Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait lipsticks review, swatches and photos

Despite swatching them at counters, I had not bought Guerlain products before. I had a long wait at the airport and my book was almost over and I had a bit of foreign exchange to get rid of, so I loitered along the Duty Free area. I checked out the Guerlain lipsticks and liked the look of the Rouge G L'Extrait de Guerlain, which promised exceptional hold. There are seven shades in this range, from flaming orange to deep berry plum. I picked up two shades - M06 Avarice and M65 Paresse.

Here's the review and the swatches of the Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait lipsticks.

Packaging of Rouge G L'Extrait de Guerlain

Within the external black cardboard box is a heavy - 101gm, I weighed it on the kitchen scale - metallic case that is shaped a bit like a bullet train. The packaging had me the moment I saw it and everyone who has seen me pull it out of my bag has stopped to stare so far. I must say these lipsticks have The Most Luxurious Packaging I Have Ever Seen.

The "engine side" or tip of the bullet train shows the shade.

The button on the other side pushes up to reveal a pop-up mirror, which is really cool. Please forgive my pajamas and the orchid, both of which wanted to appear in the mirror!

You have a doe's foot applicator which doesn't pick up too much product.

Most importantly, these are refillable. I'm afraid I don't know how much the refill costs - they didn't have it in stock.

Formula and staying power of Rouge G L'Extrait de Guerlain

These dry to a matte finish and are very silky-velvetty-creamy. They are non-drying. You can apply them thinly for a more delicate, sheer finish, or pile them on for full coverage. I prefer the latter because of better pigmentation.
The formula reminds me of the Bourjois So Delicate Lip Creams in terms of their silky-velvety-creamy texture - and transferring. Both the Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait and the Bourjois So Delicate transfer to glasses, tumblers, mugs, pillows, the air, clothes and people.

The Rouge G L'Extrait de Guerlain does not give "exceptional hold" as claimed or stay on through a meal - you can expect a complete wipeout at the end of a quick sandwich and most of it would have gone after a swig or two of water. So my search for an alternative to Chanel Rouge Double Intensite continues (nope, MUFE Aqua Rouge doesn't have the equivalent of Rose Garnet while Estee Lauder's dupe is more metallic).

Swatches of Rouge G L'Extrait de Guerlain

These are thick swatches of Paresse to the left and Avarice to the right in natural light. Paresse is a warm dusty pink and Avarice is a neutral beige-brown.

Lip swatch of Paresse in natural light

Lip swatch of Avarice 

Lip swatch of Avarice with flash

Oh, and the SA gave me a really cool gift with purchase - a Guerlain keyring with iconic charms, scented with "Guerlinade". She assured me that the scent wouldn't go away, though I don't know how that is supposed to work.

Bottom line
The price of a Rouge G L'Extrait de Guerlain is $49.50 - I paid $47.25 at Duty Free. Chanel Rouge Double Intensite is $35, and given the INSANE staying power, I would go for Chanel on a regular basis, though it comes in a no-nonsense tube. However, if you plan to splurge, don't mind reapplying and have a thing for fancy packaging, do try out the Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait!
On a totally unrelated note, this came in by international airmail. It's for my giveaway (more prizes on their way). Not saying anything yet!

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