Since months ago I’ve received a couple of emails that were all like “What color IS that?”, as well as a comment inquiring as to where I found an orange-based red lipstick (since both luxury brands and drugstore brands mostly carry blue-based reds) when I indignantly posted a photograph after someone had the audacity to tell me I shouldn’t be wearing red lipstick in the mosque. Unfortunately I didn’t see how incredibly perfect this lipstick was until it was discontinued, and I could not for the life of me find a replacement.

If your veins are green through your skin (as opposed to blue), your skintone is classified as “warm”, and rumor has it an orange-based red lipstick is better suited for you. Most lipsticks are blue-based and consequently look horrendously garish on my skin, and the ones that are orange-based are either bright neon (fabulous or yikes depending on your taste) or have either deeper wine or earthier brick and burgundy tones. The only lipstick I’ve found that comes close to being exactly on mark resembling the discontinued lipstick in color is Revlon’s #006, “Really Red,” but that one’s a matte. And while I love the velvety look of a matte red lip, there was something strangely alluring about the soft sultry supple finish of this lipstick, even when blotted to look matte.

The lipstick in the banner is by L’Oréal Paris, and it’s a satin finish—it’s also inspired by Penelope Cruz, who has an olive skintone like yours truly. When I purchased it, I hadn’t yet discovered that L’Oréal tested its products on animals, and once I did, I never repurchased it again. When I heard they planned to no longer test on animals starting 2012, I looked for the lipstick but found it had been discontinued.

I think it’s still available through outlets online. So if you’re interested in acquiring it here’s what to look for:

It’s a black tube, rimmed with gold, and (allegedly) Penelope Cruz’s signature. It’s gold inside when opened.

And there’s the color. I’ve begun to use it sparingly. It’s number 320 “Penelope’s red”, and was released as part of a collection. The rest of the collection (Colour Riche Star Secrets Lipcolour) is still available, so it’s… seemingly random that 320 has been discontinued. Swatched on my skin:

(Is it totally weird that there are more pictures of my hands on this blog than my face?)

I’m sorry it’s gone. I thought it was a total marketing sham that makeup brands have so many nuanced shades of the same color (to convince women that each one has a different effect on them, when really—who can tell the difference?), but I honestly haven’t found anything like this shade of lipstick—even when I marched into Sephora and handed the tube to a makeup artist to find a match. There was no matching color, and while others are alright nothing brightens my skin like this. Even shades that resembled it on my hand were drastically different in effect on my lips.

Anyway, hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend.