As the former Global Beauty Director at Estée Lauder, Violette is no newb to the French-girl aesthetic (it also helps that she is French herself) and what she's captured in Petal Bouche Matte is a soft, velvety blue-red that's so often sought out by the effortlessly chic set (or those who aspire to be). And that just so happens to be how I do my makeup most times I bother to actually put it on these days.

Here at Refinery29, we’ve explored how the hue helped actresses embody Hollywood sex symbols and has become a trademark look for Latinx women from Selena to AOC. The brand also boasts a whole collection of other vegan and cruelty-free beauty products, including eye shadows, highlighters, and dry shampoo. I am a sucker for packaging and could watch YouTube videos of people talking about makeup components for hours so I really appreciated that the doe foot applicator had small indentations on both sides to hold the product as you apply.It’s definitely one of those liquid lipsticks that needs a lip liner, because after four hours, it was bleeding out the edges. I would have thought of this as more of an evening/nighttime color, but seeing it in brighter light makes me think it could totally work for daytime as well. We may have found a new fave in the form of Violette_FR's Petal Bouche Matte liquid lipstick, which already boasts a 4. I always prep with a tiny bit of lip balm before lipstick application of any kind; enough to hydrate my lips but not too much that the liquid formula can’t adhere to my lips. Still, to me that says it would last well through dinner with a touch-up or two, a perfectly reasonable compromise for a liquid lipstick that isn't overly drying or uncomfortable.

While it was crumbling by the end, it wasn’t unbearably dry while it was on and it didn’t transfer while I was eating or drinking.I think I get nervous any time I'm playing around with such a saturated or highly pigmented beauty product because I'm nervous about getting it on my clothes or looking clownish. It also faded nicely: instead of coming off in patches or leaving an unflattering ring around my outer lips, it wore evenly and left a very mild red stain behind. While no one will ever mistake me for French (I'm far too Southern and clumsy to ever smolder with mystery) I definitely knew I wanted to try the supposedly perfect French lip color. I also dabbed some lip balm on a few times and it mixed nicely with the lipstick already on my lips, though that obviously changed the velvet matte effect. Matte liquid lipsticks can tend to be on the dry side, but this one was pretty comfortable to wear and lasted for a while without having to touch up.

I have trouble finding reds I love with my skin tone, so I was pleased for this slightly deeper, cooler red that complemented my coloring well. Even if one lipstick looks crimson-red on a friend, it would generally look orange-red on me — which, sometimes there's a time and place for that, but usually I'm gunning for a sickeningly vampy red at all times.

The elusive French-girl style isn't something I've ever sought out, but I do like the makeup, which often tends towards a very clean face with perfected skin and a bold lip. Once dry, it really didn’t move much — there was virtually no transfer to a wine glass, and it passed the smooch test with near-flying colors. Talk about a product that does so much with so little — for decades, a rouged mouth has held a transformative power for legions of women. I think the soap and water combo would have worked, but I used an oil-based makeup remover that easily removed it.