YSL's New Rouge Volupté Neutrals Are a Must-Have for Melanated Skin—Here's Why

Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. Every month, the Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are truly worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, completely uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations. To put it simply, stick with us, and buyer's remorse will be a thing of the past.

The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on wider product categories or multiple products within a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors quite literally can't shut up about. This time around, I'm highlighting YSL Beauty's Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick Balm ($43).

As a beauty lover with dark skin, I'm often met with the challenge of finding my personal shade of nude. Most of my youth and adult years were marred with the experience of being marketed products using the term "nude" as a selling point—only for me to later discover that it was not, in fact, a nude meant for anyone possessing deeply melanated skin. For anyone who hasn't been confronted with this inevitable letdown, here's the challenge: There are countless makeup products marketed as "nude" for individuals with lighter skin but limited shade availability for everyone else.

Now don't get me wrong. I've definitely discovered shades that were close to being complementary to my skin tone. Many of them looked good in the tube, but once I applied the product to my skin, I was left looking beyond ashy. However, as far as lip colors that complement my skin are concerned, the search is over. YSL Beauty just launched a number of brilliant neutral shades for its Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick Balm that I've fallen so in love with. I've already begun reconsidering most of the deep berry and brown lipsticks already in my collection.

For a deeper understanding of the ongoing efforts by YSL Beauty to create neutral "nude" shades for all skin tones, I reached out to two of the most recognized individuals behind the success of the heritage brand: Jaron Chan, global vice president of makeup, and Micheline El Achkar, head of makeup research and innovation.

"As the lip authority, YSL wants to not just set the trends but also meet the ongoing needs of our U.S. consumer base [by] investing in more versatile, universal colors [that are] flattering, desirable, and inclusive of all our vibrant U.S. loyalists," begins Chan. The development process behind the product is lengthy but definitely worth it, spanning months of experimentation and innovation. The process begins with a shade briefing and workshops, followed by the development of the shades in the lab.

"Different road trips between the lab and the product teams are necessary to validate all the shades. We test the shades on a variety of skin tones, from light to deep," Chan says. "We are obsessed about this color savoir faire to curate a desirable shade range for all." El Achkar takes explaining this process one step further, expanding on the research behind the development of these shades. "The scale-up part of the shades starts with the industry (pilot and plant) to validate the high industrial scale vs. lab scale," she says.

The key ingredients in the lipstick balms are as awe-inspiring as the thought behind them. They're crafted using 65% essential oils and pomegranate extract from the YSL Beauty Ourika Community Gardens for deep moisture that lasts for hours. The formula also includes naturally derived hyaluronic acid and vitamin E and mango oils, must-have ingredients to ensure a long-lasting product that delivers a high-gloss shine and soothes and nourishes the lips with every application.

"It's so melty that you want to glide it across your lips many times to give you more color and coverage. If you want just a light pop of shine and color, apply one layer and then tap across with your finger for a bare-lip look while getting the best of the balmy care," enthuses Chan. The product is, of course, the perfect cross between a balm and lipstick, delivering all the color and shine you could want in addition to being incredibly soothing and moisturizing. How amazing is that?

According to our experts, testing with customers revealed that lips appeared noticeably healthier and more nourished after four weeks of continued application. "This deeply moisturizing lipstick instantly melts into the lips, providing a sheer-to-medium pop of color, instant hydration that lasts eight hours, smoothness, and long-lasting all-day comfort," shares Chan. To test this claim, I wore a different shade for each day of the week, taking special note of any noticeable changes. Spoiler alert: My lips stayed hydrated, plump, and all-around healthy looking.

When it comes to the newly available neutral shades, every one of them looked like my lips but better, ranging from deep, rosy hues to barely-there browns that allowed the natural tone of my lips to shine through. As promised, the lipstick balms also deliver buildable color and unparalleled shine, making reapplication rare. (I chose to reapply after munching on an incredibly flaky chocolate croissant that went everywhere.)

If you're still wondering if this is a product you should invest in, let me be its biggest cheerleader. It does everything it promises, giving its wearer a gorgeous lip that not only looks immaculate but also feels luxurious. Ready to discover more of my favorite products from this brand? Keep scrolling to check out six more YSL Beauty buys that definitely deserve your attention. Happy shopping!

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