The YSL Rouge Volupté have been raved about for over a decade. I’ve always been a basic gloss kind of gal, so I couldn’t justify the $45 to try them out. When the Candy Glazes (Loveshine Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick) launched in 2023, there was a resurgence of interest for myself and other beauty lovers, but the price continued to hold me back. It wasn’t until I realized the brand’s website had these frequently on sale between $22-30 that I really started to pay attention. By then, they also had the High-Shine Caring Lipsticks (Lip Oil Stick) and Candy Glow Tinted Butter Balms (aka Sheer-Shine Colour & Care Lip Balms aka Candy Glow Lip Balms). All of them had “Loveshine” in the names and were used interchangeably on social media. The names themselves vary by country. I had no idea what the difference was between “candy glow” and “candy glaze” and which colors of components went with which formula. With such similarities, I was deeply confused and had to spend a lot of time researching. Today, I’m going to share my thoughts on the formulas and all the relevant information I can find. If anyone else was just as confused as me, I hope this post will help.

YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick in 122 Burnt Zellige

To start with, this is the first YSL lip product I ever purchased. I was so happy when I bought this because it was on sale and has stunning packaging that I was able to personalize for only $5 extra. Seeing my name engraved on the lipstick makes it feel so much more special. I have another one (87 Rose Afrique) that was delivered to the US just before I left, so I haven’t seen that shade yet in person.

The main benefit to purchasing from the YSL-US website is the ability to engrave any lipstick from among their permanent ranges. On the YSL-DE site, I’ve been unable to find any engraving options and haven’t seen the same kind of discounts. Instead, all their retail partners frequently have sales on these lip products within the 25 Euro range. There are of course less shade options. Anyway, I purchased this warm red-brown color.

This lives up to the description of being an oil-in-stick. It’s not as shiny as a lip gloss, but it feels slightly more substantial than a pure form of lip oil. The color spreads nicely across the lips. It takes about two layers to get high-medium pigmentation. Going over the lips more than three times increases the frequency in which the product will spread to the outer edges of my lips and start to feel like too much was applied.
I don’t know if it’s just this color, but it has a light staining effect. I can get through a light meal where the emollient layer is gone, but slight color is left behind. However, this can’t last through a second meal without needing to be reapplied. This isn’t a long-wear type of product, but while it’s on my lips they feel nicely moisturized and fairly hydrated considering I have a lot of problems with lip care products that have an opposite effect if colorants are used. I definitely like this formula, but I don’t think these would be worth the full price if not for the brand name and luxury packaging. At the discounted price I paid though, I’m quite happy.

According to some sources, the Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipsticks are just new packaging for the Rouge Voluptés, but according to YSL’s own website, it’s called an “upgraded” formula. I notice a difference and will discuss that in the next section.
I cannot find any Rouge Voluptés on their DE website (and they’re only available in select colors at retailers), but they are still being sold readily within the US. So, I don’t know for certain if the Rouge Voluptés are officially discontinued or how long it will take before they are gone for good.

I can keep my engraved cap long after the lipstick expires and put it on a newer YSL lipstick, but it would look a bit strange pairing a silver base and gold cap!

YSL Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipstick in Limited Edition 209 Pink Desire, 122 Caramel Swirl, and 202 Peachy Glow

I already reviewed the glittery version of Pink Desire in my 2024 YSL Holiday post, so I will focus on the others. I have to say though that I noticed the limited edition Pink Desire feels balmier. The feeling of the limited edition version is the whole reason I wanted a more of these in wearable shades. I didn’t want to buy YSL’s Loveshine Balm because I heard of that one’s lack of pigmentation and the PH adjusting properties that I’m not interested in (though I will most likely try the formula next year in the limited edition ombre pastel pink and blue packaging that has been sneak peeked for at least four months). *

*Edit: I did buy it! Review for the Loveshine Balm is HERE.

