L'Oreal Limited Edition Spring 2013 Colour Riche Balms

L'oreal recently launched the Versailles Romance Collection for Spring 2013! The collection features new, limited edition pastel Coulour Riche Balms and nail polishes. I was so excited when I first saw the photos of the collection on Nouveau Cheap. I already knew that I had to try at least a few of the Colour Riche Balms, since the pastel shades looked so pretty in the packaging. Unfortunately,  these balms turned out to be quite sheer.

The pretty pastel casings immediately caught my eye!

The blue balm is called Sundays by the Seine and the purple is Legally Regal.

 Legally Regal swatched on the bottom and Sundays by the Seine on top

Legally Regal is a cool lilac shade that is sheer. Sundays by the Seine is absolutely clear, but it does have a bit of white shimmer. I found that both formulas were slippery, which made building color difficult. I was unimpressed with the formula, and the shades didn't wow me at all.

Claims: "This tinted lip balm provides a hint of luscious, kissable color, smoothing lips instantly and for a full 8 hours of continuous hydration. Lips are softer and more supple all day long—and keeps conditioning even after it’s been removed."

Pigmentation: I knew that these are balms, and that the colors would be tinted. With that said, I was still shocked that Sundays by the Seine was clear! Legally Regal has ok pigmentation.

Finish/Texture: The finish is shiny, and the texture is slippery- almost like a lipgloss. 

Lasting Power: I had maybe an hour at most. These balms slide all over the place.

Scent: These are unscented. (what a plus! I hate the smell of L'oreal lipsticks)

Packaging: The packaging is very pretty. The plastic caps coordinate with the color of the balm, and the lipstick holder is a gold tube. The lipsticks twist up/down easily and are labeled. 

Price/Availability: I paid $8.50 for each at Walgreens

Likes:

• Pretty/functional packaging
• Unscented

Dislikes:

• Colors aren't true to packaging
• Pigmentation is lacking
• Lips don't feel moisturized at all before/during/after wear
• Pricey, almost $9 each!
• Low quality
• No lasting power
• Formula feels greasy

Overall:

This was my first time trying the L'oreal Colour Riche Balm line. I felt that these colors were very boring. At the store, the packaging made each lip balm seem like it was going to match color of the lid of the tube. That wasn't the case, as you can see from my swatches. These balms are very sheer, and one of them was completely clear. The claims of 8 hour moisture is honestly ridiculous, because I didn't feel that these moisturized my lips at all! The texture feels more like a lip gloss than a lip balm. I can't believe that these are priced at $7-$9 dollars at drugstores for such low quality. I was really expecting something much better from L'oreal since I'm a fan of their other lip products. 

Hopefully the sad pigmentation and formula is just on these new pastel shades. I would like to try some of the original shades, they look much brighter and pigmented. I won't rule out the entire line just yet, but I won't be trying anymore of the pastels!

 Have you tried any of the L'oreal Colour Riche Balms?