A rant & review: Violette_FR Bisou Balm in ‘Bêtise’.

I’m not too happy with the decision on this one. Let me rant a little.

 

THE BACKSTORY: So, Violette is a French makeup artist. I stumbled upon her YouTube videos a long time ago and was in awe of how she’d visit different locations and sit down to do her makeup then and there. The confidence that she exuded reeled me in immediately. When she launched her own makeup line, I took note. This product of hers showed up multiple times on my social media and I made a snap decision, at the end of August, to just purchase it and see if I’d be anything like her. Spoiler: I’m nothing like her nor will I ever be and I’m fine with that. 

 

 

THE PRODUCT: The packaging of this product is unique enough to stand out in this over-saturated market. I like the white body with the gold lid, I also like the little face engraved on top of the lid.

 

The entire point of this product is to mimic the effortless tinge of colour on the lips that Parisians are known for sporting. It’s supposed to have a matte finish, look like you’ve blotted it dry and be effectively be long-wearing despite your many coffees.

 

And it delivers. It absolutely delivers on that front. It’s a silicone-smooth balm that glides on the lips. It’s not pigmented nor is it opaque. But you can build it up slightly to see more colour pay-off. But colour pay-off isn’t even the point of this product. It’s meant to distribute just a subtle touch of colour to your lips and give you that just blotted, oh-I’m-so-effortless look. You most likely won’t get full opacity unless you build a multitude of layers. I personally like how it remains a sheer wash of colour despite the layering.

 

Bouche mordue is the French makeup technique that emulates just-kissed lips, with blurred lip-lines. This product is that technique in a lipstick bullet. It literally translates to ‘bitten mouth’.

 

It’s not very long-wearing, however. Touching up is a given and is fairly easy. You can just smack it on the lips and call it a day.

 

Because of its matte finish, the brand actually asks you to prep your lips with a traditional lip balm before you apply this. I don’t usually mind how it sits on my lips without prepping but I do feel a significant difference when I do take the time to prep. Let me just call a spade a spade — yeah, it feels drying without a balm underneath.

 

It’s also heavily scented. Weirdly enough, it passes my sensitive nose test. The vanilla scent is not cloying or overwhelming. It’s pleasant, rather.

 

 

Now, onto my rant. It’s just a rant about how I’m as gullible as the next person when it comes to buying things just because influencers on different social media platforms hype them up. Every two weeks, influencers hype up a product like it’s the best invention since sliced bread. The projection of their voices, their vocabulary while describing the product — which understandably is limited because you can only use so many adjectives to describe makeup — and the fuss they create to generate more clicks, likes, engagement, what have you, is all the same. Just for a quick (and handsome) paycheck.

 

I feel awful every time I fall for a trap. I feel awful for feeding into the fire.

 

I didn’t need to buy this at all. I knew it’d be similar to the Colourpop Blotted lipsticks, which I love and use often. I’d even go as far as to say the Colourpop formula is better. Despite knowing that, I bought it without hesitation. The influencers had gotten the better of me – they had influenced me.

 

You needn’t buy the Colourpop products either, really. Just take any matte lip-colour of your liking, dab it onto our lips using your finger OR apply it messily from the bullet and use our finger to feather it out OR apply it at full pigment and use a tissue to blot it out and diffuse the edges. IT’S THAT SIMPLE.

 

I just don’t like spending my dime on things that I know I don’t need. It’s a good, unique-enough product. But I didn’t need it. I don’t think it has any business being that steep in terms of pricing either. Since I did end up purchasing it, I’m a part of the problem now.

 

I just hope to be more mindful of what I buy. The product has to justify the slogging I have to endure everyday to have it be a part of my life. This balm was unnecessary but I still welcome it and will use it up.

 

 

SWATCHES AND SHADES AVAILABLE: There are currently 8 shades in the line-up.

• ‘Bêtise’ – a warm berry, this is the OG shade in the line and is a bestseller.

 

PRICE: $29 USD (2463 INR approx. but I wound up paying double to get it shipped to my little corner of the world)

QUANTITY: 2.5 grams

AVAILABILITY: VIOLETTE_FR, LuxebyKan etc.

♥ OVERALL: Please don’t give in to the hype and buy this. It’s not worth it.