LOUIS Vuitton is on everyone’s lips. Literally.
Last month, the house introduced its first-ever makeup collection — ultraluxury lipsticks, balms and eye shadows in refillable monogram tubes and compacts — and its own glossy red Soho pop-up store. Located at 104 Prince St., the dedicated boutique showcases the color essentials, developed in partnership with famed makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath (below), runway beauty legend and creative director for the line.
“Working backstage for over 20 years at Louis Vuitton fashion shows, I am thrilled to now play such a key role in the launch of La Beauté Louis Vuitton, which is the result of extraordinary craftsmanship, creativity and innovation,” McGrath said in a press release.
The range is noteworthy for its high-design look, vast shade selection and comfortable finishes and is infused with signature scents blended by Louis Vuitton master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud.
Konstantin Grcic, an award-winning German industrial designer whose work has been exhibited at leading museums around the world, created the sleek packaging. The lipstick and balm cases feature a window shaped like Louis Vuitton’s iconic Monogram Flower that reveals the shade within.
The lipstick comes in 55 richly pigmented hues: 27 creamy satin versions with 24-hour hydration and 28 velvety matte options with 12-hour longwear vivid color. For a subtle tint, the balm is offered in 10 sheer glow shades promising 48-hour hydration.
The eye shadow quads are available in eight colorways, each displayed in a Monogram Flower palette.
The lipsticks are redolent of mimosa, jasmine, and rose and the balms are perfumed with delicious mint and raspberry aromas.
Since the products are considered objets d’art, the maison also created a Vanity Trunk to house them. The portable makeup station was inspired both by one of Vuitton’s early beauty commissions — a 1920s vanity conceived by Gaston-Louis Vuitton and crafted by designer and cabinetmaker Pierre-Émile Legrain — and McGrath’s backstage beauty stations.
On a smaller scale, the company debuted a dedicated line of small leather goods in Monogram canvas. Limited-edition Lipstick Pouches and Nice Beauty Cases are made in three of the signature lip shades: Monogram Rouge, Rouge Louis and Tender Bliss.
Things of beauty, all of them.
