I have to give credit to The Makeup Archives on YouTube for this purchase after she mentioned these balms are comparable to the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colours. I purchased the shades Kaya Fig, Dear Apple, and Pecan Brew. I believe the first is from the main collection whereas the latter two are Dusty On the Nude Editions.
These have a lot of ingredients my lips like, but they’re closer to the bottom of the list, and are therefore in smaller amounts than the bulk of the formula makes up. The list also has some ingredients that have the potential to dry my lips depending on the amounts, so I didn’t expect them to condition my lips over time when I bought them. I would be satisfied if I could at least wear them comfortably and have them not make my lips worse at the end of the day, so that was my goalpost for them. Plus, I was curious how similar they truly felt to Lisa’s considering I bought 3 Glasting Melting Balms for less money than a single Baume Embrace.
Before we get into the review, I feel it’s important to talk about how I acquired them. I always want to know if there’s anything I need to watch out for regarding shipping times, customer service, etc. So, I assume most people are like me and want to know as well. I ordered these from YesStyle. I’ve had an account with them for years, but this was my first time actually purchasing. My full order exceeded $55 USD, since I added extra items to my cart, so I was eligible for free shipping. I was allowed to pay with US Dollars instead of Euros and still have it shipped to Germany with VAT included. My order was “shipped” within two days, but the warehouse is in Hong Kong, so it took 9 days to be in possession of the carrier Hermes. Therefore, tracking was unavailable until it reached the hands of Hermes, which was by then when it was in Germany. The following day it was scheduled for delivery. So, it took a total of 12 days to arrive. According to information I found online, some people get their orders fast (in under 10 days) whereas some people could get it after nearly a month. For those saying it took longer, I’m not sure if they bought items that had the “Usually ships within 24 hours” marker on them or if a longer time frame was written. My Oden’s Eye and Kaleidos orders usually take between 2-4 weeks to arrive, as well as anything I order from Ebay or Amazon listed as coming from China (no matter if it’s going to the US or Germany), so it’s possible that’s just how it can be sometimes via YesStyle. Because my order went smoothly, I had no interactions with customer service.
Also, the packaging says “Rom&nd,” but the descriptions all say, “Romand.” I guess that’s to avoid it looking like there’s a typo and keeping it easier to find or to use hashtags and whatnot.
The first thing I noticed when putting this on my lips is that it’s not a lightweight feeling formula. It’s very emollient feeling, but not full-on oily. It’s got a bit of tack to it. When I first apply it, it feels like my lips are heavy and speaking is a bit difficult because of the partial stickiness. The benefit though is that this feels very much moisturizing and hydrating. My lips feel conditioned after wearing it.
These are quite pigmented for balms, though Pecan Brew has probably twice the amount of pigment. It’s not easy to get a sheered out look with that shade. I love that the other two look quite natural. The downside to the pigment part of the balms is that it clings to every dry and peeling patch. I have to pull off strings of color to get it to look smooth and not textured. It’s evident in the swatch picture how building up the color didn’t go on my arm evenly and I had to use my finger to smooth it out. Also, the top layer of product is so easy to transfer, but the closest layers on the skin having a clinging quality that lasts a pretty good amount of time as long as drinking and eating aren’t in the equation. I’m able to apply this before bed, like an actual lip treatment, and there’s still some on my lips in the morning.
Fragrance is listed in the ingredients, and I can smell something, but it’s not a clearly identifiable scent. The closest I could describe it as is vaguely fruity.
These are actually nourishing, which makes them instantly worth me buying! The downside is that my husband hates kissing me with them on. They’re too goopy for his liking. This is why I still prefer the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces, though I will definitely keep using this product for the makeup qualities. I don’t often wear lipsticks because of my dryness issue, so to be able to have colors that will actually improve the state of my lips is a very welcome option. I plan to keep using Dear Apple and Kaya Fig, but I prefer how Lisa Eldridge’s Red Curve looks on me over Pecan Brew. Based on photos I’ve seen online, I assume Scotch Nude is more similar to LE’s Sweet Fig, which is why I didn’t buy that one.
Colors aside, Lisa’s formula is less emollient and a little less nourishing. They end up lasting the same amount of time on the lips as Romand’s during the daytime, but can’t last through sleeping. The LE lippie’s color applies much more smoothly. My lip lines look smoothed out, whereas with the Glasting balms they have a slightly pruned look to them the way fingertips look when soaked in water for too long. I feel the Baume Embrace has a more sophisticated formula in terms of being a makeup-skincare hybrid. Romand’s feel more like a treatment, even with the amount of coloring agent used. I also like being able to put on the Baume Embrace and forget I’m wearing it because it’s not so heavy on the lips. The comfort from not having the sensations of needing to wipe off the edges of my lips every so often makes me more willing to wear LE’s over Romand’s.
