Bobbi Brown Lip Color Plum Review

Hey lovely ladies,

How is the long weekend coming along for you? Travel plans or shopping plans this weekend? For me, weekends mean extra tantrums, extra mess, extra planning and then there are kids to think about too!! LoL!! It’s financial year end, so I am sure it’s going to be super busy for a lot of you. To give a quick break to the monotony, let us review another Bobbi Brown lipstick, in the shade “Plum.”

Product Description:
An all-new lipstick formula that delivers a just-kissed stain effect in one swipe.  Loaded with soft matte pigments for high color payoff with a blotted-down stain effect and formulated with vitamins E and C and beeswax, this lipstick glides on comfortably and leaves lips hydrated and kissably-soft. The long-wear formula gives lips color without feeling heavy, for a un-lipstick look and feel that doesn’t feather or fade. Swipe once for a pigment-rich, stained effect or more for a fuller-coverage look—no mirror required.   What it is formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. This product is free from titanium and other ingredients that add weight and give opaque coverage.
Price:
INR 1700/USD $29 for 3.4gms (Not sure why Sephora site states 5 ml).

Ingredients:

My Experience with Bobbi Brown Lip Color Plum:

Packaging: The brand has kept the packaging in line with the Bobbi Brown aesthetics by doing a cuboid back casing and yet gave it a fun and efficient twist. Each of the lipsticks have a colour coded band which extends to the lipstick tube itself. The colour of the band corresponds to the colour of the lipstick inside. So, if you have more than one of these, its easy to identify the shade from the packaging itself – plus it looks more fun and vibrant! The lipstick bullet is a regular twist up with the cap clicking soundly into place. The lip is indented which allows better precision in application. It comes packaged in the usual black cardboard box.

Shade: Every time I use this lipstick or swatch it, I am mystified! Every single time, I flip the lipstick to check if I picked the wrong shade because the shade in bullet is anything but plum! Described by the brand as a “mid tone red plum,” but to me, the shade seems more like a medium, muted, ever so slightly dirty red. I don’t see any plum in it – there isn’t even a hint of purple. Nope! The shade is easily wearable and a unique take on red – should suit most skin tones. However, it definitely ain’t purple!

Texture: The formula of this lipstick is in line with the other shades I reviewed like Lilac, Angel, Watermelon, etc. The lipstick glides on effortlessly, like a lip balm and yet does not have too much slip where it would slide off the lip line either. It deposits pigment evenly and allows you to build up pigmentation. The texture is very lightweight, moisturizing and extremely hydrating. It fills in the lines on the lips and makes them look more youthful. What is most remarkable about the lipstick is that the texture does not build up even when the pigment does. Meaning, normally, if a lipstick is not too pigmented, we build the colour by adding more swipes. However, as we add more swipes, we also end up depositing more product which adds texture to the lips and if the lipstick has a cream/satin texture, the product would end up sliding around on the lips. However, that does not happen with this lipstick. I assume it is because the texture is so lightweight. Being the texture it is, it will transfer to other surfaces on contact.

Pigmentation: Being a muted shade, a single swipe gives a very light wash of colour on the lips. The colour can be easily built up, this means about 5-6 swipes at least. However, with this shade, apart from the fact that the colour never really builds up to the shade in the bullet; the colour on the lips despite building up has a bit of translucency, like a balmy look to it. My lip swatches and FOTDs are with built-up colours so that you can appreciate the difference between the different shades in the line. However, I have shared arm swatches where one side is a single swipe of the lipstick and the other side is with multiple swipes. This will enable you to understand how low the pigmentation is and how richly it can be built up.

Lasting Power: When used as a single swipe, the shade does not last too long – maybe an hour or so of a soft stained look. With multiple swipes, and the colour at full intensity, this shade gives me about 4-4.5hours of wear and leaves a light stain. It does wear off evenly and does not get patchy. My lips feel better off thanks to the hydration provided by the lipstick.

Fragrance: There is a slight fragrance but nothing too discernible unless you put your nose to it.

To sum this up for you:

Pros of Bobbi Brown Lip Color Plum:

Beautiful cool-toned pink, but not universally flattering.
Extremely lightweight texture.
Buildable pigmentation.
Very comfortable to wear, no feeling of dryness or clinginess.
Hydrating formula.
Easy to apply and get clean lines.
It applies smoothly and evenly – no tug or pull.
No feathering or bleeding – despite the balmy texture.
Does not flake.
Classy and yet fun packaging.
Decent wear time – about 4-4.5 hours or so.
Free from sulfates and phthalates.
Product is free from titanium and other ingredients that add weight and give opaque coverage.

Cons of Bobbi Brown Lip Color Plum:

Nothing at all.

IMBB Rating:
4.25/5

This sure makes for an interesting shade. The fact that the colour does not build up fully to an opaque look, may or may not work with you – depending on youor preferences. Some, who prefer a fully opaque colour, might not appreciate this shade and its lack of depth. However, others may enjoy the look and feel of youthfulness that the translucency imparts.