[unpaid/sample] I think now we are really starting to see the full signs of Guerlain’s route to updating itself and appealing to a wider audience while celebrating the house’s heritage. There are three reds that go as far back as 1840 in creation but given a modern finish of either satin or velvet matte.
I mean look at the sharp edge on that! I have two of the Velvet Matte finishes so can’t tell you about any shade variations between the satin and matte – what I can tell you is that I’m wearing Roi Des Rouges from 1925 (the brighter shade) right now with a dot of Biossance lip balm over the top and I like it. It’s got some warmth to it that is more of a complexion lifter than a drainer (which on me, any blue toned reds can be). Guerlain lipsticks date back to the 1830s, two years after Pierre-Francoise-Pascal Guerlain created a liquid lip and cheek product called Bloom of Rose (interpreted as Rouge de Tigre for this collection). Fast forward to today and Violette is Guerlain’s Make-Up Creative Director (the make up artist also has her own range, Violette, that’s not too far away from Glossier but much smaller HERE) breathing new life into the colours while respecting the heritage. And, never a person more suited to a red lip than Violette!
The deeper, more burgundy laced red is Rouge Imperial from 1870. It’s a shade that I’d say is soft-vamp – not quite the stereotypical deep toned colour drainer – but edging towards something more dark and severe.
Similar to this
You can see from the swatch the blurry effect they have – actually, Guerlain Rouge G Legendary Reds are more or less weightless on the lips and a truly easy wear, even for those who aren’t keen on mattes. If you’re not a matte fan, I’d suggest trying the satin although I am quite happy in this matte formula with a dot of balm over the top (which hasn’t eroded the colour much at all).
The new cases, as you can see, are a selection of velvets – four of them. If a hotel could be twinned with a lipstick, then I’d take you to the Hotel Costes in Paris HERE where the low lighting and use of opulent fabrics and variants of red make them ideal companions. It’s taken Guerlain a long time to find its place in the modern world of social media – casting Violette as their creative director is genius because her understanding of heritage and how to place it in this digital landscape without losing its dignity is clever and seamless. The lipsticks are £27 and the cases are £32 HERE.
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8 comments
I am a Guerlain fan and always have a bottle of one of their scents on the go. Just had a quick google and found the youtube with Violette and Loric. It looks a promising combination but basically Guerlain could just have Loric oohing and aahing the products to me. I’d buy. But why go to a cafe, I haven’t been able to travel for 2 years. Can’t they do something from the shop on the Champs Elysees
Oh they’re a great combination aren’t they! I just watched The Midnight Look – so French.
Oh these look so beautiful Jane, and I just watched the Midnight Look too, aaahhhh it was magnifique. Thank you for sharing.
So welcome – such an effortlessly elegant video 🙂
These are so beautiful that I think I’d have to have two on the go, one just for gazing at
I know – they really are!
This is so interesting – not just the lipsticks themselves but the direction they hope Violette will take them in, with these lipsticks! Remember when Guerlain went all plasticky and “young” a few years ago with the heart-shaped lipstick bullets and scented nail varnish and seemed to throw all its attention at the La Petite Robe Noire range? Cute, but very out of step with their overall style, and if you’re a young one who wants to be a Guerlain girl, would you want to be plastic in the first place?! My local counter is tiny so I don’t know if that range (no longer available here) is still even part of the make up range but certainly, promoting Guerlain differently rather than trying to redesign all its classic items seems like a better way ahead.
I do remember Lizzie – I quite liked La Petite Robe Noire but can see they’re better holding on to their heritage and making it accessible by using people who can look at it differently.