Monday, April 4, 2011

New: Guerlain Rouge Automatique Hydrating Long-Lasting Lip Color

For one of Guerlain’s newest offerings, Rouge Automatique ($35), creative director Olivier Echaudemaison took his inspiration from a 1936 Guerlain product of the same name. Each of the 25 shades is named for a Guerlain fragrance (past, present, or future). The shades are available in four color families: Les Beiges (nudes/browns), Les Rouges (reds), Les Roses (pinks and roses), and Les Oranges (oranges/corals).

The color emerges from the gold tube when you slide a lever, which opens the cap and reveals the color bullet. You can push the lever up only as far as you need to use the lipstick and not break it.

“Lipstick is an accessory — you should have fun with it,” said Echaudemaison of both the color and the way it is accessed (quoted in WWD). He noted that Rouge Automatique is intended to be a midpoint between the brand’s sophisticated Rouge G and classic KissKiss lipsticks.

The finish and performance fall somewhere in between shiny and long-lasting (up to three hours), according to Isabelle Hébant, group manager of makeup and marketing development for Guerlain. “It is intended to have a second skin effect on the lips, which is accomplished by a low gradient fusion point — when the formula touches the lips, it becomes liquid,” she said of the brand’s new proprietary Crystal Pigment technology. “This formula involves pigments encapsulated in glass, which makes colors true and vivid (quoted from WWD)."

All the new colors arrived at my local Neiman Marcus on Friday, and I was there Saturday morning to select three in person. My eyes gravitated straight to Les Roses, and I had no trouble finding two favorites quickly. Then I decided to explore Les Beiges, and I found one that's a rosy brown, one of my favorite lipstick colors. I came home with Après L'Ondée (#100), Cherry Blosssom (#161), and Bloom of Rose (#162).

They are swatched at right in that order. My photo was taken in outdoor sunlight. Once you see Après L'Ondée, you will wonder why it was categorized within Les Beiges. Glad I explored them! While Cherry Blossom and Bloom of Rose look very similar in this photo (and they are), Cherry Blossom is a more subdued rose than Bloom of Rose. I think both of them are gorgeous. Because my photo was taken in full sun, the colors look extremely shiny. I wouldn't characterize them that way; I would call them subtly shiny or perhaps glossy.

Kari showed Cherry Blossom and another shade, Mitsouko (#140) at Fab over Forty. You will want to see her swatches too.

The shades offer pigmented color, so if you see a swatch and think it's light, it may not be. I'm wearing Après L'Ondée, one of the "lightest" shades as I write, and it's plenty dark for my pale features. I like shiny lips. Rouge Automatique has a nice shine; I don't feel I need to add gloss over it - at first. I do after an hour or two. I like the way Rouge Automatique feels on my lips: creamy and hydrating. Even the push-up lever is very classy. This is an elegant lipstick. What else would you expect from Guerlain?

I like it much more than Rouge G. While the Rouge G lipstick itself is very nice, I've never been fond of the razzle dazzle of the Rouge G container, with its mirror and heavy weight. The whole lipstick is too heavy for me to carry around. By providing Rouge Automatique, the company has offered me a great alternative. I would love to make a suggestion to Guerlain's marketing folks: provide a regular lipstick top to fit over Rouge G for those of us who love the lipstick, but don't want the extra weight. Let us choose. I'd be happy with a plastic cap. I would even pay extra for it! At least with Rouge Automatique, I don't have to worry about that.

Extremely nice lipsticks! They have arrived or are arriving now at Guerlain counters in the U.S. They are launching this month in Europe too. Please let me know what you think.

Photo at top courtesy of Guerlain

11 comments:

A said...

Apres L'Ondee will be mine! It looks beautiful - like a muted, lovely pink, which I've been looking for. (All my pinks seem to be on the darker or brighter side.)

Adele

Eileen said...

Après L'Ondée looks like that effortless type of color that is perfectly suited to casual mornings and lazy afternoons. To quote A, "Après L'Ondée will be mine!" :-)

The design of the lipstick case really takes me back to when I was a little girl and loved playing with my mother's things. Sometimes she'd let me swipe my lips with her lipstick and I'd feel so beautiful. The cases were very similar. You'd take off a metal cap to reveal the lipstick set into another metal case with a slide button to push it up. Remember those? I think the color choices were red, red, red, and red. LOL

Joolz said...

I wore Cherry Blossom for most of the day on Sunday and it lasted almost all day! I love it!
I tried Apre L'Ondee but it was indeed quite a neutral on me. I felt I have many similar ones. However, I would like to swatch Bloom of Rose!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi A and Eileen!

Après L'Ondée is one of those must-have colors, and I agree - it's effortless. Even though I adore the pinks, it's the one I reach for now.

Eileen, I don't remember that! My mother wasn't really "into" makeup, although she wore it. I'll have to ask her about that. :)

Hi Joolz!

Glad you are enjoying Cherry Blossom. Isn't that a perfect name for an April intro? You should have seen me swatching my way through Les Roses to select at the store. My arm was a mess.

KathyT said...

These look lovely! I wonder if there is one similar to Rouge G #60? I agree with you about the bulky and heavy packaging for the Rouge G. My local Nordstrom just got a Guerlain counter, so I will have to track down the new shades. Thanks for the swatches!

Soni said...

Ooooo!! These really are beautiful! I went to my Nordstrom counter after work Friday to look for them (as well as the YSL metallic waterproof liners that you reviewed last week) to no avail. Neither item was in yet. I must be patient just a little longer. All 3 of those colors are pretty. Cherry blossom is SUCH a perfect name for spring. I want it for that reason alone.
I totally agree with you about the Rouge G. I bought 3 when they came out but they really are soooo heavy to carry around. I laughed at your arm swatching. I do that too. Messy but effective.

Charlestongirl said...

Oh no, Soni! I don't really understand why some stores get products faster than others. I hope it's easy for you to get back there.

I consider weight an important factor when I carry something along with me. Those lovely Rouge G lipsticks are simply too heavy for me - nice on the counter, I guess, but...

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Kathy!

I think you now have a great excuse for a big shopping trip. :)

מיכאלה said...

I love the way the lipstick case looks and I also remember similar cases from my mother's make-up drawer. The texture and colors sound and look fantastic- and I love that they are called after the perfumes- in short I am waiting for it to arrive!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Michaela,

I am surprised that my NM has it and so many other stores don't. Please let me know what you think after you try it. :)

I still need to ask my Mom.

Unknown said...

All of those colors look fabulous! I really don't need another lipstick on my wishlist! *sigh*