I can see why the YouTuber said the Romand Glasting Melting Balms reminded her of the Baume Embraces, but the way they feel on the lips is too different for me to consider them dupes. There are a lot of other melting type tinted lip balms on the market (Tarta Maracuja Juicy Lip, Makeup by Mario Moisture Glow, Nivea Melty Lip Balms, etc.). I even saw plenty of other “melting balms” on YesStyle. The amount of color, the ingredients used, and texture/consistency are the qualities that differentiate one balm from another. I think the Baume Embraces stand on their own enough that they were worth it for me to buy. However, for the lip conditioning aspect and having additional shade options, I’m also glad to have bought these from Romand. They’re a third of the price as well!
That’s all for this week! Have a good one, and thanks for reading!
-Lili ❤
DISCLOSURE: Apparently, I have a referral code with YesStyle which is available for all customers to share. I don’t really know much about it, but I figured I would just link it anyway. The reward code isG9UHT8. I did not sign up for the official YesStyle Influencer Program though. As my love of beauty revolves mostly around makeup, but I never buy makeup from YesStyle, it didn’t seem like the right fit for me. Sunscreens, Hair Care, and Skincare are what I like to use YesStyle for now, but I rarely post about those topics. Anyway, thanks for reading!
Not pictured, but included in the review, are Lisa’s new balms and newer lip pencil.
I don’t know how my lip collection from this brand grew to be so large, considering I’m pretty basic when it comes to what I use on my lips. Lisa Eldridge just has a knack for making everything sound glorious and I can’t help but be curious, even about products that don’t typically suit my makeup preferences. Today, I’ll show all the lippies I own from Lisa Eldridge, discuss my experience, and reveal which line is my favorite.
It figures that I would have this review ready to go, only to find out five days prior to the publish/posting date that Lisa Eldridge would be launching a new lip balm line. So, I decided to postpone this review until I could add the additional items.
Velveteen Liquid Lip Colour in Muse
I appreciate that this is a liquid lipstick that doesn’t feel like every bit of moisture gets sucked out of my lips. I agree with the brand that it doesn’t crumble or get chalky, and I guess it’s technically smudge-proof, but it’s definitely not budge-proof for me. The color clings very well to my lips, but it still transfers. That being said, it was good enough for me to wear on my wedding day in combination with other lip products. It layers well between applications. The dry down color is a bit darker than how it first looks when applied, but that works in my favor since I would not be able to wear other iterations of the shade Muse because (based on model photos) it appears too light to look flattering on me. Overall, this Velveteen Liquid Lip line isn’t for me, but I don’t regret getting one to try out. I continue to use it periodically.
True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Sorcery and Velvet Affair
I reviewed one of these before, and my opinion hasn’t changed. The True Velvets are comfortable feeling all day, which is an achievement for matte lipsticks, and quite a bit is able to linger on the lips after a meal. However, despite it not giving me the sensation of feeling like my lips are getting dried, my lips are still sensitive enough that they get a tad drier after wearing them. The various colors are pretty and they stay put on the lips so that lip liner isn’t technically necessary. However, I recognize that this isn’t the right formula for my skin type nor preferences. The Luxurious Lucent line is though.
Enhance and Define Lip Pencil in Sorcery
Sorcery’s Lip Pencil is a bit lighter than the lipstick, which is an interesting choice. This comes from the Enhance and Define line, as opposed to the newer Sculpt & Shade lip pencils. I have to say that I had such a hard time sharpening this one. My Nars sharpener, which hasn’t given me issues with any other pencil, nearly destroyed this one. It constantly kept making sharp edges and never smoothed out no matter what I tried. In order for this pencil to be usable to me, I had to buy the Charlotte Tilbury sharpener. I was happy that I could finally sharpen this thing properly. Of course, I had no idea that a mere few weeks after buying the CT sharpener, the brand would release a new line of pencils that come with a sharpener. I can confirm that the Lisa Eldridge sharpener does also work for the pencils in this line. Thank goodness!
I like the way this pencil glides smoothly around my lips, but then quickly becomes budgeproof and waterproof. The sharpening problem really turned me off to this product because it was unusable for so long. However, I now like it enough again that I considered buying more. The main reason I don’t is because I prefer my Coloured Raine lip pencils and would rather save the money for something else from the brand that’s more unique of a product. It’s easy to get a nice lip liner from plenty of companies.
