Review: Tatcha’s Kyoto Red Silk Lipstick

I’ve been meaning to get this post out to you beauties a few days ago, but trying to get used to my new schedule and second job is seriously tiring! But here it is! Tatcha makes some amazing skincare – every product feels and looks like it’s been handmade by an artisan from the Edo period 😛 They’ve started moving into the realm of makeup (lipsticks specifically) and they are just as amazing as their skincare products. I often feel like a lot of ‘luxe’ cosmetic brands, don’t feel so super luxe anymore. I suppose it’s hard to bring out products which feel and look unique, plus brands take shortcuts, making materials cheaper (hello plastic!). Tatcha does not fall into that category. Their range may not be massive, but it’s beautiful and breathtaking.

Kyoto Red is inspired by the geisha’s red lip and the way it brings radiance to the skin. The white painted face of the geisha is the perfect backdrop for vibrant red lips. Red is a symbol of luck, protection (hence why it’s used in temples and in shrines a lot) and happiness. It’s timeless and elegant. I think that once you become used to wearing red lipstick, it’s almost like you’ve become a ‘grown woman’. There’s just something so sophisticated about a red lip and you really do need to wear it with some confidence! It can be a quiet confidence though (commanding the room without you needing to be crude or loud) and so it really can be worn by everyone. This shade of red is neutral, so it suits a wider range of skin tones.

I would call the lipstick a satin. Because it contains a lot of gorgeously rich hydrating ingredients, it does have a sheen to it upon application. It contains rice bran oil, silk extract, green tea, olive fruit oil and macadamia oil. Hydrators plus antioxidants! It does mattify or dry down if you will, the longer you wear it, but only if you don’t reapply the lipstick throughout the day. This brings me to wear time. If you apply the lipstick to the lips, blot and repeat, it will last on your lips 8-10 hours, easily. I wore this lipstick to uni, on a reallllly long day and it survived! I will mention though, that it did feel super dry by the time I got home but I didn’t reapply the lippy at all and did I mention it was a reallllly long day (and it was hot and humid to!)? Reapplying does give you added hydration, which helps greatly after 4-5 hours. It lasts through a meal a treat, as long as your not eating something super greasy. I’m very happy with the way it performs. It’s hard to make a hydrating lipstick whilst keeping it super pigmented and it is pigmented. The colour applied opaquely in every sense of the word. This is a good as it gets I reckon!

Look how beautifully cut the lipstick bullet is – multidimensional like a diamond!

Now to the packaging *sigh It’s heavy, has a gorgeous clasp which ‘clicks’ when you close the lipstick (in a subtle sophisticated way) and it really does look regal. I just cant get over it. At the same time, I dont feel like I have to say goodbye to the future home I want to buy (or child) because the lipstick comes in at $55 USD (especially when you consider how expensive makeup is in Aus).

A swatch of Kyoto Red. The swatch looks more matte than it actually is on the lips, but you can see how rich and pigmented it is! The colour is so vibrant and a classic and elegant shu-iro red (scarlet/vermillion red).

You can see in the photo above, the slight sheen and richness of the lipstick.  

The Kyoto Red lipstick is out of stock on Tatcha’s website at the moment, but it will be in stock again (I also like that they get them produced in smaller batches, ensuring the quality of their lipsticks) so keep your eyes peeled… This would of course also make an amazing gift. I regret not buying a ‘beni’ bowl (a traditional lip paint made from safflower pigment – the inside of the little bowel is coated in the laquer and is dry, so to apply you wet a lip brush and run it over a small area of the bowl and viola – lipstick!) when I was in Kyoto. Especially since there is one company still operating and has been making these bowls since 1825 (quite literally the Edo period!). The beni lipstick however, dates back even further actually (to before the Heian period, 794-1185, for all you history fans). But you live and you learn… Luckily, I have the Kyoto Red lipstick, so I can go on 🙂

 Tatcha also recently released a limited edition fall lipstick called Sunrise (a plum blossom). I’m not sure I will review it in full, just because it isn’t available anymore, however I will post up some comparison photos between the two lipsticks on Instagram! And who knows, maybe they will bring back Sunrise! 😉

On a side note, I will be trying to post weekly, however with my new schedule (I may have taken to much on actually…) I’m not sure if I will always reach my weekly goal, so I hope you beauties will understand!

Are you tempted by this beauty of a lipstick? What are your favourite red lippies?

Catch ya next time beauties,

Beauty Bee~

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