Lancôme Jason Wu L’Absolu Rouge in Hibiscus Pink

Lancôme has a long tradition of collaborating with fashion designers on limited edition exclusive items (remember the legendary Behnaz lipstick*?). This season Lancome has collaborated with Jason Wu to bring us a full collection that includes eye, lip, cheek, and nail colors, beautifully packaged with a pre-fall vibe. Yes, I know it's mid-summer, but whatever. Pretty colors are pretty colors. I selected several items from the Jason Wu collection, so here's the first one: L’Absolu Rouge in Hibiscus Pink.

 L’Absolu Rouge is my favorite Lancome lipstick formula of all times. It's not just light and comfortable (the lipstick is enriched with vitamin E among other things), but it also glides and applies beautifully, has a perfect satiny finish, never dries my lips, and it's nearly transfer free, especially if you blot it (very) lightly-- no lipstick residue on my tea cup! Hibiscus Pink is a berry color, a red-based dark pink, the kind I consider almost part of my uniform. It's not necessarily the most original color ever, but it's a great lipstick in a beautiful color, so why not? I wish the tube itself had the Jason Wu pattern, but the box is so pretty I'm not complaining.

Bottom Line: Perfect for fall, pre-fall, and always.

Lancôme Jason Wu L’Absolu Rouge in Hibiscus Pink ($30) is available at the counters and from lancome-usa.com.

*Yes, there were also the atrocious Proenza Pink and the lackluster Alber Elbaz collection, but I'm an optimist. Sometimes.

**The background of the first photo is a Jason WU summer dress from the Bergdorf Goodman catalog.