La Bella Donna Baci Baci Lip Sheer

I received La Bella Donna Baci Baci Lip Sheer in Prism months ago in some goodie bag and put it aside since the color, a less-than-medium pink, didn't excite me. But I finally started testing it and over the last few weeks it has slowly been growing on me, mostly because of a great (if sticky) texture. The cool silvery click pen is also a nice feature. It gives me the illusion this product is cleaner and less likely to get contaminated.

While Prism is, indeed, too light for my taste, it's so sheer that the pigment doesn't play a role here. On me, it acts like a clear, super shimmery gloss. It's good for when I want to wear a very dark lipstick but take it down a notch. However, the amount of shimmer (borderline glittery, actually) still confines it for nighttime. La Bella Donna Baci Baci Lip Sheer (that's a mouthful, for sure) is as moisturizing as they promise. It's a bit sticky, but I guess this helps with the staying power, which is higher than average for a gloss. It wears comfortably, and as an added bonus, all that moisture is very plumping. So much so that even my husband noticed and commented on it (not sure he liked it, though, but I sort of did. The pillowy effect is quite nice).

As a bonus, I discovered that this Baci Baci Lip Sheer works wonders with the dud that is Serge Lutens Lip Tint. I experimented one afternoon- first applied a generous amount of the Encre Pour Les Levres, let it set and then put on a coat of this gloss. The stickiness of Baci Baci prevented it from smearing and wiping the Serge, and since Prism is practically clear, it just coated my lips with a good amount of pearly moisture and extended the lips stain's life.

Now, while Prism is nice and a clear gloss has definitely a place in my arsenal, it's not one I'd choose myself. I'd prefer a darker shade, and especially one with less shimmer. I've read that some of the other colors in this range are not shimmery at all, but the teeny-tiny color swatches on the La Bella Donna site are utterly useless:


Seriously. How is one supposed to choose a color/texture from this thing? The only informed decision possible here is to go elsewhere for shopping, and La Bella Donna, as a small, independent brand that is in very limited distribution is losing big time from this inadequate website. Once again I find myself trying to remind a company that this is not 1999. They must give us a much better user experience if they want our money.

La Bella Donna Baci Baci Lip Sheer ($26.50) is available online from their website, labelladonna.com. It's also sold at a handful salons and spas. Bergdorf Goodman used to carry the brand, but last time I was there I didn't see the display and it's no longer on the Bergdorf website, so I suspect the line was recently dropped. While Bergdorf website doesn't list it, La Bella Donna is still sold there, so it should be available by phone and in store. I'm going to search again the next time I'm there.