Japonesque Color Pro Performance Lipstick Shade 5 Review and Swatches

I've been meaning to write this post for months.  I bought this lipstick for my birthday back in November (!), and have wanted to give you guys my thoughts on it, because there don't seem to be too many reviews out there on Japonesque lipsticks.

Japonesque says (from the Ulta website): Color-drenched long lasting lipstick. Pigment-saturated lipstick to dress lips with intense couture color. Both light and rich, this moisturizing formula glides on to deliver stay-true color and a full-bodied finish. Exceptional comfort and a deep velvety texture. Fashion-forward hues for voluptuous lips that inspire desire. Bold color and intense creaminess create plumped, volumized lips that scream sexy.

Who doesn't want volumized lips that scream sexy?  (Umm...)

The lipstick is packaged in a sleek black tube that has has "Japonesque" imprinted on the side, a watercolor/painted looking cap on the top, and the shade of the lipstick on the bottom.  The name of the shade is only printed on the inside of the tube.

I think the cap looks cool and artsy.

Shade 5 is a berry rose with gold and silver shimmer.

That shimmer!

from left: 4 swipes, 1 swipe

The finish of this lipstick is pretty glossy, although it's less glossy as it wears off, and the shimmer running through it adds to the dimension and sheen of the look of it.

This is some of the shimmer left over after I wiped off the arm swatch.

This lipstick is niiiiiiiice.  It's very creamy and lovely to apply; it lasts several hours on the lips; it feels moisturizing during wear; it delivers rich color.  It has a very faint sweet scent that really requires some serious sniffing to smell.

I think Shade 5 is a color that is appropriate year-round, and would be flattering on many skin tones.

I really really like the Japonesque Pro Performance Lipstick formula, and Shade 5 is beautiful.  It looks like Shade 5 is the only color with shimmer in it (I'm going by the photos on the Ulta website), so if you want to avoid the shimmer, I would check out one of the other shades, because the formula is great.  (Shade 3 has kind of caught my eye.)

These are $20 USD on the Ulta website, but I've seen them on sale for $10, so you might want to keep your eyes open for a sale like that.