Chantecaille Lip Chic- Wild Rose

First of all, Happy Mothers Day to all of my US readers who are mothers.  I had a shock at the grocery store on Friday when a group of children wished me Happy Mothers Day. I nearly asked "are you talking to me ?!?"  but realized they were attempting to be sweet. Just another reminder that I'm older than I feel.

All of this has a connection with today's post, the incredible Chantecaille Lip Chic in Wild Rose.  My own mother has a soft spot for roses, and I was raised at a home with an enormous rose garden that was my mother's pride and joy.  All summer, every summer our home was constantly filled with bouquets from our back yard.  It's not a leap that any time I hear the word rose, I immediately think of my mother.  To this day, I tend to buy her rose-scented gifts.

Chantecaille Lip Chic in Wild Rose came onto my radar when I attended an event last month at Neiman Marcus named Project Beauty. I finally had the opportunity to see this shade in action and added it to the mental wish list.  I've been testing this for close to a month, and my only regret is that I haven't tried other Chantecaille products earlier.  And that I may have "started something new" since I'm probably going to pick up future releases!

Since this is my first Chantecaille Lip Chic review, I'll take a moment to talk stats and packaging.  Chantecaille Lip Chics contain 2g/0.07oz of product and retail for $35.  I have local Chantecaille counters at Nieman Marcus and Bloomingdales, but products are also available online at Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter, Barney's New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Space NK, and the brand's website.  The sleek tube is far smaller than I was expecting, and smaller than the comparable Chanel Rouge Coco Shine.

Chantecaille's website describes the Lip Chic formula as "the perfect combination of gloss and lipstick."  The product description reads as follows:

"This exceptionally comfortable formula is easy to apply in an even finish that is shiny but never sticky. Lip Chic leaves lips fuller and decidedly more youthful in appearance, but never irritated.

• Combines the high shine and plumping effects of a gloss with the rich, even coverage of a lipstick
• Goes on with an incredibly soft, lightweight texture as it helps to smooth and firm the lips"

I'll be honest- I didn't notice any plumping- which is just fine by me since I detest tingling products.

Wild Rose is a LE shade from the Spring 2014 collection, but luckily it's still readily available.  It's described as "sheer and sophisticated fuchsia" by Barneys.  In the tube, it appears to be a bold strawberry red/pink hybrid. However, these are sheer products, so it's not as vibrant on the lips.

I'm going to break with my normal pattern and show this in action before I show swatches. I think it'll be clear why this is probably my favorite new release for Spring 2014:

It's a stunning, wearable shade that looks lovely on my pigmented lips.

Let me show a few swatches, as well as the comparison that I thought might be a dupe. Sadly, it's not.

In the sun (!):

Outside, not in direct sun:

Outside, with flash:

I think it's clear why my mind immediately went to Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine as a comparison.  This is the second year in a row that I've fallen for a sheer, pigmented pink- so I thought they might be dupes.  The shade that came to mind is one of my favorite lipsticks of all time- the LE Pygmalion from Summer 2013, which was my main shade last summer.

I happen to own a backup of Pygmalion- that's how much of a perfect shade it is for me.  It's of the same general genre (sheer, shiny, pigmented pink lipsticks) but Pygmalion is far redder than Wild Rose. I love this photo because it's also in the sun, which has been rare the past few months. There's something about swatches plus white puffy clouds that makes a photo look better, right?

Since I purchased Wild Rose, it's been either in my purse or on my lips every single day. I highly recommend it- it lasts 3-4 hours and fades gracefully.

I love Wild Rose so much that I'm debating whether I should pick up a backup or not.  I tend not to pick up backups simply because of the size of my lipstick stash.  That's how much I love this shade.