Between Pink Desire and Caramel Swirl, the ingredients of the two shades are nearly identical, but the 5th and 6th ingredients swapped positions and the lower middle section has a few more in a different order. So, perhaps those minuscule changes still had an impact. The feeling of the limited edition version of Pink Desire would make it absolutely worth buying more (in different color options) if I could guarantee I’d get that same kind of texture/finish. Caramel Swirl feels more slippery. Peachy Glow feels like a true middle-ground because it’s balmier than Caramel Swirl, but feels oilier than the limited edition Pink Desire. I cannot account for why that is, considering the only ingredient differences I see between Caramel Swirl and Peachy Glow are the ones that effect the color. “Collector” Pink Desire is more different than Caramel Swirl and Peachy Glow are to each other, so I will go out on a limb and guess that if someone buys a Loveshine without shimmer specks it’s going to feel like the rest of the permanent range.

I will refer to this formula from now on as simply “Loveshine” because that seems to be what most people shorten the name to instead of High-Shine Caring Lipsticks or Lip Oil Sticks. Based on the permanent shades, Loveshines are moisturizing, but not equally as hydrating. It’s occlusive, forming a barrier keeping moisture on the surface, but I don’t feel like it conditions my lips over time as well as some colorful lippies I own from other brands. For example, I like Lisa Eldridge Lucents more for the color choices and way they feel on the lips. I also prefer the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces because they’re more lightweight, yet have a stronger grip on the surface of my lips. With the Loveshines, I get this needy sensation to keep rubbing my lips together. I can feel it and am aware of it all day, unlike the Rouge Volupté. The color sinks a bit into chapped spots, but since I spend so much time rubbing my lips, it smooths the color back out. The smell is lovely (candy-fruity) and I’m still pleased with this as a moisturizing product and adding color to the lips. As the day goes on, after the emollient layer eventually wears off and colorant is still lingering, that’s when my lips start to turn dry and look drier than when my day started. That might be a me thing and my problems with some pigments/dyes. However, this doesn’t happen with the Rouge Volupté and I own the same color for one of them!

When I bought Caramel Swirl, I thought the number for it sounded familiar, but I made the mistake of only checking for a duplicate name. Because my first one was called Burnt Zellige, I thought they would be different. Technically, if I really stare hard at the color on my lips and in swatches, Burnt Zellige has the tiniest bit more red in the red-brown with Caramel Swirl being slightly more pink-red-brown, but I highly doubt anyone would notice if I put one on one half of my lips and put the other on the other half. The tiniest difference in color is as small as what can occur between different batches of the same lipstick. I can see it, but I asked my husband and he could not. What type of lighting I’m under also plays a factor. So, I will acknowledge they’re the same shades in different formulas.

In essence, the differences I can detect between this Rouge Volupté and the same shade of Loveshine is that the Rouge Volupté is more pigmented (took 2 swipes in the photo above versus 3 swipes of the Loveshine), oilier and more hydrating, but that oil keeps it from lingering on the lips as well as the Loveshines. I also get a staining effect with the Rouge Volupté, but not with the Loveshine.

I have to address another part that is tricky regarding these lipsticks. The color in the tube isn’t necessarily the color one will end up with on the lips. Also, I’m not sure why 202 was named Peachy Glow when it’s not a peachy color. It looks like a nude pink on me and I’ve seen it look medium-dark cool mauve on other people. Neither of those shades match the pinky brown that it looks like in the tube. I feel catfished by a lipstick! Thankfully, it’s still pretty, though a bit pale on me. I don’t recommend purchasing these based on the tube color, but judging off swatches is a risk too!

I think this is a nice product and most people that love the Voluptés will love the Loveshines. I have such picky lips that if I wanted to use it as a “caring” treatment type of product, this wouldn’t be worth the price (unlike on other people with less lip sensitivities who would have zero issues with this). However, as a makeup product and just wanting to have something comfortable enough to wear in a pretty color and with packaging that feels luxurious and indulgent, this succeeds in that.

