New Lipstick Love: Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Cream (Fable) + MAC nudes shade comparisons!

I'm a MAC lipstick girl all the way. I love the shade selection, formula variety, vanilla scent, and cost effectiveness. Every once in a while I will pick up a new lipstick in the drugstore but as far as high-end choices go, MAC has always had my heart. But recently, I've fallen for another. I deliberately set out to cheat on MAC and spice things up when I got my golden ticket, a $25 gift card to Sephora. The exact amount that screams, "go buy a lipstick." As I do with most of my cosmetic endeavors, I did some research, and in doing so, came down to either Guerlain, Hourglass, or Dior. After sifting through reviews, the highs and the lows, it was the Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Cream lipstick that remained standing. And I knew exactly the shade I wanted before stepping a foot into the Sephora store: Fable. To be fair, I did swatch a few others that caught my eye (Grace, Whisper) but in the end I trusted my instincts and picked up the beautiful beige-nude lipstick, Fable, and haven't looked back.

I love this lipstick. Why do I love this lipstick? I love the cool, sleek, weighty packaging. I love the fact that you can buy lipstick cartridge refills for $24 rather than spend another $32 on a new tube. I love the texture, so smooth and so dreamy creamy. I love the scent which is almost identical to the MAC lipstick scent that we all know and love. I love the moisturizing formula that stays moisturizing and doesn't turn dry and cakey or gather in the corners of the mouth or grooves in the lips. In addition, the formula is great because it isn't too slippery and it isn't too thick. And the shade, Fable, is a perfect beige- nude with pink undertones. Surprise surprise, another nude lipstick, just what I need. But I'm glad I chose it because it is now my new favorite nude and that says a lot because I have a LOT to compare it to. I have one teeny tiny con to throw in to be fair and accurate. I do not love the shape of the lipstick. It has an extremely steep incline thing going on that makes the application side totally flat and oddly shaped to fit one's lips. I read somewhere that this shape was created specifically to make it easier for people to use a lip brush with it. Personally, I think more people DON'T use lip brushes when they apply their color. But whatever, I can overlook that quality and move on with my gorgeous new find.


To Put it in MAC Lover's Terms:


How does it compare to MAC nudes? Basically, its closest to Creme D' Nude but warmer and pinkier. If you feel you can't totally pull off CDN but you are almost there, then Fable is your nude. If you can pull off CDN and/or Myth then Fable will be a piece of cake. On the other hand, if your nude preference happens to be in the darker shade genre like MAC Blankety, L'Oreal Fairest Nude, Revlon Soft Nude, or something similar than take a chance on Fable because although it is probably a couple of shades lighter than what you are comfortable with, there is a beautiful sheen to it that detracts from the chalky look that beige-nudes can sometimes appear to have. That was one long sentence, I need to take a breath after that one. See below for swatch comparisons. As far as texture and formula go, its close to a cremesheen but smoother and thinner as well as more moisturizing with a nicer sheen, nice enough to for-go a lipgloss. I personally like MAC cremesheens and lustres the best and I think Hourglass Femme Rouge is the best of both words. But better..

Hourglass Fable, Mac CDN, Myth, Playing Koi, Revlon Soft Nude

Revlon Soft Nude, MAC CDN, Hourglass Fable, MAC Myth & Playing Koi

L2R: Mac CDN, Hourglass Fable, MAC Myth