Cle de Peau Extra Rich Lipstick (R3 Leonardis)

Cle de Peau lipsticks are as good as it gets. The coverage, texture and finish look like a million dollar, which is a very good thing considering the price. Their regular lipstick has been my secret weapon for nearly a year now, and its performance still amazes me. I didn't think it could be topped, but the new(ish. I've had it for two or three months now) Extra Rich Lipstick has proven me wrong.

Cle de Peau has taken the smoothness, weightlessness and tenacity of The Lipstick and combined it with Vitamin A Acetate which delivers moisturize and serious smoothing without gooping up or looking balmy. It almost erases the lines on the lips and I've watched in awe how it makes the tiny scar on lip nearly invisible. The Extra Rich lipstick has its predecessor's amazing staying power- it stays on throughout lunch or dinner and even retains most of the finish. The color barely transfers to a glass or a cat (my white cats often sport kiss marks on their foreheads) and there's no need to reapply for about 6 hours.

The Extra Rich Lipstick only comes in eight shades. I tried all of them at the counter but the only one that looked good and came home with me was R3, Leonardis (the full name only appears on the Cle de Peau website, it's not on the box or tube). Sometimes having a funky skin color saves me money, but I would have loved to have more options in this range. R3 is a medium berry red. It has quite a presence but isn't too out there and I can easily wear it during the day with minimal other makeup. It perks up the face and looks juicy and alive, but also very elegant and grown up.

Bottom Line: Love doesn't even begin to describe it.

Cle de Peau Extra Rich Lipstick ($60) is available at top department stores from Bergdorf to Saks, including their websites.

All photos are mine.