Sculpt & Shade Lip Pencil in 3W
My, how things can change in a matter of weeks! In the previous paragraph, I said I would hold off on buying more lip pencils from the brand, but here I am updating this post! So, I purchased this right after watching Lisa’s YouTube video showcasing the Baume Embraces. I figured, let’s just put this curiosity to bed.
I had assumed the formula between this pencil and the previous line of pencils were different based on the Sculpt and Shade pencils looking like standard wood ones and coming with a sharpener versus the Enhance and Define having a gel formula. I can say now that this one feels less dry on the lips and I can achieve a blurred soft-matte look to my lips, but it’s not budgeproof. I had it on for about fifteen minutes and then rubbed my finger across it. Even though it didn’t completely wipe away, it still smeared. It’s a formula that can survive even through eating one meal, but it’s more prone to being moved around than the Enhance & Define ones due to it’s more moisturizing formula. When I did a swatch comparison on my arm to test how easy or not they stay put, the Enhance & Define swatch was way more difficult to remove even with Micellar water.
Having tried both lines, I like how well the Sculpt and Shade pencils blend into other lip colors and I like the natural tones, but I prefer the spreading ease and smudge-resistant nature of the Enhance & Define Lip Pencils instead. However, if I want to fill in my lips completely before adding another lip product on top, the Sculpt and Shade formula is kinder to my dry lips. I can use them both, but if I had to only choose one, it would be the Enhance & Define.
Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour in Meet Me in Berlin, Spirited Away, and Painterly
This is one of my favorite lip lines from Lisa Eldridge and the one I’m constantly tempted to purchase more of! For starters, it’s moisturizing. It feels good on the lips. I like shiny/satin lipsticks, so the finish is right up my alley. It’s not that I’m interested in sheer lipsticks per say. I like the kind that deposit color that soak into my lips and doesn’t have the color sitting on top of my lips. It’s hard to explain. It’s as if I applied a lip stain to my lips that got soaked up, but then added a shiny balm on top. Normal lip stains or tints dry out my lips too much though, which is why some semi-sheer/buildable color lipsticks are what I prefer to use to achieve this type of look. Often times, if something is colorful with a balmy texture, it has trouble showing enough of that color on naturally more pigmented lips like mine. There usually isn’t enough color in the balm itself. With the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours, they’re pigmented enough to look like separate distinct shades on my lips with some of my natural color peeking under. It’s the “your lips but better” type of situation on me. And though it’s emollient, it isn’t so much that it smears everywhere. There’s still a little grip to it on the lips. They remind me of the Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks in the sheer formula I used to be crazy about before they were discontinued.
I should note that after about five hours, it loses most of its shine and then starts to feel a bit drier from then onward, but it’s still comfortable to wear. It goes from looking like a strongly colored balm to a traditional creamy lipstick finish.
I’m continually tempted to buy the shade Rose Official to complete my collection (out of what’s currently available), but I fear it might be too similar to Spirited Away on me. Plus, I’d like to get more use out of the three I currently have, so I’m holding off.
Gloss Embrace Lip Gloss in Rain and Blush
The two shades I purchased have been categorized as “light natural pigment level,” which explains why they look so similar just with different undertones. There are currently six glosses that have stronger opacity levels than mine. I purchased Blush first, but realized that a shade with a warmer undertone would look more flattering on me, which is why I purchased Rain.
These live up to the claim of being nourishing, as it’s a bit like a makeup-lip care hybrid or a lip oil and gloss hybrid. It leaves a sealed hydration effect on the lips, even after the top layer of the gloss is gone. They’re not super sticky, but they aren’t all that lightweight either. I don’t forget that I’m wearing it while it’s on. I reviewed one of these before in December of 2022, and since that time I have found colorful glosses that are slightly more conditioning (like Suqqu’s Treatment Wrapping Lip and Too Faced’s Hangover Pillow Balms) or both conditioning and glossier, such as the Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oil. The Ami Colé ones specifically are why I stopped buying the Gloss Embrace, but I can at least vouch for these being nice and that I still use them from time to time.
Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colour in Sweet Fig and Red Curve
And now for the newest release! As I mentioned in the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Section, I like having color on my lips if I can still get moisturizing benefits and have not be fussy with the color sliding all around. Tinted balms usually don’t have enough pigment in them to show up as a different color on my lips, so I was extremely curious to try out this formula. Lip care is even more important to me than showing color because of how sensitive my lips are to drying out. I sometimes use the Lisa Eldridge Treatment Cleanser as a mask for my lips, and have wished I could keep that product on my lips for an extended amount of time (it doesn’t cling to well enough to be able to wear it like Vaseline or something). Considering this product has Meadowfoam Seed Oil that’s also used in the cleanser, plus different butters that work fairly well for my lips, I was too impatient to wait for reviews and felt compelled to buy them right away.
