If Pynck hasn’t found the answer to explain the Big Bang, it has found today the long-awaited solution to the dread of lipstick shopping. This article is made for those of you who, like me, despair when faced with picking a lipstick colour, brand or texture : mat, shiny, satin, creamy, glossy, pearly, frosted; the list goes on as the beauty industry endeavours to always bring innovative products on the market to meet the demand for extraordinary make-up. Those of you who are already comfortable in the challenging exercise of knowing which lipstick is for you can keep on reading anyway as the lipstick customisation experience I am about to describe is just as ludic and relaxing as it is instructive.
Aiming to blend innovation with a costumer focused experience, Estée Lauder came up a few months ago with the idea of creating a few pop-up events called “Lips to Envy. Custom Blend Lip Lounge” in cities such as Paris or Tokyo. In Paris, you will find them on the ground floor of the wonderful Galeries Lafayette Haussmann until November 24th. Naturally, Pynck booked a rendez-vous online to discover how Estée Lauder’s beauty experts would make one’s dreams come true and indeed find the perfect shade for individuals.
I was greeted by the nicest Estée Lauder staff member who immediately brought me to the designated and exclusive Custom Blend Lip Lounge. She explained to me the procedure and we started. First, I got to choose a base chromatic from the colour chart. I was guided through the nudes, carmines, burgundies and pinks to my perfect shade which ended up being a bright red coral. From there, she helped me tailor it even more to my skin, eyes and general style by adding darker or lighter pigments until I was satisfied by the result. After a preliminary blend, she tested the lipstick on my hand and lips in case final adjustments needed to be made. In my case, it was already perfect. The texture of the lipstick is delightfully creamy and made with the formula used for the absolute bestseller of the brand: the Pure Color Envy.
Estée Lauder fulfilled its promises. I exited the Galeries with not one but three custom-made lipsticks, lots of samples and a better understanding of what sort of colour and texture works for me. You should also note Estée Lauder offers free facial and beauty treatments in most department stores in Paris during the month of November, should you wish to interrupt your Christmas shopping by indulging yourself.
One can completely witness the process of creation of the lipstick. Here, the lipstick is melted and blended.
The lipstick will thereafter be moulded as shown in the picture above, and chilled for about 15 minutes.
As a final touch, customers can personalise even further their lipsticks by engraving names or letters on the base of the lipstick case. You can do so every Saturday at Galeries Lafayette-Haussmann until the 24th November.
The Lips To Envy Estée Lauder pouch. It is a beautiful blue leather pouch easy to carry and contains one lipstick along with two lipstick bullet refills, to keep your bespoke lipstick shade as long as possible ! The lipstick feels nice and heavy in the hand and has a magnetic closure system.
The final result ! All curled up in a chic blue pouch with a sheet that recapitulates the chosen shade, and the name that one wishes to give it.