YSL Loveshine Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in 14 Scenic Brown and 15 Showcasing Nude

Figuring out the differences between these lipsticks was confusing enough, but I also realized some shades exist in multiple formulas! There is a 14 Scenic Brown in this Candy Glaze, as well as a 207 Scenic Brown of the Loveshine Lip Oil Stick (High-Shine Caring Lipstick). So, if someone requests a YSL lippie in Scenic Brown for Christmas, a birthday, or some other event…be sure to find out which formula they prefer!

The Candy Glaze feels more like a gloss than a lipstick, so now I understand why it’s considered to have a jelly texture. It feels both moisturizing and decently hydrating. To me, this is like a thinner version of Fenty’s Gloss Bombs and I would even go as far as to say Fenty might have duped this with their Gloss Bomb Stix. Another similar product are the Nabla Beyond Jelly Sheer Lipsticks. The downside to both Fenty and Nabla’s lines is that there aren’t additional shades from them that I would want to buy over the single ones I currently own. I’d be interested in shade extensions for both.

This feels stickier and therefore has more grip on the lips than the Loveshine, but that’s not a bad thing. Among all glosses on the market, this is on the lower medium spectrum of stickiness. I can sometimes forget I’m wearing it because it doesn’t move around as much on the lips, but I’d still consider it medium-weight instead of lightweight. Multiple layers can build up a tiny bit more opacity, but I don’t recommend swiping too much on as it can then become heavier, thicker, stickier, and gather too much in the lip corners. This has a click mechanism for getting product up and back down. It’s meant to discourage anyone from rolling up the Candy Glaze in this soft formula too high and damaging it.

After doing swatches, I noticed Scenic Brown had a slight staining effect on the skin, but Showcasing Nude didn’t. I assume this is due to the colorant used and the darker shades in this formula will do it, but not all of them. It’s just interesting because I heard the Candy Glazes were supposed to have the most color payoff, but both of my shades look way sheerer than was represented in the many photos I saw online from the brand and beauty influencers. At the same time, if I build up the color specifically on the dark pigmented spots on my lips, it gets covered fairly well. So, I guess I don’t need it to be a more pigmented formula.

I’ve mentioned the difficulties being able to tell what the shades actually look like in person. There is yet another element of trouble, which is distinguishing between similarities among all the formulas. On me, Showcasing Nude and Peachy Glow look pretty similar. Showcasing Nude is paler, so I prefer the look of Peachy Glow on myself even though I prefer the Candy Glaze formula. With the numbering system being different, I haven’t been able to figure out an easy way to compare shades across formulas.

In playing around with different lip products in my collection, I found out that if I take a little bit of my Rabanne Lovebalm in Bloody Kiss and lightly press it onto my lips to get some of that deep color, then apply Showcasing Nude on top, the lip look becomes a wearable cool-leaning medium pink. It’s such a pretty combination!

My Candy Glazes have a scent, but it’s not as strong as the Loveshines or Rouge Volupté. I get the barest whiff of sweetness, but they don’t have as distinct of a fruity candy-like smell as the others. I bought them in October, so it can’t be due to being too old.

Of all the YSL lip products I tried, I like the Candy Glaze formula the most. However, I can’t ignore how much this reminds me of the Fenty Gloss Bomb Stix and those are 23 Euros ($25 USD) at full price versus a maximum discounted price of 26-29 Euros for the Candy Glaze.

Based on everything I’ve tried, I understand the hype for YSL Lip Products and do feel that it’s warranted. However, I recommend waiting for a sale. Perhaps 10 years ago these were more unique, but other brands are catching up and matching formulas. I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to find colored lip products that look beautiful and are also capable of nourishing my lips. However, I do have more options than just YSL. There is admittedly something about the packaging that is alluring enough to make me want to buy more. So, no judgements to anyone who buys these at full price (my limited edition one was full price). We’re still getting a quality product and I can’t say that I wouldn’t buy more in the future. One of the biggest deterrents though is that I don’t shop for makeup in person and even when I try to make sure I’m not getting the same colors within the same formula, it ends up nearly matching the color of another formula of YSL lippie. These are too expensive for me to want to keep getting duplicates!

That’s all for today! Consider clicking follow if you’d like to be emailed whenever a new post is out!

-Lili ❤