I wore these every day for a week, and I’m quite pleased! I bought Sweet Fig to have as a “my lips but better” option, which turned out exactly as I hoped. I rarely wear a bold red lip, and the ability to have the barest tinge of red using Red Curve was super appealing to me. I love how it looks in a light layer! When it’s built up, it’s like a warmer version of Tarte’s Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm in the shade Strawberry. They both look beautiful paired with Lisa’s lip pencils.
The consistency is even more balmy than how the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours feel. It’s more moisturizing, hydrating, and shinier. The shine lasts longer. The color takes a minimal amount of pursing of the lips and working it in to look smooth and even. I was impressed how nicely it looked, even in swatches, without needing to blend it by rubbing back and forth with a finger or lip brush. It’s nowhere near splotchy like Fenty’s Cream Gloss Bomb formula or Tarte’s. I am very glad that even when I wear a light layer, the product lasts on my lips until my next meal. If I wear it before bed, it is gone by morning, but at least the hydrated effects continue and I wake up with less peeling/chapped lips than usual. It’s not the most moisturizing product in my collection, but it does a great job. Plus, it’s the most color in a product I’ve been able to get on my lips without dealing with dryness that usually eventually comes with it. An even better bonus is that my husband, who hates kissing me when I’m wearing sticky or creamy lip products, admitted he didn’t mind it when I wore the Baume Embraces! He’s happy that even though it transfers, it’s sheer enough to not be noticeable on his lips, and that it’s not sticky or wet feeling (at least not in the amount I use). If I take sips of my drink repeatedly and have only worn a light layer, or if I’m extra dehydrated, I have to pack on many more layers for it to last a long time before requiring a normal amount to reapply with.
These balms don’t contain fragrance, but the ingredients used have their own natural smell which is mild and pleasant (light Shea Butter smell plus the tiniest bit fruity).*
*UPDATE DECEMBER 12, 2024: I just wanted to include the note that five months after I started using these, the nice natural scent turned into a “makeupy” smell. It smells like a waxy lipstick, which is not as pleasant as before, but I try to ignore it because of how much I like the formula.
The components of the balms are longer, but skinnier, and contain a little less product than the normal lipstick tubes. It closes with a click instead of magnets. Some people don’t like this change, but I theorize that the tradeoff for having a slightly less expensive tube is getting the more skincare-rich lip product. Skincare formulas tend to be more costly than makeup formulas. I imagine adding more skincare to the line, for nearly the same price, required cutting packaging costs. The metallic gold still feels substantial and not cheap, so I don’t mind the change. I can’t pretend it’s not still expensive for a balm though. In my case, with my lips being so temperamental, I don’t regret these purchases at all. Once the brand expands the range, I might be in trouble wanting to buy them all!
I held off on posting this review not only to include the newest purchases, but also because I heard of a product that’s supposed to be very similar to these Baume Embraces. However, they didn’t arrive until two and a half days ago, so I need more time to test them. From the first impression, they’re not a close enough dupe. So, I decided to save that comparison for another time.
My holy grail lip product right now are the Ami Cole lip oils. They condition my lips better than these balms, but this is still a good product and one I will use a lot more since my hubby prefers these. That doesn’t mean I will stop using the Ami Cole product, just that the Lisa Eldridge balm is a nice compromise if I don’t want to wipe off my lip product before I see him.
I feel it’s too soon to decide if I like the Baume Embraces more than the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours. I can at least say this is a favorite from the brand. It feels like the answer to me wanting a more moisturizing version of a Lucent, and with more control in building up the color as well!
It has long been debated whether high end and luxury lipsticks are worth buying over drugstore options. I believe that the packaging (in color, weight, magnetic closure, etc), bespoke components (like the lipstick bullet designs), and ingredients justify the prices of these lipsticks, balms, and glosses. I’m not as certain about the lip pencils though.
It’s no surprise that the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours and Baume Embraces are my favorites, but I believe everything from Lisa Eldridge’s line has objectively good quality and performance. It’s just a question of whether the brand carries something that suits your particular needs and that can’t be found elsewhere. Only you can answer that one!
By now, there is only one Lisa Eldridge lip formula I haven’t tried: Insanely Saturated Lip Colours. I don’t believe this line is intended for me, so I have continued to skip it.
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