Does the idea of applying liquid powder to your lips sound odd? I know, but what if said liquid powder was from Chanel? I found Chanel's new Rouge Allure Liquid Powder Liquid Matte Lip Color very intriguing when I first heard of it, and I decided to give it a try. Is it innovative hit or a gimmicky miss? Keep reading to find out!


The Rouge Allure Liquid Powder is a new launch part of the Le Mat de Chanel fall 2018 collection - together with the Rouge Allure Velvet Extrême, another new lipstick formula I haven't had a chance to test yet. It comes in 6 shades from a light pink to a bright orange, and I bought 960 Avant-Gardiste, a deep berry and the darkest color in the range.


The new Rouge Allure Liquid Powder comes in a squeeze tube - very unusual for Chanel - with a velvety slanted sponge applicator. When you squeeze the tube the lipstick comes out of little holes at the center of the applicator, that you then swipe over the lips to cover them with color. It's exactly the same system as the Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick. The packaging definitely feels cheaper than your average Chanel lip product, being a basic soft plastic, although the brand added a few details to make the design a little more unique, like the black cap with gold top and the triangular shape of the tube. Whether a plastic tube is fairly priced at $30 is up to you, but it's obviously not quite as luxe as other lipsticks in the Rouge Allure collection.


So what is this new lipstick all about? Chanel promises a matte texture that feels creamy yet delivers a powder-like finish on the lips for a blurred effect. I think it's really the last part that matters with this new Rouge Allure Liquid Powder: blurred effect. That's something I've really been into this season as I told you in the Fall Beauty Edit, so this lipstick is absolutely perfect for the type of looks I love to wear. However, I can see how people who prefer a more precise, if not flawless, finish might hate it with a vengeance. It all comes down to what you're looking for: if you like the idea of an imperfect, lived-in look, you'd probably love it. If the idea of a blurry lip line makes you cringe, you'd better stay away!

The Rouge Allure Liquid Powder has a surprising, unique texture: it has a silicone-y glide right out of the tube, but it quickly dries down to what really does look like a powdery finish. It is completely weightless, I can't feel anything on my lips when I'm wearing it, except for a subtle velvety effect. Once it's set you can't really move it around, and it only transfers very minimally to my tea mugs (only for the first half hour, really).

Swatch of Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder lipstick in 960 Avant-Gardiste

One thing that surprised me about this Liquid Powder is that it is quite sheer. I somehow expected a liquid matte lipstick, but it's more of a wash of color to coat the lips. It is buildable to a certain extent, but I can't get it to full opacity. Besides, if you layer, all that extra color will wear off to leave behind the same sheer stain that you could have achieved with just one coat. You could wear it on top of lip liner to boost the pigmentation (and have a more precise edge) but... I feel like it would almost defeat the purpose, or at least sacrifice what makes this lipstick unique: remember, blurred effect.

Although it is semi-sheer, the Chanel Liquid Powder wears surprisingly long as it stains the lips. Despite the powder effect and longwear I don't find it drying on my chronically chapped lips. It's not hydrating either, and I definitely need to exfoliate and condition my lips before use because it does emphasize flakey areas a bit. But it doesn't suck the moisture out of my lips like old school lip powders I tried years ago.

Swatches of Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder lipstick, from left to right: Evocation, Radical, Avant-Gardiste, Plaisir

I bought the shade Avant-Gardiste because I wanted a fall/winter color, and this deep berry looked perfect for the season. I can be quite vampy when I build it up, but as I said above it turns into a sheer berry stain rather quickly. The color itself is rich and vibrant, and with the powdery matte finish I think it looks absolutely beautiful. It has that imperfect, real, blurred vibe that I'm so into this season, but it's not so messy that you couldn't wear it to work.

Wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder lipstick in 960 Avant-Gardiste (looks more pink berry and less red in person)

The new Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder lipstick fits right in my current makeup routine to create a soft matte, powdery blurred lip. It's a very unique product with a texture and effect I had never experienced before! If, like me, you love the trending less-than-perfect, lived-in makeup looks, you would probably enjoy this lipstick. On the other hand, if you like your lipstick flawless, fully opaque with razor-sharp edges, this is just not going to work for you.



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