Lancôme Piha Black: It’s Not-So-Springy
Lancôme’s Pink Irreverence collection for Spring looked to be a total knockout when I peeped it on counters last Thursday.
But beyond that, I was so excited to play with Piha Black Color Fever Gloss ($25 US) today after I dared to picked up the last tube from my local Nordstrom.
According to the Lancôme website and the sales associate who helped me, Piha Black can be worn as a top coat over other lip shades to create dimension and give a darker intensity. But for me, I was curious to see what it would look like alone.
To my surprise, when I tested it alone on my bare lips, it wasn’t as dark as I imagined it would be. For my FOTD, since I was playing around with the gloss, I didn’t think about what I had on my eyes. Next time, if I ever wear this lip color out, I’d give myself a more vibrant eye and cheek.
Now that I had an idea of what Piha Black looked like, I decided to try it in different combinations to see if it would give other colors the dimension it promised. But much to my dismay, this charcoal gloss with silver and blue shimmer failed to wow me no matter what shade I paired it with.
First up, I tried the gloss over one of the hottest trends for spring: a bright berry lip. MAC Speak Louder (from the Cremesheen collection) is described as a clean poppy blue pink. Alone, it’s a lively shade of pink that just makes me happy when I wear it.
I layered a little bit of Piha Black mostly in the center of my lips using my fingers. The result? I could see a little bit of the shimmer flecks catch in the light in this otherwise creme formula. But Speak Louder definitely came off as muddy, losing it’s vibrancy under the gloss.
Next I tried to pair Piha Black with another creme color that wasn’t quite as vivid, Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Crystal Pink, to see if the silver and blue speckles would shine through.
In this case, I dabbed the gloss just to the center of my bottom lip and pursed them together to distribute. Piha Black definitely gave my lips a grayish tone and the shimmer just didn’t shine through.
Overall, I tried the gloss with others (copper, reds) and the result was similar. While with darker lip shades, it doesn’t change the color too much, it also doesn’t provide any additional texture or dimension.
Piha Black might have been a show stopper in the fall when beauty trends are a bit darker, but it’s definitely not a go for me in the spring when colors brighter and lighter. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to store this one away for a few months and try again around Halloween.
What are your thoughts about this new shade from Lancôme? I’d have to say that it’s a huge innovation for the normally classic brand, but does it work?
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On January 11th, 2009 Rae said:
Hmmm… it’s kinda nifty, I guess. Thanks for the pics, hon!!! Personally, I love how it mutes and darkens Speak Louder, but I can definitely see what you mean in the pic with Crystal Pink – it just kind of makes it muddy, yes?
Either way, though, that tube sure is pretty!
On January 11th, 2009 Elaine Campbell said:
I love the look of it on it’s own, gorgeous on you anyway.
I personally don’t think you need a stronger make-up palette to accompany it. It looks beautiful on you as is.
On January 11th, 2009 Decorative Diva said:
I love what it looks like alone, but not so much paired
On January 11th, 2009 Brittany said:
Kudos to you for grabbin’ a color like this, sis!! I have YSL’s Pur…a black gloss and I’m still struggling trying to make it work. I love how this looks on you alone and paired with another color. The color variations are endless! Yaaaay Lil!
On January 12th, 2009 Lilan said:
Hi Rae,
Lancome’s packaging is always gorgeous, isn’t it? Do you think you’ll be splurging on Piha Blak this season?
On January 12th, 2009 Lilan said:
Hi Elaine,
I do love the tinge of sparkle in Piha Black, it’s starting to grow on me
How’s your Monday going so far? Have you gotten any new beauty goodies in the new year yet?
On January 12th, 2009 Lilan said:
Hi Decorative Diva,
I wasn’t really diggin’ it paired with anything either.
Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? I kept wondering if anyone was going to be bold and try a darker lip like this. But I guess if Cher wasn’t there, we weren’t going to have any fashion and beauty risks, LOL
On January 12th, 2009 Lilan said:
Hi Miss Brittany!
And thanks lady! I was surprised to have picked this up at first, too
How’s the texture on YSL’s Pur? Piha Black is pretty sheer.
On January 12th, 2009 Shefali said:
Interesting. I actually think it looks best alone! Gives a nice vampy look.
On January 12th, 2009 Elaine Campbell said:
Hi Lilan,
I finally found an eyeliner that lasts without any smudging. I was shopping at Sephora last week and one of the wonderful salespeople there me find it.
It’s Urban Decay, 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, in the shade of Rockstar, a very dark purple. I would have typically gone for brown but the girl said the this shade might very well enhance my brown eyes, if I didn’t like it, I could of course return it.
I love it, honestly. The color and the staying power is just perfect.
Elaine
On January 13th, 2009 Rae said:
Hi again Lilian,
Absolutely not! I haven’t the boldness to wear black on my lips out of the house
It looks great on you, though!
On January 13th, 2009 Lilan said:
Hi Shefali,
It’s definitely on the vampy side! Are you diggin’ the darker shades or are you lovin’ the softter pastels for spring?
On January 13th, 2009 Lilan said:
Hi Elaine,
I’ve read tons of reviews about the UD eye pencils and Rockstar sounds like a very pretty color! What shadows are you pairing the purple liner with?
On January 13th, 2009 Lilan said:
LOL Rae!
Hope you have an awesome Tuesday!
On January 18th, 2009 Morgan said:
I’ve been wanting to buy this since for a long time! I think it looks pretty cool without lipstick. I need to get some cash now.
On January 19th, 2009 Lilan said:
Hi Morgan,
It’s definitely cool! I hope you get your hands on one, they’re selling out fast!