Ah, autumn. I’ve been looking forward to your darker hues since I first clapped eyes on the grunge-inspired Saint Laurent A/W13 runway earlier this year.
Influenced heavily by magic, grunge, mystery and vampiness in equal measure, the beauty lookbooks this autumn are set to satisfy the taste of those who prefer things a little darker. Among the first make-up ranges to launch is Guerlain Voilette de Madame, a showstopping collection of limited edition products and new shades that take their cues from the darker, vampier colours seen on the A/W13 runway, all tied up with Guerlain’s flair for the luxurious.
Inspired by the power of the veil, a weapon of seduction that hides the eyes and enhances the lips, the collection has a theme of mystery and fascination. Take a look at Guerlain’s seasonal offerings, and let me know which ones are catching your eye…
Guerlain ‘Voilette de Madame’ Madame Rougit Blush
First up in the new collection is the limited edition Guerlain Madame Rougit Blush, a gorgeous multi-striped blusher compact.
The black lacquered case has a large mirror and two compartments. Unclasp the top to reveal your blush, and unclasp the bottom to access a handy, flat kabuki brush with vivid coral bristles. The little compartment is a really handy (and hygienic!) way of storing your brush, while keeping it close to hand.
Now, on to that gorgeous blush. There are four satiny stripes of colour: freshening raspberry, illuminating pale pink, peachy coral, and velvety beige. The most highly pigmented colours are the raspberry and the coral, while the pale pink and the beige are highlighters.
The small dots that you see are part of a raised pearl design which is accented with a fine silver and pink shimmer. This is just an overlay and can be dusted away if you don’t like shimmer, or mixed into the blusher shade beneath to infuse it with a subtle glow. The split of cool (raspberry, pale pink) and warm (coral, beige) shades makes the palette really versatile and easy to use. The stripes continue right the way to the bottom of the pan, so even if you choose to swirl all of the shades, the pattern of the colours will remain intact.
The Guerlain Madame Rougit Blush is an all-season sort of compact – I’ll be using the coral and beige to give my post-tan complexion a lift in autumn, and the sweet pink shades next spring.
Shop the Guerlain Madame Rougit Blush here.
Guerlain ‘Voilette de Madame’ Rouge G
Guerlain’s Rouge G lipstick, along with its liquid Rouge G L’Extrait variant, is among my favourite lipsticks of all time. The colour pay-off , subtle scent and comfort are second to none, and the heavyweight metal casing is just exquisite.
For the Voilette de Madame collection, the iconic Rouge G is given a vampy make-over. Its sleek silver packaging is draped with screenprinted lace.
As with all Rouge G lipsticks, when you separate the lipstick from its casing a spring-loaded mirror pops up, ready for action. Luxurious novelty though that may be, the integrated mirror of my own Rouge G lipstick has proven itself to be infinitely useful!
Guerlain have developed three brand new shades for the collection: 860 Madame Batifole, a playful fuchsia plum, 861 Madame Flirte, a muted fruity red with ultra fine shimmer, and 862 Madame Reve, a hot rose pink.
Of the three, only Madame Batifole is fully opaque, offering a punchy pop of colour that you can wear straight from the bullet, or blended out as a more subtle nod to the fuchsia lip. Madame Flirt and Madame Reve are semi-opaque, with a satin finish that feels extremely moisturising.
Shop the Guerlain Voilette de Madame Rouge G Lipstick here.
Guerlain Voilette de Madame Gloss d’Enfer
Guerlain’s new Gloss d’Enfer lipgloss landed in March (see the swatches here), an innovative take on the lipgloss category with a unique gel-syrup texture. The Voilette de Madame collection introduces three brand new, limited edition shades: 860 Madame Batifole, 861 Madame Flirte, and 853 Madame Fascine.
860 Madame Batifole matches the vibrant fuchsia of the identically named Rouge G shade, complete with delicate pink and iridescent shimmer. 861 Madame Flirte is a sweet coral red with pink and gold shimmer, while the vampy 863 Madame Fascine is a blackened plum with multicolour shimmer.
All three colours have a semi-translucent finish which really ups the shine stakes. When the moisturising, volumising formula is applied, it also gives lips a fuller appearance.
Shop the Guerlain Voilette de Madame Gloss d’Enfer here.
Guerlain Voilette de Madame La Laque Nail Colour
When Guerlain launched their capsule collection of core nail colours earlier this year (see swatches here), I was really excited at the promise of seasonal, limited edition nail updates. This autumn comes the first of, hopefully, many: 860 Madame Batifole, a close match to the new Rouge G and Gloss d’Enfer shades of the same name.
The silky fuchsia plum is a perfect partner for autumn’s ladylike grunge feel. Between a blackened red and purple-pink, it’s dark enough to be edgy, and warm enough to feel sophisticated.
Aside from the gorgeous colour, the formulation of the Guerlain Colour Lacquer is impressive. Created with flexible silicone and a thermoplastic acrylic resin (a really tough, colour-last agent that is normally reserved for colour printing), Le Laque makes for pretty no-nonsense nail painting. The self-levelling formula creates ultra-smoothness, while the silicones and resins promote a brilliant shine.
Shop the Guerlain La Laque Nail Colour here.
