Shiseido Perfect Rouge - PK 249 Swatch + Review

Over the past couple years, I took a liking to lipsticks. I have a handful I want to purchase but as I don't wear them that often, I've been refraining from purchasing too many at a time. I try to save it for end of my school semesters, so it feels like I'm rewarding myself. And within those few months, try to use up the ones I have.

Back in December, I purchased this Shiseido Perfect Rouge lipstick. The shade is PK 249. It looks like a really bright pink in the photos, but it's a lot less bright when on the lips.

I read a number of reviews, and every review I found was positive.

I wish I could say the same. I want to love this lipstick SO BADLY!

Packaging:

Love it. It's simple, looks sleek, and it has a nice weight to it. I hate spending more than $30 on a lipstick and finding the packaging feels and looks cheap. 

Though because it is all black, finger prints can be easily seen. It's not the be all end all though. 

It's not completely round, as it has a couple ridges on the sides. I don't find it helps my grip any better when applying the lipstick. 

You can see the ridges on this photo here. It's definitely different from the other lipstick shapes. I quite like it. It's simple and classic. 

Formula:

When I tried it on at the makeup counter, it felt nice. Well it does feel nice. It goes on quite smooth. The more you apply, the shinier the coat. As for longevity, it lasts for more than an hour without eating. You'll definitely have to reapply. 

But that's where my praise stops, unfortunately. For some reason, whenever I put this lipstick on, even after I exfoliate my lips and put on lip balm, the lipstick sticks to the dry patches of my lips. Or it finds it somehow. I have never had a lipstick be so troublesome to put on! If I put on too much, then it's game over. It sinks into my lip lines, shows off my dry lips... I... hate this lipstick! 

The colour is beautiful, it's buildable and when I swatch it on my hand, it looks great and doesn't sink into any creases... But why oh why does it look terrible on my lips?! 

I've searched online, and all the reviews are great. It doesn't seem like anyone else has this problem. Faulty lipstick? It is quite possible. But way too late for me to return this now. I started using it after the return date ended.  

Now, the only way I can make this lipstick look good is when I slowly dab it on my lips. And the coat can only be light. Anymore, then it looks terrible.

The colour looks a lot darker on my hand than my lips. The swatch on my hand is also thicker than what I put on my lips.

The colour is nice, it's bright and a great shade of pink for Spring. There are some very small microsparkles, but they are not too noticeable. The sparkles are small enough that the lipstick doesn't feel grainy on the lips. 

I basically love everything about it, except for the application. 

Final thoughts:
I give this a 2/5. Formula doesn't mean anything if it looks terrible on the lips. Certain lip balms help, but not by much. I don't own a lipstick brush, but I've been meaning to buy one. Maybe it'll help improve the application.
This lipstick is way too troublesome for me. I'll stick to my Dior lipsticks instead. I don't even need to apply lip balm, they glide on like butter, and look amazing.

I would recommend you skip this, but try this at the counter before you purchase. It could be I have a faulty lipstick. Who knows. Proceed with caution!

Purchased at Sears for $30CAD

Have you tried this lipstick before? Have you had the same problems?