Estee Lauder Violet Underground Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

The Violet Underground Collection features five products: Pure Color EyeShadow Palette, Pure Color Velvet Lipstick (in two shades: Violet Crush and Black Cassis), Pure Color Gloss (in 2 shades: Rebellious Violet and Chaotic Currant), Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Black Iris and Pure Color Quick-Thick Eyeliner in Punker Black. All limited edition.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

Attention! This review may be seriously biased by the fact that I absolutely LOVE purple (see post below)! I try to be as honest and objective as possible but my feelings are sometimes stronger (sorry!)!

The packaging is very elegant, sophisticated and sleek and it does fell solid. It is very Estee Lauder-ish. I love it. It feels like a good quality product and it is very pleasing to the eye. It has a distinctive smell typical for Estee Lauder lipsticks but not detectable when on the lips.

Violet Crush is a berry-plum shade of pink. It is not as purple as MAC Violetta but it is definitely purpler than a standard fuchsia shade. It is very flattering shade (for my pale skintone) and it just looks gorgeous - honestly, I think it does look sooo much better in reality than it does on the photos. Very pretty!

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

Violet Crush is easy to apply; it goes on smoothly and evenly. The texture is soft and it is very pigmented so you can build up the intensity if you like. You only need 1 swipe to cover your lips so I guess it will last me forever. The finish is matte (I think this is what makes this shade so beautiful: no glitter, no sparkle, no shiny finish just plain colour). It does stain your lips a little bit, which is always a bonus for me. It also goes a little bit darker after a couple of minutes. The lasting power with no lip primer or balm underneath is only 3 hours but with a lot of talking, careful eating and drinking. The second time I wore it it lasted about 4.5 hours and that was without any talking or drinking. So yeah, not that great but I am so totally capable of overlooking that fact!

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush (indoor light, no flash)

 Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush (direct sunlight, no flash)

Estee Lauder Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Violet Crush

Similar shades: because I am such a sucker fan of purple in general I have a few shades that are quite similar. Sleek Makeup True Colour Lipstick in Mystic (also matte finish and only slightly purpler but it is a very close match), MAC in Violetta (purpler and has a slightly shimmery finish), Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wild Orchid (more vibrant and has a pearl finish), YSL Glossy Lip Stain in 16 (liquid lipstick and it has a shiny finish but again, it is a very close match), Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Lipstick in Berry Blast (slightly darker and purpler), Constance Carroll in Sweet Berry (darker and purpler), NYX Round Lipstick in Chloe (pinker, more vibrant and has a shimmery finish) and finally, NYX Round Lipstick in Fusion (has a shimmery finish and is more transparent plus it is slightly purpler). So if you are looking for a purse friendly option there is a lot to choose from (the Sleek Makeup lipstick is a really good dupe in my opinion).

Overall, I love, love, LOVE it. Let me know if you have one and you love it as much as I do! A.