Lip Products for Nude/Neutral lovers: Rouge Bunny Rouge & Hourglass

Hello guys!

First of all, let me just say a huge "Thank You" to all of you for leaving me such sweet comments on my latest post below. I 'll be sure to make more OOTD/FOTD posts in the future! :)


So, this will be a post entirely dedicated to lip products from a couple of brands that are slightly more prestigious than usual: Rouge Bunny Rouge and Hourglass.
Now, I must admit that even though I don't have a huge experience with these brands, I do feel very confident in buying from them, since they both make products that aim to nourish and protect the skin with their ingredients, as well as offering great colour ranges.

Lip products are a safe way to approach any brand imo (well, anything from a brand's colour range for that matter), and me being the nude lip afficionado that I am, well, my choices were pretty obvious(fret not though, no corpsey lips in sight):

Swatches from left to right are: 1. RBR Lip Balm, 2. RBR lipstick in "The Plot Thickens", 3. RBR lipgloss in "Birthday Suit" and 4. Hourglass lipgloss in "Eden".

Let's start with lipcare:




1. Rouge Bunny Rouge "Kiss Elixir" Lip Balm. This product deserves a swatch of its own if only for its glossiness! It's probably even glossier than clear lipgloss, it's crazy! "Kiss Elixir" is a slightly yellowy lip balm, that goes on basically clear when applied and has a liquid consistency, similar to that of a sheer lipgloss.
What I first noticed when I applied it (well despite the extreme glossiness), was the intense honey scent, that was surprisingly not an artificial one! Personally, I like the scent of honey, but I can see that for some it could be slightly irritating, as it's quite strong.
After a few seconds, I could feel a tingling sensation on my lips (apparently the lip balm contains mint), but I can't say I understand what the point of that is (ok, it feels refreshing, but it's not what I look for in a lip balm).
Another thing worth mentioning is that this lip balm is extremely sticky. Of course, this does mean that it stays on for hours, but if stickiness is a factor in your lip product purchases, then you should take note of that.
So... does it actually work?
Yes and no. It's a nice enough product, but (and it's a big but) only if you don't have very dry lips. I found that if I used it as a preventive treatment, it would work nicely, but I couldn't rely on it to soften the dry bits, so that they 'd go away easier. And, since it's so sticky and glossy, it's completely inappropriate for priming your lips before lipstick/lipgloss application.
Of course, this could double as a lipgloss itself, which would be my main recommended use for this product; a night-time treatment would be my other one, neither of these two uses, however, make it a must-have item in my eyes.




2. Rouge Bunny Rouge Colour Burst Lipstick in 012 - The Plot Thickens. As you can see from the swatch, this lipstick is a wearable pinky nude, definitely not one that would
give you scary concealer lips. It has good pigmentation (my little scar compared to the lip balm photo is not obvious) and goes on creamy.
Apparently, this is described as a satin finish, but it's definitely not like the satin finish lipsticks by MAC; I 'd say that it gives a very flattering sheen, without it being obnoxiously frosty.




3. Rouge Bunny Rouge Lipgloss in 029 - Birthday Suit. This lipgloss is a light caramel beige with a hint of copper, infused with superfine gold and pink shimmer. What impressed me about the shimmer particles is that they were densely packed within the lipgloss, meaning they wouldn't spread out so easily, so it's less likely to end up with sparkly bits around your mouth after a few hours of wearing this. It has medium/medium+ pigmentation and while it's not annoyingly sticky on the lips (actually bearable by my standards), you wouldn't want your hair flying towards your lips on a windy day, so... yeah.


What's also worth saying about those RBR products (the lipstick&lipgloss), is that:
a. they make a good combination (evidence below) and
b. they 're not just for the lighter skintones. I could easily picture someone with a tanned or medium complexion wearing these and rocking them, however if you 're way too tanned or dark, then these may not be your cup of tea.




And lastly:




4. Hourglass Lipgloss in Eden. I know I 'm not the first to review the Hourglass Prodigy range lipglosses, but not many have reviewed this shade (from my small research that is). Eden is described as a neutral beige, and even though I 'd say it's slightly warmer than that, it's still definitely in the nude family. I 'm not entirely sure that my lip swatch is accurate, so I included a photo of the Hourglass model (love her red hair btw, completely off-topic) wearing it, as it's a pretty accurate depiction.
This lipgloss contains small flecks of pink and gold shimmer, but it doesn't rely on them to reflect light, since it's very glossy itself (my first hand swatch shows that the best). It's not sticky and it applies evenly and smoothly, you can definitely tell that this is a luxurious product on your lips.
Its only downside is that it's not very pigmented, but it certainly gives a nice definition. I 've never used this phrase before, but I 'd definitely classify this as a "my lips but better" - type product (I mean, come on, look at the model).
As for the packaging, I don't have much to say about it: yeah, maybe the square shape fits clutches and small bags better (maaaybe), but I seriously doubt I could get all of the product out once it starts to run out (I can see the edges collecting a lot of the product and why would I have to squeeze it like a toothpaste?). Also, you have to be a bit careful when putting the cap back on, not very convenient when in a hurry. The way I see it, they put a great lipgloss in impractical packaging.


So, that was it for my reviews, but I feel the need to say a few more words before I hit publish.

These products were purchased through the Zuneta website, a website I was very reluctant to shop from again, due to their insane shipping charges. However, I was very pleased to discover that things changed not long after my first order (and ranty post).
European shipping now is a reasonable 6-7 pounds, (not sure how much international shipping is, I think it's around 12-15), meaning that frequent orders is actually an option now.
And a "thank you" to Zu Rafalat, for taking my initial opinion into consideration and improving Zuneta's customer service, and also, for being extremely honest with me.
No, this is not a sponsored "thank you" or whatever, a website improved their customer service, and this is something worth mentioning.
I 'd love to see more websites/companies actually bother doing something to prevent a future customer from a negative experience, it would mean that they're taking their business seriously.


So, guys, let me know what you think about these products?
Have you tried them/would you? :)

And have you ever felt that your opinion as a consumer/customer can actually make a difference?