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Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer Review, Photos, Swatches

Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer
Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer

Dig Your Nails Into a Juicy Plum

Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer ($23.00 for 0.38 fl. oz.) is described as a “stunning plum for a spellbinding look.” It’s a deep berry-burgundy with strong red wine undertones and a very subtle dusting of subdued red shimmer. There are a lot of similar shades on the market–the biggest difference is going to be that smattering of shimmer, but it’s not very visible in most lighting. MAC Gadabout Girl is darker. Deborah Lippmann Single Ladies is redder. MAC Blueblood is a smidgen darker, no shimmer. China Glaze Velvet Bow is a touch redder. Urban Decay Wrecked is similar but darker. MAC Purple Majesty is also a fair bit darker. Zoya Anja is fairly close (no shimmer, though). China Glaze Loft-y Ambitions is the closest–it has subtle shimmer and is a tiny bit lighter. Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter is similar but has no shimmer.

Lou-Ling performs well; it’s fluid, flowing, and completely opaque in two coats.  The consistency was on the thinner side but not watery.  It dried down a little faster than average, and there was a natural shine to the end result.  In the past, I’ve had no problem getting a week of wear out of Guerlain’s polish, but they haven’t released a lot of shades. I’ll be testing this one fully, and if there are any deviations from that, will update.  (But heads up, next to nothing chips on me, even if I go without a base and top coat!)

Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer
Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer

Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer
Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer

Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer
Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer

Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer
Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer

Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer
Guerlain Lou-Ling Nail Lacquer

19 Comments

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helen Avatar

I am such a sucker for Guerlain, i’ll probably pick it up.
PS: Christine, have you purchased the Cle de Peau R10 lipstick???? Would love to see the swatches and read your comments.

Sasha Avatar

Oh goodness, must have! I don’t have a dark red yet and have been eyeing d & g dahlia (rouge noir “dupe”) and rbl moulin rouge but this shimmer…

Christine Avatar

While it’s nice for *me* it sucks as a blogger. You want to be closer to the majority, not an extreme! I know a lot of readers had problems with Essie’s metallic polishes, and when I wore them, I had no chipping and normal, minor, tip wear after 7 days 🙁

OrangeLipstickBlog Avatar

Wow – that’s a really good point. I hadn’t thought of that! You’re right – better to be close to the norm. I didn’t even try the Essie metallic polishes because I knew they’d be chipped in the span of a few hours on me! Lol.

Christine Avatar

I know – it’s so weird to think that way. With nail polish, there are certain brands that seem to wear better than others, but it’s VERY VERY small degrees for me – you know, a millimeter of tip wear vs. one and a half!

After wearing the Essies, that’s how I knew I’m outside of the norm there. I type all day, and I’m not at ALL protective of my nails – I very much use them as tools.

Veronica Avatar

Same here. 🙁 Between my mild nail-biting habit and the industrial chemicals we use in our clean room, my nails are a mess. For awhile, it got to the point where the hassle of putting it on surpassed my enjoyment of wearing it. I just bought a few shades to try and get back into it, just limit it to the days when I’m not at work and don’t have to worry about industrial chemicals wearing away at the enamel. (I also picked up Revlon’s enamel hardening formula, so I’m hoping it’ll give them a little more support!)

Kelly Avatar

A lovely colour, absolutely something I would wear. I just don’t think I would buy this one, it’s very expensive and not that special, like you said it’s very dupeable.

Ana Reid Avatar

Love it!!! I am really attracted with this color. I think wearing this kind of shade makes a person look elegant and gorgeous. I am definitely going to buy it even though it cost a little bit expensive but I think that it is worth the cost since it does not chip out easily.

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