ONE size - or rather 'shade', 'hue', 'texture', 'tone', 'feel' - has never fit all when it comes to make-up. With seven continents and roughly 3.5 billion women to cater for, it simply isn't possible.
My Mum actually thought I'd had a full makeover
What we all want when we step into the make-up beauty halls is a match; make-up that looks almost tailor-made.
This hasn't always been possible - if you have ever suffered from bad foundation and a mismatched face and neck, you'll know exactly what I mean.
More than often today, cosmetic companies have been challenged with the complex task of catering for all our various complexions. Quite rightly. Creating a nude lipstick doesn't have to mean ubiquitous beige, and a red lipstick doesn't necessarily have to be ruby red.
L'Oréal's all inclusive make-up rangeThe L'Oréal Color Riche Lipstick campaign has been an excellent example of a cosmetic brand pushing an all-inclusive make-up range. With help from an army of celebrities, all varying in hair colour, skin tone and race, L'Oréal Paris has created what they say is the perfect nude, the perfect red and the perfect pink lipstick for everyone. Hooray for inclusivity.
So are you a blonde Blake Lively, an olive-skinned Eva Longoria, brown-skinned supermodel Liya Kebede, a red head like Julianne Moore or a strawberry blonde like Victoria Secret's Doutzen Kroes?
We put L'Oréal to the test.
Eight of Confidential's resident ladies tested out some of the best selling lipsticks from the limited edition range (£6.99 each) in search of their perfect match:
Body Confidential goes in search of their perfect match
LIYA’S RED – DARKER COMPLEXIONS
'I know what you’re thinking: I’m biased - I'm named L'Oréal, after all. Still, the subject of all-inclusive make-up is close to my heart and I was always going to be critical. My closest match was 'Liya’s Red' also modelled by actress Zoe Saldana. Model Kibede has a slightly darker complexion than I, and has a bright, orange-toned red created in her name. It’s a pillar-box, red-light district, fire-engine red - and it's equally eye-catching. While the lippie matches the yellow tones in my complexion, I found it too bright for the size of my pout. There’s no question that this is a great, affordable lipstick: rich, non-drying, silky and with staying power, but it wasn’t entirely for me. In fact, I’m eyeing up the Blake Lively lipstick.' - L'Oréal
3.5/5
EVA'S RED - OLIVE SKINNED
'I'm a MAC girl, so when L'Oréal gave me L'Oréal to wear, I was sceptical. I tend to stick to brights, and this was a deeper red: think sexy Christmas vampire. The matte packaging is easy grip for my fellow ladies with talons. My lipstick didn't have the staying power I'm used to: it needed reapplying after my coffee, after my lunch, and after my battle with the November elements to get to Man Con HQ. That being said, it's easy to apply, relatively lightweight, and cheaper than my usual 'go-to' lipsticks. All in all, I'd say this lipstick is more style over substance.' - Amirah
2/5
LIYA'S NUDE - DARKER COMPLEXIONS
'Historically, there’s always been one type of 'nude' available: beige. The colour of plasters, skin-coloured tights, nude bras and custard trifle. Only recently has there been nudes made in the Dulux colour charts of our complexions. Liya’s Nude is warm, cocoa coloured with a light shimmer and flatters the pinky, brown colours of my lip. However, if applied sparingly, it’s somewhat undetectable. You have to pile it on for full effect. I wondered if I could get a better result with a tinted lipgloss.' - L'Oréal (again)
2.5/5
NAOMI'S PINK - FAIR HAIRED
'Although the Naomi Watts lipstick (an absolute babe, by the way) was very subtle, it managed to enhance my natural lip colour and felt most suitable for more low-key make-up days. It stayed on pretty well, however after a few hours it did go a little dry and sort of rolled up when I reapplied. On the whole I would recommend this lipstick to other fair haired ladies; easy to apply, great for everyday wear and very affordable.' - Tamar
3.5/5
BLAKE'S RED - BLONDES
'I absolutely loved this lipstick. I wore it for about four hours, and it stayed on well even through lunch. It had a nice matte finish to it and stayed mostly moisturized, plus it smelled pretty damn good. I had to take it off eventually because it had started to go a bit dry though. It was a great colour for me; it looked a bit intimidating as it’s really bright, but it felt fine to be wearing during the day. It’s probably best worn for a night out though.' - Lucy
4/5
BLAKE'S RED (again) - BLONDES
'I’m not usually one for lipstick, I love the thought but I always forget to apply it, so testing out Blake’s Pure Red was a bold move. It looks, smells and feels like a classic lipstick, something from the movies. Being cautious, I applied a thin layer to my bottom lip and massaged into the top (getting the knack of filling the grove of your philtrum is an art in itself). This layer was all I needed for the night, even after eating the lipstick stayed firmly on. Being fair haired and skinned I was worried it would be too much but it only enhanced my makeup - My Mum actually thought I'd had a full makeover since morning. Moral of the story, blondes can do bold, and it might even give you a full make over.' - Alana
4/5
DOUTZEN'S NUDE - 'BRONDES'
I love this lipstick – it's smooth, creamy and smells like something you'd put on nappy rash, which does it for me for some strange reason. However, the colour I'm not a fan of. It's nude, but nude shouldn't mean nothing. It's paler than my actual lips and washes my whole face out. The packaging is sophisticated, but I don't feel it. In this colour lipstick I feel drab. If I just wanted the moisturising properties, I'd use Vaseline. The reds look great but I think L'Oréal need to go back to the drawing board with the nudes. They all seem a bit wishy-washy. - Jo
2/5
JULIANNES'S RED - RED HEADS
I’m a stickler for natural makeup, much like I am for black clothes and silver jewellery. So when I saw my supposed shade was a pinkish pillar box red, I felt my comfort zone limits being well and truly tested. Putting it on, however, I was pleasantly surprised. When worn, the pink overrode the red, creating something more akin to deep coral. Rather than an incongruous smear, my lipstick blushed warmly against my skin tone. That said, I didn’t feel the ‘hydrating’ jojoba oils. With a texture as matte as the colour, this isn’t one for chapped winter lips, despite being a great festive hue. I’ll stick to my lip balm for now... - Vicky
3.5/5
JULIANNE'S NUDE - RED HAIRED
I don’t normally wear nude lipsticks as I prefer to wear lipsticks that have a pop of colour. On first look I really liked the packaging and thought the shade pleasing. The lipstick went on really well, it felt moisturising, didn’t fade that quickly and smelt nice. It doesn’t have a gloss or matte finish but it just gives the natural lip colour a boost. I noticed it made my lips look fuller and smoother. It definitely matched my skin tone and looks really subtle on. I would say this is a perfect everyday lipstick and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a nude. - Olivia
4/5
So there you have it, an overall Confidential score of 29/45 - some loved L'Oreal's new range, some didn't. You can make up your own mind and order at loreal-paris.co.uk/color-riche-lip - let us know how you get on...
