Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks swatches, review and photos of all muted shades

From the time the Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks launched last Fall, I've been wanting to try them out. I finally got my chance in December. There are 22 shades in this range, from the deepest berries and brightest reds to neutral beiges. I have swatched them in two lots - come on, I have petite forearms. First up, 10 shades - mostly pinks, mutes and neutrals, with one or two brights that sneaked in by accident. The second lot, viz. brights and deeps will follow sometime later, once I get some more haul and review posts out of the way.

Here are the swatches of the all muted shades in the Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks, and my review.

Packaging of Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks

 

The external cardboard box is a pretty purple with a lovely design that appealed to my rocker-chick instincts. Each box has a label in the colour of the lipstick inside. This is one of the prettier lipstick packagings - nothing black or boring here!

Inside, a metal tube. Minimalist, yet effective and edgy.

Formula of Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks

UD says there are four characteristics for this lipstick: Creaminess, hydration, nourishment and long-lasting"ness".

The Revolution lipsticks are super-pigmented; you get great colour payoff in one swipe. Creaminess - check. Very, very buttery-creamy formula. Yet not too heavy on the lips, or sticky.

UD also claims that there is something called Maxi-Lip that hydrates the lips. These lipsticks are not drying, though I did find caked saliva (ewwww) after a couple of hours' wear. And the lipsticks contain jojoba oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and avocado oil, all of which form the nourishment part.
The ingredient-list is paraben-free.

Staying power of Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks

I must admit to being disappointed, given all the hype. I know I will get a lot of hate but having tried the Lancome Rouge in Loves, Chanel Rouge Allures and Givenchy Le Rouges and Rouge Interdits, it is my humble opinion (no hate mail, please) that these fall short in terms of staying power. And some of these have slightly ashy undertones. At least, on my skintone. The gross caked saliva thing on the inner edges of the lips happens here. I haven't had that happen in a long time with a lot of lipsticks. These lipsticks don't last through eating, at least, on me, and transfer to spoons, glasses and straws. Nor do they leave a stain behind.

Swatches of Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks

From left to right:
69, Lovelight, Venom, Obsessed, Turn On, Fiend, Rush, Rapture, Liar and N@ked.

69: A bright red with just the one swipe
Lovelight: A pale, shimmery peach
Venom: A purpley plum
Obsessed: Pale baby/bubblegum pink. Completely lost on any skintone deeper than NC35. Or even 30.
Turn On: A bright rosy pink. Think Nova in Rimmel Apocalips.
Fiend: A pretty rose. Think one shade paler than Celestial in Rimmel Apocalips.
Rush: A mauvey pink. Comes with a slightly ashen undertone.
Rapture: UD says this is a dusty rose. It is darker than my usual dusty roses; I call it a deep rose, or berryish rose.
Liar: A rosy-brown n+de.
N@ked: A pale pinky-neutral.
And, in artificial light. 

I suggest getting just the one Revolution lipstick first, so you can see if it is better than the lippies you might already have. If you are a fan of Rouge Allure or MUFE Rouge Artist Intense or, well, a lot of other mid- and higher-end lippies, you'll find the UD Revolution lipsticks falling short, given all the hype. This is entirely my opinion and experience with these lipsticks, so these could look/work differently on you. To each, their own. Mind you, I don't regret buying these, but just saying there are much better lippies out there and that my friends and family rave about these more than I do.
Disclaimer: Nope, not PR samples :) I'm yet to receive or feature one of those on my blog!