This iconic lipstick turns 25

What does a lipstick do when it turns 25? It reinvents itself to continue bringing joy to a woman’s lips and life.

The Lancome L’Absolu Rouge, an emblematic lipstick for the French luxury beauty brand, is changing its shades to offer women a palette of colours that are more precious, feminine and liberating.

Lancome gave free rein to the brand’s global creative makeup director and YouTube star Lisa Eldridge to create a whole new palette, from variations of pinks and reds, the most nude to the most extroverted.

“I wanted to create a collection of extremely pure shades that irresistibly attract the eye and the imagination. I also made sure that each colour family was well represented, with perfect nudes, intense reds, deep raspberries, punchy oranges and simple yet vibrant pinks,” Eldridge says in a press statement.

The result is a range of 86 shades (Malaysia carries only 50 shades) and on her favourites, she says, “I love 343 Suspens. On slightly olive skin, it’s a warm, delicate nude, and on fairer skin, it’s an apricot with richer caramel tones. 186 Idole is the ultimate feel-good rosy red. It works with all skin tones. I feel happy as soon as I put it on!”

The new L’Absolu Rouge will also come in three variations: sheer, cream and matte. So, after choosing her colour, each woman can now select her favourite finish. For example, a beautiful deep red makes an intense statement in a matte finish, while a sheer finish offers an everyday look in an easy-to-wear shade, and a cream finish shows off more sophistication.

Reflecting Lancome founder Armand Petitjean’s declaration that “a lipstick should sparkle like a precious jewel”, the new L’Absolu Rouge is nestled inside a lacquered black metal case as a tribute to the jewel cases created by Petitjean.

It is crowned with a rose reworked like a golden seal, and one click of this stylised cult rose releases the lipstick and reveals intense colour moulded in a bullet, also stamped with a rose.

The shades are poetically named after emotions, moods and moments of life. And, it’s in French, the language of emotion, of course. The new Lancome L’Absolu Rouge range will be available at Lancome counters from October.