Last week I wrote about a visit to the Lipstick Queen counter at Barneys, during which I met up with the Queen herself, Poppy King, and was introduced to her new Velvet Rope lipstick collection (see here). I’ll be taking a closer look at a few of the Velvet Rope shades, starting with Star Power…

Star Power is exclusive to Barneys, and it’s the only metallic shade in the collection. It’s a rich, shimmery copper with warm, brick-red undertones. Like the other Velvet Rope lipsticks, it’s packaged in a square, golden case inspired by the vintage cosmetics that Poppy collects. And the Velvet Rope box even has a velvety texture!

Here’s a swatch of Star Power on my wrist. It has a highly metallic finish, like powdered gold mixed with red and orange pigments. “When was the last time you wore a copper lipstick?” Poppy asked me at Barneys, when she was showing this shade to me. (Thinking back, it was probably the late 80s, and that coppery drugstore lippie was nowhere near as bold and beautiful as this one!)

Applied directly from the tube, Star Power is quite eye-catching and unusual. Depending on the light, it can look like a very shimmery, rusty-gold shade; at another angle, its reddish undertones seem to come through more. I might also try applying a thin layer with a lip brush, either alone or over a reddish matte or cream shade.

Here’s another shot of Star Power with its packaging. The Velvet Rope line is an homage to classic Hollywood glamour, but I think this shade looks like a mash-up of the 1930s and 1970s, in a fantastic way, like some nightclub of the future that has a classic Hollywood theme filtered through the 70s and beyond.

The Velvet Rope line is definitely a luxury purchase ($50), not just because of the elegant packaging, but because of its formula: the intense dose of pigment is carried by a surprisingly lightweight base. There’s nothing heavy or waxy about these lipsticks; as rich as the colors are, they seem to float onto the lips, and they have very good staying power. Apparently some special blend of silicones is the secret.

Coming next: a review of Velvet Rope in Entourage.

Images: top photo via Barneys website, other photos by Tinsel Creation.

Product source: Star Power was a given to me as a press sample.