Created with Pat McGrath, the line of lipsticks, lip balms, and eye shadows hits stores on August 29th.
After teasing the news back in March, we now have a full look at Louis Vuitton La Beauté, the brand’s first foray into color cosmetics. The line, created in partnership with legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath, who serves as Creative Director of Cosmetics, is as visually rich as you’d expect. Consisting of 55 lipstick shades, 10 lip balms, and eight eyeshadow quads, with packaging created by industrial designer Konstantin Grcic, they reflect Louis Vuitton’s deep history in trunk making and savoir-faire with a dash of McGrath wizardry.
Entering this space isn’t unchartered territory for Louis Vuitton. In the 1920s, they dipped a toe in the beauty realm, creating vanity cases with slots for makeup brushes, compacts, and other essentials. The brand also crafted objets de beauté like tortoiseshell hairbrushes, carved ivory mirrors and compacts, and glass perfume flaçons. Two special examples from that era include Le Milano, a vanity created for Marthe Chenal, a well-known opera singer from that era as well as an elaborate toiletry case made for Polish composer Jan Paderewski. It’s these pieces that served as a source of inspiration for McGrath nearly a century later, reflecting the timelessness of the designs.
As for the collection itself, the centerpiece is LV Rouge lipstick. Consisting of 55 shades, the number is a clever nod to the brand as the letters L and V are the Roman numerals 50 and five. 27 leave a creamy satin finish while the other 28 are matte. Made with shea butter and hyaluronic acid and scented with notes of mimosa, jasmine, and rose (created with master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud), they promise 12-hour color wear for the matte iteration and 24-hour hydration for the satin finish. Shades to note include the 854 Rouge Louis, the scarlet red used to tease the line as well as 203 Rose Odyssée, a neutral your lips but better hue, and the 896 Monogram, which a spin on the classic red that features brown tones reminiscent of the brand’s monogram canvas.
For fans of fancy lip balms comes LV Baume. Consisting of 10 sheer shades that are light and buildable, like the lipstick, it also features shea butter and hyaluronic acid for long-lasting hydration and is scented with mint and raspberry. One standout is the 051 Monogram Touch, a version of 896 Monogram that offers a wash of color on the lips. No McGrath-helmed line would be complete without eyeshadows and as such there are eight LV Ombres quads. Each feature three wearable shades with the fourth adding an element of surprise be it in the form of an unexpected contrasting hue or the addition of shimmer.
To complement the launch, there will also be a line of limited edition lipstick pouches and beauty cases in three shades: Monogram Rouge, Rouge Louis, and Tender Bliss. And for those who want something truly special, there’s also the Vanity. Inspired by the 1920s vanity conceived by Gaston-Louis Vuitton and crafted by Pierre-Émile Legrain which nods to both their early designs as well as McGrath’s backstage setup. Interested in getting your hands on something? The collection will be available August 29 in select Louis Vuitton stores and online.
