Review: The New and Improved(?) L'Oreal Color Riche Lipcolour

I have recently started to re-appreciate (is that a word?) L'Oreal lipsticks. I use so many different brands of lipstick that L'Oreal Color Riche often gets lost in the shuffle. But lately I've gone back to L'Oreal because they seem to offer such a huge variety of shade options, and of course I'm always trying to break out of my pinky-brown lip color habit.

So the other day I spotted this display:

(click the image to read the fine print)

L'Oreal has reformulated their classic Color Riche line and added a new "Color-Clarity Technology" to make the colors more rich and true-to-life. In my experience, L'Oreal Color Riche Lipcolours tend to wear on the sheer side (with the exception of their reds and darker shades), and they also have a tendency to look different in the tube than on your lips. So I was very excited to try the new and improved Color Riche. Oh, I should add that my local Rite-Aid had these on clearance, so I was able to snatch one up for 4 bucks and some change. Bonus!

I picked up shade 512, "Magnificent Mauve" which, in the tube looks like a medium...um...pinky-brown. I guess I really can't stray too far now, can I?

I immediately took this to my Lipstick Fitting Room (aka, my car) and snapped a pic in full sunlight:

(Looks like a nice medium pinky-brown creme, right?)

And then I applied it (still in my car to take advantage of the bright sunlight:

(sorry for the shadow--it's the best I can do with my Blackberry)

Hello!! Where in the heck did this iridescent, shimmery, sheer pinky-peach color come from?? Seriously, scroll back up to the tube and compare it to the color on my lips!

I have to say that while this IS a very pretty color, and I actually do not regret the purchase (hey, I unknowingly broke out of my pinky-brown rut!), this is so NOT what I expected. At all.

I'm sitting here looking at the tube while I write this and, honestly, you have to actually swipe the color before you can even see the shimmer. The shimmer is absolutely undetectable on the untouched portion of the lipstick (unless maybe if you use a magnifying glass).

Final Analysis: While I have only tried one tube of the reformulated Color Riche lipcolor, I cannot vouch for the claim that the new formulation gives you true-to-life color. But even though it's still a guessing game with L'Oreal lipsticks, I kind of like the surprise when it works in my favor. I'm sure I'll purchase more in the future, but I will do it knowing that the color in the tube is probably not going to match the color on my lips.