Chanel Rouge Allure Laque Luminous Satin Lip Lacquer in Empire for Holiday 2011

Discover the pure indulgence of liquid lip lacquer, a color innovation that could only come from Chanel. Intensely rich color and shine last for hours, and the temptingly creamy formula conditions as it hydrates the lips.

Rouge Allure Laque ($32) offers all this, along with full coverage. There are two shades featured in the Holiday 2011 Collection: Dragon, a repromoted shade described by Chanel as "true red," and Empire (#707), described perfectly as pink rose and my selection.

Unscrew the cap of the sleek black tube, and you find a short wand with a doe-foot applicator. It feels balanced in the hand. There won't be any guesswork if you apply Rouge Allure Laque without a mirror.

I'm entirely captivated by Empire. The stunning pink captured my heart the moment I first applied it. It's a perfect shade of softly shimmering pink - not too warm, not too cool, although it "leans" cool on my lips. It's a shade that's extremely flattering for any occasion. It feels great on my lips, moist and lightweight with absolutely no stickiness.

I took a couple of swatch photos in full mid-day sun. My photos give the shade more intensity than it displays on my lips - probably because I painted it onto my arm heavily. It's simply divine on my lips. I like it even more than I anticipated. Since the store had no testers, I made a decision to purchase it from its appearance on the wand. It was a great decision.

I tried to turn my arm at slightly different angles to the sun as I took my swatch photos. The photo below right shows Empire facing the sun, reflecting all of its warm October love. The shade offers an alluring gleam, one that's not metallic, but that's definitely lively.

All of my swatch photos are shown exactly the way I saw Empire on my arm. I'm not quite sure why the shade is slightly cooler on my lips. I've studied it in various types of indoor and outdoor lighting. On my lips, it has more a little more blue in it than I see in these photos.

Chanel's Rouge Allure Laque Luminous Satin Lip Lacquer in Empire is a rose-pink lover's pink. I won't be waiting for the holidays to wear it. I intend to start this week. I'm also concerned about replacing it since I believe it's a limited edition. I know I'll be hoarding a few pieces from the holiday color collection. This is on my stock-up-now list.

I purchased Empire at Neiman Marcus at Tysons Galleria. The holiday collection is expected to be available at all Chanel counters and Chanel's Web site very soon. It's one of the best overall Chanel collections I've seen in years. I always like a piece or two from Chanel's collections, but I seldom go overboard, as I did with Holiday 2011. What a home run! Plus, there's a little more to come from me.

I've been featuring the items I purchased for about a week, so if you missed one, just scroll down and turn the page. Please let me know what you select when you get your hands on the testers. I think you'll find something you'll like.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty