Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick Launch!

Hi, everyone! Make Up For Ever is a brand that has enthralled me for years. I first came across the range in 2000, at the ripe old age of 17, during my inaugural trip to New York City. MUFE then had a small boutique in SoHo where all of its employees were decked out in full-faced, colourful makeup looks. My sales associate was a young man with vivid turquoise eye shadow, whose confidence inspired me to say "I'll have what he's having". I bought the navy blue Flash Colour and teal Star Powder that he was wearing (which I still have today) and the rest was history!

As a longtime fan of the brand and its creative, artistic endeavours, it was an utter thrill to be invited to the recent launch of their brand new Artist Rouge Lipsticks. There are few combinations that excite me more than Make Up For Ever and lipstick, so I was there with bells on. Let me take you on a virtual recap of the event in all its glory! 

The Red Carpet

Upon arriving, we were instantly greeted with MUFE flags, ensuring that we were in the right place, leading the way to a lush red carpet. We were there a touch before the event began, so we had some time to take in the scenery, snap some selfies, and feel like VIPs. 

The Venue

The event was held at Airship 37, an old airplane hangar in Toronto's charming Distillery District. It was a large, open industrial space that had been transformed into a modern lounge sort of atmosphere. There were coloured lights, which created a nightclub feel, displays of lipsticks from MUFE past, video projections on the wall, and an open bar to keep the mood festive. 

The Launch

The party was all to celebrate the release of Make Up For Ever's newest pride and joy: their Artist Rouge Lipsticks ($27 CAD each). The line offers an impressive 45 shades that range from classic nude, neon orange, pastel blue, pinup red, to black. Included are 15 Mattes and 30 Creams, all of which promise long wear and full-on colour. The Artist Rouges tout 25% more pigment that the brand's previous lipstick offerings and also promise comfortable, non-drying textures and a bullet for precise application. They come in sleek black metal tubes with silver detail- quite the cool, unique design! 

The Artist Rouge Makeover

What better way to learn about a product than to get hands on!? That was the thinking behind the makeup stations set up along the back wall of the venue. Lined up were six artist chairs armed with makeup pros ready to paint your pout. They were eager to help you try on any shade that your heart desired- and my heart desired something fun and different! 

I opted for the unique and beautiful C601, which MUFE describes as a "peacock green". I'd describe it as a minty pastel green with a satiny finish. Getting my lips artfully painted was a relaxing experience and I was happy with the result! 

Later on in the night I decided that I couldn't go to a lipstick event and only try on one shade. So I went back for seconds! That time around, I opted for a classic "Jen" shade, telling them to "give me the brightest pink you have!". The artist reached for M202, a "candy pink". It was beautiful and vivid and also love at first swipe! Despite the matte formula, it did feel quite comfortable on the lips. 

The Pros

Given that this was a nation-wide launch, some heavy-hitters were in attendance. First there was Trinidad Rivas, National Education Direction for Make Up For Ever. He was gracious, engaging, funny, and had the most stunning blue eye makeup. A treat to listen to! Also speaking was Dannica Lamoureux, Canadian National Educator for the brand. She was likewise bubbly, engaging, and passionate. She had connected with several of my Canadian Beauty Blogger gals at Gen Beauty, so I was happy to put a face with the name! 

The Art

Given the artistic theme of the party, it was no surprise (though incredibly neat) that a painter was on display working on her craft. What made this performance art special was that the works were created solely using Artist Rouge Lipsticks! Usually I'd cringe at the blasphemous use of lipstick, but these creations were quite beautiful and artist Jessica Gorlicky was a treat to watch. 

The Entertainment

And the amusement didn't end there- we were also entertained all evening long by an amazing, dynamic dance troupe (I didn't catch their name- please comment if you know!). They were full of energy and attitude and were super fun to watch- especially as they were all sporting killer shades of Artist Rouges. During the first portion of the night they would take turns freestyling on an elevated platform...

... and later on they busted out in a full choreographed dance! 

The Friends and Fun

Just when you thought there certainly couldn't be any more delight to the night, things step up a notch with the presence of an amazing group of fellow Toronto-based beauty bloggers and buddies. They are always a pleasure and perfect fellow makeup geeks :)

Here I am with my date for the night, Shawna from Spill the Beauty:

You know it's a good night when you get a green lipstick print on your wine glass:

With my fellow blue-lipped babes, Andy from A Certain Romance and Maria from Pink Petals. 

Melanie and I wearing perhaps my two favourite shades from the range- M202 and C603:

Pink light and green lips:

A trio of vibrant lips with Katherine of The Green Bows and Melanie of I'm Not a Beauty Guru:

The Swag

At the end of the night we were lucky enough to be sent home with two Artist Rouges of our very own! More on those to come in my next post! 

Another lovely touch was a photo station set up where we could take snaps sporting our newly painted lips. We got Polaroids to take home as souvenirs, which I'll definitely treasure! 

A huge thank you to Make Up For Ever Canada for the invite and for throwing such an amazing event! This final photo really sums up how the evening made me feel:

Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipsticks ($27 CAD) are now available both online and in-store at Sephora Canada. You can check them out, here!

And don't forget, I have 2 Giveaways running!

Enter my Schaf Radiance + Firming Serum Giveaway, here!

Enter my MAC Lipstick Giveaway, here!

Thanks so much for stopping by! xo

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