Louis Vuitton has long delivered sartorial splendor to fashion lovers across the globe — and now the famed French fashion house is entering the beauty stratosphere with a spectacular bang. The long-awaited launch of La Beauté Louis Vuitton is finally here (well, almost)! A 73-piece cosmetics collection designed by makeup artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath will be available for pre-launch on August 25, and each item will no doubt be as coveted as a Speedy or Capucines Bag.
A Primer on La Beauté Louis Vuitton Products
Not your pared-back, limited-edition drop, the hefty La Beauté Louis Vuitton initial offering includes 55 shades of lipstick, 10 hues of balm, and eight eyeshadow palettes. Some wildly fabulous small leather goods and other accessories will also make their debut, but we’ll get into that later.
The lipstick, dubbed LV Rouge, comes in two richly pigmented finishes, including a velvety matte and a satin. A natural wax formula from upcycled rose, jasmine, and mimosa flowers is spiked with hyaluronic acid to infuse each swipe with major moisture.
For those who desire a sheerer, more luminous lip look, LV Baume offers deep hydration thanks to a shea butter base, plus a hint of shimmer for a glowy, radiant, visually plumping effect.
Shades run the gamut, but the stars for lips are Monogram Rouge and Monogram Touch, respectively. Think of the hue as the marriage of the distinctive brown of the Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas and a classic red. The burnished crimson, with its blend of undertones, is as universally flattering as it is distinctive.
Making Eyes
LV Ombres eye palettes come in eight four-color combinations — including one called Harmonie 896 Monogram Rouge, with the brand’s signature brownish-red as well as tan and caramel hues reminiscent of a logo bag — housed in glamorous, refillable compacts.
As mentioned, these formulas are the brainchild of makeup legend Pat McGrath, and Mother knows multi-dimensional eye effects. In fact, she pioneered foil and holographic shadows in her eponymous brand, Pat McGrath Labs. Fittingly, the eyeshadows in the line explore six high-tech finishes from ultra-matte to mega-gleaming glitter. Shimmer particles here are wrapped in a translucent gel to reflect light and maximize a mirror-like shine.
Beyond Beauty
Packaging is sustainable, of course, but more importantly, the forever tubes and compacts themselves are little luxuries to keep and collect. The house tapped German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic to fashion the minimalist cases.
But the newness doesn’t stop with stuff to paint on one’s face. Drawing on the heritage of the house, which first designed trunks in 1864 with compartments to house one’s fragrance on transatlantic journeys, an assortment of small leather goods will debut with the collection. Think logo mini bags to house a lipstick or makeup brush. Or a $560 case to hold blotting papers (chic!), and limited-edition pouches for $980 to hold a beauty wardrobe.
Should one wish to live and breathe the line, there’s even a specially designed giant vanity trunk, modeled after Pat McGrath’s backstage beauty salon, that can be purchased, too — price available upon request, natch.
La Beauté Louis Vuitton hits counters for pre-sale on August 25.
