was much more vibrant--a coraly orange--than I'd anticipated based on the image but I can see how tapping it lightly over top would create the exact shade represented.