In Search of the Perfect Red Lipstick- Finding it at Chanel

Where else?

Apparently, there really is a Chanel red for everyone, even if mine is more garnet than true red and it has a bit of pearlness going on (just a little: the light shimmer is mostly on the outer layer of the lipstick, so only a bit gets on the lips, just enough to look pretty but not to make you look like a Christmas ornament). Rouge Allure in Garnet Fire is part of the limited edition (I know. But no one does limited edition lip colors like Chanel) Gemstones Collection. There are five more colors in this series, all lighter than Garnet Fire.

I was talked into trying it by René, a very sweet and friendly SA at Barneys (their beauty department is a different planet from the snooty and snarky fashion floor). I told him I was giving up on finding a good red for me when he whipped this little gem out, and there it was: My perfect red. Not too cool, not too warm, no hint of orange or of teeth-yellowing. A garnet is a purplish red, as is this lip color, and it fits perfectly.

The lipstick is comfortable to wear, feels light and soft and even lasts fairly well.

To take my lips up a notch, René has topped the lipstick with a Glossimer in Myriad. I never need much prompting to add another one of these glosses to my collection. There are other brands with great textures (some might even be softer and feel more luxurious, actually), but Chanel colors are in a league of their own and some of them are the prettiest I've seen. Despite the color swatch on every website I've checked, Myriad isn't pink at all. It's a shimmery true red, like a Christmas red, actually, but soft and sheer enough to make it wearable, on top of a lipstick or on its own.

Most Chanel counters offline and online still have the lipstick in stock. The gloss is part of the regular collection, so no need to go eBay-crazy.