Chanel's Latest Lipstick Comes In Exquisite Glass
The maison's new 31 Le Rouge collection represents a major beauty and engineering feat with its glass packaging.
There are many lipstick ranges within the Chanel lexicon, but the newly launched 31 Le Rouge collection is arguably one of the maison's most premium - and personal - to date. For one, the 31 in its name is an obvious nod to 31 rue Cambon - the Chanel nexus in Paris which houses both founder Gabrielle Chanel's apartment and its haute couture salon.
It's also the first Chanel lipstick to be packaged in glass. As you would imagine, the material is not easy to work with, especially in the context of a makeup product - but the brand has managed to pull it off, much in line with its founder Gabrielle Chanel's reputation for breaking conventions. Below, we share the details on what you need to know about the 31 Le Rouge collection:
The striking jewel-like case would easily make an objet d'art in and of its own. But there's a sweet story behind it too: it's meant to be an homage to the angular mirrors that line Chanel's famous rue Cambon staircase in Paris. But to be sure, the process of getting there was not easy; it took the maison four years to create the glass case and ensure it would be sturdy enough for everyday use. To do so, Chanel tapped on the expertise of a Japanese master glassmaker to help finesse the design.
The 31 Le Rouge collection's 12 shades ($223 each), all available in a long-wearing satin finish, draw from various details in the brand's history. For example, the colour Rouge 2.55 (a deep garnet) was inspired by the lining found in a Chanel handbag, while Rouge Fetiche (a crisp crimson, pictured above) takes after the color of the flannel ribbons that Gabrielle Chanel would wear around her ankles as a good luck charm of sorts before the release of a new collection.
Expect skincare benefits to go with it - each 31 Le Rouge lipstick comes with a blend of plant-derived waxes and oils such as gardenia-infused oil and camellia esters to soften the lips. Maracuja oil, an ingredient said to stimulate the synthesis of three major components of the skin’s structure - hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin - helps give lips a more defined appearance.
Each lipstick in this collection also comes perfumed with a subtle gardenia-inspired scent that was specially designed by Chanel's in-house perfume Olivier Polge, and for the first time, the lipstick bullet comes embossed with the brand's name.
Creating the glass case was one thing, but Chanel has taken it further; the lipsticks are all refillable but herein lies the challenge of combining a glass packaging with the metal inner component. The lipstick is housed in a recyclable aluminium bullet, while the refills ($100 each) are interchangeable and come with a protective cap, meaning they can be switched out and resealed without having to finish the entire bullet. A specially designed, high-precision mechanism ensures that these refills fit seamlessly into the glass case.
The Chanel 31 Le Rouge collection is now available at all Chanel Fragrance & Beauty boutiques, counters and online store