Lancôme L'Absolu Nu Replenishing & Enhancing Lipcolor

Lancôme's newest lipstick, L'Absolu Nu Replenishing & Enhancing Lipcolor ($29) is billed by Lancome as the company's first "ultra-caring lipstick with Pro-Xylane," having a new, infinitely light texture. Enriched with pigments designed to reveal the radiance of beautifully replenished lips, L'Absolu Nu will "enhance your natural lip tone in a veil of shiny, translucent color." Sephora calls it "a vivid lip color that enhances the natural color and shape of the lips."

I always marvel at the way lipsticks are described, but whatever. Based on these descriptions, is it translucent or vivid? I'd say vivid.

It's available in 16 shades, so there's bound to be at least one that pleases you. I ordered two, sight unseen, from Sephora. In addition to the Pro-Xylane, a Lancôme signature ingredient, the lip color includes fragments of sparkling mother of pearl to create a reflective, light-boosting effect.

I just received my two shades yesterday, so I thought I would pop up a swatch photo and show them to you. Sheer Mousse (#277) is shown at the top of my arm, and Rose Veil (#346, featured in some advertisements I've seen) is shown below. My photo was taken outdoors in sunlight. My shade choices are so predictable! Sheer Mousse is a rose-brown, while Rose Veil is a warm rose. I think Rose Veil has just a touch of coral in it. It is shown in the tube at the top of this feature.

On Lancôme's Web site, Rose Veil is categorized with the Pinks-Berries, and Sheer Mousse with the Browns-Neutrals. I wouldn't categorize either that way. That's the danger of categories. I could vent about the danger of online shade photos too, but I won't. The third category is Reds-Corals. I wasn't interested in any of those.

Lancome describes Sheer Mousse as a creamy browny rose with shimmering flecks. The description is absolutely correct. I'm not convinced by the description of Rose Veil, called a rosy pink with shimmering flecks. That description leaves out the hint of coral. These are both very pretty, despite their somewhat misleading categories and descriptions. I'm pleased with them, particularly Sheer Mousse.

From a finish perspective, I would describe them as similar to Guerlain's new Rouge Automatique. They offer saturated color that gleams. They feel creamy and hydrating on the lips, and the color lasts a very reasonable amount of time (said to be eight hours, but I never get eight hours out of lipsticks). The only thing I don't like is the signature Lancôme lipstick fragrance. While it's not objectionable, I would like L'Absolu Nu more if it were unscented.

So, based on only two days of use, I would give them an overall thumbs up, not gushing, but pleased. Overall, they are very nice, with great color, texture, finish, and wear. If it weren't for the fragrance, I'd be kicking up my heels and ordering more shades.

You can find L'Absolu Nu Replenishing & Enhancing Lipcolor on Lancôme's Web site, Sephora, and at Lancôme counters soon, if not already.

Photo at top courtesy of Lancôme